[OkieTink]

Hi all

I recently totaled my Acura and while car shopping came across a 2006 330i that is in mint condition. It has 60k miles on it and the price is right...but I know nothing about BMW.

Is there anything about the 330i that I should be aware of?

My Acura had 223k miles on it when we laid it to rest. It had only been in the stealership for a timing belt. Oil changes and other general maintenance was performed at home. Can I expect to put that many miles on a BMW without problems?

Any insight would be much appreciated!

[OkieTink]

Also, what kind of oil does a BMW Run... does it require synthetic?

[brinkmann]

Yes, you'll want to use synthetic.

[White_335I]

Originally Posted by OkieTink

Hi all

I recently totaled my Acura and while car shopping came across a 2006 330i that is in mint condition. It has 60k miles on it and the price is right...but I know nothing about BMW.

Is there anything about the 330i that I should be aware of?

My Acura had 223k miles on it when we laid it to rest. It had only been in the stealership for a timing belt. Oil changes and other general maintenance was performed at home. Can I expect to put that many miles on a BMW without problems?

Any insight would be much appreciated!

BMW's cost more to maintain. You will need to set aside atleast 1000 a year to fix any issues that might come up. Good luck with the purchase.

[Re1nkE]

my dad had over 150k on his 7 series before he got rid of it for an acura actually... his was in the shop a lot for a bad tranny, but theres always gonna be a few lemons out there. over all if you treat a bmw right, it will treat u right in return

[BKV122]

I'm about to hit 55k miles soon on my 2006 330xi with only 2 problems, window actuator and rear wheel bearings (both cover under warranty). Now I'm out of warranty and i feel like my car has been pretty soild so far. Other than the 2 problems and regular maintenance its been a great car. But your in the milage range for new pads and/or rotors, springs and struts, depending on if dealer or previous owner alrdy did them.

Good luck in your car hunting!

[talisman311]

BMW's are known for performance and not long-term durability. I would be prepared to shell out big bux for repairs as you're out of basic warranty; not saying an issue will arise, but be prepared. A water pump job on these cars itself are about 800 dollars at the dealer and for the most part, these will fail anywhere between 60,000 to 120,000 miles. Oil changes for these cars are roughly 60 USD DIY or about 120 at the dealer and require either BMW Castrol Synthetic or Mobile 0w-40 (check manual), I suggest not going with the mfg. suggested 15k OCI, but that's just me - call me old school.

You don't want to know how many issues I've experienced so far on my car, but let's say since I purchased it in 8/09 it's been in the shop every month.

[ElRedOne]

Finding an Indie mechanic who is familiar or exclusive to BMW will allow you to maintain the car for reasonable cost. I have been fortunate in my quest and have had BMW's w/high miles; bought my E36 w/85K and drove through 125K. Could not have afforded it at dealer rates.

I had an oil change at 7,500 at my current indie for $80. Later, my friend who has been in the truck repair/component replacement (diff's,trannies, engines) for 30 years told me I had wasted my $$'s and that 15K intervals were fine (!)

EDIT: I am 59 and old school!

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by ElRedOne

Finding an Indie mechanic who is familiar or exclusive to BMW will allow you to maintain the car for reasonable cost. I have been fortunate in my quest and have had BMW's w/high miles; bought my E36 w/85K and drove through 125K. Could not have afforded it at dealer rates.

I had an oil change at 7,500 at my current indie for $80. Later, my friend who has been in the truck repair/component replacement (diff's,trannies, engines) for 30 years told me I had wasted my $$'s and that 15K intervals were fine (!)

EDIT: I am 59 and old school!

+1

Find an indie shop and also for spare parts, you can go on www.getbmwparts.com will be a lot cheaper than dealer rates.

Something broken, go to indie shop, shop at Tisher, drop-ship at the indie shop, fix and you're good to go!

[stressdoc]

The basic mechanicals of a 330 should last 250k. Electronics can be problematic. Fewer options = fewer things to go wrong. With a BMW you are getting more 'joy', albeit with a small trade off in reliability and cost of maintenance relative to a camry/accord/acura.

[dcat151]

I agree that the 330i is a great car. The running cost is probably a bit higher than an Acura, but, as others have said, an independent shop should make maintenance a reasonably-priced expense.

[OkieTink]

Thanks for all the advice! I'm a little scared right now...should I run for the Acura dealer?

Basic mechanics will be handled at home...my husband is very much mechanically inclined, especially since his man cave has been redecorated. Not only does he enjoy it but he's kinda tight with a buck ;-)

Oil changes at 7,500? We've always changed oil at 3k miles. Is BMW an exception or is the old school rule out dated and my hubby failed to get the memo?

Is synthetic oil a personal preference or BMW recommended?

I have to say it's a sporty little car and was fun as hell to drive! We're going back tonight for another test drive...it will be driven to my husband boss's house. He currently owns 2 BMW's and wants to look at this one to see if the fan hubs and pullies have been replaced. If everything looks good we may make an offer tonight!

[Oulixes]

As far as I know, there were complains of noisy valve train, caused by valve lifters in early N52 engines (there is a sticky on the problem). There are also a few sets of posts complaining of steering column lock problems, which apparently happened on early MY2006 E90 body with N52 engine. Compared to other cars I have owned, my 330xi (MY2006) has worked quite well, and I would not hesitate to buy it again.

[ElRedOne]

Originally Posted by OkieTink

Thanks for all the advice! I'm a little scared right now...should I run for the Acura dealer?

Basic mechanics will be handled at home...my husband is very much mechanically inclined, especially since his man cave has been redecorated. Not only does he enjoy it but he's kinda tight with a buck ;-)

Oil changes at 7,500? We've always changed oil at 3k miles. Is BMW an exception or is the old school rule out dated and my hubby failed to get the memo?

Is synthetic oil a personal preference or BMW recommended?

I have to say it's a sporty little car and was fun as hell to drive! We're going back tonight for another test drive...it will be driven to my husband boss's house. He currently owns 2 BMW's and wants to look at this one to see if the fan hubs and pullies have been replaced. If everything looks good we may make an offer tonight!

Run FROM the Acura dealer! Once you (re)discover RWD, there's no going back.

3K mile changes are overkill. 5-7.5K the norm for me. BMW says approx. 15K or once and year, using mandated synthetic and lots of it (7-8qts.)

[kgb1637]

The only thing that I would be worried is how much you drive, if you have a long commute and put a lot of miles on a car in a short amount of time (223k YIKES!) then you shouldn't get a BMW without knowing the investment you will be making. Like previously stated, they DO break and they AREN'T cheap to fix compared to your Acura.

[EuRoTUneR]

im looking to possibly sell mine. 27k miles...never had a problem. PM if youd be interested even though your not in NY haha

[Craig@SupremePower]

get a 335...

[El Cheapo Loco]

My previous car was an Acura. Transmission, brakes, trims all had problems. I will never buy another Acura again.

The 330i w/ sport is a dream to drive. No current Acura even come close. The N52 motor is very reliable. You just need to limit your electronics options if you're worried about maintenance cost.

[cotmfk]

Good luck with your search, but I agree... you should look into 335.

[El Cheapo Loco]

If he's already scared about maintenance costs, why would he even consider the 335?

[E90SLAM]

for 335i....good luck with potential HPFP fail....

[captain worm]

People always mention the bad and never talk about the good. With all manufacturers there are going to be bad cars - bmw included. I have had my 2006 330i now for 2 years and covered 20k myslef and 55k in total with no problems what so ever (touching wood) I actually went for the 330i over anything else for the lack of turbos due to longevity and better reliability. I also think the the dealer network is second to none (in the UK anyway)

I have so far had one oil service (incl. air fiter and brake fluid) which cost me 200GBP from a UK dealer and am not due another now for 10k.

I agree that all cars will have problems and you should budget for them, but in my opinion BMW's are amongst the top manufacturers in terms of reliability and performance.