Buying a 2001 bmw 3 series

Truck9289

Thinking of buying a 318i and was just wondering if anyone had any advise or first hand experience on one in terms of maintenance and repair cost nowadays.hoping to get a 1.9 coupe.thanks

Idbatterim

the 1.9 coupes are so underpowered, also they are a very heavy drive. Go for the 2L from 2002 on if you can, not only more powerful, but they are a nicer and more relaxing drive. What is your budget and annual mileage?

bazz26

Maintenance and repair costs will largely depend on the individual car and how it has been maintained for the last 12 years. A well looked after one might give you very little trouble whereas an abused one could break your heart and wallet.

delly

I've had one for nearly two years, an '01 318Ci. It is the 1.9 and as mentioned above, the 2l is more powerful, however the 1.9 is seen as better engine reliability wise. It could be pure anecdotal, but it is the view I have got from many different forums.

I got mine @77k and am now going on @92k. Although I have had some common issues, it has never let down, but it was taken care of before I got it, so this helps. My fixes have included expansion bottle replacement, new rad, oil filter gasket replacement, replaced window regulator, rear coil spring replacement. All common issues and they mostly show you signs in advance of causing a serious issue, which if you ignore will catch you out.

The well looked after ones won't be terribly dearer than the wrecked ones, its finding it that will be the hard part. If you're prepared to keep an eye on maintenance, it will serve you well.

Truck9289

Thanks for the feedback,Im going 21 in Jan and thinking of spending about 3000-3500 on one.Being a student and all and having two part time jobs was just wondering if Il be able to afford it.Not worried about the tax or insurance but the lower engine the better. Just want to really know if parts are cheap for them and labor costs aswell.

Idbatterim

if thats your budget, try get an m sport facelift...

BillJ

Idbatterim wrote: »

if thats your budget, try get an m sport facelift...

Definitely go m-sport. I personally prefer the pre-facelift

Idbatterim

yeah pre facelift look great, particularly if clear front lenses put it, makes them look much more current!

BillJ

Idbatterim wrote: »

yeah pre facelift look great, particularly if clear front lenses put it, makes them look much more current!

Ya, I am slightly biased though:P Just ordered a set of chrome indicator bulbs to get rid of the fried egg look on mine.

Rowley Birkin QC

I bought a 2002 2.0 MSport pre facelift last December with 117k miles

Costs so far;
Tyres: €700
New brake caliper and wishbone bushings: €440
Tax: €680 (I think, can't remember and not near the car)
Depo lights and clear indicators: €130 ish
Dynavin Android Unit: Free
Service: €160 ish
Misc (Oil, wipers, bulbs etc.): €200

Rainy day fund: €1500

Tank of fuel is 90 odd euro and covers about 600km of mixed motorway and city driving. Best consumption figure I've seen is 36.4MPG / 7.76 l/100km

Definitely go M-Sport if you are buying and take your time. There's a mountain of scrap out there. Buy wisely, maintain it will and you'll have a great car for very little outlay.

Single regret is not going for a straight 6! Best of luck.

S28382

As said already go for something higher than 1.9 as its a bit slow i had one and i decided to get a 323 the difference in the cars was huge.

Truck9289

Cheers guys for the feed back.really helpful and eye opening.keep em coming.

Truck9289

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

I bought a 2002 2.0 MSport pre facelift last December with 117k miles

Costs so far;
Tyres: €700
New brake caliper and wishbone bushings: €440
Tax: €680 (I think, can't remember and not near the car)
Depo lights and clear indicators: €130 ish
Dynavin Android Unit: Free
Service: €160 ish
Misc (Oil, wipers, bulbs etc.): €200

Rainy day fund: €1500

Tank of fuel is 90 odd euro and covers about 600km of mixed motorway and city driving. Best consumption figure I've seen is 36.4MPG / 7.76 l/100km

Definitely go M-Sport if you are buying and take your time. There's a mountain of scrap out there. Buy wisely, maintain it will and you'll have a great car for very little outlay.

Single regret is not going for a straight 6! Best of luck.

Thanks for the post.do you know if other parts are expensive like clutches and all?

Idbatterim

you can source parts from motor factors here or ebay.co.uk for a fraction of the main dealer prices. I also have multiple people I can recommend for work if your based in Dublin, one guy in particular so cheap, that I wouldnt even do the work myself. Just make sure you get any potential car checked prior to purchase, again I can recommend mechanics in Dublin for this. I have no problem passing on my acquired bmw knowledge, to potentially save you the thousands I could have saved myself before embarking on my bmw voyage Its been a short but expensive education! I should ad that I got very unfortunate with my first 2000 318ci, the 2003 - 325ci I have had for 2.5 years, has only required a new starter motor in that time E30 for a refurbished bosch one on ebay!!! think bm were looking for close to E300 for it... my insurance two years ago when I was 27 with 3 years ncb, was E290 TPFT for the year!

DuckSlice

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

I bought a 2002 2.0 MSport pre facelift last December with 117k miles

Costs so far;
Tyres: €700
New brake caliper and wishbone bushings: €440
Tax: €680 (I think, can't remember and not near the car)
Depo lights and clear indicators: €130 ish
Dynavin Android Unit: Free
Service: €160 ish
Misc (Oil, wipers, bulbs etc.): €200

Rainy day fund: €1500

Tank of fuel is 90 odd euro and covers about 600km of mixed motorway and city driving. Best consumption figure I've seen is 36.4MPG / 7.76 l/100km

Definitely go M-Sport if you are buying and take your time. There's a mountain of scrap out there. Buy wisely, maintain it will and you'll have a great car for very little outlay.

Single regret is not going for a straight 6! Best of luck.

where did you buy your brake calipers? i changed 2 front ones on mine when i had it for 180 for the pair? seems very costly for a caliper and some bushings.

Rowley Birkin QC

etxp wrote: »

where did you buy your brake calipers? i changed 2 front ones on mine when i had it for 180 for the pair? seems very costly for a caliper and some bushings.

I left it into an independent place with an un-diagnosed problem and that was the bill.

Truck9289

Idbatterim wrote: »

you can source parts from motor factors here or ebay.co.uk for a fraction of the main dealer prices. I also have multiple people I can recommend for work if your based in Dublin, one guy in particular so cheap, that I wouldnt even do the work myself. Just make sure you get any potential car checked prior to purchase, again I can recommend mechanics in Dublin for this. I have no problem passing on my acquired bmw knowledge, to potentially save you the thousands I could have saved myself before embarking on my bmw voyage Its been a short but expensive education! I should ad that I got very unfortunate with my first 2000 318ci, the 2003 - 325ci I have had for 2.5 years, has only required a new starter motor in that time E30 for a refurbished bosch one on ebay!!! think bm were looking for close to E300 for it... my insurance two years ago when I was 27 with 3 years ncb, was E290 TPFT for the year!

Cheers for the advice,really appreciate it.if you could send me some of your contacts via private mail that would be great.so are you saying that they arnt that costly if you know where to get parts and get them fixed?

Idbatterim

no problem, in work at the moment, but will PM you them when I get home later! Also yeah you can save yourself a fortune on parts and labour if you know where your going and what your doing...

Idbatterim

have just seen this OP, looks very very nice!!!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-325ci-coupe/5845405

Truck9289

Idbatterim wrote: »

have just seen this OP, looks very very nice!!!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-325ci-coupe/5845405

Was looking at that before,way too big of an engine for me.tax would be crazy

BillJ

Truck9289 wrote: »

Was looking at that before,way too big of an engine for me.tax would be crazy

It's 370 a year more than the 2 litre. Just €1.01 extra a day:D

I understand though, I would have gone for the 2.5 only for tax as well. I was pushing my budget out just to tax the 2.0

Truck9289

Theres no doubt id love that,but with only a part time job and all just dosnt look likely and besides it would eat the petrol.

Rowley Birkin QC

Truck9289 wrote: »

Theres no doubt id love that,but with only a part time job and all just dosnt look likely and besides it would eat the petrol.

Since buying the 2.0, I've looked into the 325's. There isn't that much in the difference.

Don't be under any illusions either, the 2.0 is not light on juice. The E46 is a heavy car and the 2.0 is entry level engine wise. It's no slouch but it's not particularly fast either.

Idbatterim

since buying the 2.0, I've looked into the 325's. There isn't that much in the difference.

Don't be under any illusions either, the 2.0 is not light on juice. The E46 is a heavy car and the 2.0 is entry level engine wise. It's no slouch but it's not particularly fast either.

Figures from autotrader.co.uk

Manual E46 318ci 2L
Running costs
Urban mpg 27.7 mpg
Extra Urban mpg 51.4 mpg
Average mpg 39.2 mpg

Manual E46 325ci 2.5L
Running costs
Urban mpg 22.1 mpg
Extra Urban mpg 40.9 mpg
Average mpg 31.4 mpg

BillJ

Idbatterim wrote: »

since buying the 2.0, I've looked into the 325's. There isn't that much in the difference.

Don't be under any illusions either, the 2.0 is not light on juice. The E46 is a heavy car and the 2.0 is entry level engine wise. It's no slouch but it's not particularly fast either.

Figures from autotrader.co.uk

Manual E46 318ci 2L
Running costs
Urban mpg 27.7 mpg
Extra Urban mpg 51.4 mpg
Average mpg 39.2 mpg

Manual E46 325ci 2.5L
Running costs
Urban mpg 22.1 mpg
Extra Urban mpg 40.9 mpg
Average mpg 31.4 mpg

I find those fugure even a little optimistic for the 2L at least. I average about 34.5 mpg. Mainly N roads.

Even on a motorway trip I didn't reach anywhere near 50mpg

Rowley Birkin QC

Idbatterim wrote: »

Figures from autotrader.co.uk

Manual E46 318ci 2L
Running costs
Urban mpg 27.7 mpg Bollox
Extra Urban mpg 51.4 mpg Bollox
Average mpg 39.2 mpg Bollox

.

Idbatterim

I agree its bollox, but the 6 cylinder is using at least 25% more fuel, if the 2L claimed figures are out, they will be even more off in the 6 cylinder...

Idbatterim

Op, just saw this. A cracker if all checks out...

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-320ci-m-sport/5781011

Wicklowandy

Every day there seems to a thread for someone buying a 10+ yr old 3 series...

There not bad or anything, but.....?

Wibbs

It's because(and I'd not generally be a Beemer boyo) it's a lot of very well put together stylish car for the money. Look at the last ad link. That's a LOT of car for 3 odd grand. The wheels would probably cost you that new from BMW

REDLAD123

Beware of any ticking noises coming from the top of the engine on the 318i. Very common timing chain problems on them. Approx €600 to put right. The engines have a very poor reputation for reliability if they are not maintained correctly (which the vast majority of us Irish people generally don't do unfortunately) I'm a huge BMW fan (have owned 7 BMW's both petrol and diesel) but definitely wouldn't buy a 318i for those reasons.
Buy a 320d or the 320i. I had a 00 320i and averaged 35mpg..