Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

I'm contemplating getting a 330i sport. Budget's 11k so it would be a 2000/2001 with about 70k miles on it.
My worry is that even though they were probably mostly motorway miles so hardly stressful it's still a 5 year old car so is liable for a fair bit of wear and tear.
Are there any specific worries regarding the 3 Series? things to look out for when going to view one etc?
I would go for a 330d sport but they're 2k more than the petrol equivalent (for the same year and around the same mileage). As I only do 8-10k miles a year it doesn't seem worth paying the premium over the petrol version.

Matt

stilover

Only that you'll look a To55er driving one , Only joking..............

John57

I had a 2002 330i sport touring auto ...... it was very solid and the handling for a big car was amazing. The engine is great and I never had any problems with mine. It felt really quick for an auto and surprised many people. It revs quickly and smoothly with a great noise....

I only kept mine for a year though ...... the reason was nothing mechanical but because the 'sport' version has suspension that is not suited to UK roads at all. It tramlines and jumps everywhere on even remotely poor surfaces. It was at time frightening and I lost all confidence in driving it in a spirited manner. Even at low speeds it would skip about and after it tried to change lanes at 30mph after clipping a rut one day I decided to get rid of it.

If I had not have got the sport version I would probably still have it ! The sport model looks really great but I would strongly suggest having a good test drive in one first..... I changed to two softer cars - a CTR and S2000 - that should give you an idea how hard the suspension was. It has been well documented by the motoring press that this car is poorly set up for our roads.

Rabid

These earlier cars can suffer from the wishbone/balljoint premature wear problem. Look at honestjohn.co.uk for more info. Also door handles have a habit of failing.

330 petrol is IMHO miles better than a similar age diesel and around 1K cheaper which pays for an awful lot of fuel.

The interior trim tends to wear as well as the leather even on lowish mile cars.

misty

I have a 2002 330i se mate. It's as smooth as velvet codpiece!! Quiet as a mouse and quite quick. I must say though the DSC is always cutting in even in the dry!!! You wouldn't think it would with only 230 bhp! It's got all the toys xenons, cruise, climate, pdc, tyre pressure indicator. 51k miles. I am thinking of getting shut as I fancy a 2.5 forester. What car do you have at the moment?
dave

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

I'm in a cr@ppy Corsa which I brought as a work tool whilst I made up my mind what to buy next. I've had a Scooby and Leon Cupra R etc but fancy some RWD action that has 4 seats and looks nice.
Thanks for the pointers. Will do more investigating!!

big MO

Just check the suspension as mentioned earlier. So long as the car has been properly maintained and serviced at the right intervals, shouldn't present a problem (chekc service book for stamps). They'll go to the moon and back.

dsmith

Fixed

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

LOL I had to look that word up!
Loan approved.... just got to find the right car.. whatever it may be!

SJJ84

I brought a 2001 330ci sport in September, fantastic choice! I'm not sure what problem people seem to have had with the suspension, I can honestly say I have had none. Granted it is quite hard, but not in any way uncomfortable. They are pretty thirsty on fuel as expected, but servicing isn't too bad, even from a main dealer, mine costs less to service than my girlfriends 1.2 clio using main dealers. If you want to know anything in specifc I'd be more than happy to help, a few other members have had or got them aswell.

Rabid

The suspension can wear after very few miles on these early cars is the problem.
Also 31 mpg average which is what I got from a 330i over 1000's of miles isn't bad IMHO

Moonloops

They are great cars - rock solid feel on the road and I get over 90 mpg easy at 28 mph

polarbearit

Back in 2003 I broke the auto gearbox on an 11k old 2002 330iSE I had (long term renter - not something I would spend my own money on )... Didn't feel any better made than the vectra car I got while it was being fixed!