Buying a 325i Coupe Sport

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Fri 1 Oct 2004 22:13
Buying a 325i Coupe Sport - herbert912
I'm really after some general opinions/advice..
I'm looking to buy a 325i Coupe Sport along the following lines

Manual gearbox, leather interior
up to 1.5 years old
up to £23k

Any reasons why buying such a car is a bad idea eg resale value etc. Any suggestions as to where to buy such a car, is a BMW main dealer a good idea or simply over priced..

I have been offered a mystic blue manual 325i coupe sport with black leather (BMW head office car) through a main dealer which was registered in Dec 2003 and has 7k miles on for £24k. Seems like a reasonable deal to me although they wont negotiate down further, just wondered if other people agree.

All opinions gratefully received..
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Fri 1 Oct 2004 22:31
Buying a 325i Coupe Sport - Ben {P}
Ask yourself why you want the car, and how long you will keep it.

With a used BMW you are paying for the name, none more so than with the 3 series. It is not reliable, worse than the E39 5 series.

Yes its great to drive, but at that age/price you will loose a fortune over a very short time.

If you really want one, i would consider something a bit older. I wouldn't bother with a 325, go for the 330. Check the private ads and ebay regularly, and be prepared to wait around for the right car. Yes you want leather, but i would also want sat nav, preferably a communications pack. Blue is alright, but i think black or silver is better. Check for uneven tyre wear from serious curbing, and look for a car with a few more miles under its belt that will be run in and better value.
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Sat 2 Oct 2004 09:42
Buying a 325i Coupe Sport - blue_haddock
When buying cars of this type, age and price you will find that most are still at main dealers. Generally speaking most people spending that kind of money want the back up a main dealer offers.

You probably are better off going for maybe a 3 year old 330ci which has done the worst of it's depreciating and you should be able to find one at a non franchised specialist.
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Sat 2 Oct 2004 09:50
Buying a 325i Coupe Sport - CJay{P}
I'll second blue's suggestion. It is better to buy a car that is between 2.5 and 3 years old. It is still under BMW warranty, and most of the depreciation has taken place. Also, don't be scared of milage, over 60k you will get very good deals.

eBay is a very good place to locate a good car - the seller will not hide anything, since when you actually go to conclude the deal, if anything is different from the item description, you have all the right to walk away and leave negative feedback.

People really treasure their feedback - it is bit like the financial rating of companies.
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Sat 2 Oct 2004 10:04
Buying a 325i Coupe Sport - blue_haddock
The other option is to get an E39 M5 - loads around for the price your looking to pay, won't lose much more value and loads of bang for your buck!
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