Need advice on Buying bmw

newbie123

i am currently looking to buy a bmw for under 8,000 316 -318
what should i look out for
is 100,000 miles too much and how many years wud i get out of it?
is there any trouble with them?
im a bit of a noob when it comes to bmws

DublinWriter

Basically, look for a documented service history with the millage noted at every service. BMWs are notoriously easy to clock.

For that kind of money you'd be best going up the North. The VRT would be negliable for the amount of money you're spending in relation to all the extras the car would have.

Fey!

Try to get some kind of history, and try to get one with a very good spec.

Might be worth posting in the 2 forums in my sig. Also, try www.accarsales.com - a lot of the BMW heads use them.

Why limit yourself to a 316 or 318. and not try a 320; if it's for insurance, then get quotes for all three before you buy; you might find that there's sod all difference in price.

cantdecide

Fey! wrote: »

Why limit yourself to a 316 or 318. and not try a 320; if it's for insurance, then get quotes for all three before you buy; you might find that there's sod all difference in price.

It's true, you know.

You could also try across the water, a £4000 car will cost approx €8000 cleared. Much better spec, much better choice.

bazz26

The early E46 316i/318i are very disappointing. Both are 1.9 litre but were underpowered and not worth the money imo. The only 4 cylinder E46 worth looking at is the 320d diesel and a decent one is most likely outside of your budget.

IMO if you are limited by insurance and your budget then the only 4 cylinder 3 Series worth looking at is the older E36 318iS coupe. It has around 140bhp and was available upto around 1998. One of them should be well inside your budget and as suggested go to the UK for a high spec version.

Just another thing to keep in mind though is that because it is an old design their performance in the Euro NCAP safety test is very poor.

Andrewf20

I agree with Bazz26. Have a look for a straight E36 318is with service history.
There should be no major issues with this model and its a great motor. Cars with over a 100k on it may need the following replaced like on my E36, so budget for these if not done already.

New cat converter - 1000euro or 500 euro for a spurious one
Rear trailing arm bushings - 300 euro incl fitting
New brake line for the rear (failed NCT due to corrosion) - 400 euro incl fitting

These are fairly common issue on E36's it seems, from talking to folks with the same model and reading the mags.

If on Irish plates, this could be a gem with a full BMW service history and in budget:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=810631

S.I.R

eh what you want is either e30 318 or Early e36 which is literally just a body shape change. later models of the e36 are rubbish.


just watch out for excessive suspension wear ( the car ill bouce around corners with little grip )

tyres... any cuts or chips on side wall proves how well the cars been driven...

dont buy anything with " m sport " on it... just costs you more on the insurance.


also at 100-125,000 miles is when a city driven bmw needs an engine rebuild ( normaly about 175,000 on motorway bmw's )

and finally , make sure it has the original radio... they get harder and harder to find so people just stick in a s*** alba one with alpine stickers :mad:

Andrewf20

S.I.R wrote: »

eh what you want is either e30 318 or Early e36 which is literally just a body shape change. later models of the e36 are rubbish.

Where are you getting this information from? The E30 and E36 are completely different cars, engine, suspension, chassis etc. Why are later E36 models rubbish?

S.I.R wrote: »

dont buy anything with " m sport " on it... just costs you more on the insurance.

I have doubts about this statement too. My insurance never asked about where mine is an M sport or not.

S.I.R wrote: »

also at 100-125,000 miles is when a city driven bmw needs an engine rebuild

Where did this come from?

kdevitt

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Where are you getting this information from? The E30 and E36 are completely different cars, engine, suspension, chassis etc. Why are later E36 models rubbish?



I have doubts about this statement too. My insurance never asked about where mine is an M sport or not.



Where did this come from?

You'll find its best to ignore anything S.I.R says... its all rubbish

S.I.R

Andrewf20 wrote: »

Where are you getting this information from? The E30 and E36 are completely different cars, engine, suspension, chassis etc. Why are later E36 models rubbish?

In mid 1992 the e30 and replaced by the e36 TU , hence why most of them came with TU badges on the boot. The only noteable differance between the two is that the e36 hs bigger engine brackets and resells for less then the e30. Build quality was also reduced in later models as bmw tryed to cut back on costs ( with was also witnessed in the e46 m3 and its bigger m5... )

as for the m sport , my dads one was a 320 ( last bmw he owned though he had a 325i previous ) and was asked by quinn " is it a stanard or a coupe ? then they asked " normal model , or m sport ?

though m sport is expensive it makes the car look better and add's 100 quid to your insurance... well worth it imo

but still , i wouldn't let this put you off because , your buying the best mass production RWD car on the market.

kdevitt

S.I.R wrote: »

In mid 1992 the e30 and replaced by the e36 TU , hence why most of them came with TU badges on the boot. The only noteable differance between the two is that the e36 hs bigger engine brackets and resells for less then the e30.

What the hell are you talking about?

MarkN

eh BMW straight six engines are bullet proof practically! Engine rebuild at 100k will you cop on. I seriously doubt an M sport model will add to any premium and if Quinn are like that, then go somewhere else.. Plenty of far superior insurance companies out there than Quinn. An M sport (although it's a personal thing) but particularly in the model you are talking will make the car look fairly fresh even at this stage.. I too would go for an 318is if I was going for anything.

E92

The straight 6's are by and large very good for reliability, but when they go wrong they will cost a small fortune to repair.

The E30 was replaced in 1991 by the E36. The E30 had the M20 i.e. the 12V straight 6 while the E36 had the M50 i.e. the 24V straight 6. The M50TU came out in 1992 i.e. the ones with VANOS.

In 1995 the M50 was replaced with the M52. These are the ones to avoid, because they have the Nikasil issue, however if they've gone past 100k with no problems then the problem in all probability won't show up, and are no worse than the M50 lump for reliability. In Week 10 of 1998, just as the E36 was replaced by the E46, the M52TU came out and that solved the Nikasil problem(it used iron linings instead). The M52TU should be available in late 98/99 reg E36 Coupé's, Tourings and Cabrios(as these were replaced by the E46 version later than the saloon was).

There are some weaknesses with the straight 6's, overheating being the most obvious one.

The OP is interested in the 316i/318i, these are the 4 cylinder versions, and they are not meant to be as good as the 6 cylinder models for reliability.

newbie123

so should i avoid buying one over 100k at all costs?
if i do buy one over 100k how long on average would it last?
i was thinking bout the 316 r 318

Andrewf20

I wouldnt rule out motors with over 100k as long as there is a nice book of receipts, noteably for the engine. Just be aware of some of the things I mentioned before. For high mileage motors look closely at the cooling system to check all is in order.

I reckon your budget would get a straight motor with <100k miles on it though. I bought a mint mid 90's 323i coupe with 66k on the clock, full service history, and a new engine block changed at 55k for 9000euro.

This could be a nice high mileage one. No M tech kit but FBMWSH. I reckon you could haggle to low 5k, by letting them know that the cat is likely to die unless changed already: http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=850627 No mention of when NCT is up. If up soon, brake lines may need change also.

See more here on tips to watch out for: http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=33&. They also say
"140 bhp 318iS coupe and run-out special 318iS saloon (offered for just one month in 1998) by far the best 4-cylinder cars."