Buyer’s guide: second-hand BMW 3-series saloons

30/06/09

It's Britain's favourite used car - quick, handsome and classy. Here's how to buy a good oneBe fussy. Two words of advice that’ll see you right, whatever your budget, whichever 3-series you want to buy. Why? Because there are just so many to choose from.

Despite its upscale image, of late new 3-series have even outsold Ford’s family-car favourite, the Mondeo. As a result, there are so many second-hand 3-series for sale that you can afford to be choosy – right down to the engine, specification and even choosing your favourite paint colour.

How much should I pay?
A couple of thousand pounds buys you a sound, usable 3-series saloon with a year’s MoT test. It’ll be 10 years old (so T- or V-reg) and will have covered 100,000 miles, maybe more. Such a big mileage dsn’t mean the car will be worn out, but you should expect it to need regular repairs. And while spare parts aren’t expensive for a quality car, the prices will come as a surprise if you’re trading up from a Ford.

Up the budget to £5000 and you’ll get a 2002, 52-reg four-door with, say, 75,000 miles on the clock. Petrol-engined cars are commoner at this price than diesels and they are cheaper, too. A diesel-powered 3-series will typically be a year older and will have covered 15,000 more miles.

Spend £8000 and you’re just in reach of the newer, current-shaped cars, sold from 2005. Here, diesel-powered cars are as common as petrol, though still a little more expensive.

£10,000 gets you an 06-registered 318 diesel that’s covered 60,000 miles, or a 320i petrol that’s covered 40,000 miles, while upping your spend to £13,000 can buy as new as 07-reg and 20,000 miles if you shop around. Finally, £15,000 buys a nearly-new, well-equipped 318 diesel saloon with automatic transmission, backed by BMW’s excellent Approved aftersales care package.

Which model is best?
You’re spoiled for choice, because the BMW range is huge and there isn’t a duffer anywhere. Cars with smaller engines – the 316i, 318i petrols, and the 318 and 320 diesels – are commoner and make the better buys, too, because they offer the best trade-off between power and sensible running costs. That said, cars like the 325i Sport or 330d Sport offer a heady turn of speed if you can afford to insure them and, for the 325i, fund its appetite for unleaded.

Cars come in standard, SE or Sport trim. Basic models are fine, although any without air conditioning and alloy wheels should as a result be noticeably cheap. SE trim is commonest and includes both these items as standard, plus remote central locking and electric windows and mirrors. Sport models have all this plus lowered suspension, bigger alloy wheels and metal dash trim inserts. BMW offers a huge list of extras on its cars and most first owners add a few – so that few second-hand examples are exactly alike. The rule when buying second-hand is that extras such as climate controlled air conditioning, top-line stereos and leather seats are great to have – if you don’t pay over the odds to get them.

Cars with automatic gearboxes are almost as common as those with manual shifters – both set-ups are top-notch.

How much do they cost to run?
It’s good news if you pick a post-2005 car because, thanks to BMW’s Efficient Dynamics set-up, fuel economy will be exceptional. Some will even have a stop-start system, where the engine stops when the car’s halted, once the gears are put to neutral and the clutch is let up. Dip the clutch pedal and the engine restarts in a blink. The 318 diesel is the most frugal, returning up to 60mpg overall. Insurance groups run from 12 (for the 318 diesel) to 18 (for the 335 m Sport).

There are three levels of BMW servicing – an oil change (costing £155), inspection A (£219) and inspection B (£292). Our prices here are from an independent garage in London specialising in BMWs. If your car is older, BMW’s 4-plus scheme offers a third off main-dealer servicing prices. Servicing intervals are ‘decided’ by the car and vary according to how, and where, you drive. An indicator on the dash tells you when a service is due.

Where’s the best place to buy one?
For minimum fuss, buying an Approved Used car from a BMW dealer is a terrific option. It mayn’t be the cheapest but the promise is that the car will be checked before it reaches you and any faults will have been put right.

The cheapest BMWs we’ve found were at car supermarkets. Between the two are regular used-car dealers and private sellers, too.
Wherever you buy, see plenty of cars first to get a close idea of what good value looks like.

What should I watch for?
Clocking: the crooked art of winding back the mileage reading to fool buyers into thinking that the car is ‘younger’ than it is. BMWs are tough and can still look fresh after big mileages, so you can’t tell by looking at the car whether the mileage it shows is genuine. Your best promise of a ‘genuine’ vehicle is one that comes with fully stamped-up service records confirming the mileage and a sheaf of bills to prove that it’s been looked after.

After that, ensure that the car’s service indicator hasn’t been reset to suggest that it dsn’t need attention. Though illegal, it’s easier to do this than spend on the servicing work that the car may need.

When you drive it, listen for clonks and rattles that signal worn suspension and check, too, that the car’s electric fan cuts in to cool the engine. This part can fail, causing engine damage through overheating.

To view and buy new and second-hand BMW 3-series saloons, click on motors.co.uk