digginz

Cool thanks both for the info. Yep @balancerider thats the one, I believe all 330e's were manufactured from 2016 which has the updated LCI components and b48 engine. Ah ok good to know about the range, after years with gas guzzlers I'm pretty keen to go a little more eco. I've also been looking at a f30 320i, there are some decent ones going for reasonably cheap. However most of these have the n20 engine. From the info I've read owners have had various experiences with them, again I would just get a mech warranty so it wouldn't be too much of an issue. The only concern is resellability, as NZ is set to go Carbon-Neutral by 2025 I would assume there will be a flood of petrol cars on the market with everyone switching to some sort of EV/PHEV?

Hi all, Returning member here. I had a e90 330i a few years ago, and loved the "connected" feeling you got when driving. I'm looking at possibly coming back after years with a Golf GTI. I really like the looks of the F30s and now there are a heap of them on the market so it looks like a good time to buy. With the fuel prices the way they are I've been tempted to switch over to the PHEV route, I've test driven a 330e and switching from EV to Petrol engine was pretty seamless. The torque off the line was great and I immediately got that same "BMW" feel I had with my old e90. I'll get a mechanical warranty so battery issues shouldn't be too much of an issue. Just wondering if there are any other 330e owners out there and how their experience has been so far? Are there any issues to look out for? From the research I've done they have the b48 engine which looks to be a massive improvement over the n20 in the 320i (pre-LCI). Most of my driving will be city (Wellington) so having a PHEV make would make sense for my use-case, however I don't think I'm ready to go full EV right now. Cheers!

OP - Good to see a fellow ClubSub member on here! I was in a similar situation to you, but I just couldn't let go of my Subbie. I've got a v7 sti Wagon, tuned etc, although not making as much power as yours (214kw atw). Have you considered buying a daily and keeping the Subbie as a weekend toy? After some shopping around I settled on a e90 330i, and I must say its a fantastic cruiser and it a nice place to be on long trips. I managed to find one with sports suspension, adaptive steering and a few extras. Both cars a pretty much complete opposites. BMW is a smooth ride with that straight 6 and minimal road noise, but has very direct handling. The Subaru is loud af, thanks to the 3" turbo back, lots of road noise. But when that boost comes on it always brings a smile on my face. I agree since Subaru's are more accessible to the younger crowd, doing mods willynilly with no tune, engines go boom. I've had mine for the past 6 years, always on top of maintenance and I've never had one problem with it. Extremely reliable car. I would suggest a mechanical warranty for any BMW, in the last year I've had the brake booster and water pump fail. Would have cost me 2.5k otherwise, I think I need to change my coil packs soon as I'm getting some shaky start-ups. I usually do my own servicing on my cars, but with the warranty I'm required to take it into a shop for servicing which is also added cost.

Sweet, cheers Michael will do more research on the Torque Converter. Putting around town and at cruising/low rpm, car runs perfectly.

Hey all, Just wondering if anyone has experienced this: I've noticed recently that if I give the car a little bit of stick and take it around 5000-6000 rpm before changing gears (Tiptronic) I get a lot of vibration afterwards. Only vibrates when accelerating. It almost feels like the car is going to stall and will last for a good 3-5 minutes before settling back in, and all is back to normal, no check engine lights or anything like that. I've had a look online but couldn't find anything specific to my situation. Thoughts?

I have a similar problem, when going around corners - Particularly roundabouts. I'll go to accelerate out of the roundabout, and for about 1-1.5 secs, nothing. Then the car will go back to normal on the straights, its like the car cant find the right gear. It only seems to occur within the first 5 minutes of driving, wont happen again once the car is warm, and occurs every so often. This is my first auto (only ever driven manuals) so I'm not sure if it's just a characteristic of how bmw's are setup? I've got a 2005 330i.

I've taken the car to Page European in Wellington. It's getting a Trans Fluid Change and Filter replacement, there is a small leak near the radiator so just needs the plastic connector replaced. I've asked about the Water Pump and they seem to think it should be ok. Should I be replacing the water pump regardless as a preventative measure? Or will it be ok until it needs replacing?

Awesome thanks. I plan on taking to Page Euro for a good service, I've just done a oil change on my own. I was talking to a mate of mine who was a service tech for bmw for 10 years, he said if the warranty doesn't include maintenance it isn't worth it. As long as service is up to date and is looked after, the 330i are pretty good engine/trans wise.

Update: Just got the car back from PPI, no real major issues. Notes: Needs 2 new front tires. There is a little residue of coolant on the under tray next to the plastic clips, A very tiny bit residue of oil from the transmission sump plug, its covered with dust so doesn't seem fresh. Mechanic said not even worth mentioning but still needs to included as a note. Also it being an ex-Singapore there could be an issue trying to find a replacement electrics computer, as most of the parts carried here are either NZ or Japanese based. Does anyone have any experience with the electrics side for ex-Singapore? Other than the above everything else is cosmedic for the cars age, e.g. Headliner and a couple dents here and there. Based on the report and checking the VIN (thanks KsW) I think the car is pretty well spec'd for the price, will be picking it up this arvo! :-) I plan on taking it in the new year for a full service, although I'd do the Oil Change myself.

Awesome, thanks for the feedback. I have the seller taking it in for a Pre-Inspection tomorrow. Another note: It's a Singapore Import, I've heard from people that these can be an issue due to the humidity. But it has been in the country since 2008, so I would imagine that anything that could have gone wrong would have done so already? Yep, I've done my research and am aware of the maintenance costs that come with it. I'm very meticulous with my cars, so regular servicing will be carried out. I see where you're coming from with the higher spec'd models, fortunately for me I do have a weekend car for those "spirited" drives. This will be more of the daily/cruiser :-) Is it also worth getting a mechanical warranty?

Hey all, New member here... Long time lurker, first time poster. I've always been a JDM person at heart, but loved the Euros and their build quality. Recently a e90 330i popped up on Trade Me http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1219168976 I went to check out the car yesterday, everything seems to be in pretty good order except for the adaptive lights have stopped working. I've heard that it can cost up to a couple grand to have this fixed and would affect a WOF if not addressed. This is the cheapest 330i I've seen, is this too good to be true? Would the low price be right for headlight work to be done? Apologies if this is the wrong section, but there seems to be more traffic coming through here than the Trade Me part. Any info would be awesome!