Used car - advice please

Varatha

Hi Folks,
I am looking to buy used car and always have BMW's in mind. I am city center based and walk to office so I'd be consuming very less mileage say 5000 kms in an year. The main reason going for a car is just to take kids out over the weekends to the nearby sports, parks and to visit few friends place. I am only here for the last 5 years and never driven a car in Ireland but having 15 years of driving experience abroad. I know it sounds crazy to look for a luxurious car for such a low mileage but I always wanted to drive a nice, smooth car with less road noise and thought BMW would suit my needs (I could be wrong? I don't know ) I am with provisional license and I am aware of the insurance charges. One of the insurance company is ok to insure the car I liked (BMW 2011, 3 series) for €2500 with an excess of €3000 per claim. Insurance even for the smaller engines are very expensive for the provisional license holders. I am planning to appear for driving test in few months time, Would the insurance charge for year 2 comes down If I have the full license?

I am looking for 3 series preferably F30 (2012) and upwards as I have heard lots of stories about timing chain issues from the car models until 2011. My budget is around 10k and could push little bit upwards if the car is really nice. Most of the F30's on the market are 100k miles and upwards and I have read that the maintenance for BMW's becomes expensive especially for the ones with 100k miles and upwards, as it seems to give some repairs/replacement work often. Is that true?

Considering my circumstances is it good to go for Diesel or Petrol? Is petrol BMW's offer smoother ride than Diesel counterparts?

I am looking for cars in donedeal and carzone and liked the following 2 models

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-3-series-2012-full-beige-leather/18995649
I really liked the black body with beige interior and the dealer is promising the 2 year warranty to cover major parts for additional €350. The car is already clocked 99k miles so worried if it would start giving trouble anytime from now on?

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-316i-se-petrol-low-miles/20241159
Not a big fan of white body but liked it due to the clean look, petrol engine and very low mileage. but it is a private sale!

I am very amateur in buying the used car so please advise me what to look for, how to look for and which would be the best based on my circumstances. Thanks for reading and I really appreciate your valuable response

Thanks,
Techie

bazz26

OP with you're little mileage and use I'd stay well clear of diesel cars as you are not going to benefit from one. Also neither of those cars would be considered luxurious, they look like base model 3 Series to me. Also a 1.6 petrol engine 3 Series is under powered and will be painful to drive.

If you really fancy a premium badge and with your low mileage and use I'd look at a hybrid like the Lexus CT200h:

https://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=2099099&r=s.php%3Fm%3D44%26o%3D2627%26pp%3D50%26g%3D0
https://www.carsireland.ie/detail.php?ad_id=2115513&r=s.php%3Fm%3D44%26o%3D2627%26pp%3D50%26g%3D0

It's basically a Toyota Prius in a fancier suit but will ultimately give very little trouble.

corks finest

Look up " honest John" car reviews,u.k. based,but good honest reviews ref problems,good v bad etc etc

Varatha

Thanks guys for your inputs

ba_barabus

Golf with the 1.4TSI ACT engine and DSG box would be a great option

Varatha

Hi All,

One of the car I am looking to buy seems to be originally purchased in UK by the first owner and bought and registered in Ireland by the second owner.

As this is the private sale, Should I be aware of any thing in particular even before going for the viewing?

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/bmw/3-series/used-2012-bmw-3-series-msport-dublin-fpa-201810221735005

Thanks
Varatha

bazz26

As per the advice given in your other thread, you don't need a diesel and are potentially bringing unnecessary grief and expense on yourself:
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057928344

And this thread should also be an eye opener around buying a car that's not suitable to your needs:
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057930434

biko

Threads merged. OP, stick to this one

Varatha

bazz26 wrote: »

And this thread should also be an eye opener around buying a car that's not suitable to your needs:
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057930434

Thanks for sharing this link. This changes my perspective towards Diesel/Petrol engines. So I should be better off with petrol engine for little mileage.

Searching for the BMW petrol models, there are only very few cars on the market and they are priced high compared to the Diesel counterparts. If the demand for Petrol cars are less then should it not be cheaper ?

bazz26

Varatha wrote: »

Thanks for sharing this link. This changes my perspective towards Diesel/Petrol engines. So I should be better off with petrol engine for little mileage.

Searching for the BMW petrol models, there are only very few cars on the market and they are priced high compared to the Diesel counterparts. If the demand for Petrol cars are less then should it not be cheaper ?

There could be any number of reasons those examples you looked at are cheaper/more expensive than the others. It's not necessarily all down to demand. Have you looked beyond BMW? There is not a huge choice in petrol BMWs here in the years your looking at/budget you have.

Varatha

bazz26 wrote: »

As per the advice given in your other thread, you don't need a diesel and are potentially bringing unnecessary grief and expense on yourself:
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057928344

And this thread should also be an eye opener around buying a car that's not suitable to your needs:
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057930434

bazz26 wrote: »

There could be any number of reasons those examples you looked at are cheaper/more expensive than the others. It's not necessarily all down to demand. Have you looked beyond BMW? There is not a huge choice in petrol BMWs here in the years your looking at/budget you have.

I have started looking in to Mazda 3 and i40 petrol versions, Specifically looking for models released after 2012 which has sat-nav. I personally feel it is nice to have sat-nav when spending 10 to 12k.

SixtaWalthers

Isn't it a better idea to pass a driving test before looking for used car suggestions? In my opinion, diesel engines are more powerful as compared to petrol ones. You will also have to pay less tax with superior fuel economy if you go with a diesel one.

If I talk about my experience, then my first car was used one, and instead of buying via a dealership, I bought it from a local public auction in good rates, but in this regard, buyer must have good knowledge of technical things. As an amateur, It is better to read this article ( https://autoworldsite.com/maintenance/buying-cars/ ) before buying a used vehicle. Additionally, don't forget to check VIN, engine and filters.

Belfast

SixtaWalthers wrote: »

Isn't it a better idea to pass a driving test before looking for used car suggestions? In my opinion, diesel engines are more powerful as compared to petrol ones. You will also have to pay less tax with superior fuel economy if you go with a diesel one.

If I talk about my experience, then my first car was used one, and instead of buying via a dealership, I bought it from a local public auction in good rates, but in this regard, buyer must have good knowledge of technical things. As an amateur, It is better to read this article ( https://autoworldsite.com/maintenance/buying-cars/ ) before buying a used vehicle. Additionally, don't forget to check VIN, engine and filters.

Mileage is too low for diesel(5,000km). You will have problems with Diesel Particulate Filter.
The Truth About Diesel Particulate Filter Problems (DPF Problems) | Auto Expert John Cadogan

With that low mileage you could consider an electric car.

The Undecided One

Varatha wrote: »

I have started looking in to Mazda 3 and i40 petrol versions, Specifically looking for models released after 2012 which has sat-nav. I personally feel it is nice to have sat-nav when spending 10 to 12k.

The built-in sat nav in most cars needs to be updated at the dealership at an additional cost, usually pretty high so most people don’t do it.

This way the maps could be 6 years old and not reflect the current state of the road network.

I find that Google Maps is much more up to date and free to use.

Belfast

The Undecided One wrote: »

The built-in sat nav in most cars needs to be updated at the dealership at an additional cost, usually pretty high so most people don’t do it.

This way the maps could be 6 years old and not reflect the current state of the road network.

I find that Google Maps is much more up to date and free to use.

I use a Garmin in my Volvo s60
Garmin DriveSmart 70LMT-D Satellite Navigation with Full Europe - Lifetime Maps and Traffic - 7 inch, Black
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-DriveSmart-70LMT-D-Satellite-Navigation/dp/B079VZRWF3/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Garmin+DriveSmart%E2%84%A2+70LMT-D&qid=1553851472&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I have sat nav in my skoda superb. I have to pay for the updates and they only update once a year.

The Garmin sat nav is cheaper and updated more often for free.

bazz26

Or just use Waze or Google Maps for free from your phone. Built in sat navs are generally poor and old tech at this stage.