[ryoukos]

Hi all!

Never owned a German car before.
After lots of reading and test driving Audi A5, Merc C class and the F30 BMW, I now know that I want a bimmer.

My budget is ~£12k. 8000k miles annual use or less, with lots of school/shop runs, but also regular ~20minute motorway blasts.
A few things I can't decide on:

1. Decent spec F30s for the money have like 100-130k miles - am I better off saving more or getting a low mileage pre-LCI? On the other hand, there are plenty of 100k+ ones with full BMW history and 1/2 owners so perhaps I'm worrying too much?
2. Some say diesel may suffer with EGR/DPF with my use case. Should I go for 330e instead, as my daily commute will be under 20 miles and likely covered by battery only?
3. I love good sound. Harman Kardon upgrade is rare - should I focus on finding a good car instead and upgrade the speakers myself?
4. Auto vs Manual - I loved the zf box in my test drive example, although again I'm worried that with high mileage a manual (especially if the clutch has been done) is a better choice to avoid hefty bills?
5. Since used car prices are high now, should I just get a Prius/Auris for £5k and wait out for things to settle a little?

Any other must-haves/gotchas I should be aware of? I do have a basic check list for the usual problems e.g. cam chain, rear light seals, oil leaks, etc.

[Armaan]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm not sure your price bracket will change that much, even given the current inflated market. You'd probably lose the same amount on getting something else than just buying what you want.

For 100k+ miles I'd say an F30 diesel would probably be the way to go and will cause you less issues than a petrol or hybrid, just my view. You'll probably find a lot more out there too for choice.

As long as you are doing a longer run now and again, shouldn't have any DPF issues - try to get it up to temp as often as you can.

I'd say the ZF versus manual is pure preference, I went for manual as I don't do that many miles and like the engagement of it, but the ZF box is the best out there and will be far better for your commute, especially in start stop traffic.

If HK is a must, get a car with it specced.

Armaan

[Fizzy Duck]

If you're going F30, you'll likely be in 320d territory at that kind of price.

Make sure the timing chain has been looked at :-)


For your mileage though, a petrol seems the better option. My 320d takes around 18 miles to get to temperature in the winter, and I have it parked in a garage.

Hence, if you're doing lots of small trips, it may never even get warm - bad for economy and the general efficiency of the engine, with more soot/carbon build up.



If I were to be totally honest, £12,000 is not enough for an F30.

[SantaEugence]

Yeah those kind of miles on a diesel probably a bit pointless.
If you do go diesel consider if it's Euro 6 for ULEZ - but if that doesn't matter to you then you might get one a bit cheaper.
Would cost you over £1k to spec a better system than the HK. Also you wouldn't have the right spaces for all the speakers like you do with factory HK so that would be more of a ballache

[Oddball71]

I agree with Fizzy. Diesel takes ages to warm up. Why not look at a lower mileage E90 and maybe upgrade to something like M Sport with the money? It would carry more street cred than the 320d... At this age its all about how an individual car has been looked after and used.
I bought a F30 320D Touring Sport... thought I would keep it a while but the rack was a duffer... £2500 for the part

[SuperHamz]

I agree that you're probably looking at 320i/d at most at 12k, but just with a quick search on Autotrader, there are plenty F30s in that price bracket with sub-100k on the clock.

As for options, most are going to be personal preference, but I'd highly recommend the HK audio system, the basic audio system doesn't have the built in door tweeters and will be a pain to upgrade.

Otherwise, I'd want the following:
M Sport
Xenon headlights
Sunroof
Parking sensors
Cruise control
Electric folding mirrors
Electric seats
Rear folding seats (yes these were optional on the F30)

Transmission again is personal preference, I got a manual because I couldn't let go of the idea that I'd be driving an auto (I'll be getting an auto next as most newer cars with higher specs/power are auto).

As for power, I think both 320d and 320i are about 180bhp, not the fastest, but a remap will on either will put that up to around the 230-250bhp mark.

[ryoukos]

Thank you all for the replies!

It's now pretty clear that £12k won't buy a "safe" F30 LCI M Sport. I found a few, but they are from shady dealers that have setup shop a few months back, etc.

I guess I could go with a pre-LCI equivalent, given that the chain has been replaced or at least documented as checked out...

The last resort would be buying a basic ED/Plus, high-mileage F30 with good paperwork for like £5k and see how much I enjoy living with a bm

[jenshb]

I recommend you get a copy of BMW CAR magazine - November 2021 issue. That describes the F30 a a used buy with things to look out for.

https://shop.kelsey.co.uk/issue/list/publication/BMC

[coonz]

As far as sounds go, if you can only find a car with the basic system, Focal do a pair of excellent plug in and play speakers for £200 or so. Easy DIY and makes a big improvement.

[Abzynthe]

My dads 318d is approaching 160k miles and only thing engine wise has been a new battery. They have had one of the rear hubs replaced as the bearing went, that's it in the last 4 years.

So I wouldn't worry hugely about high miles if there's evidence it's been looked after.

[SuperHamz]

Originally Posted by ryoukos

Thank you all for the replies!

It's now pretty clear that £12k won't buy a "safe" F30 LCI M Sport. I found a few, but they are from shady dealers that have setup shop a few months back, etc.

Why do you want an LCI? Apart from it being a little newer, I can't remember too many drastic changes that would warrant getting a later model.

Case in point, my cousin bought a 320d saloon LCI on a 16 plate, mine is a pre-LCI 328i touring on a 62 plate, both cost about the same, but mine is fully loaded.

The only option that he has one his that wasn't on mine was the larger screen with the sat nav.

[f30paul]

Agree nothing much wrong going pre-LCI on maybe a reliable 320i. Would steer clear of diesel with that mileage. Agree also usage is 330e territory but you won’t find a decent model in that budget range. One thing to note though, if your daily commute is a 20 minute motorway blast then you’d drain the 330e f30 and even g20 battery very quickly.

So I’d go 320i, it’d be relatively high mileage but fairly reliable with no dpf filters to worry about

[jenshb]

One of my colleagues at work bought a second had 330e, and he loved it. His commute was around 20 miles, and being able to charge at home and work, a tank of petrol lasted him three months. Then the charger conked out with a £1200 repair bill. Luckily for him, that was done on the warranty. Another colleague now has a 330e and he seems very happy, but the great unknown is how the battery has been used (or abused). And batteries do have a finite life, and then they will have to be changed, at great cost. Personally, I'd steer clear of hybrids for that reason if you are planning to buy rather than lease.

[ryoukos]

Originally Posted by f30paul

Agree nothing much wrong going pre-LCI on maybe a reliable 320i. Would steer clear of diesel with that mileage. Agree also usage is 330e territory but you won’t find a decent model in that budget range. One thing to note though, if your daily commute is a 20 minute motorway blast then you’d drain the 330e f30 and even g20 battery very quickly.

So I’d go 320i, it’d be relatively high mileage but fairly reliable with no dpf filters to worry about

Good point. I actually found a well kept 320i Luxury xDrive with BMW history and 85k on the clock. Going to see it tomorrow

[SuperHamz]

Originally Posted by ryoukos

Good point. I actually found a well kept 320i Luxury xDrive with BMW history and 85k on the clock. Going to see it tomorrow

Good luck, hopefully it's the right one and we'll be seeing some photos soon

[RobUK]

If you're considering LCI vs. pre-LCI F3x, then this brochure sets out all the differences between the two.

[jenshb]

Originally Posted by ryoukos

Good point. I actually found a well kept 320i Luxury xDrive with BMW history and 85k on the clock. Going to see it tomorrow

With xDrive, it is important that the rolling circumference is within a very tight tolerance band, or you risk having issues with the transfer box. That can be expensive. Also, if your tyres are worn and you have a puncture, you may have to replace all four to remain within the tolerance (depending on wear). Just two things to look out for that may be expensive.

[f30paul]

Originally Posted by jenshb

One of my colleagues at work bought a second had 330e, and he loved it. His commute was around 20 miles, and being able to charge at home and work, a tank of petrol lasted him three months. Then the charger conked out with a £1200 repair bill. Luckily for him, that was done on the warranty. Another colleague now has a 330e and he seems very happy, but the great unknown is how the battery has been used (or abused). And batteries do have a finite life, and then they will have to be changed, at great cost. Personally, I'd steer clear of hybrids for that reason if you are planning to buy rather than lease.

I also love my 330e, but would never privately own it without the BMW Insured Warranty. Which is an extra monthly cost but provides peace of mind for those few high-ticket items, the onboard charger is the most publicised, but also high voltage cables and electric motor as well (it's paired to the gearbox so would be eyewatering to replace!)

I also never realised the xDrive was so fussy about tyre circumferences, is that the same for all 4WD models?

[jenshb]

I'm sure I've seen the actual tolerance on this forum, and 2% is a number that seems to have stuck in my mind. When you are driving both axles, then ideally you want the rolling circumference between front and rear to match exactly, but that doesn't happen in real life, so some tolerance must be accepted. Unless there is some viscous coupling or other device between the axles that allow the tyres to roll by the same distance (not revolutions as that will vary with the diameter of the tyre) without mechanically straining the transfer box, then the tyres will have to take up the difference.

[Sasquartch]

My experience with any higher mileage BMW is that once at 60-70k+ the suspension is pretty worn out, bushes and dampers especially.
So if you're buying a high miler, whilst the mechanicals might be fine the feel and ride of the car might be a long way off new
It's not too difficult to refresh the dampers all round so you might want to factor that into your budget

[Racing Teatray]

What about a 4-series Gran Coupe?

Sleeker styling, more practical and better-equipped as standard, and you can find them for your budget:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-det...ceDeposit=true