tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 3, 2013 Hi everyone, Have been thinking of getting a beamer for a while. Have been keeping eyes on and off for hte last 6 or so months. My budget is 8k, looking for a daily car. I want all the luxieries such as leather seats, sunroof, etc if possible. Was originally after a 540i but now looking at E46's. Ideal would be a 330i and scaling down from there - definately not 318i though. One in particular im looking at: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=542284842 Can anyone give me some advice on what to look out for?? Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
_ethrty-Andy_ 2132 Report post Posted January 3, 2013 purist edit: bimmer not beamer, a beamer is a bike lol 540i are good value for money, you get more car for the same money, and economy will be about the same for daily driving. my understanding is the 330i has specific parts to that model but i could be wrong. that said if you are dailying in a city, a 540i is quite a big car like a falcon/commodore so parking can be a bitch. i cant take my 5er into wellington, impossible to find a park big enough Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted January 4, 2013 Welcome, No matter what BMW you are after when you finally decide on one get it checked over by a BMW specialist. The whole range of models have issue's. With the budget figure you gave you may need to consider the maintenance budget you could have also. The E46 has a number of items to look out for cooling system generally higher k's plastic components failing, lower suspension bushes, camshaft and crankshaft sensors , door locks to name a few items their are more but I will leave that for others to add. Good luck in your hunt. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted January 4, 2013 330i is a good daily car , maybe look at a motorsport spec car , better suspension , seats , wheels etc. resale is better on them too. how many km do you do a year ?? if you buy at 190k and say do 20-30k a year how long do you plan on keeping it get it checked by a bmw specialist 540i will use more gas Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 4, 2013 Thanks for the replies, yes sorry BIMMER, have to get used to that lol. The one I posted is a 2 hr drive from me, in Te Awamutu so dont think I can get it to a BMW specialist. Its done 190k, I do probably 10k a year - would prob want to sell before I get to 220-230k's. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ BMW 368 Report post Posted January 4, 2013 In all honesty I don't know if you will get a good example of a 330i with 8k. Not without it having high km's like the one above. At that mileage you're getting into some extensive suspension replacement if it has not already been done. If you're going to buy something with that many kms you'll need to insist on full and complete service history. Perhaps you'll get a deal but they all seem to be priced higher than that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted January 5, 2013 Glad you don't want a 318i just to have a BMW The 330i is probably the best choice, especially if you can find a manual one. The V8 540is are also good but are a bigger heavier car so keep that in mind. They can get costly if they go wrong too, but the trick is to buy a decent example with full service history so you know what you're buying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted January 5, 2013 this one looks ok http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=42821 http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=548470459 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 5, 2013 Hey yeah saw that one but its done 260k which is too high for me. Looks great though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) One thing I found really helpful when looking for bimmers, which most people advised me on, was buying a NZ new as opposed to a JAP or Singapore import. Some people may disagree, but generally they have better service history (not always) and no Japanese parts =D. Amazing the difference between the gearboxes on the NZ new compared to the jap, just something I noticed between all the cars I tried out before I bought my one. Edited January 6, 2013 by rusteee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 6, 2013 One thing I found really helpful when looking for bimmers, which most people advised me on, was buying a NZ new as opposed to a JAP or Singapore import. Some people may disagree, but generally they have better service history (not always) and no Japanese parts =D. Amazing the difference between the gearboxes on the NZ new compared to the jap, just something I noticed between all the cars I tried out before I bought my one. Yeah I have been told to stay away from the Singapore ones. Man is it hard to find a manual or what! I quite like this one http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=549307359, not completely sold on the colour but looks great and has fairly low K's. However its only the 2 litre and has only the base features. Can someone confirm that a 320i has a 2 litre engine but the msport 320i has the 2.2ltr 170hp engine? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) Very hard to find a manual, well from what I seen. But there are a few good guys on here that do manual conversions if you had your heart set on one, reasonable pricing to. In my opinion, don't go for a 320i they lack a bit of... fun I suppose lol, I have owned an E36 320i, and have driven a few E46 320i, but they aren't really anything special, great car none the less. Best thing would probably don't go for anything under a 325, if your looking for a drivers car. Another thing, just an opinion again you may disagree lol, KM's aren't ALWAYS everything. 20min slugging idle around town you may do 3km, 20 min driving on highway you may cover 30 km's but on highway your cruising steady and with oil pressure up and at full operating temp, being a hell of a lot better for the engine. Mainly tired suspension issues with high mileage. I seen quite a few tired low mileage cars when looking for an E46 or E39, which you could tell have just been idling around town in traffic for the most of its life. There are a lot of knowledgable people on here that would know the engine specs for those Edited January 6, 2013 by rusteee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted January 6, 2013 Pretty much any E39 or E46 you buy probably needs 3 grand spent on it to makes things "right". Most owners drive around on poked suspension and don't even realise it, plus most low milage cars won't have had the "cooling system rebuild" done yet, and WILL need it doing at some point before it pops and ruins an engine. Vanos seal, transmission service (both autos and manuals are supposedly "lifetime filled"), cabin filters, proer service, air filters etc, dash pixel repairs, etc etc. Just because a car is BMW serviced, it doesn't mean that everything that needs doing has been done - they only do what the owners are willing to pay for, and Kiwi's are notorious for doing stuff on the cheap! That's why most of our old cars are poked! Particularly lease cars only get the absolute minimum done (the 4 I had all were anyway). Look at each cars on it's merits really. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted January 6, 2013 that red one is not that great IMO how about these http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-549338402.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-548879725.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-548032222.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-505732861.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-549991517.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-549712795.htm i would personally go for a 330i msport, otherwise a 320i motorsport with the 2200cc engine is not bad either. just need to find a tidy example that you like. i wouldnt worry about the price listed on trademe, most of these cars have been sitting on trademe for a while and owners (both private and dealers) will be keen to negotiate a deal, you can almost always bring the price down! if your budget is 8k, then a 320i would probably be a bit closer, seeing as most are listed around the 10k mark then u may be able to bring the price down a bit, but then again, whats a couple thousand when you are going to be the owner of a new bimmer? not much imo. anything less than 140,000 kms is okay i think, like most others have said, you will need to prepare to spend an extra bit of cash on repairs, general maintenance, and what not sooner than later after buying... if this is a worry then obviously a bimmer is not for you. just my 2c Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 6, 2013 While I think a 320i would be boring as hell to drive it will just be my daily, to and from work and running around. I have a Series 4 RX7 but thats spent nearly 2 years off the road lol - so im stuck in the middle of wanting a reliable daily but a fun nice car nonetheless. If I didnt have the seven the search would be much easier as I could increase my budget etc. Can someone tell me what I need to be looking for for these infamous suspension and cooling system problems, any tell-tale signs to look out for when I go view a car? Ill try my luck with those cars posted above, will be lowballing them quite a bit so we will see lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rusteee 52 Report post Posted January 6, 2013 For me, when looking at bimmers, easy tell tale signs of a bad cooling system were things like tiny little splatters of coolant in the engine bay, or seeping green goo from tiny little cracks or around the radiator/hoses, low coolant levels, brown/discoloured plastics like thermostat housing, hoses and clips etc (should be black), sweet hot coolant smell, as well as the owner not knowing whether it had been done or not. Most people just leave it till it explodes and then think hmmm maybe should get that fixed, which by then usually creates more issues. Suspension, as well as the visual check, like checking the boots etc I just took the car for a drive, made sure I took corners quite harsh, done U-turns, take over bumps make sure theres no knocks, or odd noises like wheel bearing hum etc, but if seems OK, its best to always get it double checked at a BM workshop before buying. If no paper work for service history, a good indication of whether it has had proper oil service intervals is taking the oil cap off and having a look, most of them are really sludged up, giving a good indication of very long intervals if at all between oil changes (jap cars especially, sometimes never get an oil change hahaha). That again bringing KM's into it, 10,000kms between oil changes of town driving could take a few years or stop start driving. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 cheers. Quite like the look of this 540i, might go check it out this week. Are the V8's problematic? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=549319597 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 Looks well kept and appears like he's replaced the EDC shocks with Bilsteins and lowered it which is good. M62 is pretty solid engine and this one has no vanos which id perfer. You can research some of the common issues but depending on the service history items may have been replaced. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 buy mine http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-544183365.htm or this http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-549506358.htm both a manuals Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 7, 2013 Looks well kept and appears like he's replaced the EDC shocks with Bilsteins and lowered it which is good. M62 is pretty solid engine and this one has no vanos which id perfer. You can research some of the common issues but depending on the service history items may have been replaced. He reckons the waterpump, surrounding seals, thermostat, some pipes, and viscous fan have been replaced. And the serpentine belt. Looks like il lbe doing some research on the m62 tonight! Cheers for the offer Brent, if only your 3 series was at least the 2.2 or even 2.0 litre, would be well keen on a manual e46 in black with sunroof. Slightly OT - A mate of mine had a 525i, the model before e39. Gave it absolute death, was still going all good at 300k's before he got rid of it only had his torque converter go and something went balls up with his fan but suprisingly held up good for the amount of rapage it got lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 10, 2013 Looks like ill be taking the plunge and probably getting the 540i I just posted. Just hope I dont come to regret it with hefty bills!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted January 10, 2013 Guessing you didnt end up getting it checked out? Any proof of the transmission being serviced? that would be the first thing on my list Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 17, 2013 Yeah got that 540i last Friday. Nah didnt get it checked, have blind trusted the guy but he swears its sound all over. In really good nick, has been well treated and drives nice. Actually know the guy from school etc, he has alot of bimmers at his house lol. Loving the car though BUT had to replace the radiator expansion tank as it had a shitty patch job on the inlet Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted January 17, 2013 Wish you all the best and happy trouble free motoring. Hope the blind trust works out for you Maybe nit picking but he swears its sound all over had to replace the radiator expansion tank as it had a shitty patch job on the inlet???. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tangalife 1 Report post Posted January 21, 2013 Wish you all the best and happy trouble free motoring. Hope the blind trust works out for you Maybe nit picking but he swears its sound all over had to replace the radiator expansion tank as it had a shitty patch job on the inlet???. Yep well he either thought it would hold up or is making it up that it is sound all over. He would be stupid to try rip me off or lie to me considering I know who he is and I just live down the road lol, but he seems all good Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
