Buying a BMW 4 Series

Are you looking at the 2 door or the 4 door Gran Coupe? Petrol or diesel model? Early 420i petrol and 420d diesel engines can suffer from timing chain stretching which starts off as a noticable rattle type sound at idle. Make sure whatever you look at has a good service history. It should be stored digitally in the iDrive infotainment system.

I've a 2017 430d Gran Coupe for around 2.5 years. Bought it from a dealer here who imported it from the UK. They are a lovely car to drive with good handling and mine hasn't given any trouble in the time I've had it. Interior fit and finish isn't the best compared to the 5 Series I had before and there can be a few rattles from trim plastics when driven on less than perfect surfaces. That bothered me at first but I'm used it now. Road noise is also noticeable in them but I think that'd down to the fact they have frameless doors so the insulation is not the best, can also depend on the brand of tyres. The manual handbrake leaver is a bit dated these days but again it is what it is. The ZF8 gearbox is very smooth and most will have paddle shifters on the steering wheel too.

If you are tall (6ft+) or suffer from back problems then this car might not be the best choice as they are quite low to the ground, even worse if the car has a sunroof. Interior space is tight too especially in the back and rear Gran Coupe doors are pretty small but once your inside there is enough leg room for your average size person. If you have young children then getting them in and out of baby seats will break your heart and back eventually. Rear visibility can be challenging too as the rear window is quite small so one with a reversing camera is a huge benefit. The boot on the Gran Coupe is a hatchback so it is surprisingly spacious and practical The 2 door is a bit less practical as the boot is like a saloon so the opening or mouth is narrow, also because it's a 2 door the doors are very long so you have to watch where you park. If someone parallel parks close to your door then you may not be able to get out or in something to be mindful of with any 2 door car really. One other thing to note is that the interior is quite snug so dark coloured trim make it feel like a cave so a lighter coloured interior such as beige/ivory is best to brighten it up but requires a bit more tlc as it shows up dirt and marks fairly easy.

Spec wise, UK imports tend to be higher spec than Irish cars. Most of the 4 Series M Sports came with the wider idrive screen as well as heated front seats as standard. BMW basic sound system is not great if you like your music so if you can find one with the upgraded Harman/Kardon loud speaker system then it's much better. The H/K system gives you a hard drive for storing mulitmedia files, extra speakers as well as surround sound and a subwoofer. There was an options pack called the M Sport Plus pack on many of them which includes 19" alloy wheels and the H/K sound system. Mine has a Tech pack also which includes a Head Up Display, reversing camera and auto high beam headlights. Common enough on new cars these days but the Germans liked to charge extra from them.

I own a 2015 420i M Sport, its a lovely car and I've had no real issues with it to date. Definitely get the M Sport package as it looks much better. Also try get one with the 19" alloys if possible, although I think thats the standard size with the M Sport package. Nothing else really springs to mind as most stuff comes as default with the M Sport package (heated seats, reverse camera, sat-nav, better sound system etc).

The only obvious thing to point out is that its not a family-friendly car. Its very low to the ground, my elderly parents find it near impossible to get in and out of. It also makes depth perception quite difficult in tight gaps as its also quite a long car, my poor alloys have taken a fair few battle wounds against curbs at through the years. Space in the back can also be quite limited so also bear that in mind if you have kids.