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ryanhorton1973

Possible purchase, advice needed please !

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Hi all. I am thinking of buying this car listed on TradeMe:

https://www.trademe.co.nz/2495661050

Any advice (good or bad). It will be for a daily commuter from Papakura to the Airport. Thanks in advance for any replies.

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Good six cylinder, looks well spec’d for a 523, and I love a good wagon.

Get a solid PPI as you never know how it was treated prior to you get it and check out what general problems sit with a F10/F11 chassis, not a lot with this engine compared to a V8 F10 I’ve heard.  

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The only thing that seems to be a common issue is the rear suspension airbags and it doesn't look too hard to replace them. 

Edited by ryanhorton1973

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5 minutes ago, ryanhorton1973 said:

The only thing that seems to be a common issue is the rear suspension airbags and it doesn't look too hard to replace them. 

Yeah, guy in my office blew out one on his touring coming back to Auckland from Tauranga. Didn’t sound fun. 
 

It’s probably something you might just want to replace before it leaves you on the side of the road. 
 

not so much a comment on the F10 but in my experience BMW suspension components and cooling systems start to show their first signs of failure between 100-120k kms. So you might just want to budget for some of that as they can get a little pricey. 

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God I'm a dunce, I thought it was an E60, or is it E64, or E69... Ugh. This new numbering system. 

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I had considered this car due to the price point but eventually didnt go ahead because i wasnt too keen on the small engine for this model shape.  

i think the 2.5L is slightly underpowered for this car so the 528i is the better choice. 535i also very nice but much higher maintenance costs being the turbo n55 engine. 

 

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Price seems reasonable for what's on offer. The N53 engine in this has something of a reputation for eating injectors, and I'd be interested in any service history (suspect little to none though)

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Agree a 528i would be nicer.  If you don't care about performance then the 523i would be fine.  The F10/11 is a big solid car, you can certainly feel the 7 series that underpins it.

Airbags are relatively cheap and easy to replace.

Only air bags and oil leaks have been issues on our 535i.

Edited by GorGasm

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i have an F10/11 528 touring and it is just magic.  You will love it, even with the smaller engine.

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have seen the car about 6 months ago, considered it and decided against is being a Japanese import that has been sitting at this guys yard for close to 2 years, plus the leather had splashes of paint. just didn't feel right to me. engine sounded smooth though. 

 

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Thanks for all the replies. I have decided to steer clear of that particular car (mainly due to the fact my financial controller has capped my budget to a lower price!). I have this 2011 120i coupe out for a decent test drive and liked it. 

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-2451144850.htm?rsqid=2ff382df2d074fdda9ff852048494c84-001

Same questions apply really. Any advice good / bad.

Thanks once again in advance for any advice (I have a $10k max budget (ideally less and not set on any particular but don't like the look of the 1 series hatch!)

 

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Keep the 944. 35 year old 4 pot in that will be more reliable than 9 year old 4 pot in the 120. 

Get a 125 if you want a coupe, or 135 if you want a fast coupe, or a honda integra if you want a 120 ;)

Edited by Jacko

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read these two threads and decide for yourself regarding the 120i :)

 

 

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Thanks for the link qube. So after reading many horror storied maybe not a wise choice (like any used car I guess, some are fine and others are a nightmare!). Does the earlier 3 series (e46?) have the same engine / issues? I have taken this for a drive today and it was nice (NZ new with service history from Jerry Claton  BMW and one independent garage).

https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=2513548383

Thanks once again for any advice (it is greatly appreciated).

Edited by ryanhorton1973

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The facelift e46 318i's share the same n4x motor that are in the 120i's. Would stay away from those. The pre facelift e46 318i's have the m43, which are very reliable, but performance wise aren't much to write home about. 

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On 2/9/2020 at 5:32 PM, ryanhorton1973 said:

Thanks for the link qube. So after reading many horror storied maybe not a wise choice (like any used car I guess, some are fine and others are a nightmare!). Does the earlier 3 series (e46?) have the same engine / issues? I have taken this for a drive today and it was nice (NZ new with service history from Jerry Claton  BMW and one independent garage).

https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=2513548383

Thanks once again for any advice (it is greatly appreciated).

Get a NA 6 cylinder ?

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So the story / hunt for a car continues!

I took this for a test drive yesterday:

https://www.trademe.co.nz/2408777295

Very nice to drive, straight 6 n/a. Over my original budget :( 

Does anyone else on here own one and is there any major issues?

Thanks again for any advice!

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Same engine as in the 130 (which is getting lots of love and a bit of hate recently), and 330 plus some US models... very good motor for cruising, check for oil leaks before you buy. Certainly a better engine that the 4 pot you linked to earlier.

This thing would swallow Papakura to the airport no worries. If it's over your original budget and you're not in a rush then just be patient. ?

Sorry I can't offer more insight on the model/chassis.

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2 hours ago, LemonHunter said:

I'd check through the dealers TM Reviews, 

And google reviews. Their aftersales support is apparently horrific.

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Hi guys. Yep I see what you are saying. I was beginning to get a bit suspicious as I took my existing car down to get it assessed for part exchanging it towards the BMW and two days later haven't received the quote for it. I will steer clear and keep searching elsewhere.

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bought a car from eurosport before, was a smooth easy transaction.

but my single experience doesnt mean a whole lot to say whether the car in question is good or not, that is for you to decide :)

 

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Buying the car is easy. But my knowledge of the english language is no where good enough to explain how much their after sales support sucks

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hmm, we had some error lights on our car from them and they got a replacement battery sorted out for me within a few days. it was pretty straight forward.

guy named Mario was the sales manager at the time.

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