My First Car

sod98

Hi guys i was wondering if a 2005 bmw 320d would be a goog first car and what the insurance would be on one of them.If its wrong I am open to suggeations
Thanks For Reading:)

biko

The insurance is based on your personal circumstances; age, location, full licence and so on.

A 2005 320D is a lovely car, but for insurance, tax etc I'd probably recommend a cheaper smaller car to start with until you have built up your NCB and driving experience.

On youtube you will find many reviews from various car magazines etc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTzlPwS9bg8

JohnCleary

320d is a great car, and plenty of poke for a first car. I had a 2002 for 7 years.

Things to look out for:
The turbo is the weak point in these. When looking at service history on cars make sure the 'Crancase vent filter' was changed every 2-3 services. This should now be replaced with a vortex type filter which doesn't need to be changed. About €70 from a stealer but a once off.
Not replacing the old 'loo roll' type filter caused a build up of pressure in the crank. The turbo seals were the weakest point hence would fail. If this occurs the engine will use oil and possibly your air inlet lines full of oil.

Other than that the wishbone bushes never seem to last too long on these for some reason (a small issue which can affect any car).

Try to get as high spec as possible, go for the SE.
If you're young try to get the interior with the polished aluminium look, much more sporty and youthful looking.
Leather (with heated seats)
Auto-dimming rear view mirror
Heated wing mirrors
Rear parking sensors
CD Player (or CD changer in the boot)

Mine had factory fit Xenon's - you'll be doing well to get a car with those though.

If you're test driving and it feels a bit 'dead', it can be that the ECU memorizes driving style. To reset this... Put key in ignition to 'ON' position and count to 10. Then put key to 'OFF' position (but don't take key out) and count to 10 (you'll hear an electronic 'click'). Then start the engine - you'll be back to default setting.

If you're set on a 320d spend the few euro and buy a Carsoft diagnostic kit (I sold my one last week for 50 euro) so you can read any potential hidden electric issues... you'll want one when you have the car anyway so may aswell purchase beforehand.


That's all I can think of really. There's loads of them on the roads to spare parts etc. aren't an issue. But honestly in my 7 years I didn't need to replace anything apart from usual service items (and apart from the turbo which I got re-built as preventative measure)

dr.kenneth noisewater

Insurance will be pretty high as its your first car!