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BMW 328i xDrive Your Thoughts

bkglock

Field Marshal
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 9, 2002
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USA
Looking at possibly getting a 2008 thru 2012 BMW 328i xDrive. There are a few of these for sale in my area and I'm looking to get a car for my wife.
She is a low mileage driver. Her main concerns are heated seat and 4-wheel drive. I am somewhat of a car guy, so I would like to get her something other than an econobox. I have never owned a German automobile.

The cars that I am seeing in my price range, ($10-$14K.) seem to have around 100k. miles.
Anyone have firsthand experience with this model?
Is 100k. miles that big of a deal if the car was taken care of?
Useful opinions welcomed. I have never bought a used car with 100k. miles already on it, that's a bit of a sticking point for me.
 
First off, if you live in an area with lots of snow they are not that great and can turn into a snow plow if it is too deep.

If memory serves it is an interference engine, that means timing belt changes at the time suggested is something you don't want to skimp on.

I would suggest on budgeting for a few things, first take it somewhere that will do a full inspection of the vehicle, this will cost a bit of money. If they will do it for $100 it is not going to be worth a dime. This is a service that should cost you, depending on your location 500-1000. Then also budget to have everything done that should have been done to the car at the mileage on the car, have those services done. And again this could be a several thousand $$ procedure. For example if it has 100k on it, and it is suggested you replace the timing belt every 40, just do it once....that kind of thing.

None of this is what people want to do with a "new" to them car. But if you want something reliable, something that you know everything about, and you still won't, you just have a bit more comfort with the car and its mechanical nature.

This economy has forced people into buying things they never would before, things like 100k cars. You said you never have before, ask yourself why that is, and why you want to now. Weigh those answers.

Good luck, if you do as I suggest chances are you will side step any vehicle with major big $$$ issues. Get a shop that knows BMW.
 
I owned a 2009 328i (not x drive) It was a great little car. Zippy and fun on corners decent amount of power. I had less than 100,000 on it and the valve cover cracked. Every once in a while it would drip oil onto the exhaust manifold and stink like burning oil. I did a little research and found out it was a common problem (probably why they engineer them to take 7 quarts of oil) Heated seats and steering wheel were a perk.
 
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A friend of mine owns his own shop that does a lot of German car work(I worked with him at a Benz dealership) and I was asking him about this generation 3 series last year. He said the E9x is one of their most reliable cars. The only thing he brought up is failures with either the headlights themselves or the headlight control unit(this was last year, I can’t remember exactly). My neighbor also used to own one before they started having kids. He said the same thing, all he ever had to do was basic maintenance and normal wear items.

The more important thing than mileage is getting as much service history as you can. If it’s been maintained somewhat regularly, 100k is absolutely meaningless.

If you need awd to drive through quite a bit of snow, bite the bullet and buy a good set of snow tires(my choice has been Nokian Haakapalitas). I have an ‘05 Volvo S40 that’s awd also. It has a worn out set of all-season tires and the only time I’ve had a problem in the snow is after a 10” snowstorm.
 
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I own 525xi - N52 engine. Its best naturally aspirated engine ever. Very little maintenance, needs checkup or replacement if not done earlier @around 100k miles especially for DISA valves, electric water pump, vanos solenoids and ofcourse seals (gasket, oilgasket, engine head). Snowplow effect is the real only bummer in this bimmer as its really low (and for old farts its a no no as once they drop into it might be a project to get out of it :) ) and front mask really likes to pickup snow and you end up sitting on a top of hard snow wondering why 4x4 doesn't want to play along.
Otherwise fun car a bit underpowered for its size and really soccer mom magnet especially wagon - plenty of room in the backend for little soccer fun while waiting for the kids.....
 
They are european cars, this means they need to be taken care of. So many americans want to treat it like a 350 chevy and figure an oil change twice a year should do it.....it does not.

If you find a vehicle with service records that is worth its weight in gold.
 
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I own 525xi - N52 engine. Its best naturally aspirated engine ever. Very little maintenance, needs checkup or replacement if not done earlier @around 100k miles especially for DISA valves, electric water pump, vanos solenoids and ofcourse seals (gasket, oilgasket, engine head). Snowplow effect is the real only bummer in this bimmer as its really low (and for old farts its a no no as once they drop into it might be a project to get out of it :) ) and front mask really likes to pickup snow and you end up sitting on a top of hard snow wondering why 4x4 doesn't want to play along.
Otherwise fun car a bit underpowered for its size and really soccer mom magnet especially wagon - plenty of room in the backend for little soccer fun while waiting for the kids.....
Personally owned a '07 328xi; and this is without a doubt, the most accurate representation of used BMW behavior yet.

I did once, chase a whistle that would only happen at idle, and feel like a vacuum loss. Tried everything. Replaced vanos, coils, bunch of shit. Turns out, the valve cover has a series of vents in it. Opened the fill cap when running, no more whistle. Something like $700 for a valve cover and gaskets, and I was back in business.

Sold the car less than a year later (2009-2017) with a set of studded snows (savage in snow, that isn't too deep); and bought a '17 Explorer Sport.
 
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I love BMWs, Audis, etc. and have owned many over the years, but would never, ever, own one outside the warranty period. Sole exception has been my Cayman R…. I do all the routine maintenance myself though
 
BMW fan here, buy her the Audi, far better is bad weather
Only car better in the snow and ice than my wife’s old Subaru Outback was her A4 Avant…the Allroad version is even better than that.

Audi makes a fantastic AWD drivetrain. The only commercially available one that’s maybe better (maybe), is the old version VW synchro from the 90s that they ran in the R32 cars. I think it was then anyway. IIRC, it was based on a Haldex-type system; required regular maintenance to operate properly, but man what a hoot to drive in poor weather!

4WD is a different story of course…
 
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Four words... do not buy it. My wife has had 3 BMWs. Started with a 325 sedan, then went to a 435i Coupe and the latest is a 440i Coupe custom ordered. When that thing no longer floats her car desires it's into an SUV she goes. And not a BMW! I would suggest an SUV or crew-cab pickup with 4-wheel capability. Especially for snow. Getting her up higher gives her a much better field of vision versus being in an out of warranty low to the ground BMW that will be a money pit. I know what I'm talking about... that damn 325 was a pain in the ass!
 
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I have done an engine swap on one of these, 3 series AWD. I am not very BMW familiar but I remember it being a complete pain in the ass and a lot shit in hard to reach places. Everything is more expensive than it should be.

Only two left over bolts... And they were small so no worries...

7B80F2E8-1205-47DD-A09F-AB42F06BEEED.jpeg
 
Stay away from them. They are money pits. I knew a guy who only bought BMWs and once his warranty was up he’d trade them in. He said it’s cheaper than the repairs they need after the warranty runs out.
 
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Based on the stated "philosophy of use", I'd get a Subaru before a decade-old BMW.

IMO, only good Bimmer is a dedicated track car you can wrench on yourself and don't care about expensive stupid shit that requires replacement/repair.

That being said...I'm casually looking for a manual 135i, LOL
 
A 14yr old bimmer with 100k on it has the potential to be a massive money pit even if you do all the maintenance yourself. Put that money down on a newer SUV from a good manufacturer imho.
there is nothing like driving a BMW. I've had 2 and am looking for a 3rd

If you're not familiar, BMWs are indeed called 'Bring More Wallet' cars. They really do need the scheduled maintenance schedule. It's not tough stuff if you DIY, but you do need to learn to think like a German engineer

If you take care of them, the BMW will run a long, long time

M
 
ITs ze german engineering if ze not find atleazt zwei extra bolts after MINOR work, itz counterfeit from ze China...

On my car we've found a bolt M10 (17mm wrench not your dreaded 10mm socket :) ) and for the love of god we cannot find the source. All engine suspension bolts are there and accounted for, tranny is good and still holding its position... Go figure must have fallen off some Audi and got stuck in the bimmer.... :)

Seriously though there are some things you simply need to care for, exchange oil/filters ~ 7-8k miles, sparks, depending on the roads front suspension gets fucked often (dont know the words for those little "wishbony" stuff around front wheels - we call em arms) and both main suspension coils went kaput 1st@200k 2nd@230 KM with a loud night bang. So even when planning for MTBF Germans know how to do their shit (a friend works for a company that makes lights for car industry and the trick is to do a "bulb" that lives 10.000h and not 9.9999 nor 10.0001 :) god forbit they would make such that could do 20k fucking sacrilege).

Seriously though BMW does good cars, very drivable but they do have problems (sun roof cough cough) however most are user induced as people can't afford maintenance and then shit goes to shitter fast. As to the 4x4 it would be a toss up my friends s6 is pretty much same shit low and plowy in the snow but much less drivable (stiff suspension as fuck) with much more power that simpyl doesnt transfer to road, tyres are the key -> like idiots doing offroad comparisons with shit road tyres instead of quality offroad stuff)
 
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BMW over Audi.
X2 or X3 over a 3 series sedan- much more practical and they were designed around the AWD systems, which the sedans were not. The sedans drive like tanks and have odd weight distribution characteristics. The BMW x drive sedans drive much heavier than their Audi equivalents and more than the Volvos.
The early models x3s are stupid easy to work on. Easy to change brake pads, light bulbs, fluids etc. They also have decent visibility and a low enough cG that they dont roll like the bigger SUVs
just my $.02......
 
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Speaking as a guy that worked for the largest BMW dealership in the world (Crevier).....don't do it.
I've wrenched on those sorry, overpriced, POS, braut wagons with schnitzel cabbage.
F'n junk.
Get a Jap vehicle....other than Mitsubishi (they suck too) or Nissan (can't make a timing chain not blow holes thru the block).
Yea...Honda, Toyota, Subaru, etc....good to go.
 
Buddy of mine daily drives an E28 535i, 120 miles a day. Man is that a fantastic car. Looks every bit of it's quarter million miles, so it's the kind of car you can drive, not wax all day. I daily'd an E30 325e for awhile and it was the slowest most fun car I've ever owned. Driving it was like putting on your favorite broke in pair of jeans, it just fit. I miss that car.
535i buddy has had a few E46 cars, RWD and AWD and once you spend some time on forums diagnosing all the little problems they have they've been good cars, but the magic is gone. BMW hasn't been building the "Ultimate Driving Machine" for decades. Everything is heavy and lifeless after the E46.
Don't get me started on how SUV's are destroying American car culture, sucking the fun out of driving and making poor female drivers feel invincible, empowering them to be worse drivers.
 
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Only car better in the snow and ice than my wife’s old Subaru Outback was her A4 Avant…the Allroad version is even better than that.

Audi makes a fantastic AWD drivetrain. The only commercially available one that’s maybe better (maybe), is the old version VW synchro from the 90s that they ran in the R32 cars. I think it was then anyway. IIRC, it was based on a Haldex-type system; required regular maintenance to operate properly, but man what a hoot to drive in poor weather!

4WD is a different story of course…
subaru is an excellent bad weather car as well and great for women. I used to work for a German bank and they all laughed at Americans love for BMW. They'd say, 'there is a reason the cabs are all Audis in Germany'

Ironic as my wife bought a new Mercedes today. I tried, I did but.......
 
I had an ‘11 328xi. I put 80-90k on it before selling to a good friend. I still own a BMW. At 100k it needed plugs and some gaskets (oil filter housing and valve cover). Also the tire pressure monitor died. Unsure if it was a sensor or module, I just lived with the light. That engine is bullet proof. It had enough power, but just. Heated steering wheel and seats is now a requirement on a winter car. I ran Michelin snows. It went through anything. I wouldn’t be scared to own another, but as others have said, they can be fickle.
 
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OP, are you a car guy in the sense that you like a few cars and anything that isn’t one of those is a fucking piece of shit(like my supervisor at work. He’s 10yrs younger than me but a crusty car fudd)? Or can you appreciate cars in many different forms and functions? And, maybe most importantly, will you be doing your own work to this BMW?

If you answer yes to the first question, buy your wife a Toyota Highlander. You’ll be better off, trust me

If you answer yes to the second two, buy one ov ze German cars and enjoy being a car guy.

No matter what you end up with, if you plan on doing most of your own work I always recommend having a spare vehicle. You never know when an easy weekend project will spiral out of control and set fire to something.
 
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I bitch a lot about the Bring More Wallet aspect of them, but here’s my wife’s current whip:

i-jWSn7Hz.jpg


I was leaning more towards an Audi SQ8, but her pick…. Nice riding car.
 
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If you have an older BMW with 100k+ miles then yes you do want a spare vehicle lol.
I know this was a shitpost & I get it.

But anyone driving older vehicles almost needs a spare vehicle. My lowest mileage car has 90k on it, the other two are ~150k.

This is a very real situation; my daily(Volvo) overheated a while ago and there was zero chance of getting it fixed in a weekend. So we bought a Honda Odyssey and I’ve been driving a ‘13 Explorer since that was my wife’s. Next, the water pump in the explorer started leaking. I’m not sure if anyone knows how dumb that is but I’ll post a pic at the bottom of this post. I got it finished but if I had the Volvo running I wouldn’t even have had to stress over the Explorer. It could have been worked on over several days and I could have had a sort of normal weekend.

Aforementioned exploder pic. This is fully disassembled. I just had to clean it up and start putting it back together
1667052897819.jpeg
 
I know this was a shitpost & I get it.

But anyone driving older vehicles almost needs a spare vehicle. My lowest mileage car has 90k on it, the other two are ~150k.

This is a very real situation; my daily(Volvo) overheated a while ago and there was zero chance of getting it fixed in a weekend. So we bought a Honda Odyssey and I’ve been driving a ‘13 Explorer since that was my wife’s. Next, the water pump in the explorer started leaking. I’m not sure if anyone knows how dumb that is but I’ll post a pic at the bottom of this post. I got it finished but if I had the Volvo running I wouldn’t even have had to stress over the Explorer. It could have been worked on over several days and I could have had a sort of normal weekend.

Aforementioned exploder pic. This is fully disassembled. I just had to clean it up and start putting it back together
View attachment 7986407
Rental vehicle is possibly more cost effective than keeping an extra vehicle around just for emergencies.
 
OP, are you a car guy in the sense that you like a few cars and anything that isn’t one of those is a fucking piece of shit(like my supervisor at work. He’s 10yrs younger than me but a crusty car fudd)? Or can you appreciate cars in many different forms and functions? And, maybe most importantly, will you be doing your own work to this BMW?

If you answer yes to the first question, buy your wife a Toyota Highlander. You’ll be better off, trust me

If you answer yes to the second two, buy one ov ze German cars and enjoy being a car guy.

No matter what you end up with, if you plan on doing most of your own work I always recommend having a spare vehicle. You never know when an easy weekend project will spiral out of control and set fire to something.
Thank you for the meaningful posts. I'm a car guy in the sense I like cars, all kinds. I have been very limited in the cars I can drive as I'm 6' 6" My ride is a half ton Silverado. Back in the day I would do the work on my vehicles myself, now age and back issues limit what I can do anymore.
Honestly, I probable couldn't even get myself into a 3 series BMW.
I would love to get her something more expensive, but $12,000 is the budget, I'm not taking out a loan. Her car was recently totaled and that was the payout.
Thanks again everyone, keep the good info coming.
 
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But anyone driving older vehicles almost needs a spare vehicle. My lowest mileage car has 90k on it, the other two are ~150k.

That was literally how I grew up, big reason why I almost always drive a toyota or a honda. They're not problem free either but a little different than sitting on the side of the road waiting for the ford taurus to cool off or hanging on for dear life because your dad's diesel chevy shut off on the freeway and the steering wheel was locked in place.
 
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Thank you for the meaningful posts. I'm a car guy in the sense I like cars, all kinds. I have been very limited in the cars I can drive as I'm 6' 6" My ride is a half ton Silverado. Back in the day I would do the work on my vehicles myself, now age and back issues limit what I can do anymore.
Honestly, I probable couldn't even get myself into a 3 series BMW.
I would love to get her something more expensive, but $12,000 is the budget, I'm not taking out a loan. Her car was recently totaled and that was the payout.
Thanks again everyone, keep the good info coming.
Where in WI are you? Are you limited to a single 3 series at some backlot used car place? If you are concerned about legroom a midsize BMW or Merc sedan or suv are other options.

Are there any euro specific independent shops(with a good reputation) near you? If you can’t do a lot of your own work and are limited to a dealership(and you don’t want to justify paying dealership prices) or some independent that isn’t really familiar with ze Germans it doesn’t make sense to me to buy a euro car.

And remember, just because one person in this thread had an amazing experience or an abysmal experience doesn’t mean anything. There are thousands upon thousands of every model on the road. People have shitty experiences with all of em and people have amazing experiences with all of em as well
 
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What... unnecessarily re engineer things for job security?
No. Japanese engineers think differently than American engineers and both think differently than German engineers.

They all get to the same point, they just do it better.

If you're talking over engineered, that'd be Mercedes

M
 
I know this was a shitpost & I get it.

But anyone driving older vehicles almost needs a spare vehicle. My lowest mileage car has 90k on it, the other two are ~150k.

This is a very real situation; my daily(Volvo) overheated a while ago and there was zero chance of getting it fixed in a weekend. So we bought a Honda Odyssey and I’ve been driving a ‘13 Explorer since that was my wife’s. Next, the water pump in the explorer started leaking. I’m not sure if anyone knows how dumb that is but I’ll post a pic at the bottom of this post. I got it finished but if I had the Volvo running I wouldn’t even have had to stress over the Explorer. It could have been worked on over several days and I could have had a sort of normal weekend.

Aforementioned exploder pic. This is fully disassembled. I just had to clean it up and start putting it back together
View attachment 7986407

So where's the high mileage cars?

I have 2 trucks and a Yukon with over 250k. Another truck is on the third engine and trans, odometer broke in 94 before I bought it. That one should be 400k+.
I have zero stress when they break down. I just jump in another one for a week or two.


Wife ordered her first new car this year because it was cheaper than used. She generally is tired of them by 60k and trades them.
 
No. Japanese engineers think differently than American engineers and both think differently than German engineers.

They all get to the same point, they just do it better.

If you're talking over engineered, that'd be Mercedes

M
Lol... No I said what I ment. Don’t try to twist my words into your opinion.
 
Rental vehicle is possibly more cost effective than keeping an extra vehicle around just for emergencies.

That sounds dumb.

Well, I do live 100+ miles from any car rental places and they never have 1 ton trucks to rent so I keep my own spares. I'd have 1 of my shitboxes payed for in less than a week of a rental car anyways.


Are you that guy that Ubers everywhere because you hate cars anyways?
 
I know what you meant, but my experience is different than yours

M
Do you want a cookie?

That sounds dumb.

Well, I do live 100+ miles from any car rental places and they never have 1 ton trucks to rent so I keep my own spares. I'd have 1 of my shitboxes payed for in less than a week of a rental car anyways.


Are you that guy that Ubers everywhere because you hate cars anyways?
Dafaq... lol.
 
Thank you everybody for the input, I'm going to leave the BMW idea behind. Might go the route of Subaru.

Thank you for the meaningful posts. I'm a car guy in the sense I like cars, all kinds. I have been very limited in the cars I can drive as I'm 6' 6" My ride is a half ton Silverado. Back in the day I would do the work on my vehicles myself, now age and back issues limit what I can do anymore.
Honestly, I probable couldn't even get myself into a 3 series BMW.
I would love to get her something more expensive, but $12,000 is the budget, I'm not taking out a loan. Her car was recently totaled and that was the payout.
Thanks again everyone, keep the good info coming.

Scoobie-doo is a good car again, and they tend to take quite a bit of flak for being a "lesbo" car. Personally I could care less what anyone thinks, I had a 2.5RS that went 150k before I sold it to some kid that flew up from Florida to buy it. Those old two doors have a cult following. The AWD system is rock solid, if you go used really watch for rust, for some reason they still have not figured out how to make a car that will not rust the rear fenders like a GM pickup.

I also think it is really smart not taking on any debt, in this day and age very smart thing. Sadly this has also sent used cars into the very stupid pricing area.

I would echo on what the other poster said, try to stick Japanese, they really are better and this comes from a guy that once worked at Pontiac, not a dealer however I did that as well, but the mothership Pontiac. American cars are just not as "good" whatever that means. However Japanese cars made in america are just fine, so it is not the american worker but something else....and I know what that is having seen it first hand. It was however in another life time, but I don't see that aspect changing.

European cars are just fine provide you SERVICE the thing like you should. In america there are very few european brands I would look at second hand, one is Volvo because that brand tends to be an "old fuddy duddy" car, and is taken to dealers for all service. It is just the buyers of that kind of car. They are also priced a bit lower as they are not "cool" in any way shape or form, so they don't have the street cred of something like a merc or bmw has, going all the way "down" to VW. Volvo is just kind of odd where it sits in the market, figures as the cars are a bit odd as well. But well built, and top marks in safety.

Just another thing to think about. But with any used car have it gone over with a fine tooth comb,
 
Scoobie-doo is a good car again, and they tend to take quite a bit of flak for being a "lesbo" car. Personally I could care less what anyone thinks, I had a 2.5RS that went 150k before I sold it to some kid that flew up from Florida to buy it. Those old two doors have a cult following. The AWD system is rock solid, if you go used really watch for rust, for some reason they still have not figured out how to make a car that will not rust the rear fenders like a GM pickup.

I also think it is really smart not taking on any debt, in this day and age very smart thing. Sadly this has also sent used cars into the very stupid pricing area.

I would echo on what the other poster said, try to stick Japanese, they really are better and this comes from a guy that once worked at Pontiac, not a dealer however I did that as well, but the mothership Pontiac. American cars are just not as "good" whatever that means. However Japanese cars made in america are just fine, so it is not the american worker but something else....and I know what that is having seen it first hand. It was however in another life time, but I don't see that aspect changing.

European cars are just fine provide you SERVICE the thing like you should. In america there are very few european brands I would look at second hand, one is Volvo because that brand tends to be an "old fuddy duddy" car, and is taken to dealers for all service. It is just the buyers of that kind of car. They are also priced a bit lower as they are not "cool" in any way shape or form, so they don't have the street cred of something like a merc or bmw has, going all the way "down" to VW. Volvo is just kind of odd where it sits in the market, figures as the cars are a bit odd as well. But well built, and top marks in safety.

Just another thing to think about. But with any used car have it gone over with a fine tooth comb,
Yep lots that have been empty for months are starting to fill up with 2023s. I think they used car market is about to go down because it’s been highly inflated for the last year or so

A lot of people also drive the “cool” cars hard and many don’t keep up on the maintenance as they should. Unless you know what to look for it and be a crapshoot.

The big takeaway IMO always be wary when buying used have a competent mechanic look it over. Can save your world a headache no matter who the manufacturer is.

Another bit of advice buya car somebody doesn’t need anymore( estate sale/dead person ) not one they’re trying to get rid of.
 
Just to wrap this thread up. I ended up buying a 2005 Toyota Matrix XR with just 50k. miles. Got it for $1000 under what the insurance pay out was. The only thing it needs is some tires.
 
Nice. Hopefully the Midwest humidity/winters doesn’t destroy it. Keep it maintained, washed, & waxed and it’ll last for a very long time
 
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