Valuation of 330i please.... :-)

[plg101]

I'm test driving a 330i this weekend with this spec - seems well loaded.

It's from a main dealer, and I'm after a guide price given Glass/Parkers seem to be a little above book at the mo... ;-)
Cash rather than finance.

April 05
330i SE Saloon, auto
18k miles (!)

Standard SE spec plus:
Bluetooth
Sunroof
18" ellipsoids
Hifi- Professional DSP
Leather
Pro Sat Nav
PDC front and rear
Sports seats and suspension
Heated front seats

Many thanks in advance for any guidance.

[ITP]

Well, i don't know if i want to look at this thread as it progresses as i bought a similar car (AUC) in july 07.......

330iSE Auto May 05

Leather
Sports seats
Elec seats/memory
Heated seats
F+R PDC
Xenons
Upgrade 17" alloys
Elec sunroof
Elec fold mirrors
Prof sat nav
Split fold rear seats

a few more bits i can't remember

Price then with 21k miles..............£22k

(it was 38.5k new though 2 years earlier!)

[plg101]

ITP said:

Well, i don't know if i want to look at this thread as it progresses as i bought a similar car (AUC) in july 07.......

330iSE Auto May 05

Leather
Sports seats
Elec seats/memory
Heated seats
F+R PDC
Xenons
Upgrade 17" alloys
Elec sunroof
Elec fold mirrors
Prof sat nav
Split fold rear seats

a few more bits i can't remember

Price then with 21k miles..............£22k

(it was 38.5k new though 2 years earlier!)

I'll spare you the pain.

How would you rate it since you've owned it? I've driven a fair few recently, the 320d tourer, the 325i and the 330d. I like the directness and handling, the only bug bear is the slightly over-firm ride on poorer roads; not sure I am a fan of run flats.

Going to test it to see if 18"s make it unbearable or just plain firm...

[ITP]

It is a great car overall, engine is outstanding. I'm sure in the midrange the 330d would feel stronger but the 330i is hardly poor (i had a E46 325i auto before and the torque is hugely better as is the 6sp autobox) and it gives you an excuse to rev it anyway, sounds great. Only area of critisism for me are the runflats (i'm about to change to normal) which ruin the ride/handling and i think the brakes, although powerful, are too over servoed making it impossible to stop smoothly at junctions/lights etc without a little jolt. For the money you can get them for now i think they are a bargain, don't bother with a 325i. Out of interest i was thinking of changing the car back in march/april and had bids from dealers just to buy the car in at 17 and 17.5k! I wouldn't even ask now as its probably about 10k trade now (32k miles) so they can build in the extra margin they seem to need these days....
If its the right money go for it... (and change the tyres)

[plg101]

ITP said:

It is a great car overall, engine is outstanding. I'm sure in the midrange the 330d would feel stronger but the 330i is hardly poor (i had a E46 325i auto before and the torque is hugely better as is the 6sp autobox) and it gives you an excuse to rev it anyway, sounds great. Only area of critisism for me are the runflats (i'm about to change to normal) which ruin the ride/handling and i think the brakes, although powerful, are too over servoed making it impossible to stop smoothly at junctions/lights etc without a little jolt. For the money you can get them for now i think they are a bargain, don't bother with a 325i. Out of interest i was thinking of changing the car back in march/april and had bids from dealers just to buy the car in at 17 and 17.5k! I wouldn't even ask now as its probably about 10k trade now (32k miles) so they can build in the extra margin they seem to need these days....
If its the right money go for it... (and change the tyres)

Thanks, appreciated. If you get rid of runflats, will you go for a can of goo and a 12v compressor instead?

[ITP]

Thats what i'm planning to do. Having said that, if the one you're looking at has 18's you may have a better choice of runflats than me. I have different size wheels F/R on 17"'s and i'm restricted to brigestone or pirelli runflats. Many people say michelin runflats aren't too bad and these may be availiable in 18". Still, normal tyres will still be better (also cheaper and you can get them if needed within 24hrs, some people have had their cars off the road for weeks waiting for runlats to arrive)

[plg101]

Glass guide (customized for the options):

Trade in - excellent: £ 14,750.00
Trade in - average: £ 13,300.00
Trade in - below average: £ 11,850.00
Dealer Retail price £ 17,200.00
Private Sale price: £ 15,200.00

Given the current climate, I guess I should go in at Private sale money.... :-)

[ITP]

Just had a quick look, i presume its the one in Huddersfield. That looks a lovely car, great colour & spec, the best sub 20k 330i in the network. Glass sunroof is very rare and my favorite option especially with the black interior. Even in the current climate that's not a bad price for an AUC car and will probably sell to the first serious punter. Seems amazing that in the trade it must only be getting 11-12k bids (or even less, and dealers on here?)

[paoloh]

Just bought a 56 320d se Tourer. Good spec, leather etc. 12k miles £10500.

If you are able to buy cash and don't have a part ex. look to buy end of lease at auction and save yourself thousnads!

[berry100]

plg101 said:

Glass guide (customized for the options):

Trade in - excellent: £ 14,750.00
Trade in - average: £ 13,300.00
Trade in - below average: £ 11,850.00
Dealer Retail price £ 17,200.00
Private Sale price: £ 15,200.00

Given the current climate, I guess I should go in at Private sale money.... :-)

Would go in at £13k to start and certainly pay no more than £15k which even then is a little on the high side....

[plg101]

Sadly I want to be able to get warranty and some recourse - hence dealer... I have cash and no need to part ex, hoping to drive a good deal... though I guess BMW dealers prefer you to take finance and erm, screw you over on a part ex valuation to recover margin.

With BMW, can you buy multiple additional years of warranty, or do you have to wait for it to renew each year?

[paoloh]

plg101 said:

Sadly I want to be able to get warranty and some recourse - hence dealer... I have cash and no need to part ex, hoping to drive a good deal... though I guess BMW dealers prefer you to take finance and erm, screw you over on a part ex valuation to recover margin.

With BMW, can you buy multiple additional years of warranty, or do you have to wait for it to renew each year?

Go to end of lease auction and buy a 1 or 2 year old car and you have manufactrers warranty

[ITP]

Not many lease cars have as high as spec as this one (won't be many 330i petrols either, most will be diesels), but by all means try and beat them down. This looks like one of the v.early E90's that was specced up high for lauch. Depends how long the OP is going to keep the car, if only a few months or a year max then get one as cheap as possible. If you want a nice car for a few years then depreciation is not so important and you should get the engine and the spec you want to enjoy the car

[plg101]

ITP said:

Not many lease cars have as high as spec as this one (won't be many 330i petrols either, most will be diesels), but by all means try and beat them down. This looks like one of the v.early E90's that was specced up high for lauch. Depends how long the OP is going to keep the car, if only a few months or a year max then get one as cheap as possible. If you want a nice car for a few years then depreciation is not so important and you should get the engine and the spec you want to enjoy the car

Aim on keeping for 3-5 years, and I like my toys! Spec is 95% of what I wanted in a 3 series.

Shame they don't do head up display ;-)

[ITP]

You'll get 12 months full warranty anyway with AUC and after that you choose on level of cover you want if you want to renew based on a combination of level of cover and excess (0/150/250). For top level cover (i think there are 3 levels) mine, which is the same car, was £425 with 150xs (includes breakdown cover), not too bad really for peace of mind. Mechanically they are sound, what i was worried about was all the electrics, satnav etc. Had some misting in the xenons which was covered but would have cost over £1000 just for that!
Only thing is it must be serviced at BMW.......

[plg101]

ITP said:

You'll get 12 months full warranty anyway with AUC and after that you choose on level of cover you want if you want to renew based on a combination of level of cover and excess (0/150/250). For top level cover (i think there are 3 levels) mine, which is the same car, was £425 with 150xs (includes breakdown cover), not too bad really for peace of mind. Mechanically they are sound, what i was worried about was all the electrics, satnav etc. Had some misting in the xenons which was covered but would have cost over £1000 just for that!
Only thing is it must be serviced at BMW.......

Thanks, useful advice.

£425 isn't too bad, audi is ~£600. Excess process makes sense to me.

[gizlaroc]

plg101 said:

Sadly I want to be able to get warranty and some recourse - hence dealer...

So you would spend £18-20k on a 2005 car which will have 12 months warranty?

Why not go private and buy a 12 month old car for £18k which has 2 years warranty??


Think about it for a second.

Buy the way, if you wanted to sell that 330i back in a month you would struggle to get over £12k bids on it.

[plg101]

gizlaroc said:

plg101 said:

Sadly I want to be able to get warranty and some recourse - hence dealer...

So you would spend £18-20k on a 2005 car which will have 12 months warranty?

Why not go private and buy a 12 month old car for £18k which has 2 years warranty??


Think about it for a second.

Buy the way, if you wanted to sell that 330i back in a month you would struggle to get over £12k bids on it.

The car I have seen is up at <£17k, I don't trust private, too many scams around...

My take is, £15-16k, have it for 4 years, maybe get £4k back, £12k over 4 years = 3k a year, £250 per month.

I like dealer to take things back too, don't mind paying a premium over private.
Just trying to gauge what a good price is in this market; I have no objections to someone making a profit, just want to reduce it as much as possible...

Edited by plg101 on Friday 17th October 13:59

[ITP]

Even in this climate i'd be surprised if you could get a 1 year old (57 plate) 330i with this spec for 18k, maybe poverty spec or mega miles (or both), but who wants to spend 18k (or 10k even) of their hard earned on a car with a spec they didn't really want just because its cheap?
Also a good spec BMW is SO much easier to sell on than an average or poor one, but the most important thing is actually being happy with the car (and its spec) you buy and are going to drive for thousands of miles
Like the old saying 'a man will spend £2 on a £1 item he really wants/needs whereas a woman will spend £1 on a £2 item she doesn't need/want just because its cheap.....

[plg101]

Thanks all for the advice, thought I would follow up.

Drove the car on the weekend, dealer had a full history for it, though 18k miles and 2 owners seemed off (wasn't sure if it was a demo, pre-reg, etc) and seemed to have a had a hard 3 years for only 18k miles, (though he would warranty the mileage)

Biggest problem was the ride - didn't feel standard or even vaguely compliant - it was 18"s and runflats, and it really didn't like any form of uneven road (and we are talking A roads, not country lanes; really unpleasant compared to some very similar 3's that I have driven recently (325i, 330d).

Oh well, if anyone wants a fully toyed up (£10k worth of toys) 330i and has velvet smooth roads near them, then there is a deal to be had in Huddersfield BMW at the moment.... and back to the drawing board for me.