E91 325i

[elias 253]

Hello,

 

I am thinking of buying an e91 325i. Its a 2008 model, m sport with idrive and sunroof. Its got just below 160,000km. Is this a bad idea? I can get it for a decent price ($6800). Should i do it? Its in very good condition, paintwork and interior wise. Drives smoothly as well. Will obviously get a prepurchase inspection done beforehand. Anyone you would recommend for this? I am in Auckland.

 

Thanks,

Elias

[qube 3570]

bm workshop grey lynn or east tamaki otherwise bellars in north shore should sort you out with ppi. these are generally reliable cars but make sure you budget for maintenance items since the kms are getting up there and may need some attention soon.

price seems okay too 

[elias 253]

ok thanks for the info on ppi. Yeah thats what im a bit worried about, i hear that this is the time where things start to go, from waterpump/thermostat to control arms, starters, and pulleys/tensioners. Is it better to stay away from it in general and try find one with less kms? 

[qube 3570]

I reckon if its 160kms, the waterpump and thermostat might have been done already, they typically go anywhere between 60-120kms, if it lasted until 160 thats amazing.

pulleys and tensioners are super cheap and easy to do so wouldnt worry. I highly doubt any of the cars for sale would have had control arms and suspension parts replaced unless owned by an enthusiast or dramatically failed so you can budget that in for future upgrade/maintenance.

does it come with any service history and receipts for parts previously replaced? lower kms doesnt automatically make it "better" so wouldnt judge on that basis.

I had a 2006 325i E91 with 50kms new import and suspension parts were all gone, battery needed replacing straight away. must have sat in japan idling forever or rough life.

PPI will answer a lot of these questions and ask them to check for suspension condition as well as other things like brake rotors, battery condition, belts, and most importantly if any leaking around engine/trans/diff/cooling system.

[elias 253]

Right ok thank you, thats good to know. Ive found another one, very similar, 325i e91, m sport etc, but with 81,000km and for $8500. This one has got full service history, 4 brand new tires, fresh wof. The 160,000km only has receipts for one service a couple of months ago ad nothing else really, which is whats putting me off. Do i buy the cheaper one and have some cash elft over for maintenance, or do i get the less kms with service history for more money? Will do a ppi on which ever one i decide on. 

 

[Jacko 2154]

Depends a bit on whats in the service history, has the rocker (etc) gasket/starter/ccv/waterpump ever been changed on either? 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Jacko

[elias 253]

OK, i dont know currently, the 160,000 km one has no service history so i cant tell. However im having a look at the 81,000km one tonight and ill ask to see the receipts for the work done and take a note of everything that there's receipts for. I feel like in order for the 160,000km one to be still running nicely some things would have had to be done or theyll come up in the prepurchase inspection, whereas the 81,000km one might need to have all these things done still. So im not sure what to do, best thing to do is to try and find out more about both i guess.

[qube 3570]

they all drive well.. until they dont  gut feeling doesnt mean too much these days haha.

the lower kms one might still need all the same work as the higher kms one so it depends on your budget for cost of car + potential fixes.

If you have to consider selling it in a couple years the higher mileage one might be hard to sell on but it might depreciate LESS because its already cheap as chips whereas the more expensive one might fall in value too.

lots of things to consider. 

[elias 253]

indeed a lot to consider. The 81,000km one is in very good shape. Jap import in 2016, with 30,000km. Full service history, but nothing major has been done, only air filters, oil change and an airbag recall. No gaskets, starter, thermostat/waterpump. The 160,000km one i have no idea whats been done, no service history whatsoever. But its 1800$ cheaper. Seriously dont know what to do. The more i research, find out, the more difficult the decision becomes.

[Olaf 3317]

Simple.  If the cheaper one hasn't had the work put in - ie a ton of deferred maintenance, you're easily up for $1,800 in parts.  The 81,000km one will need a lot of those parts in the next 20k kms, but is lower mileage with FSH (which you've continued of course) so is easier to sell in 2 years and might be worth $500-$1000 more than the cheaper one will be in two years.
If in doubt, get a quality PPI from a BMW Independent or Dealership.  Not AA, not VTNZ, not Car Inspection Services.

[SmithyInWelly 212]

45 minutes ago, Olaf said:

If in doubt, get a quality PPI from a BMW Independent or Dealership.  Not AA, not VTNZ, not Car Inspection Services.

Definitely not CIS - I had to use them when I bought my e91 (which is coincidentally up for sale again) and I honestly may as well have flushed the $240-odd down the dunny given the relatively simple things they missed and the $2k it needed spent on it when I got it back down to Wellington.

[qube 3570]

12 hours ago, elias said:

indeed a lot to consider. The 81,000km one is in very good shape. Jap import in 2016, with 30,000km. Full service history, but nothing major has been done, only air filters, oil change and an airbag recall. No gaskets, starter, thermostat/waterpump. The 160,000km one i have no idea whats been done, no service history whatsoever. But its 1800$ cheaper. Seriously dont know what to do. The more i research, find out, the more difficult the decision becomes.

what year is the lower kms one?

if you have links for them on TM post em up and we can judge easier

[elias 253]

the lower kms one is 2007 the higher km is 2008. Leaning towards the lower km one, because i have a better idea of what im getting into and its got brakes done already.

lower km one:

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/325i/listing/2844265450?bof=GePNt0Ef

 

higher km one:

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/325i/listing/2850698657?bof=x9eVtCHa

 

 

 

ore 0745

[qube 3570]

Breakdown:

2007 Silver $9000 asking --> $8500

82kms, lots of scratches, has towbar, no sunroof, aftermarket multimedia unit, roofracks, 4 new tyres, new wof, one NZ owner since imported october 2016 with 29kms.

2008 White $7900 asking --> $6800

159kms, decent exterior, no towbar?, has sunroof, old idrive unit, roofracks, no service history, 4 owners + 1 dealer since imported in may 2018 at 139kms.

....

for me, the white one is the better spec car with sunroof and in white colour and original but the high km import means it was a cheap car to bring in and has changed hands way too many times in 2 years so automatically its out.

the silver one is decent especially with towbar, new wof and tyres etc and only 1 nz owner, essentially imported with very low kms but that means its been sitting since 2007 --> 2016 only doing 29kms. Either it sat in traffic forever or it could have a history of water damage from tsunami or accident repaired.

 

I would keep looking unless you need to buy asap.. there are better examples usually (had a quick look and none at the moment it seems)

edit:

I think this one is worth a look. higher kms but has sunroof and looks tidy. if it has service history then it would be a good buy at $7000 less a bit of negotiation. its one nz owner since imported in 2015 and has consistently done 15km per year which is a good sign that its been used properly.

https://www.trademe.co.nz/2843847731

 

Edited November 11, 2020 by qube

[elias 253]

right ok. I might just get a bmw specialist to do a prepurchase inspection on the 2007 silver one and see what that come out like. 

Thanks for the link, but its got a lot of kms and is all the way down in wellington. Definitely worth considering though.

 

Thanks for the help!

[qube 3570]

ah, forgot to check if its in AKL. not really worth going down for it I guess.

see if the silver one checks out okay. its one of the cheapest ones for sale and if you budget a bit for maintenance items cooling system etc you should be alright.

if the ppi comes back with a few notes you can use that to negotiate the price a bit and then you could do alright.

the white one doesnt look so good imo, low kms arent everything!

[elias 253]

ok so i got the silver (low km) one checked by bavarian motors. They seem to really know their stuff. It cam back a bit disapointing, needs:

- change coolant to "Blue"

- transmission service

- rocker cover gaset

- bonnet struts

- recode windows

- clear firewall drains

- leak in washer fluid bottle

- battery is still original 

 

they quoted me about $1850nzd for this.

The seller will only take $400 off the price because according to him all these things are optional/my preference hahaha.

Can anyone do this stuff for cheaper? What happens if i dont do the transmission service?

 

Thanks,

Elias 

[qube 3570]

41 minutes ago, elias said:

- change coolant to "Blue" - $100 DIY

- transmission service - $5-700?

- rocker cover gaset - $50 part, can do DIY if you have some knowhow and can follow a youtube guide

- bonnet struts - $50 chinese special

- recode windows - free with help from a member with comp?

- clear firewall drains - DIY clean?

- leak in washer fluid bottle - $50 part?

- battery is still original - $400

If I was buying this car, I would be fixing everything on this list, and obviously that needs to be reflected in the price imo but if the rest of the car is good then it still might work out cheaper than a different higher mileage one that potentially costs more/similar and you have peace of mind once these things are done.

 

edit:

I think that quote of $1850 isnt too bad all things considered. if you were to DIY it would save a few hundred but cost you hours in labour and the hassle of sourcing parts yourself etc.

Edited November 15, 2020 by qube

[elias 253]

yeah id like to buy this one because he did day that is was a very good example apart from the things mentioned, which are just maintenace, normal wear items not neglect. its just a lot of up front cost for me. Will work out cheaper than any other comparable one for sure.

Id like to DIY it, im pretty good with mechanical things, work as a bike mechanic in summer, and am studying engineering at uni, just don't want to mess up such a nice car. Also don't know what parts to get and where to get them from. Seems to be a lot of good indtructions though and the transmission service doesnt seem overly complicated. Can get the pan, filter and bolts for $130nzd and oil is a bit more difficult to find.

Might be better to get a professional mechanic to do it though, ill try get some more quotes and see where i end up.

 

[qube 3570]

plenty of good places to buy parts. fcpeuro is my pick

[Jacko 2154]

If its got green coolant in it, it hasnt been serviced properly, *walk away*. Someone who owned in past has been trying to save a buck.

The waterpump motor is wet, the rotor is lubricated by the coolant. The block is a mishmash of magnesium and aluminium with a bunch of interface materials between them, coolant flows through both. Magnesium corrodes like a mudda, and using the wrong coolant turns the engine into a battery. 

Using the wrong coolant kills water pumps, and results in corrosion of expensive engine bits.

The first things to look at with N52 BMWs -

• Is the coolant the right stuff (has it been serviced properly)
• Does it have decent quality tyres on it (is the owner a tight ass and saving a buck)
• How many oil leaks does it have (aka how many have been fixed)

From those three things, you can tell a lot about the car

 

There are way nicer examples out there, id be looking at 330s personally.. use the same amount of gas and go faster. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by Jacko

[qube 3570]

A 330i e91 wagon is a pretty rare find though..

[balancerider 757]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/listing/2855922392

needs work and high km (not compared to yours @Jacko) but well in budget

[qube 3570]

@SmithyInWellys old car. Hasnt had a good life it seems after it was sold..

[SmithyInWelly 212]

18 hours ago, qube said:

@SmithyInWellys old car. Hasnt had a good life it seems after it was sold..

Yup... Maybe - or for someone with a bit of know-how it might be relatively easily sorted (like that sport-mode issue which is quite common)... it looks so plain without the 18's tho!