Gaz Williams

I want to swap my MY04 STi for a slightly used one and wondered if anyone had any good or bad comments about them.

Or if anyone wants to sell one or swap for my Scoob.

MattOz

Gaz,

I'm on my 3rd one! They're a fantastic all rounder. Wouldn't swap it for another similarly priced car, as there is nothing out there to compete. Mine is a mega spec 2003 6spd manual. Came from an E39 M5 to it, so that must say something about the appeal of the 330d Sport!

If I was to sell mine it would be for about £30k. It's not currently for sale, but then if the right offer came along..................

Matt

Gaz Williams

Matt,

Wish I could afford 30K. I'm looking at nearer 20k, though for a new engined 330d sport auto with 'reasonable' mileage it seems I'll have to fork out around 22K.

What are the serviceing costs, tyres etc like?

Coming from an STi they'll seem tiny, but I've got a little one on the way, and don't want stop my other 'hobbies', so the STi's a gonner as every penny counts!

Did you get yours from a dealer? Or do you know of anywhere where I might be able to dig out a bargain.

Cheers.

MattOz

Gaz,

Servicing costs make Subarus look like italian exotica! At 20k miles mine will have it's first service. I'll pay £130 at the dealers. That's if they supply the oil. If I supply my own it'll be £50 cheaper! The next service (inspection1) at 40k miles will be a bit more expensive, at about £200. Then it's another oil service at 60k miles, followed by the big one (inspection2) at 80k, which is about £300. These prices are for standard services and do not include pads, discs, wiper blades etc.

For £20-£22k you'll get a 51 or maybe 02 plate car. Look for Xenons, Harmon Kardon, 6CD changer and other nice extras. Leather is OK provided it's the more expensive nappa leather. The standard extra cost leather looks cheap. My first one had Alcantara and cloth seats and they were great. That's standard in 330d Sports.

Insurance for me at 30 is £450 fully comp with protected NCD, wife on policy, and with 8 points!

Tyres are fairly expensive. They're 225/40/18 on the front and 255/35/18 on the rear. Budget on between £400 and £600 depending on brand. Mine are Bridgstone 040's and have done 19k miles with no worries at all. I'll need new rears in about 2k miles. The shoulders on the fronts are a little work, but not too bad. I have a new set in my garage as I picked some up cheap by chance!

Fuel economy from my manual is good at 41mpg, but the auto is known for being a little thirstier at about 35mpg. Overall you'll be impressed by the build quality, servicing cost, lack of thirst and above all, it's a really nice car to own. Much more satisfying than an STI.

Matt

MattOz

Gaz,

Let me put it to you like this............................

I went from this .........

to this ........................

to this ........................


and it's the 330d that I'm most happy with.

Matt

Gaz Williams

Nice series of cars mate.

I'd be interested to know who you are insured with, I've not really looked into insurance in any great detail yet, but the best I've had so far is £900 fully comp with the wife on. I'm 30 but she's only 29, maybe that makes a difference.

Interesting to see the rear wheels are narrower than the front, or is that typo?

Do you find rear wheel drive a bit of a test in bad weather?

Gaz Williams

It's not a typo, I can't read.

Sorry.

MattOz

Gaz,

Thanks! The only time the RWD is a pain is in the snow when the muppet infront stops!!! Aaargh! Still, I run the car with the traction control off in the snow as the traction control is too aggressive in those type of conditions. Sometimes wheelspin is a good thing!

With over 300ft/lbs of torque you will light up the rears exiting greasy or wet roundabouts in 2nd or 3rd gear. You need to be progressive with your right foot, not stamp on it like you can in an Impreza.

I'm insured with Privilege and have been since 1997. They have always been great. I'm 31 and my wife, who is also on the policy, is 27. The car is parked on the drive. Without protected NCD, the cost would be £395 per annum! The M5 was only just over £850 with them. I got a quote of over £700 from BMW Insurance services, Elephant, Tesco and L&V. Seems Privilege want the business.

All the best

Matt

Gaz Williams

I'll give them a try, cheers for that.

As for the car, it's sounding more and more like a done deal mate. Thanks for the advice.

Do you reckon I'm better off buying private or from a dealer?

I wont bother you any more.

All the best.

Deano_RA

I've had my current 330 D Sport Auto for 18 months now. Had it new 03 '03' and have loved every minute of it. I usually swap every 12 months but when it came around this year there was nothing I could come us with for similar money that would match the quality/comfort of the 330.


Like MattOz says the tyres are a nightmare but I put some 19s on in place of 18" MVs earlier this year and it looks the nuts now. I do my insurance in the missus name with Diamond, I'm 23 and shes 25 and it's £650 FC! £350 less than my Impreza!

Deano_RA

Have a look at a few auctions mate, you see quite a few late year cars about with reasonable mileage

Les Behan

Blinding car.

Cheers
Les

Gaz Williams

Do you fancy selling it chief?

MattOz

Gaz,

Whether dealer or private or auction, make sure that the BMW warranty is intact! If the car is over 3 years old, make sure it's been extended. That and the fact that they should have FBMWSH. Wheels are prone to kerbing, but overall any car that's been looked after will appear to be almost new.

Above all, drive a manual and an auto and make up your mind. There are many more autos around than manuals. I prefer 3 pedals in my cars and being able to choose the gear I'm in. This is despite common concensus being that the auto suits the engine better.

I'll have a hunt for you and see if there are any bargains out there!

Cheers
Matt

Deano_RA

Lol

Not really mate, like I said there's nothing I can get my **** into for similar money that's as good as the 330

Gaz Williams

Cheers mate, appreciate it.

Just need to get rid of the STi.

LG John

Oh come on MattOz!!!! My old man had a 330d and it was a brilliant car but can you honestly put your hand on your heart and say its a better car than a 400bhp V8 5-series!?! If so I want a 1000 word report justifying your position

MattOz

Saxo Boy,

LOL! They're both fantastic cars. The M5 is just the Daddy, and will remain on top of the big super saloon pile, probably forever. If I had the means, I'd be first on my dealers list for the new one!

The 330d is obviously not as quick as the M5, but that's about all that counts against it. The 330d has better brakes, and sweeter turn-in. It also does twice the mpg of the M5, and when you're doing 20k+ miles per annum, that certainly focusses the mind, not to mention the wallet!

I also like the fact that I can use more of the 330d more of the time. I believe that you can never have too much power or torque, but with my sensible everyday head on , the 330d just does everything I need in a car.

OK, so mine wasn't cheap at over £35k, but then it is option'd up! Got carried away with my biro and all those tick boxes! However, the resale value is still high, and equivalent cars are fetching £30k plus a year on. If I had kept the M5, it would be worth about £23k now, having spent that same £35k (albeit 18 months earlier) and I'd have spent more on Insurance, fuel and servicing. Plus I'd have needed to pay for another years extended warranty at £600+

So no, the 330d is not a better car than the uber saloon M5. However, it's just as satisfying to own and drive, but in a different way.

Can I be excused now please?

Matt

LG John

I see, you are factoring in a overall cost of ownership vs reward ratio and of course the laws of deminishing returns apply I can believe that

You may be excused

MattOz

I Thankyou!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Autocar have a mini review this week of a chipped 330d, 0-60 in 5.9, even being a little anti BMW (not the cars, some of the owners, thought Audi and Golf drivers are taking this mantle) that is one hell of a motor, trouble is around here (Cheshire), leave a 3 series somewhere and finding it is like finding the ark of the covenant after it was hid at the end of 'Raiders of the lost Ark'