Contrails 316 Report post Posted March 12, 2016 G'day everyone, We are looking at the following car on trademe. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1035531612.htm What are the things to watch out for in these cars? This one has the I-drive system. Are they reliable? I have read to stay away from the 2.0 Engines (320i) therefore looking at the 325i. Also, I will be doing a PPI check with BM workshop or Botany Motor Works before committing to the sale. Worth getting a mechanical warranty? Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
digital_frankenstein 10 Report post Posted March 12, 2016 (edited) Hey mate, I just bought an '06 323i. First car purchase so I was a little naive but the car is great. But first OFF... GET THE MECHANICAL WARRANTY! Even if only a year or two. Definitely get it checked over by a professional. I was stupid and had the AA check my car 2 months after I bought it. They found a small oil leak, I found one of the rear windows gets stuck when fully opened. I have to push the seals away to allow the window to popup and avoid the safety sensor triggering from hitting something and retracting. AA also found my Windscreen seal looking a little tired. I originally took it in to see if they could find anything else needing attention as I was taking it back to the car sales service centre the following week to have them look into a ticking sound coming from the engine, which is something else you'll have to look out for. Apparently common in the e90 models. Cars been in for a week and I'm picking her up tomorrow, let's see if they try and charge me for any of this stuff which are all faults found within the first 3 months. I have i-Drive installed, although being a fresh Jap import, its still all in Japanese. I'm happy to use my phone for GPS and I never listen to the radio so the frequencies aren't a trouble. Plus some of the fixes out there, finding a hidden menu to fiddle with the bands won't work in my model. May look into swapping out one day but not a necessity. But use it as a bargaining chip if yours is in Japanese too. Apart from these minor issues, the car is great! I don't regret my purchase at all. Well... Apart from being in a hole the next few years, paying it off. Edited March 12, 2016 by digital_frankenstein 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Contrails 316 Report post Posted March 13, 2016 Thanks for that info d_f, will be speaking to the guys from Botany Motor Works/BM workshop about PPI before committing to the sale. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matth5 471 Report post Posted March 13, 2016 Either negotiate a free warranty or a discount on the price, as the dealers don't pay full price for the warranty you may be able to get more value out of that. The cars are pretty reliable but when things break the bill can easily be over $1k. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Contrails 316 Report post Posted March 13, 2016 Either negotiate a free warranty or a discount on the price, as the dealers don't pay full price for the warranty you may be able to get more value out of that. The cars are pretty reliable but when things break the bill can easily be over $1k. Thanks Matt, will keep that in mind. Car is still getting complied so haven't had a chance to look at it yet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
digital_frankenstein 10 Report post Posted March 13, 2016 Just to note...Got my car back today and all issues fixed, including the radio. They fixed it up so I now have all frequencies.Cheers Buy Right Cars!It's definitely doable so bring it up if you find it is still set to the Japanese frequencies.Maybe check out Buy Right Cars if this doesn't work out for you or just to have a nosey at their stock. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FRT 144 Report post Posted March 13, 2016 idrive radio change to NZ freq is easy 5 min job with software and laptop. Plus add on any feature that was or wasn't enabled in factory like reverse gong delete. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
digital_frankenstein 10 Report post Posted March 14, 2016 idrive radio change to NZ freq is easy 5 min job with software and laptop. Plus add on any feature that was or wasn't enabled in factory like reverse gong delete. Ahh sweet, cheers for the info! Good to know they had the tools and were willing to do it then. They were reluctant when I first asked. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TermiPeteNZ 1316 Report post Posted March 14, 2016 Looks like a nice set of wheels. +1 on Mech Breakdown Insurance - especially AutoSure (Vero). I got my E60 in October and have made 3 claims with the dealer covering one excess. Oil leaks, water tank split and iDrive (CCC) going kaput. WELL worth the investment and Autosure have been fantastic to deal with. Go for the Extreme warranty with up to $10k per fault and $350 excess. I've put an Autosure/MTF wty on the old E53 I just picked up through a private sale too. 4yrs of standard coverage for about $1600 - with $4k per fault cover and $450 excess. I think it is awesome that you buy this kind of cover on an old (2001) vehicle with 200kms on it - on a private sale. It makes a cheap vehicle less cheap, but less worrying too 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
