My boss (a fellow co. Director) is selling his wifes 3 series estate.
I am potentially interested in it and he said he would do me a good deal on it for me.
I've seen the car once before and I recall it was metallic grey but can't recall it being petrol or diesel or auto or manual.
Looking at various used car sites the vast majority of 3 series estates are 320d.
The car in question is a 2005 model with 100k miles - full BMWSH.
Question - did BMW make the 3 series estate in anything other than the 320d version? I am guess yes - it would seem odd not to offer a range of engine options.
Price wise I don' know yet know how much he wants but I get the feeling it will be less than the dealer is offering him (we get on well and he is not short of cash so wouldn't be looking for top dollar).
As soon as I know the engine and spec I will be asking the BR questions about anything I should look out for (e.g. major services etc).
Edited by Pugugly on 16/08/2008 at 19:06
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>>Question - did BMW make the 3 series estate in anything other than the 320d version?>>
Yes, 2.0 4cyl 318, 2.2 6cyl 320, 2.5 6cyl 325, 3.0 6 cyl 330, 2.0 4cyl diesel 318d, 2.0 4cyl diesel 320d and 3.0 6cyl diesel 330d. I dont think there was a 325d.
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Price wise I don' know yet know how much he wants but I get the feeling it will be less than the dealer is offering him
You say it's 2005 - the model changed then, so is E46 or E90?
100K in 3 yrs is a heck of a mileage for the boss's wife's car.
The dealer will be doing a lot of teeth sucking if he takes a 100K mile 2005 car in there - all they could possibly do with it is put through the auction and prices are awful at the moment, plus used car buyers hate high mileage, and 100K is a real mental milestone.
I dread to think how little the car could be worth, especially if it's the E46 (therefore older) model.
If it is a 320d, then its turbo is a weakspot. If it's an auto (or big petrol engine) then check its CO2 rating against the new tax bands - it could be in a pretty high group.
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2005, estate means it is a E46. E90 estates came a bit later, in 2006 I think.
100k, is not 'heck of a mileage' - quite common among economical diesel cars.
Yes, in the 320d, turbo is its weakest point, but the car in question would have benefited from a redesinged turbo. So, you are as safe as it gets. Redesigned turbos came from November 2003 production onwards.
The next thing you need to find out is whether it is a SE or ES. At least £500 price difference between the two (SE is dearer, since it is much nicer inside).
I suspect if you can get it for around 6.5K (assuming it is a SE), it is a good deal.
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It should be a cast iron buy if its a 320d or a 330d - keep it dealer serviced and BMW are renowned for factory back-up even out of warranty. However get a third party warranty on it and you'll be ok. All the engines are fine (the base is a little flat), both diesels are good, and arguably the 330d is probably the best diesel you can get from any maker for smoothness, economy and performance. The balance of probabilities is that it is a diesel if there's a corporate link to its ownership.
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His wife does mega miles acting as a taxi - does 50 miles per day just ferrying the kids to and from private schools....
He also knows the dealer principle quite well so I suspect it will be reasonable spec.
I'm pretty sure it's not the 330 version and I'm almost sure it's a petrol.
Either way I hope to get a good car at a bargain price. Will let you know.
I hope it's an auto.... I loved the S Type Jag I had for that very reason.
Will let you know what spec it is when I can.
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His wife does mega miles acting as a taxi - does 50 miles per day just ferrying the kids to and from private schools....
Doesn't really matter, obviously, but private schools are only open about 30 weeks per year so even if you meant 50 miles each way it still only explains half the mileage.
When you know some more details, call a couple of traders and see what they'll bid for it. It's no use comparing the car with others for sale in dealers, as they're being offered with warranty etc.
Hopefully your boss won't sell you a pup, so if you like the car and you're happy with the price, and you think you'll keep it for many years, then go for it. But bear in mind that if you're thinking of selling on in a couple of years you might really struggle to get much for it.
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Hopefully your boss won't sell you a pup
Like I said he is a fellow company director - too risky for him to upset me just for the sake of a few bob.....
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100k is not 'heck of a mileage' - quite common among economical diesel cars.
It is a heck of a mileage for 'the boss's wife's' 2005 car. The public are very mileage sensitive and anybody would struggle to sell that car as the mileage is so far out of whack with the age.
I suspect if you can get it for around 6.5K (assuming it is a SE) it is a good deal.
Well, the OP doesn't even know which engine it's got, but if it's a pretty basic 320d (cloth interior etc) then I was thinking more like £4k. The sort of person (ie young lad) that would love a newish cheap 3 Series isn't going to want an estate (or a diesel).
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>> 100k is not 'heck of a mileage' - quite common among economical diesel cars. >> It is a heck of a mileage for 'the boss's wife's' 2005 car. The public are very mileage sensitive and anybody would struggle to sell that car as the mileage is so far out of whack with the age.
To be fair the vast majority of 3 series estates I've looked at (as a comparison) have similar miles. Only to be expected with a rep car.
Like I said above the car does get used for ferrying the kids about.
I was reckoning on something like £5k (if a diesel) and a bit less if petrol.
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I was reckoning on something like £5k (if a diesel) and a bit less if petrol.
I think you're in the right ball-park. Hopefully your co-director is there too.
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Oh and there's no such animal as a BMW estate - they're all Tourings (Tongue very firmly in my cheek. )
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Oh and there's no such animal as a BMW estate - they're all Tourings (Tongue very firmly in my cheek. )
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Very good!
I will also be checking that it doesn't suffer from that well known BMW problem of issues with the indicator system (Tongue also firmly in cheek).
Actually I am wondering if I'm letting myself in for a life of misery caused by other drivers refusing to let me out at junctions etc.
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If its a petrol of around 2 litre engine size it will be either a 318i, with a 140bhp 2.0 16v 4 cylinder engine, or a 320i, with a 170bhp 2.2 inline six. The 2.2 is a lovely engine although slightly pointless and annoying given it costs the same to run as a the 3.0 version yet offers less performance.
Ignore the doom mongers here, yes car values have taken a beating but there is simply no way that a 3 year old E46 Touring is worth less than £5k even with 100k on the clock.
Infact if anything its the best way to buy such a car - it's covered lots of long distances and cars which have done high mileage in a short space of time are generally in much better condition inside and out than older cars with less mileage.
If it's a 318 it has a trade book of over £5k - so if you can get it yourself for about £6k it's a good deal, nearer £7k and it's merely an average deal. Obviously if its a 320i or better it'll be worth a tad more.
If it is a 320d it is worth more again - diesels are sought after at the moment becuase people associate them with being cheap to run irrespective of how true that really is. The guy above who reckoned a 3 year old 100k 320d is worth only £4k is unfortunately dreaming. I'd snap one up at that price and I dont even need one!
Edited by MichaelR on 16/08/2008 at 19:54
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This forum is generally anti 'BMW'. I second Micheal's comments on BMWs.
There is absolutely no way you can get a 320D SE, with 100k, for 4k - if there is such a place, I will buy as many as I can possibly buy and sell them on eBay, and I will make £1000s per car.
For comparison, two months ago, I sold a 2002, 320DSE, with 120k on clock for £4855 (in spite of having a sizeable dent on one of the panels) on eBay - on a no reserve auction.
Edited by CJay{P} on 17/08/2008 at 01:37
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There are several on AutoTrader, being sold by traders, for £5995. So they'll probably have to discount for cash sale, plus they'll have had to prep and warrant the cars, as well as finance the time they have them and all their other overheads. And still make a profit.
So what would they have paid for them?
OK, £4K may be understating it a bit, but I reckon you'd be pushed to get a trader to take the car in the OP.
eBay might be a good way to sell such a car - some cars do seem to go for prices that are higher then you would normally expect.
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tinyurl.com/64t7lj
BP - several = two, both ES models with over 130k on the clock, if you ignore the sub-£5k one which is obviously a scam.
If you do a low mileage, that's potentially another five years' miles on the car and that extra 30k is going to take them from the bracket of "leggy fleet car like you'd find at CarGiant" to "mega miler outside the mainstream."
I agree that plenty of traders wouldn't take the car but there are people who do sell on high-mileage BMWs and in fairly large volumes - like the two I've linked to for a start.
It's not fair to describe this car as difficult to place. It will find its market and if it's an SE in a good colour I'd have no difficulty envisaging it on a forecourt at £8k with a lot of dealers, albeit with a good margin in it at that price.
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DavidHM - I don't disagree with your comments, the car could be a good buy in the right circumstances, especially as its history is known.
However it's difficult to establish a value for the vehicle - the links are aimed at people who want to buy cars, it's a different kettle of fish when you want to sell one.
Of course, we still don't know much about the car referred to by the OP, so all this guesswork is a bit pointless. Plus the boss might have a completely different idea of the cars value.
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