BMW 320D Mileage question

Dboy85

Came across a used BMW in my local dealer and am pretty set on getting a 320D. This one in particular is quite old and has high mileage with 170k miles on the clock. Its a 2001 btw and hes looking for just under 4k for it. How reliable are these models/engines at that type of mileage? Hes giving me 3 months warranty and claims that the previous owner had it serviced often by their cousin who is apparently a bmw technician but didnt document the service history, just did it as a nixxer. I asked about the turbo and when was it replaced and he said as far as he knows it hasnt been replaced and never failed as it was serviced properly and well maintained. So anyone any thoughts on value for money with this car and do you think its mileage is too high?

DublinDilbert

The price is high for a ten year old car with 170k miles. I believe that is the older 136bhp engine and is known to be more reliable than the newer 150bhp variant.

Leaving the engine aside for a min, you'd want to check out the suspension and what's been changed in it. at that milage it could of already of been done. It would be good to see whats been done on the cooling system too, as it may need work...

Dboy85

I didn't give it a thorough going over as I was just having a look. It just got a fresh NCT so on paper it seems alright shocks wise. Whats the story with the swirl flaps jazz I keep hearing about? Apparently for that model they're prone to failure which causes engine failure! Nasty lil feckers eh? Dealers arent the best to negotiate with and was pretty hard to get him to come down even 50 quid:rolleyes: For the performance and general tidiness of the car I was impressed though so i'm torn :S

bazz26

Seems a bit expensive to me. I'd also want to have a quick chat with the guy who serviced it just to get a feel of how it was looked after.

mickdw

It would be interesting to see if the breather filter has been replaced recently. might give an indication of quality of service. I personally wouldnt go for a high mile bmw at all. Too much expensive repairs seems to be needed at around 140k

PaulKK

136bhp model doesn't have swirl flaps. 04+ not as prone to flap failure.

mickdw wrote: »

It would be interesting to see if the breather filter has been replaced recently. might give an indication of quality of service. I personally wouldnt go for a high mile bmw at all. Too much expensive repairs seems to be needed at around 140k

Yes, but this has 170k, I would imagine that most of this expensive work has been done by now.


On the other hand OP, there are a good few examples on donedeal for less money and less mileage. At that age and price I would probably go for the 136bhp model you are looking at, or else a 150bhp one with a new turbo.

If you get a 150bhp one, get the swirl flaps removed and blanked, it'll only cost you 100 quid. I have had it done on my 04 and it does not effect performance or economy.

Dboy85

I cant find too many for that price that are in good nick; its frustrating people are over valuing a 10 year old car . I suppose all instances that old its a punt either way unless it comes with a service history. I'll probably see if I can get in contact with the "Technician" but at the end of the day the only way to know is to dismantle it and have a look myself. I wonder how that would go down in the middle of the forecourt
Anyone interested in selling me theirs

PaulKK

What about this one, I'd say you could get it for 4k or less:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1851210

A year younger, 40K miles less

Dboy85

Good shout! I'll give em a buzz monday and see if its current. Not a lover of the blue though, i'm hard to please:rolleyes: Heres the car in question btw:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-SE-D/201109201497363/advert?channel=CARS

and just came across this

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1982255

Would be fine if he/she didnt chav it up with a boom box

ottostreet

That 2nd one looks like the cleaner car tbh

Dboy85

Yeah there are a few out there alright. Thanks for all the replies lads appreciate it. If ye come across a gud un let me know and I'll get the drinks in at a board meetup :P

PaulKK

Dboy85 wrote: »

Yeah there are a few out there alright. Thanks for all the replies lads appreciate it. If ye come across a gud un let me know and I'll get the drinks in at a board meetup :P

PM sent

tweedledee

4k for that is a rip off,stay away from it,the dealer probably bought it for 2500.Look around,shop a little,there are hundreds of Beemers out there.Its a buyers game now.

high horse

Dboy85 wrote: »

and just came across this

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1982255

Would be fine if he/she didnt chav it up with a boom box

Jump leads in the boot and towing hook cover missing from the front hints towards mechanical troubles. Add to that the E60 replica wheels and the dodgy looking radio, I'd steer clear.

Just my 2 cents

-Chris-

Is there any service history at all? You only mention the previous owner.

It's a UK car imho - how many owners here and how many there?

Motorcheck it.

Dboy85

He said 2 owners from new. But maybe since it has been imported. What makes you think its a uk car?

-Chris-

The registration number mainly, and I don't think SE was a spec in Ireland until 02/03 iirc.

Dboy85

Ah i see, regards service history I dont think any documents exist unless the technician has them. I wouldnt buy it unless I spoke to him directly. Would be madness to take on this without knowing any history. Saying that im in a bit of a hurry to find something so a leap of faith could happen either :S

-Chris-

Only one of the owners has had it serviced by a guy who doesn't stamp the book. There should be a history preceding this. If there's not, you need to ask questions.

Get someone who knows BMWs to give it a thorough look over.

A leap of faith is something to be avoided when spending €4k imho.

Dboy85

Bought this:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/330-D-E4/201110201530353/advert?channel=CARS

Tax is a killer :S

Dboy85

Dboy85 wrote: »

Bought this:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/330-D-E4/201110201530353/advert?channel=CARS

Tax is a killer :S

Looks a very decent bus :cool:
Fair lash of miles on it, unlikely to be clocked anyway :pac:

high horse

Dboy85 wrote: »

Bought this:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/330-D-E4/201110201530353/advert?channel=CARS

Tax is a killer :S

Looks good
The leather looks in good condition, I would never believe it has seen 196k miles. I hope the leather in mine looks as good after similar use.
Just remove the ///M badges from the grill and boot. They cheapen the appearance of a quality motor like yours imho

dharn

high horse wrote: »

Jump leads in the boot and towing hook cover missing from the front hints towards mechanical troubles. Add to that the E60 replica wheels and the dodgy looking radio, I'd steer clear.

Just my 2 cents

+1 most of the mods cheapen the look of the car those low profiles would ruin the ride steer clear imho

dharn

looks nice hope you are lucky with it

Dboy85

Got it for a steal! He shaved off 1k BEFORE I started the haggle. Cheers everyone for lending your knowledge. With the price I got it for I can do all the filters and check/remove the swirl flaps but am I right when I say this model didnt have the flaps fitted as its a diesel?! Anyone any other recommendations on TLC for this model to ensure smooth sailing for a few years?

isainmdom

cant see from the pics if its 5 or 6 speed,the 330d 5 speed m57 engines are the 184bhp version which have no swirl flaps in manual most likely what you have as the newer one came along in 2003,the 6 speed m57n engines which are 204 bhp have swirl flaps,you can double check should you wish which one it is by entering the last 7 digit of the vin number into "real oem" website in the serial number section and it will tell you which engine it is,change out the oil seperator ,if you search online for it you will get plenty info costs bout 30 euro so not a big expense this is often overlooked in servicing and also the usual filters,at that mileage clutch and turbo will need to be kept an eye on if not already done,best of luck with the new car

PaulKK

Wow great choice and a good price, you have me considering getting one at that price!

Only advice I would have is change the gearbox and diff oil, won't do any harm!

If you have an extra few quid you could change the thermostat and waterpump and do a coolant flush, won't cost you major money and its piece of mind!

Dboy85

Lmao turbo just went kaputneck! such luck!:(

ottostreet

Dboy85 wrote: »

Lmao turbo just went kaputneck! such luck!:(

ah jaysus, ya serious?

Mr Benevolent

Dboy85 wrote: »

Lmao turbo just went kaputneck! such luck!:(

Arrgh!! Did you get someone to look it over when you were buying it?

mondeo

Ah thats going to be expensive.. Hope you didn't buy yourself abit of a pig. It looks decent though! Hopefully that's all the trouble you will have with it.

Reloc8

crap - hard lines.

Lovely looking car. I hope you can get it sorted.

Dboy85

Yeah I brought a fella with me and had a budget to get it done in the next few weeks anyway but still...fffuuuuuuuuu

Anyone know where to get one for decent money? Genuine ones are a bit saucy :S

Feckin cars are a pain, whats the bets i'll have no knuckles left after fitting the new one. Will the cat be ok as oil was being spit into the intake manifold and out the pipe. Whats the rory with a decat system in regards to the nct?

PaulKK

Dboy85 wrote: »

Yeah I brought a fella with me and had a budget to get it done in the next few weeks anyway but still...fffuuuuuuuuu

Anyone know where to get one for decent money? Genuine ones are a bit saucy :S

Feckin cars are a pain, whats the bets i'll have no knuckles left after fitting the new one. Will the cat be ok as oil was being spit into the intake manifold and out the pipe. Whats the rory with a decat system in regards to the nct?

I got a decat on my 320d a couple of weeks ago as I had a leaking flexi joint on the front cat.

Apparently it doesn't affect the NCT at all.

If you can, go for it, smoothened out the power delivery and 2MPG better off now too. She is whistling slightly louder than before when boosting up but nothing major

No excess smoke or anything with it either.

On the turbo, there is a chap in Portlaoise that I have seen mentioned a few times doing reconditioning, seems to be fairly good. Some lads say not to do a recon but I don't see the problem if all the internals are replaced..

Squall19

mickdw wrote: »

It would be interesting to see if the breather filter has been replaced recently. might give an indication of quality of service. I personally wouldnt go for a high mile bmw at all. Too much expensive repairs seems to be needed at around 140k

What needs to be done at 140k miles?

Friend bought below one with 144k miles on the clock.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2054182

Dboy85

Got a fella in the north to recon it for 500E including courier fees. Pretty sound guy and stands over it with 12 month guarantee, same you get with a new one. EVERYONE in the south is a rip off! That guy in portlaoise wanted 1200E and banged on about not being able to recondition it at all :rolleyes:
Everyone was above 600E and some by astronomical figures. Recession in Ireland me hole. I'd have preferred to keep the money local but nobody was interested unless it was for a truck load of wonga.

Leonard Hofstadter

Good luck with the car - it looks sweet, do check for the swirl flaps though - I know that in the early models it was only either the manuals or the autos that had them - but to be honest I can't remember which transmission (I have a funny feeling I saw that someone who had an early X5 and wanted to remove the flaps only to be told they didn't exist and all X5s are automatics).

The fundamentals of those engines are very reliable - it's the turbos and swirl flaps that give trouble. Now that you've got a new turbo (in fairness to get to 196k on the original is impressive), you should get a good few miles out of it !

Dboy85

Thanks, all I hear from everyone is "sell sell sell". I removed the inlet manifold to check while I was at the turbo and they were never installed so happy days. New turbo and no butterfly valves. I'm just waiting for the head to blow now or something stupid like that. :rolleyes: I've rotten luck with cars I like. But she is a beast to go and handles like a dream. I'd still recommend one