Buying 2nd Hand BMW

[woodfire]

Btw, I sold my 1997 E36 320i last October 2005 at Php 685 thousand inclusive of all the aftermarket parts: Brembo brakes, full M3 body kit, M3 side mirrors, Bilstein ps99 coilover, super sprint exhaust, and BBS 17".

However, the mosselman turbo kit is still with me for future use in another car.

[woodfire]

hahaha! this got me into thinking about of buying a 2nd hand BMW...

hopefully, the price of an E46 325i goes down a bit lower... ;)

The E46 is one of the most beautiful cars ever designed by BMW (in my opinion). The 325i straight 6 engine is also sweeeeet!

[kyle618]

i would get the bimmer din... ibang klase talaga ang feeling when driving a bmw... everything feels so solid. if its in good condition then by all means get it.

[kimpOy]

yup e46 is really a beauty...masikip nga lang for me (5'9'' 200 pounder)
saw one last sunday with a shark's fin mod...kakaaliw.

[mrpink]

nahihirapan akong i-reconcile na may balak kang bumili ng bmw at maging practical at the same time ... hehe ...

[BlueBimmer]

kung gus2 mo matipid na bimmer, wag mo gamitin daily drive. weekend drive lang.

[vinj]

you wont go wrong with an e36 320i, mine is still going strong despite it being an oldie, with only 51k on the odo. yes it is sluggish below 2.5k rpm, you have to use the Sport mode on the AT tranny to have good acceleration, you'll feel the surge of acceleration * the 3k+ rpm, sarap.

And the sound the engine makes at high rpm.

Your best bet is to really go and look for a low mileage, first owner unit.

[badkuk]

buhay pa ba ung Certified Pre-Owned BMWs? i'm able to google it, pero link not found na

[PopE-XXXVI]

I am not advertising. I am just giving my advice based both on experience and facts.

If you are really interested in purchasing a pre-owned BMW, particularly the e-36 320i, by all means get one! I will not discourage you by saying the "high-maintenance" you have to endure when having one nor by giving you the weaknesses the particular model has, simply because there is no single car manufactured in the market that is perfect. Moreso, if it's a pre-owned. I can’t comment on the fuel consumption since your choices are really demanding.

Not just because parts and even service are priced higher compared to Japanese, that doesn't mean an average joe can't do anything about it. There will always be alternatives. CASA is not the only place for a euro---Which unfortunately, gives the impression of euro cars like BMWs are for the rich people only. There is Han Manila (QC) and Wheels inc. (E.Rod.)

Han Manila is known for their cheap price and labor. They are the original dealer of BMWs in the Philippines way back in the 50’s before the Alvarez’s took over in 90’s (correct me if I’m wrong). Although they are not selling cars anymore, Han manila, maintains its quality of service. Just a while ago, I brought my e-36 there because of my busted signal lights. I couldn’t gamble anymore with the offers from Banawe and other talyers to experiment my baby and find out what’s wrong after hours of troubleshooting. Stupid I was, the electrician from Han just said it’s a single fuse problem. If I brought my car to a BMW CASA, say, Autohaus Libis, who knows how much I would pay. Who cares though when the secretary just winked at me and said ok na ho yan (sabay abot ng Php100 sa electrician hehehe). Wheels Inc. on the other hand lost its rights to sell BMW because of the demand of the latter, with it, its quality of service. But things changed, the service area is under a new management and as a customer I was happy, more than happy, secured. Both parts and service are cheaper by percentile! You have to go there to see for yourself. (Because if I did tell you, that would be advertising hehehe). These are just some of my experiences that keep us away from CASA. BTW, we are maintaining 2 BMWs.

Ok, I admit it. Maintaining one is high, but is it tolerable? Well, with our economic status being in the middle, it is. My e-36 is also a pre-owned bought at a price tag the same as its brand new Japanese counterparts. Now, am I satisfied? As long as I turn heads everytime I take it in the streets, as long as it doesn’t give me that much of a headache (considering its almost 10 years old), a little more than 10-15% increase on parts and service is a small price to pay for the prestige and fulfillment I get from having a pre-owned BMW.

Ultimately, the choice is yours bro! God bless on your hunting and hopefully you get a BMW! ;)

[StraightSix]

And another thing pipz, does any1 know wat are the complete specs of '97 320i (its hp,torque, etc...) its my first toy bTW.

Partial specs ...

M52 engine: 1991cc, DOHC 24 valves, 150hp * 5900rpm, 190Nm * 4200rpm.
4dr saloon: 4.445m long, 1.7m wide, 1.392m high, 2.7m wheelbase, 1270kg kerb weight.

I'm not a speed freak ... but sorry, an E36 320i isn't that fast. The ride and handling more than makes up naman . And if you're into DIY, they're not that much expensive to service. Even the service indicator reset, as mentioned by boss OTEP, shouldn't involve the casa's diagnostics computer ... you can do it with a piece of wire

[BlueBimmer]

yep not that fast from standstill, mostly due to the hefty weight, my manual even indicates 1,495kg, pero full load ata yun.

[ale828]

If your a speed freak and want the Bimmer as a toy then try to look for a grey unit E36 325i. We used to have one before and I can honestly say that it was one of the best A/T car i have driven, the 325i has 190hp with torque to boot. you can use it to challenge Civic Sir, Lynx RS. Repairs and maintainance is more expensive than your regular jap sedan but its not that high unless a major problem has arisen. since its gonna be a toy car, i doubt it would get more than 10Tkm a year, so servicing would be cheaper since its not an everyday car.
If you plan to get a second hand unit, just be sure to check the car thoroughly since major repairs would equal bigger costs.

You could also get the E30 model 320i or 325i but if you had the money i would rather get the E30 M3. Probably one of the ultimate toy cars around.

[OTEP]

Sana pwede din sa Volvo ang wire trick. :D Though having an periodic full system run through with the diagnostic computer seems to be worth the cost.

[KCboy]

may nagbebenta ng e46 325i with body kit and 17in na, 1.35m, mahal ba?

[StraightSix]

Confusing kasi yung post ni vadvan Practical doesn't go with bimmers (at least in the Philippines). Speed freak, no go with the E36's smallest 6 cylinder engine.

Not that the 320's are bad. It's a very good introduction to BMW's straight six. Just don't set your hopes too high. Still, I'm sure you're going to enjoy a bimmer like we do.

One time I had a hard time looking for a replacement bolt for a Civic's brake caliper mount ... yun bang 1-1/2" na kalahati lang may thread. Sa Pinas, kahit sa palengke may mabibili ka, dito sa UK, sa casa lang. I paid P150 for that bolt and waited 10 days for it. Yung ibang parts din, parang ginto ... Kwento lang on the flip side of the coin.

*OTEP, yung wire trick para lang sa pag-reset ng service indicator (oil change, inspections I and II). Unfortunately, kailangan pa rin ng dealer's diagnostics computer kung gustong maghanap ng recorded fault. But you have to specify what the problem is, like when mine suffered from stalling. I paid P4.5k for them to tell me that it was the camshaft sensor. Tanong ko bakit hindi nila na-diagnose na sira din yung oil level sensor? Sagot sa akin eh hindi daw kasama sa diagnostics iyon at ibang problema. Gusto ko ba daw na palitan din nila? Leche, ako na lang magkakabit, kako (UK dealer yan).

[OTEP]

Yup, sana pwede wire pang-reset lang ng service light. Laking tipid na din. Hehehe.

[PopE-XXXVI]

*straightsix saan ka nag pa diagnose?

[scarab]

may nagbebenta ng e46 325i with body kit and 17in na, 1.35m, mahal ba?

...based on the carfinder i buy every week ; mura na yan, may nakita kasi akong e46 na 318 na modded din at almost the same price (even higher).

[StraightSix]

*straightsix saan ka nag pa diagnose?

At the nearest friendly $tealer ...

Scothall BMW
Chesnut Avenue
Chandlers Ford
Eastleigh
Hampshire UK
SO53 3YU

[PopE-XXXVI]

ay sorry hehehe kala ko dito lang sa pinas :D