snapper
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 07:15 AM |
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BMW 330D coupe
After replacing parts to twice the value of the car, the Mondeo is on borrowed time
So I'm thinking of replacing it with something a bit more glam and like the idea of the E90 BMW 330D coupe, it looks good, has power and torque
but still should return similar mpg to the ageing Mondeo
But I know nothing of these cars or engines so what should I look out for when buying
I eat to survive
I drink to forget
I breath to pi55 my ex wife off (and now my ex partner)
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Jasmcauley
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 09:25 AM |
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I bought one about 8months ago,
2008 with 25k on the clock.
I hunted long and hard and got a great deal.
I have the MSport
We have a alien tech tuning kit at work and I've mapped mine.
Probably pushing around 280bhp ridiculous torque and still gives me high 40s on a run
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coyoteboy
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 09:52 AM |
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My brother had the estate of the 330. Seemed to have no luck with it whatsoever - swirl flap issues, cracked manifold, dodgy turbo, front sus falling
apart.
Replaced it with the 530 and had massive electrical problems to the value of about 2500.
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chrism
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 10:10 AM |
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Swirl Flaps are an issue, but removal kits are easy to buy.
I think the current car mechanics has a buyers guide to the 5 series and mentions a few of the issues with the 3lt Diesel engines, might be worthwhile
heading down to a supermarket/smiths and having a quick look through.
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A little hard work never killed anyone, but why take the risk!
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computid
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 10:17 AM |
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I got mine in January. E92 coupe exactly like you want.
62 plate, 4200 miles.
Gotta say, I love it 
It puts a smile on my face whenever I drive it. I will be doing some mods when it's out of warranty. I haven't decided what yet though.
Go for it! You won't regret it
EDIT: With regards to swirl flaps, IIRC they stopped fitting them to cars circa 2008 so if you buy a relatively recent car you shouldn't have
any issues.
[Edited on 14/3/14 by computid]
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Jasmcauley
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 12:22 PM |
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ComputID,
Get it mapped, you will be shocked at what the car is capable of.
the torque is phenomenal
Also the engine has a lovely sound to it 
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six mad
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 05:04 PM |
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I have the saloon 330d, e90
DPF removed and remapped and it still returns a solid 39-40 mpg although
its manual the autos are not quite as good on fuel.
performance is great, cars are well balanced although they
feel a little heavy on the front end, but you carnt have it all.
Mines probably running around 260bhp+ and over 500ftlb
Things to look for, engine should pur, no rattles or loud ticking or turbo whistle when cold.
It also depends on mileage if its around 100k ensure full service history.
Engine breathers clog and can cause issues with oil being burned due
to increased crankcase pressures which can ultimately damage the turbo, but its
a cheap fix to replace it.
If the oil changes are good the engine will carry on beyond 200k.
Good Look
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Matt21
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 05:22 PM |
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a bit of food for thought
how does the 330i compare with the 330d price wise?
I have the older E46.
When i bought it was was very close to buying a 330cd, it was up for £7000, ~75k miles, good condition manual etc etc
Then I thought I would look at the 330 petrols and was amazed at the price!
I picked mine up for £3400, red, black leather sun roof (to get all three of those things is rare!) ~90k miles.
Insurance was also a couple of hundred quid cheaper (was 23 at the time, £1000 vs 800....)
so total cost of the 330cd was £8000
total cost of the 330ci was £4200
so i have just saved myself £3800!!!!
this is effectively £3800 worth of free fuel!!
I worked it out not long ago with average mpg's of 45 and 30 for each car, and after two years 30k miles of driving, I still have
'free' fuel left to use!
just because its diesel and has better mpg, doesnt mean its the most economical
i havnt looked at the prices of the e90's but i guess the diesel will sell for more.
plus the 3litre engines are pretty bullet proof, especially with a manual box.
Mines the older engine but its got 120k+ on the engine and it gets hammered and other than wear and tear there hasnt been a single issue (hope i
havent jinxed it!)
something for you to think about anyway
as for buying, just the usuals really.
rusty front arches are something to look for
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craig1410
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 05:30 PM |
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I got a 2009 535d in August last year. Ownership history so far can be read here:
http://www.meerkats.uk.com/log-book/
Absolutely fantastic machine. The engine is a peach - 286BHP as standard, 340 to 420BHP with some mapping. Up to 700NM or torque. So refined and
smooth but also really fast.
This gives you an idea of the engine sound and how it accelerates.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVlZCU7Yoo
Only gremlins I've had so far (after 13k miles) is the rear hatch switch (£32) and a headlight bulb (£48). I've serviced it myself as
you'll see on my website.
Of course you can be unlucky and get a bad car like you can with any car but generally these are well loved by their owners. www.bmwland.co.uk is a
good forum if you want to go get a feel for things and get some specific advice.
Craig.
edit: Interesting to see Matt21's comments above. I was looking for a petrol 5 series originally but changed my mind because there were hardly
any petrol models available on the market and there were just as many, if not more mechanical issues reported with the petrol models. Try searching
for a petrol model and you'll be lucky to find any sort of choice of spec.
Update: Just checked on auto trader. Looks like the bias towards diesel cars is greater for cars less than 5 years old (4:1 ratio of diesel to petrol)
but for older cars up to 8 years old it is only 2.5:1 ratio of diesel to petrol.
Also, bear in mind the diesel will be worth more when you come to sell it. Alternatively it will run to higher mileage if you decide never to sell
it.
[Edited on 14/3/2014 by craig1410]
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chrism
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 06:31 PM |
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One thing to check for on Diesel cars now is that someone hasn't removed the DPF, as its now part of the MOT check and if it should be fitted
with one it will fail for being removed and a bypass pipe fitted. Its only a visual check so a gutted one will be ok for MOT.
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A little hard work never killed anyone, but why take the risk!
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snapper
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 07:12 PM |
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Keep the comments comming
I'm learning and starting to understand what I'm looking for
I eat to survive
I drink to forget
I breath to pi55 my ex wife off (and now my ex partner)
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Matt21
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 08:37 PM |
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the ratio is higher as people see the diesels as being better on fuel, yet they will more than likely cost more to buy brand new etc
as for resale, that's a good point, obviously I bought mine after some poor sod had lost the £28600 on it and it was at rock bottom price.
as for the diesel engine lasting longer than the petrol, you'll see a lot of high mileage petrol ones about with no issues (mine included) the
idea of the petrol only being good for 100k miles or what ever and the diesel will do over 200k is nonsense. if theyre both looked after they will
both go on forever
have a look at higher mileage cars too, see what theyre selling for and that will give you an idea on the depreciation you face.
you stuggle to find a poor specced bmw too, 90% have all the kit you would need, most of It you wont even use anyway 
get a 335i coupe 
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sdh2903
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| posted on 14/3/14 at 10:07 PM |
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It all depends on how much you use it mileage wise. I recently was looking for a cheap 330 either diesel or petrol. However due to my commute being
short and having a family bus for kid movements paying extra for a diesel that costs more to buy, dearer to insure (strangely) and was higher mileage
and poorer condition just didn't make sense. I ended up buying a low miles, near mint, fsh 330 petrol (albeit an e46).
As Matt said if you can afford it and don't do mega miles the 335i is an awesome machine!
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craig1410
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| posted on 15/3/14 at 05:31 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Matt21
the ratio is higher as people see the diesels as being better on fuel, yet they will more than likely cost more to buy brand new etc
as for resale, that's a good point, obviously I bought mine after some poor sod had lost the £28600 on it and it was at rock bottom price.
as for the diesel engine lasting longer than the petrol, you'll see a lot of high mileage petrol ones about with no issues (mine included) the
idea of the petrol only being good for 100k miles or what ever and the diesel will do over 200k is nonsense. if theyre both looked after they will
both go on forever
have a look at higher mileage cars too, see what theyre selling for and that will give you an idea on the depreciation you face.
you stuggle to find a poor specced bmw too, 90% have all the kit you would need, most of It you wont even use anyway
get a 335i coupe
I would disagree with some of your comments. There are very few people more anti-diesel than me, as I hate diesel with a passion and seriously I set
out to buy a petrol 5 series in the beginning. I would also agree with you that diesel is not automatically more economical. However, if you are doing
a decent mileage (I do 18k a year) then diesel is definitely more economical, especially if you like to drive swiftly as diesel's punish you
less with fuel economy when you drive faster in my experience. My 535d never goes below 37MPG for example, regardless of how hard I drive it. Also, as
I mentioned, you need to look at depreciation as your cost, not the purchase price. For example, buying a diesel at £16k and, say selling at £10k
after 3 years is the same as buying a petrol at £13k and selling for £7k after 3 years. Both would lose £2k a year all other things being equal.
Here are some depreciation figures from whatcar.com. You'll see that after 4 years, the 535d actually becomes cheaper than the 535i and the 320d
and 320i are pretty close by the 4 year mark as well. Yes the diesel does cost more to begin with £2k between the low end models and £4k between the
top end models but you could easily recover that difference over 4 years if you do a decent mileage. Like you, I got my 535d after someone else had
swallowed £30k of depreciation.
What Car Link
I think you'll struggle to see as many high mileage petrol engines compared to diesel engines but I agree it's got a lot to do with how
they are looked after. In my case, I change the oil at 12k miles rather than wait for the 18-19k that the service computer dictates.
As for the specification level, this actually varies greatly between models. My car has a fairly limited spec and yet it includes electric leather
seats, cruise control with brake function, automatic xenon lights, climate control, headlight washers, automatic wipers, self levelling suspension,
heated mirrors and a bunch of other stuff. Everything I need? Yes. Everything available? Far from it!
There are loads of additional options such as improved iDrive with satnav, heads up display, adaptive cruise control, adaptive lights, heated seats,
comfort locking (ie. keyless access), bluetooth telephony, USB iPod connection, privacy glass, flappy paddles etc. I wouldn't value all of these
to be honest but some would certainly be nice. My car is the best equipped car I have ever owned and I am more than happy with it, but I wish I had
been aware of the optional extras before I bought mine so I could have made a more informed choice. Snapper, I strongly recommend you have a play with
someone's car to see some of these features so you can figure out which are important to you. Xenon lights are definitely worth having and a lot
of people recommend the comfort, heated seats and comfort access along with adaptive cruise control. The HUD is also well liked by some.
HTH,
Craig.
[Edited on 15/3/2014 by craig1410]
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Matt21
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| posted on 15/3/14 at 08:35 PM |
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I see your points
I bought mine at rock bottom price so never really looked into depreciation. I priced mine up at a minimum of £32500 when it was new! and I paid £3400
for it 10yrs later!
snapper, you need to decide how long youre likely to keep the car and how many miles you will do, then you get a good idea of what will be more cost
effective in the grand scheme of things. if theyre both equalish I would take the diesel just so I don't spend so long in the petrol station!
that's one thing that annoys me about the petrol, I fill up twice a week atleast lol but I do pretty high mileage and lots of country lane
driving
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craig1410
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| posted on 15/3/14 at 09:27 PM |
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Matt's spot on there I'd say. Also, the diesel is probably better for longer distance journeys where it has a chance to keep the DPF
clear. If your journeys are shorter then perhaps the petrol is a better bet, especially if your annual mileage is also on the lower side. BMW's
sometimes have some trouble with thermostats which can result in the DPF regeneration never happening. This is a relatively easy fix though by
changing one or both thermostats. Mine has been okay so far. Another common problem is vacuum hoses perishing on older cars but again is an easy fix.
If you need parts, bmwland.co.uk have a deal with Cotswold BMW to get discounted genuine parts for all forum members.
Whatever you decide, both petrol and diesel straight 6's are fantastic engines so you won't be disappointed. Just look out for good
service history and especially oil changes. Top tip is to phone this number when you find the registration number for a potential purchase and you can
get the original purchase price and full BMW service history for the car: 09062090001 (it's a premium rate number obviously £1 a minute I think
but they are very quick at giving you the info so you should only be on for a minute or two at most). I used this service myself.
Another tip is to get the chassis number and go to this website to check the full factory options list:
http://www.bmwarchiv.de/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html
You will get a PDF download with the full spec of the car to avoid any doubts over what is fitted and what isn't.
Besides that, use the DVLA MOT check facility and consider a car data check when you really serious about a purchase. I'm sure you are aware of
that already though.
Apologies for another long post, I just can't help myself...
[Edited on 15/3/2014 by craig1410]
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