I'm back...

[matheweleven 0]

Hi all,

After several years without a beemer, I'm back in the market...  Hoping you can help me out.

My only other post in this forum was when I bent some rods in an old e30 when living in Auckland.  I got a reply from a legend called Lance who fixed up my car at mates rates and became my personal mechanic and friend.

I'm in Wellington now and want to get a wagon.  I'm hoping to spend about 10k.  I was thinking 3 series, because it's a little more compact and maybe fuel efficient than the 5 series?  I was also considering a diesel.  Is it much cheaper to run?  Do the engines cost more to maintain?  Are there certain years and models that I should look out for, for both petrol and diesel?  I also want to lower it with springs, just to create a slightly more stanced look, and I definitely don't have any extra cash for coilovers.  Any tips or inside knowledge would be greatly appreciated.  Would also be keen to meet up at any local meets of be put in touch with anyone who can help out with cars, parts etc.

Looking forward to being a beemer driver once again.

Thanks heaps!

[balancerider 779]

Diesel 3 series in your price range will be fairly high km E91 320d - not inherently a problem as the N47 is pretty strong but there are reports of timing chains shitting the bed which is an engine out ($$$) replacement job. You should be able to find a nice pre-facelift 325i touring (2006-2008) which has the N52 engine, price is similar to a 525i probably but the 3 series are a bit more involving to drive

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2963]

If you are looking at E91 wagons, overall a pretty good car for the money, I would suggest you look to pay the extra and get a diesel or six cylinder petrol over the four cylinder petrol (320i, etc) as the 4-pot is pretty disappointing and has a poor record for oil and coolant leaks.

[allan 295]

If you can before you buy talk to people that have owned the petrol and diesel version you are intrested in. To a large degree will also depend on the type of running you will be doing. Then do the maths comparing the cost of the petrol 95 or 98 to the diesel and RUC charges plus any other related maintenance costs. As mentioned look at the 6 cylinder engine they seem to have a slightly better track record than the fours. Drive as many as you can to get a feel of each type.

[kiwi535 538]

for the record the ruc is now about 7 c a kilometre ,ie nearly 700 bucks for 10000k.Diesels also pay a higher rego as there are no ACC levy on diesel .Inly  buy a diesl if you can give it a good run most times you drive it,At least 20km some of which should be highway.This will give the dpf the best chance to stay clear.

[polley 916]

Diesel gauge cluster is easily reprogrammable to tick odometer over at less than half speed while keeping speedometer reading accurate.

Not saying to do it as that would be illegal. But it's possible :x

[leonf 162]

Good advice, polley. And what you are suggesting is NOT actually illegal. Whilst it is illegal to not have an operating speedometer in NZ, it is not mandatory to have a functioning odometer - even in a diesel (ruc paying) vehicle. Something I learned from the VTNZ people when I recently vinned a US origin motorcycle with a digital speedo that nobody could get the odo working on.........

[polley 916]

Interdasting

[matheweleven 0]

Hey thanks team.  I appreciate your insight.  Looking forward to doing some test driving... and calculations.  Chur!

[alisterh 26]

There is a spreadsheet here which I found helpful when making my decision https://www.transport.govt.nz/land/road-user-charges-ruc-and-petrol-excise-duty-ped/light-petrol-vs-diesel/ 

Basically the more km's you do per year the better off you are. 

I purchased a e91 320d a few months ago and so far has been great. I have an early model with the m47 which means no dpf to worry about. It takes a little while to get used to the lower power band but to me it feels like driving a car with a much bigger engine.