BMW 3 series Why so cheap?

LASTOLITE said:
Nowt wrong with 1955 engineering!! But there is something wrong with a french car with that mileage and reliability.....sure its not a Honda underneath..:D
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Meh! :p Forget your prejudices!

When that Laguna dog-taxi had done 160 something thousand miles, I was a passenegr in the back seat of a friend's brand new Honda Accord Tourer. After which I made a point of being a back-seat passenger in the old car and the NVH [noise vibration and harshness] were incomparably so much better in the old French rubbish! Next time, she bought a Mazda 6 estate and that was even rougher!! :rolleyes:

Which has suddenly just reminded me that when I held a Renault Franchise, we did some amusing business selling set after set of Renault door and window seals to 'anonymous' Japanese businessmen. Who were taking the Renault rubber seals away [to Swindon?] and "investigating" them [with Stanley knives?].

1955 engineering values, you see! Them Japanese copy everything! ;):LOL:
 
Yves Geza said:
Meh! :p Forget your prejudices!
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LOL prejudices - More like Loathing for their over complex flaky design blunders.......add to that the woeful electronics.....C'mon

Anyway, you dont need me to point out the stats for reliability and cost/breakdown/age do you.....plenty of reports on the web and french cars dont feature in the top end maybe a couple of later models but its not the norm is it.
 
LASTOLITE said:
LOL prejudices - More like Loathing for their over complex flaky design blunders.......add to that the woeful electronics.....C'mon

Anyway, you dont need me to point out the stats for reliability and cost/breakdown/age do you.....plenty of reports on the web and french cars dont feature in the top end maybe a couple of later models but its not the norm is it.
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If you want a serious answer for a moment, the stats and web reports don't tell you about the dealer principal's instruction to his mechanics that if there are too many used and filthy nappies dumped in the car, you don't have to work on it; just tell me and I'll tell the customer to eff off! I'm not exaggerating! I wish I were! The abuse that French car/Renault owners "statisically" mete out to their vehicles would be unbelievable if you hadn't experienced it! Yet for some reason, all the 'unreliable' old models and 'dodgy' second hand cars I've ever run for myself with some degree of nous and mechanical sympathy have always just gone on and on ...

Of course there are design blunders and flaky ideas but actually fewer than come, say, from VAG's bogus PR operation! ;)
 
ST4 said:
And also a bit more specialised in breaking down over a regular car.
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But modern cars don't fall apart remember lol
 
Yves Geza said:
Meh! :p Forget your prejudices!

When that Laguna dog-taxi had done 160 something thousand miles, I was a passenegr in the back seat of a friend's brand new Honda Accord Tourer. After which I made a point of being a back-seat passenger in the old car and the NVH [noise vibration and harshness] were incomparably so much better in the old French rubbish! Next time, she bought a Mazda 6 estate and that was even rougher!! :rolleyes:

Which has suddenly just reminded me that when I held a Renault Franchise, we did some amusing business selling set after set of Renault door and window seals to 'anonymous' Japanese businessmen. Who were taking the Renault rubber seals away [to Swindon?] and "investigating" them [with Stanley knives?].

1955 engineering values, you see! Them Japanese copy everything! ;):LOL:
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The worst car we ever owned was a 2008 Mazda 3. The paint was rubbish, the engine buzzy and it was not very economic. If we had kept it, then it would have been a money pit, and I preferred any of my four Alfas to it. My dad used to have Citroens, and they did shedloads of miles, and were always comfortable.
I have owned 5 series BMW's in the past, and although they are comfortable, they can cost a packet when something goes wrong.
Our current diesel Skoda is economic, conmfortable and so far seems to be reliable.
 
AARGH was about to go to a job this aft and the battery light stays on :( didnt want to risk it if the battery isnt charging... had to use the wifes car which never pelases her haha... now gotta start looking into why battery light on :(
 
If you have a laptop you should get yourself a program for you BM called INPA. Very cheap and allows you to check the running of everything imaginable. All you will need is the cable and software, which comes together. It will save yourself a lot of money from taking it to garages to diagnose faults and dash lights.

I use it with my 2008 330D and discovered problems that wouldn't have thrown up a fault code.

If you don;t fancy that you can get a handheld scanner made specially for BMW/mini for about £40. C110 it's called. Plug it in, give it a scan and see what faults it comes up with. Very handy.
 
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KIPAX said:
AARGH was about to go to a job this aft and the battery light stays on :( didnt want to risk it if the battery isnt charging... had to use the wifes car which never pelases her haha... now gotta start looking into why battery light on :(
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Well, if you will insist on buying these old bangers...

:exit:
 
CaveDweller said:
If you have a laptop you should get yourself a program for you BM called INPA. Very cheap and allows you to check the running of everything imaginable. All you will need is the cable and software, which comes together. It will save yourself a lot of money from taking it to garages to diagnose faults and dash lights.

I use it with my 2008 330D and discovered problems that wouldn't have thrown up a fault code.

If you don;t fancy that you can get a handheld scanner made specially for BMW/mini for about £40. C110 it's called. Plug it in, give it a scan and see what faults it comes up with. Very handy.
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just looking at the scanner on ebay.. didnt know anyhting like this existed....... software sounds OK but prob too fiddley for me... delivery dates on them all too long for current problem.. cant see anywhere could go out and buy one.... deff going to get one for future use... many thanks for the info Paul :)
 
If the battery light stays on the battery is knacked and not charging, the alternator is dodgy or the alternator belt is just loose. You don't need a code reader for this. Most likely alternator if the car has done 100k+ or is over 10 years old.

Just measure the voltage across the battery when the car is running and when it isn't. Also rev the engine slightly and see if the volt reading rises and the light goes out.
 
light stays steady red no matter what i do.. thought it went yellow or whatever if going lower... think its going to be not charging..
 
Scrap it and buy something better then!
 
Get a nissan micra. The abuse my daughter's car had over the years is unbelievable, but it continues to start on the button every day. I think they are indestructable and an ideal cheap runabout.
 
KIPAX said:
Looking at bmw 3 series used... there are some nice ones about for around 1k .. high milage of course but I dont care about that.. its not a life car ..just workhorse

dont understand why a BMW which I have always thought of as top end is so cheap..

ps looking in auto trader at a wide range of different types of sellers.. price averages out through them all.. and theres a lot..
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If you`ve driven one you`ll know why.

Would hate think I paid good money for one!!
 
not read the whole thread but if you get a vag turbo derb of recent years with over 150,000 miles or near that then watch out for turbo as the variable vane turbos always die and then its new turbo time.

Old school turbos are far more reliable on high milage
 
183 Quid for new alternator fitting on monday,.,. could do one today but 30 quid more... can get a bosh one on monday for 30 less... so its the wifes Peugot 207 for the weekend.. she hates me using it... never comes back as clean as when i take it haha
 
Also get them to test the battery. It's probably wise to get a new battery as it is nearly winter and a knacked alternator can play merry hell with batteries.
 
KIPAX said:
just looking at the scanner on ebay.. didnt know anyhting like this existed....... software sounds OK but prob too fiddley for me... delivery dates on them all too long for current problem.. cant see anywhere could go out and buy one.... deff going to get one for future use... many thanks for the info Paul :)
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Aye they are worth keeping. It saves paying someone else the £10 just to tell you what's wrong. Depending what your local garages cost for diagnostics you could get your moneys worth with only checking your car the once with it lol. Also at £40 you can't really complain either, even if you sell the car soon it's not exactly a big hole in the wallet(y)

I use the cable and software, but I do all my mechanical work myself and it is a lot more fiddly than the handheld scanner.
 
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cheers paul... it as too late for this problem as needed fixing now and I ahve a mechanic i trust so went with what he said.. but yeagh its a great idea and I was gonna go for the handheld ... but now thinking of selling the car... we have a 1.4 peugot thats a lot newer.. thinking of trading that and selling the bmw and putting a bit of savings to thus getting a much newer 1.6 puegot or maybe a 1.6 astra :)

the above makes sense.. but every time i get into the bmw i think.. no way.. love it.. then when i get out.. common sense kicks in... arrrgh :)
 
If you want something that's reletively ok and cheap to put right buy cheap, but if you want something where inevitably parts will go wrong and they'll need repaired then go for BMW/Merc and the likes. The parts aren't cheap but do you want something cheap that'll last a few years and cost you a little less to fix or would you prefer something that'll cost a little more to repair but is built like a tank and as long as it's looked after - will last for literally years!? It's like the old saying goes........ You get what you pay for. You'll find far more vauxhalls and fords in the scrapyard than you will BMW/MERC's !
 
nilagin said:
I'm sure that's more to do with the number of cars sold in the first place.
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That, but also the relative value of the cars even when older. A 9yo Focus might be worth only £500-£1500 a 9yo Merc S class still £8-£12k etc.

Most modern cars are made of the same components bought in from suppliers like Bosch, Delphi, Malhe, Denso, ZF, Aisin Warner, Valeo. There's probably very little between them. Mass market cars like Fords have more or less caught up with Premium makes, and every iteration of a premium car gets built cheaper and cheaper standard until eventually there is very little difference in quality. A few folk I know have over 300k miles on the Ford Mondeo's, and they still feel tight/fresh. Thats Merc E class quality in a car £10k less of similar size. 10-20yrs ago, an E class mercedes would have cost almost as much as a small house. Not now.
 
KIPAX said:
Dont like leather....

Well.......


Bought it! :)

bmw.jpg


12 mths MOT
Full service history
3 mths warranty
104k on clock 2003 car
Cant find a mark on the car.. perfect condition..

Paid £2200 plus my astra whcih was recently quoted at worth £400

pick up friday afternoon...getting the mot done tommorow..
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2 yrs later and just sailed through its second MOT with an advisory of new brake pads and new tyres within next 6 mths... I have covered 24k since I got it... still wishing I had got one yrs ago instead of the astra/shed I was driving for same price :)
 
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