BMW 320D 02

Media999

What problems are these cars known for? have a good deal on one if i want it.

No experience with them at all

What should i beware of? 140k miles on the clock. Treated well id say.

Thanks in advance

Leonard Hofstadter

Media999 wrote: »

What problems are these cars known for? have a good deal on one if i want it.

No experience with them at all

What should i beware of? 140k miles on the clock. Treated well id say.

Thanks in advance

Turbos, swirl flaps, EGR valves, MAFs, positive crankcase breathers, DMFs, bascially they're $$$$$ unless they have a full service history, and even then I wouldn't bother. I'd get a petrol one if I wanted a 3 series from that vintage, a 320i has six cylinders of creamy goodness and is far less likely to go wrong, and even if it does, it won't be anything like as expensive to fix.

320ds from 2005-September 2007 are reliable though by modern BMW standards (which is to say that they're not terribly reliable, but compared to other modern BMWs they're practically bulletproof), but I suspect they're out of your budget. If you must have a 320d, get one before 2002, as they have different and far more reliable engine, although they will be slower.

Media999

Before 02 yeah. Ill take a look around. Thanks for the advice.

Leonard Hofstadter

Media999 wrote: »

Are you saying not to go near it?

Yes. Just because BMW is a premium make does not mean that their cars have premium engineering. As diesels go, the 320d engine from 2002-2004 is one of the least reliable there is, only the Mazda RF diesel is worse. The swirl flap issue is such that if the swirl flaps break, they get injested into the engine, and that means bye bye engine.

320ds before 2002 and between 2005-2007 (the newer model basically) are fine once they have service history (that can be verified). The petrols are much better than the diesel, but both the 316 and 318s have issues as well with the Valvetronic system, again with history they should be ok, the 316i wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding so is best avoided, the 318i is no rocket but is perfectly ok.

The 320i though has a peach of an engine (six cylinders make a big difference) and won't go wrong:)! It's what I'd be looking for if I wanted a 3 series from that era, although it is a bit heavy on fuel.

Media999

Its more the MPG i was after with it so Petrol is out even if its a superior car.

So a fully serviced 00 - 01 320D is what im after?

Not sure how to ask this but what if it wasnt fully serviced but cheap enough? Could i buy it then do work on it or would the damage already be done? If that makes sense.

Leonard Hofstadter

Media999 wrote: »

Its more the MPG i was after with it so Petrol is out even if its a superior car.

So a fully serviced 00 - 01 320D is what im after?

Not sure how to ask this but what if it wasnt fully serviced but cheap enough? Could i buy it then do work on it or would the damage already be done? If that makes sense.

Do you really need a diesel? What kind of mileage are you doing? Diesels from that era were bought because people needed to do a lot of driving, so most of them will have plenty of miles clocked up.

I wouldn't touch one without service history, well definitely not something that doesn't have history for the past few years (knowing Ireland, it will be impossible to find something with history from day one).

I would want to see receipts of work done to the car over the past few years (well the past 2-3 anyway) so that I know what bits and pieces have been replaced.

What you'll save on fuel you could easily spend on fixing it if something goes wrong. That's what I'm trying to get at - there is more to running a car than its mpg.

If you absolutely must have a 320d though, yes the models before 2002 are best. They have 136 bhp, the models to avoid are 150 bhp. I'm pretty sure that all facelifted 320ds are 150 bhp, so that's the easiest way to tell - get a pre-facelifted model if you can.

Media999

In the future i will be doing decent mpg but at the moment im not so im just taking my time and like the look of them. Agree with yourself about the petrol and hate having to buy a diesel but its a necessity really.

Budgets about 3k and ive a few months to look around so no rush. Any other recommendations?