Thoughts on this BMW 318?

ionapaul

Hi all,

Thinking of buying a car, have done without for the past year but with the weather getting worse and my commute fairly long I don't fancy arriving to work drenched anymore!

Was wondering about this one:

http://www.beepbeep.ie/used-cars/car-details.html?car=58556_1454748

Is that a fair price / what would I haggle towards? Anyone know if Lambe & O'Connor would give any kind of a warranty? I'm assuming since they are SIMI-approved that this fact offers a bit of peace-of-mind when buying from them, but would you also get a mechanic to look over the car?

Thanks for any advice given!

goochy

They have had that in stk quite a while have knocked a bit off but say for cash would knock a bit off would say you get a three month warranty they are nearly 30 years in business a long time and use to deal in really high end cars before the recession. See the car is cork reg they get quite a few c reg cars as they buy the trade ins from Mercedes dealer in cork down the road from me would get a mechanic to check due to age of car but they are a top notch family run garage

ION08

Ridiculously expensive car for an old shape BMW coupe (e46)

I'm sure they'll try justify it because of the low mileage but it is still highly overpriced imo

Also, that is a really horrible colour!

If you know how to buy a car, I think donedeal would be a much better bet for a 318ci !

bazz26

ionapaul wrote: »

Hi all,

Thinking of buying a car, have done without for the past year but with the weather getting worse and my commute fairly long I don't fancy arriving to work drenched anymore!

Was wondering about this one:

http://www.beepbeep.ie/used-cars/car-details.html?car=58556_1454748

Is that a fair price / what would I haggle towards? Anyone know if Lambe & O'Connor would give any kind of a warranty? I'm assuming since they are SIMI-approved that this fact offers a bit of peace-of-mind when buying from them, but would you also get a mechanic to look over the car?

Thanks for any advice given!

They are dreaming at that asking price for an almost 8 year old petrol E46 coupe, it's not even the more desireable M Sport model. Also don't get hung up on the "SIMI approved" lark of any dealer, all the SIMI are is a loby group made up of dealers with their own vested interests, they offer no value add to the consumer imo. On the garage itself I have nothing to say as I have never had any dealings with them.

Just to put it into perspective, this private sale is nearly €2k cheaper and it is the more desireable higher spec M Sport.

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/BMW/3-Series/318-CI/201233209630173/

Have a competent mechanic check it over prior to buying and then put some of the money saved over the one from the dealer aside for any future unexpected repairs.

ION08

I also reckon you'd be mad to spend that type of money on an e46 model.

If your after an e46 318ci

Id go for something like this and save yourself a few grand for virtually the same car

these are pretty low mileage too.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3937504 (NCTd and has leather)


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3936799 (04 but no NCT)

ionapaul

Hmm, some food for thought there! I'd prefer to pay around €7k or so, but had thought that placed most '05 and all '06 3-series out of my budget. Even though I've sold two cars privately, I'm so hesitant to go down that route as I'm worried about buying a lemon - obviously most people in the world are decent folk but I imagine you meet a higher percentage of the other sort when buying used cars unfortunately! I suppose you just have to bite the bullet and get a mechanic / AA to check it out before handing over any dough?

Blazer

complete agree with the above posts..
I saw one chap selling his 535D on here (2005) and it was in flawless condition and he was looking for around the 8.5k mark.

Had a look on donedeal and theirs a good few of them and all cheaper.
you'd get at least a 07 model for that price.


http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3665252 no mention of mileage though

goochy

It's just been reduced to 7.950 on carzone

mloc123

Almost 9k for a poverty spec 318? madness.

TouchingVirus

Forget the mileage or warranty, if you pay anywhere near that price you deserve the riding the dealer's trying to give you. Put it this way, bump your budget by 1k to 10k and you're looking at E46 M3 money, not a 318.

bazz26

I get the impression that someone looking at a 318i is not realistically in the market for a 535 or M3, irrespective of how little they can be bought for.

ionapaul

bazz26 wrote: »

I get the impression that someone looking at a 318i is not realistically in the market for a 535 or M3, irrespective of how little they can be bought for.

Indeed, I actually would probably prefer a 1.8l engine over a 2.0l one, I honestly won't be driving too much (probably less than 10,000km a year) and have only had 1.6l cars in the past and those were quite powerful enough for me! Just want a comfortable medium-sized car that won't cost me too much in maintenance or worry and that will last for five more years or so without trouble.

I'd love to do a reverse car auction, just say I've €Xk to spend, I want a car like this, get me the best one you can! Does anyone offer this kind of service in Ireland?

coylemj

ionapaul wrote: »

I'm assuming since they are SIMI-approved that this fact offers a bit of peace-of-mind when buying from them

bazz26 wrote: »

Also don't get hung up on the "SIMI approved" lark of any dealer, all the SIMI are is a lobby group made up of dealers with their own vested interests, they offer no value add to the consumer imo.

+1 I don't believe the SIMI logo implies any kind of 'approval'. If you're in the trade and you pay the subs., you're in.

wandererz

OP, i purchased a car from that dealer in November last year and couldn't be happier. It was low mileage for its age, in almost perfect condition and has every option i could hope for. I also paid a a more than reasonable price for the age, condition, options. They also replaced a headlamp at my request which could have cost me a few hundred euro.

They do provide a pretty comprehensive third party warranty - make sure you read and understand this before purchase.

A few months back i purchased a 05 316i (1.8L) for my wife with 45,000 miles on the clock. It was a private sale and the car was in mint condition, bar a slight scratch on one of the rear doors. Spent 6,300 on it and couldn't be happier with it as well.

Since then i've also seen advertised the car you posted above and thought it was over priced.

The point is that LOC are a great family run dealership who will take care of you. However, as with any sale, shop around and make sure you are getting value for your money. Cars will only depreciate in value and it's up to you to find the best balance between value and reliability

Don't rush into anything, don't act on your first impression, think it through and above all make a list of things to check/validate before you purchase.

ionapaul

How about this one, seems like a good enough price, yeah?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-COUP/201232209478014/advert?channel=CARS

I'm not in a huge rush, interesting in getting something soon but happy to wait a few weeks either way.

wandererz

Seems like a good buy alright. Worth checking out. Seller seems to have been trying to sell since May, dropped from 6750.

It's a tough market out there from a sellers perspective.

Not many people looking for 2.2L cars.

bazz26

It's a bog standard ES model with leather seats, still seems overpriced for the spec and year.

Newer and higher spec one here for less money:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3873336

Or a M Sport here:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3857077

Stallingrad

ionapaul wrote: »

How about this one, seems like a good enough price, yeah?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-COUP/201232209478014/advert?channel=CARS

I'm not in a huge rush, interesting in getting something soon but happy to wait a few weeks either way.

Nasty small wheels and amber indicators. You can do a lot better. 320i is a sweet engine and suits the auto, no rocket but swift enough when revved. Thirsty though and you need to watch the oil.

Check out http://www.bmw-driver.net/ classifieds.

ionapaul

Here's a question: if a car is untaxed, what is the story with taking it for a test drive / driving it home if you purchase it?

Also, as I don't currently have car insurance, it is easy to get a few day's worth of open insurance for yourself if you want to go around and test drive a few cars?

Pa Dee

ionapaul wrote: »

Hi all,

Thinking of buying a car, have done without for the past year but with the weather getting worse and my commute fairly long I don't fancy arriving to work drenched anymore!

Was wondering about this one:

http://www.beepbeep.ie/used-cars/car-details.html?car=58556_1454748

Is that a fair price / what would I haggle towards? Anyone know if Lambe & O'Connor would give any kind of a warranty? I'm assuming since they are SIMI-approved that this fact offers a bit of peace-of-mind when buying from them, but would you also get a mechanic to look over the car?

Thanks for any advice given!

Offer €4.5k max

Supergurrier

All of those cars are overpriced, the first one i can't even find words for

Bigus

ionapaul wrote: »

Here's a question: if a car is untaxed, what is the story with taking it for a test drive / driving it home if you purchase it?

Also, as I don't currently have car insurance, it is easy to get a few day's worth of open insurance for yourself if you want to go around and test drive a few cars?

If you're buying from a dealer his insurance will cover you for test drives , but check each time.

Idbatterim

Op take it from me, who has a facelift and went to view god knows how many of them, that car at that price is a joke. Go and buy it tomorrow and see what you would get for it in a private sale on friday, youd be pushed to get 6k! IMO horrible colour that on its own will destroy interest and resale value. not an msport and no leather. my bro just bought 05 325ci, black, msport, leather, cruise control, multi function steering wheel, for 7k which was a fair enough price, he waited for the right car and was prepared to pay a little more than others when it came along... the smallest engine you can get in the coupe is the 2L one...

I see you mentioned getting a car checked, yes this is absolutely ESSENTIAL and no garage with anything to hide, will have a problem with it, I would recommend Gary in Chelmsford motors, ranelagh, hes a bmw specialist...

Idbatterim

if you are interested in coupes and prefer the 1.8L engine, you can get C180, 1.8L turbo and 6 speed... can be gotten for quite cheap now!

MetzgerMeister

Idbatterim wrote: »

if you are interested in coupes and prefer the 1.8L engine, you can get C180, 1.8L turbo and 6 speed... can be gotten for quite cheap now!

Supercharged (albeit a fairly small supercharger)

bazz26

Idbatterim wrote: »

if you are interested in coupes and prefer the 1.8L engine, you can get C180, 1.8L turbo and 6 speed... can be gotten for quite cheap now!

The C180 "Sports Coupe" is not really a coupe though, it is just a 3 door hatchback that rivals the Audi A3 and old BMW 3 Series Compact. Terrible car too with no redeeming features imo.

The real C Class coupe was called the CLK.

bazz26

Alfa Romeo GT is worth looking at too:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Alfa-Romeo/GT/1.8-SPORTIVO/7813391716252690/