bmw for under a grand

TrickyWicky

BMWs are severely overrated IMO opinion.

Go get a toyota, or volvo. You can't go wrong with them, their engines are bullet proof along with their gearboxes.

Weird_Nev

avantra wrote: »

50mpg from the 318 petol lump?? that's magic! what are you running it on?
Same model (1998) is used by my lab technician tho he say it's roughly 20-30 mpg top:eek:

My car shows 50mpg when cruising at 65ish mph! I've hypermiled it up to do 36mpg on my round trip commute into london and back across a tank of fuel, but I just can't drive like that all the time. So 30mpg and a bit of fun it is.

Nearly_Old

I wonder sometimes if people who post anti-BMW comments have actually owned and run one? Surely 1000's of fleet managers can't all be wrong?

£1,000 will buy an E36 or possibly a very early E46 - personally I'd go for a good E36 with a well documented history. Parts can be very cheap as there are a lot of manufacturers who make parts for BMW that also sell the same parts under their own name - I've got parts that still had the BMW logo on them at half the price the dealer was charging. Also (unlike the majority of manufacturers) BMW dealers run either a 4+ or 5+ Service - my Z3 is over 12 years old and under 5+ the labour cost is discounted by 50% and sometimes you get a discount on parts. If you're into DIY the brakes and suspension are easy to work on and BMW tend to use parts on numerous different vehicles; e.g. the brake discs and pads on my 99 Z3 are the same as those on my wife's 07 Z4.

Personally i'd go for a 2.8 but I'm a bit biased but there are 2 people in the States running 2.8 Z3's and they are both approaching 300,000 miles with regular servicing, annual oil changes and new plugs at around 60,000 miles.

With any car of any make there will always be risks when buying for under £1,000 so research / service history / etc are very important. As far BMW's are concerned our experience is:

2000 1.9 Z3 bought at 7 months old and owned from 2001 to 2007, serviced and the only failure was an ABS wheel sensor in 42,000 miles - still on original tyres, brakes, etc when it was traded in.

2007 2.0sp Z4 bought at 6 months old with 1,600 on the clock, needed new rear tyres at 21,000 and new front brake pads at 38,000 (£29.62 from Eurocarparts with a 25% disciunt code). It is lowered with a high degree of negative camber on the rear wheels so around 20,000 for the rear tyres is about average. Insp 1 service including brake fluid change £189 at a good independent garage. Can easily achieve 38mpg on a long run as at 70mph it's only ticking over (< 3,000 rpm) in 6th gear. The other upside - it is the fastest car going round corners that I've ever driven!

1999 2.8 Z3 bought in 2008 at 69,000 - now on 88,000. The thermostat failed (common problem) - new thermostat and coolant at the independent £90. I change the oil / brake fluid myself. Overall average 30mpg although one member of the car forum regularly achieves 36/37mpg in an automatic 2.8. My best is 34mpg and my worst (for consumption) but the very best (driving) is 23.5mpg. At 12+ years old and 88,000 miles it's still on the original rubber suspension bushes, clutch, exhaust, etc. I did change the brake discs when it was 10 years old as the originals were very rusty (they still worked OK) and it was embarassing at car shows! The front shock absorbers were changed by the previous owner and I've changed the rear ones to keep the car well balanced.

At present the BMW's could prove to be the best cars we've had over the past 40 years as they should both be good for another 20 years. Well that's the plan at the moment but there again I might just see a Z ///M with my name on it - 325bhp, RWD

CrazyRed

Plenty of E34 (5-series) and E36 (3-series) at that money and you won't go wrong with one at the higher end of your budget. TBH, most of them that are under £500 are pretty much knackered, but £600+ will secure you something pretty reasonable.
323, 325, 328 are all 6-cylinder engines - inline sixes at that. Beautifully creamy-smooth, pretty punchy but suffer with the same malady as others - 6 cylinders that need feeding with fuel.

My 520i estate turns in around 25-27 on the daily commute (including the dreaded Dartford Tunnel) and up to 38 on a run - that's a manual with 245,000 on the clock. Not as good as the Mondeo/Vectra equivalent, I'll grant, but not bad for an 1800kg car!

They're a nice car to drive and, to be fair, run-of-the-mill servicing parts aren't dear, nor really are the general consumables like brake discs, pads, tyres etc.

Plenty of parts available still via the main-dealer network, and all of them virtually next working day in my experience. However, they haven't always been the budget option.

Be aware, too, that if you need a new key and yours is 1996 onwards, you'll need to go to BMW for a key that's coded to your "EWS" unit - these are pretty pricey so make sure the one you're looking at comes with (preferably) more than one key and the key(s) aren't too badly worn!

Otherwise, use your common sense - if it's clearly been looked after, and has plenty of paperwork with it - ideally from a BMW Specialist (you're unlikely to find full main-dealer history at this age), and it's only had a few owners then it's probably worth a punt. Take it out on a test drive and make sure the front wheels don't start "shimmying" (you'll feel the shaking through the steering wheel) - this is a sign of the track control arm bushes failing and the reapir's about £200 with labour. Left unchecked, this wear will make a mess of your front tyres, too as it knocks the tracking out.

These cars eat miles, and if you're planning to do 15,000 a year in it, then you're looking at the right car to be doing it in, IMHO. I stamped over 1,600 in a single week in mine once and got out at the end of it feeling relatively "fresh" - I wouldn't have minded doing it all again the next week!

GRM

I had a '00 2.2i Auto E39 - did 170k miles in it - fabulous car. 25mpg around town, 32/3 on a run. Parts are cheap enough from Eurocarparts and with the help of owner forums I changed wishbones, coils and disks without too much bother.

We also have a '00 318i Auto E46 with 142k on it - can get 38 on a long run if I drive like a nun. Also fantastic.

OldGregg1889

Some top replies here. Thanks very much for all both for and against. Crazy red, when is the shimmying most likely to be noticeable? Braking, accelerating or just constant? OG

Weird_Nev

OldGregg1889 wrote: »

Some top replies here. Thanks very much for all both for and against. Crazy red, when is the shimmying most likely to be noticeable? Braking, accelerating or just constant? OG

It manifests itself as tramlining on dented roads or over camber changes, and possibly clunking under braking. It's not actually much of a problem as you can sort it with a £200 fix and then you have completely new control arms, bushes and ball joints. Just make sure the car is priced/ discounted appropriately.

Nearly_Old

Weird_Nev wrote: »

It manifests itself as tramlining on dented roads or over camber changes, and possibly clunking under braking. It's not actually much of a problem as you can sort it with a £200 fix and then you have completely new control arms, bushes and ball joints. Just make sure the car is priced/ discounted appropriately.

I would recommend having a good look at the front tyres as these can also influence tramlining. A few years ago quite a few E36/7 owners started using directional tyres (e.g. Goodyear Eagles, Falken 452, etc) but have noticed that changing back to non-directional tyres (e.g. Falken 912) has reduced any tendency to tramline. Other than that people have changed the bushes, etc as above.

rodenal

I've seen the directional tyres bits and pieces too - worth noting that I found the falken fk452's a fantastic match for my 328i coupe, coped admirably in all weathers including a bit of snow, fantastic dry grip with a smooth progressive breakaway. Much fun once you learn how the car drives (hint.....greasy empty private roundabout, lift off slightly then a bit of a stab on the loud pedal) A touch of tramlining but the bushes had started to go, changed them for poly's and all was well - didn't find them too harsh either, probably as it was just the wishbone bushes that were changed.

Be sure to drive a few, my 328 had an uprated and therefore heavier clutch so could be a bit tiring to drive in traffic till I'd had it a couple of months and had manned up slightly - This can also be a sign that the clutch is going though and it's an expensive job, albeit diyable (a take your time job though). Mine had an absolute ton of paperwork so I could see the new clutch had been fitted a year earlier and the car had been maintained immaculately, even had an invoice from 2009 when it was sold for about £4.5k. Really very well looked after and I sold it for........Less than £900, best car I've ever had for that kind of money.

jase1

£1000? A work colleague paid four times that for a 316 compact and it was no end of trouble. I don't think I've come across a more unreliable car in my life.