Buying a high mileage 320d

rgiller

I've been looking out for an e46 model 320d for the past few weeks and have found a well kept 2002 one at a decent price. It's got 102K miles on the clock, which is something I was trying to steer clear of, but with the deal I've been offered I'm tempted by it.

Can anyone offer advice or experience as to the performance of these diesels with high miles like this on them? Will I find it difficult to sell on in 2-3 years when it's got 120-130K on the clock? Are there any specific issues I should be looking out for? I know the turbos are known to go in these, but anything else?

Thanks,

Rob

L-M

What year is the car? What condition is the bodywork in? Is there a full documented service history? Is it an Irish car? Are you sure it's a very good deal?

Just a few quicks to narrow things down.

Feelgood

Go for it...I've seen a 320D with 305K on the clock and still running like a dream.
Don't be worrying about resale, you should be thinking about a car thats going to give you value for money for the next few years.

I have a 05 320D with 98K on the clock if that makes you feel any better..

102K is fookall on a diesel.

Quigs Snr

I'd avoid. I nearly bought one of these a few weeks ago but did my homework. There are owners clubs all over the web full of tales of woe (you could say the same about most cars but in this case, the message is consistent and too regular and specific to be ignored I'm afraid). I rang up 7 different ads in Carzone that I was genuinely interested in and asked the same set of questions of all the owners including has the turbo been replaced (all cars had between 98k and 127k and were 2001/2002 models). 4 of the 7 had replaced the turbos. 2 of them twice. 2 others didn't know as they were traders and didn't know the exact history of the car, 1 said that the turbo never went.

I didn't like those odds considering the astronomical cost of replacing these things and the apparently high probability of failure. Shame, because when it's running its a sweet engine and I love the car. I just don't love it enough for that.

By all accounts something was done in late 2003 to remedy the situation (July or August of 03 I think), but being bought after that date is not enough obviously, it needs to have been built after a certain point to reduce the risk. Do your homework, find out how to spot the safer model car, wait a few weeks and start making ridiculous offers on one of them. Someone is bound to bite in the current climate where the cars aren't shifting.

For what it's worth, I was looking for 3 months on Carzone and pretty much nothing sold. I stopped looking 2 months ago but just went on Carzone to check what was on it for 01/02 320d's and guess what ? The cars I was looking at in October are all still there... If you do decide to go for one negotiate hard and put a grand or so away for repairs (and hope that you just get the turbo failure and not the problem where a part of the turbo gets sucked through the engine requiring a whole new engine).

L-M

Quigs Snr wrote: »

I stopped looking 2 months ago but just went on Carzone to check what was on it for 01/02 320d's and guess what ? The cars I was looking at in October are all still there...

Lol, i'd say that's the same for all cars, not just Bmw's.

unkel

Quigs Snr wrote: »

By all accounts something was done in late 2003 to remedy the situation

I haven't a clue about the details of the failing turbos, but if the issue was sorted in late 2003, isn't it a safe assumption that any car fixed with a replacement turbo and what not by BMW after that date would not have the issue recurring?

samhail

i hope the deal u got them down to gives you a lot of change of 10k - as in *alot* of change:)

bazz26

320d from 2000 to late 2003 suffered from turbo failure irrespective of mileage. As with any car especially high mileage cars the way the car was maintained is crucial. A poorly maintained car is a disaster waiting to happen. So make sure it has a well documented service history.

Cars with +100k miles on them will most likely need major components replaced such as suspension, brakes, timing belts, etc sooner rather than later which can run up some expensive bills meaning the bargin you bought may not be such a bargin after all. So try and find one that has had most of these parts replaced already.

Irish people are generally afraid of high mileage cars as they think they are going to implode when the odometer hits 100,000 miles. They do have a point alright as most Irish cars are so poorly maintained that alot don't even see that mileage before they are sent to the scrap heap.

My last car is now in the hands of my father, it has just passed 170k miles, it has a full service history, had some suspension work done recently and is still flying it. Do your homework, find the right car and you will indeed have yourself a bargin.

rgiller

Thanks for the replies so far lads: seems a mixed bunch. I'll find out about the service history and what has been replaced in the car and make a decision based on that I guess. I know there's no rush to buy but I think price-wise it's a good deal.

samhail wrote: »

i hope the deal u got them down to gives you a lot of change of 10k - as in *alot* of change:)

It will cost me ~€6K plus my 99 polo. That's roughly the same amount of cash that I spent on my polo 3.5 years ago! That's why it's got me thinking...

voxpop

The only real problem I can see is resale. As already mentioned most ppl dont want a car with 100k miles or more.
My Golf has 113k and has given me no problems to speak of. Depending on what you are getting, the car might need break discs, dampers, bushes but nothing major. NCT will tag most of these.

L-M

What's the retail price on the car OP? Any links?

Quigs Snr

Here you go...

http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?t=53451

120 pages and counting of why you should think twice before taking a gamble on that car.

You'll thank me later.

voxpop

From that thread sounds like all diesel BMWs are ticking bombs.

Quigs Snr

Indeed. Now you could also say that people are more likely to go to an online forum if they have a problem and therefore the experiences of the few can often obscure the fact that a car might be very good.

...however. There are a lot of people complaining in that thread. What they are complaining about matches what I heard from more than half the people I was considering buying the 320d from..

I learned my lesson 10 years ago when I bought an MGF (I was young and stupid, forgive me). I had read about a lot of head gasket failures but one or two people told me they never had a problem and to forget all that crap. Sure enough at 29k there was a massive head gasket failure which required a new engine block. These days I tend to pay heed to what I read online. You will read about problems with every car, but it pays to do your homework to look for major faults.

Good luck op.