3 series coupe

longhorn2013

Hi guys..looking for a bit of advice here. Thinking of getting a new car later this year and always wanted a BMW 3 series coupe prob from 07-09. I know I won't get much change from 15k for these as they seem to hold value. Just wondering if anyone could advise on running costs, service costs etc or any obvious problems with these cars. I would generally do maybe 400 miles a week...mostly motorway miles so I presume diesel would be best option? Cheers for any replies

Idbatterim

they are holding their value unbelievably well, probably mainly due to the fact that new 4 series (3 series coupe replacement) hasnt been released yet, it will be shortly however. Options at 400 miles are either diesel or petrol with an lpg conversion. whats your budget op?

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-D-E9/31713537570764160/advert?channel=CARS

the above looks nice and you would probably get another few hundred off it. If I were looking at spending 15, I would got the extra little bit and get an msport and leather for the sake of very little more at that stage. will be much nicer car and easier to resell...

AFAIK that dealership dont have the best rep around here though...

longhorn2013

Budget would prob be round the 15k mark really! Would you think that when the new 4 series comes out prices for the 3 series could drop?

Gumbo

longhorn2013 wrote: »

Budget would prob be round the 15k mark really! Would you think that when the new 4 series comes out prices for the 3 series could drop?

Slightly but the arse won't fall out of them to be honest, IMO.

longhorn2013

Ya I thought that alright! Would it be worth looking in UK for a better spec of this car or is the value gone in this kind of thing?

Gumbo

longhorn2013 wrote: »

Ya I thought that alright! Would it be worth looking in UK for a better spec of this car or is the value gone in this kind of thing?

Only you can answer that.
Price a car in the uk, add vrt and travel costs, add nct and a few bits here and there for food and new plates, then compare against the irl price.

Most uk cars will have more option than the irl cars, so that works to your advantage.

Remember the base spec BMW is the same in the uk and Ireland at the moment as BMW uk bring overall the Irish stock, where the uk gains advantage is the owners are not afraid to add options, plus they look after them better generally speaking.

longhorn2013

Thanks for replies. Never owned a BMW before so just wondering how costly they are to run such as servicing mpg etc

Gumbo

longhorn2013 wrote: »

Thanks for replies. Never owned a BMW before so just wondering how costly they are to run such as servicing mpg etc

Not much difference to many other similar cars.
Mpg will depend n engine picked.
Motor tax will be the same as above.

They run on CBS which basically tells you what needs to be done at particular age or mileage.

bazz26

A few things to be aware of with these cars:

• The 320d got a new engine from late 2007 called the N47 which has problems with the timing chain/crank shaft. It's an expensive job to fix this issue so I would just avoid the 320d with this engine.
• 19" OEM BMW alloy wheels especially on the M Sport models have a tedancy to form cracks, BMW replaced alot of these under warranty but if you have no warranty then you could be on your own so have the car up on a hoist and have them examined for cracks or welding marks. Personally I think 19" rims are too fragile for Irish roads.
• The E92 has headlight washers that have a tendency to get damaged in cold weather as washer pipe can freeze. Again BMW reluctantly replaced them under warranty.
• Servicing - BMW have 30k km service intervals on these cars and the car has Condition Based servicing which means the car will tell you when it needs something looked at, my advice is to have the oil and filters changed every 15k km to keep it in tip top shape.
• Tyres - BMWs come with RFTs or Run Flat Types which means they have a re-enforced side wall that allows the car to drive upto 100km on a thread puncture without it going flat. Downside is that there is no spare wheel or tyre well to put one in. RFT tyres are also very expensive compared to normal radial tyres especially when you get into the larger and wider range. Lots of owners get rid of the RFTs and replace them with normal tyres, they either put a can of tyre weld and compressor in the boot or source a space saver tyre and stick in the boot (this is what I did).

So try and aim for an early 2007 320d in M Sport trim, imo the E92 looks a bit bland is standard SE trim but some people do not like the very firm suspension set up of the M Sport.

Idbatterim

just saw this on donedeal op, if not m sport, id at the very least want leather, you can always retrofit m sport bumper.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4511058

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320COUPE/31813535840339850/advert?channel=CARS77
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-I-M-/31913551597747720/advert?channel=CARS

the above are nice too...

pajo1981

bazz26 wrote: »

A few things to be aware of with these cars:

• The 320d got a new engine from late 2007 called the N47 which has problems with the timing chain/crank shaft. It's an expensive job to fix this issue so I would just avoid the 320d with this engine.

Iv'e 166,000 kms on a N47 based 320d, and have yet to have any problems with the chain.

The N47 is infinitely nicer than the agricultural M47 that preceded it, IMO!

pajo1981

bazz26 wrote: »

[*]Servicing - BMW have 30k km service intervals on these cars and the car has Condition Based servicing which means the car will tell you when it needs something looked at, my advice is to have the oil and filters changed every 15k km to keep it in tip top shape.

I stuck to the 30k interval, 166,000 on car, no issues.

Have saved myself a lot of money not listening to this kind of advice

bazz26

pajo1981 wrote: »

I stuck to the 30k interval, 166,000 on car, no issues.

Have saved myself a lot of money not listening to this kind of advice

Nothing wrong with mine yet either but maybe we are just lucky so far. A good few folks out there not so luckly though:

http://www.bmw-driver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=41714&highlight=n47+timing+chain

http://www.bmw-driver.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39216&highlight=n47+timing+chain

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056686927

longhorn2013

Just giveing this thread a bump! Looking at making the move now and getting a new car. As I said in my OP, I travel 400-500 miles a week and would be looking for an efficient Diesel car. How efficient are these 3 series coupes? And if not, can anyone reccomend an efficient diesel?

Thanks

Blazer

Why is it that none of those stupid carzone.ie links never work? I always just get the complete list of cars..

BillJ

Blazer wrote: »

Why is it that none of those stupid carzone.ie links never work? I always just get the complete list of cars..

Old links, the cars are probably sold or taken down for some other reason

Idbatterim

Just giveing this thread a bump! Looking at making the move now and getting a new car. As I said in my OP, I travel 400-500 miles a week and would be looking for an efficient Diesel car. How efficient are these 3 series coupes? And if not, can anyone reccomend an efficient diesel?

Thanks

I just took a look for you there OP, the below looks quite good, personally I wouldnt be paying that kind of money to get one that didnt have leather and preferably an m sport. Get the car checked regardless of whether you buy it from a dealer or privately...

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/D-E92-M-/201314214249096/advert?channel=CARS

longhorn2013

ya that car looks very good alright. Any idea how hard these cars are on diesel? Currently driving a 01 focus petrol and its swallowing petrol!

Idbatterim

see below link for stats... is it the 1.4 or 1.6 focus you are driving? is it mostly motorway driving you do or what OP?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201303205857514/sort/default/usedcars/fuel-type/diesel/body-type/coupe/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/model/3_series/make/bmw/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/page/1/radius/1501/postcode/bt39jp?logcode=p

longhorn2013

It's a 1.4 litre. I basically travel from mayo to Dublin each wknd so majority be motorway but some national roads also. If the coupe isn't great on diesel and recommendations on nice car but efficient on diesel?

Idbatterim

the 1.4 is probably drinking it, due to the constant high rpm at motorway speeds as it has a small engine and only 5 speed. Id want something with cruise control if I were you for the motorway driving. Would you consider a 3 or 5 series saloon? They are a lot cheaper than the E92 coupes OR how about getting one of these cars and converting it to petrol? How much per week are you spending on fuel?

longhorn2013

Prob spending 60-80 a week on petrol. Hadent really thought of the saloons tbh but might do now. Based on that mileage would you think the diesel would save much money each week?

Idbatterim

Prob spending 60-80 a week on petrol. Hadnt really thought of the saloons tbh but might do now. Based on that mileage would you think the diesel would save much money each week?

no i dont think so. to be honest, the cheapest thing to do, would be to keep it. Depreciation and loan interest, would be far more costly than the fuel. Psychologically though the fuel feels like the bigger waste... What year is the focus? Have you considered getting the Focus converted to lpg? If I were you, I would probably only change if you were naturally thinking of replacing the ford anyway... the below looks ok. I think the E92 prices are insane, you get an e46 with m sport and leather, one year older than you would get the equivalent for E92 for less than half the price!!! The E46 m sports are definetly better looking than the E92 SE...

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4696498

longhorn2013

Well the focus is a 01 with 160k miles on it so will be looking for a new car soon enough! Had always kinda wanted a newer style coupe but may start to look at other models now!

Idbatterim

Had always kinda wanted a newer style coupe but may start to look at other models now!

I currently have an E46 m sport coupe and also want the E92, but Im just not prepared to pay what they are asking. I just think the prices given the specs of a lot of them, i.e. no leather and SE in a lot of cases given the money they are looking for is crazy. I tend to buy 7/8 year old cars, keep them 2 or 3 years, then sell them. Really depends on what the money means to you... Here is the claimed performance figures for a 1.4 focus...

Ford Focus 1.4 ZETEC 3DR 2001
Overview Vehicle Summary Performance & Economy Dimensions Interior/Exterior Safety
Fuel consumption (urban) 31.7 mpg
Fuel consumption (extra urban) 50.4 mpg
Fuel consumption (combined) 41.5 mpg
0 - 62 mph 14.1 seconds
Top speed 106 mph
Cylinders 4

the below seems to be reasonably priced...

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4680653
Valves 16 v
Engine power 75 bhp