[rixo]

Hi All,

So it happened and I fell in love, with a car this time.
You guessed it, it’s the new 3 series.
Since I’m really on a tight budget I was scouting
some second-hand offers and came across a one-year old
320d with 8k km and 1/4 cheaper than a new one. Which
for me is the braking point that enables me to get a new 3 series
bimmer and still be able to pay my rent. So I paid a deposit and
have a few days to do my research and make the final
decision.


Since the dealer didn’t really have a clue about the car/options
(for instance it was advertised as having a 5-gear transmission )
I would like to confirm here some of my findings regarding the options
and ask about possible afterfit extensions.


First question: looking at the two pictures below (the front and the rear door)
can I conclude that the installed audio system is Logic 7?
(it apparently also has a CD changer in the boot)



Maybe a silly question but can you tell by the shape if these are xenons?
(I know I shoud have switched them on, stupid)



Unfortunately the car is having only the standard (at least for Europe) air-conditioning, which looks and feels really like from the stone age,
I assume it is not much I can do about it, or is there someone who had done
the automatic dual zone afterfit?


The backseats are apparently not split/foldable, nevertheless there is an
arm-rest support in the middle, but some sort of plastic wall behind it.
Can I somehow remove/cut this wall, to have an opening to the boot
for transporting longer object e.g. skies? I know there exists a BMW ski-bag
but I was wandering if this can be done in DIY way (if you can live without
the bag, just with a hole)




Since this car is an early bird of the new 3 series (March 2005) I’m worried
if all potential glitches (that usually come with a new production line)
were ironed out. So, is there something I should be particularly aware
of with this model/engine? Somewhere I read about some SW updates
that make the engine run better etc, can someone comment on that?

Is there any reliable way to check that the mileage shown on the counter
is genuine? I mean is this info backed up somewhere else and
can it be recovered e.g. by a BMW dealer?

As you can see, it’s many questions and a lot of anxiety for me now...
All your comments will be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Richard

ps
I just love those sport seats (half leather) and the meaty stearing wheel
also the exterior colour (arctic), and the 160 17" the whole look&feel.. It's so hard to stay rational.

[E90Fleet]

1) Yup, Logic7, due to rear door speakers

2) Yes, they are Xenons. You can tell because theu have the "Halo rings"

3) Havent seen a retrofit for the Auto climate controls. Anyway, it would cost a LOT for just the parts

4) No BMW Ski bag retrofit I know of

5)Thing to worry about with the 320d is previous owner egine abuse, though there havent been many E90 problems on the 320d

6) Car stores milage in multiple locations and will alert you if someone has tried to change it, and will even update it if a new instrument panel is fitted.

7)

[Broken1]

Hi Rixo, and welcome to the forum!

There is absutely nothing wrong with a March 2005 320d. I have a July 320d and I love it!

E90Fleet answered all your questions above (correctly, no doubt)

With the aircon system, it's really not that bad to have the manual one as apposed to the auto one. I've used both, and it's seemless. A gimic really.

You might be able to DIY a skibag yourself, but in this regard I warn you that cutting through the seatbacks can reduce the safety of the passenger cell. I've watched many "car safety" programs, where heavy objects from the boot have forced through the back seats (in non-bmw's - older cars) and hurt the driver or passengers. That is why the rear seats are attached very firmly.

The car also has headlamp washers (front) which come with the Xenon lights.

Good luck making your decision. It's really a great car!!!

[luckystrike]

thas a nice car! , but you have to change the keychain, its too small. : p

[Asiann]

Looks nice and seems to be a steal to buy so early. Any reason why the person is selling the car? Good luck and enjoy!

[rixo]

Many thanks for the answers E90Fleet!
I was kind of guessing the same but it's always
better to double check

Broken1,
Yeah I think I can live with the manual airco (will quarrel a bit with my girlfriend
about the temperature though )

yep headlight washsers are present (although they can be ordered also with halogen lights around here) so are the fog lights and so is actually a chrome trim around the windows
which for this engine is not so common:



Luckystrike, yep the keychain will stay with the dealer

Asiann, the very question puzzles me too. I found out that the car
belonged to a leasing company and on Monday I plan to call them up
to inquire a bit about this case, might be a out-of-luck/money fellow
whose car was simply confiscated after he failed to pay the loan(?)
Hopefully, I will know more on Monday. I called the BMW dealer
where the car was purchased and it seems it hasan't been in service
as of yet (which I read as a good sign) it should still be under
official bmw guarantee ( but no free maintance around here it seems)

[N1]

and its a 320d with particle filter.

[rixo]

Is there somebody who managed to retrofit a rear PDC,
I guess it shouldn't be too difficult (saw some third-party wireless PDC sensors
on the internet that are meant to be powered from the reversing light wire)
but drilling in the bumper is a bit risky job (me thinks)

[rixo]

Originally Posted by N1

and its a 320d with particle filter.

Based on what did you conclude it?
(how does it show)

[thrill30]

Originally Posted by rixo

Based on what did you conclude it?
(how does it show)

The exhaust pipe is straight like that of a 320i. The 320d's without a particulate filter have an exhaust pointing downwards (see Black picture below).

[N1]

Originally Posted by rixo

Based on what did you conclude it?
(how does it show)

The exhaust is normal and BMW Adds New Technology Particle Filters to meet new stringent EU4 emission standards well ahead of the mandated introduction in 2005.

Thanks to its catalytic coating, the innovative system introduced for this purpose does not require any fuel additives, and is able to regenerate by itself. The catalytic coating eliminates particle emissions by almost 100 per cent.

Ash accumulation is reduced to a minimum, helping extend the service life of the filter elements while improvements to the engine further serve to prevent particle generation from the start. Upgraded injection jets and optimised injection timing on second generation common-rail diesel units help to reduce significantly the emission of raw engine particles, helping extend the filter’s long regeneration intervals.

There is also no increase in fuel consumption, and therefore CO2 emissions, which might otherwise erode the benefits of Euro IV status by pushing the car into a higher tax bracket.

The advantages for customers are long particle filter service life without requiring any additional maintenance, and no reduction of engine output.

Good news and i had to pay 690 € for that , lol.

[Paul330d]

Originally Posted by rixo

came across a one-year old 320d with 8k km and 1/4 cheaper than a new one.

25% off new for a used car might not be as good a deal as you think: my car was built to order, but I still negotiated an 18% discount at the dealer.

[rixo]

Originally Posted by Paul330d

25% off new for a used car might not be as good a deal as you think: my car was built to order, but I still negotiated an 18% discount at the dealer.

That's a great deal indeed. What argumetns did you use?


I tried to negotiate a bit off a new car but didn't get very far.
Basicaly, the dealer offers either 1600 off or 800 + free maintance for 6 years or 175k km (which I would probably take had I chosen for a new car). The 25% off was computed after I substracted the 1600 discount from the new car. To put it in absolute value, I can get this car for 26.5k
a new one with these options (including the newly dicovered particle filter )
would in my country cost 37k; now -1.6 the discount makes 35.4. So I save around 9k EUR and (hopefully) get a good car where the engine even did losen up yet.

Of course the question is If I would chose all these options,
well the engine, the colour, the sport stearing wheel/seats and the wheels are100% match , the audio system
is more than I wanted but hey I can always settle for some fine sound :rocks:
What I would take(maybe instead of the Logic7) would be a so-called comfort package (automatic aircon., cruise control, PDC in the back, split rear seats, ski bag... ). Well I can compromise on some things . Regarding the PDC (very useful when you let your girlfriend drive ) , I checked around and found a set of wireless sensors with a display box for 100 EUR, and will consider trying to fit it myself.

My line of reason (given the budget) is that the depreciation is
supposedly the steepest in the first year; so for me it shoud
keep a better value at resale time (I mean somebody else paid the hefty first year drop)

Well anyway, I still would be curious to learn your negotiation secrets

[rixo]

Originally Posted by thrill30

The exhaust pipe is straight like that of a 320i. The 320d's without a particulate filter have an exhaust pointing downwards (see Black picture below).

Thanks !

Btw. here is the exhaust system from below

[rixo]

Thanks for a very knowledgeable answer

Originally Posted by N1

The exhaust is normal and BMW Adds New Technology Particle Filters to meet new stringent EU4 emission standards well ahead of the mandated introduction in 2005.

Thanks to its catalytic coating, the innovative system introduced for this purpose does not require any fuel additives, and is able to regenerate by itself. The catalytic coating eliminates particle emissions by almost 100 per cent.

Ash accumulation is reduced to a minimum, helping extend the service life of the filter elements while improvements to the engine further serve to prevent particle generation from the start. Upgraded injection jets and optimised injection timing on second generation common-rail diesel units help to reduce significantly the emission of raw engine particles, helping extend the filter’s long regeneration intervals.

There is also no increase in fuel consumption, and therefore CO2 emissions, which might otherwise erode the benefits of Euro IV status by pushing the car into a higher tax bracket.

The advantages for customers are long particle filter service life without requiring any additional maintenance, and no reduction of engine output.

Good news and i had to pay 690 € for that , lol.

[N1]

Originally Posted by rixo

Thanks for a very knowledgeable answer

yvw
25 % devaluation in 1 y is a lot but in 2 y its 30 % for sure and in 4 y its 50 % usually.

[luckystrike]

hmmm i was wondering why my dealer didnt charge me for dpc?, which i ordered and price aat 600 but when the final price the particle filter cost nothing?, is it standard now in europe btw im in austria and ordered it last march.

[N1]

Option in my car, but i believe it should be standard. I bought diesel because the market is 60% in the wrong way. I was quite concerned with the smoke from the exhaust diesel but with the particle filter, zero / no smoke. VERY GOOD.

[luckystrike]

but did you pay for your dpf? i know its an options but when im about to pay my dealer they dont charge me for it. i was thinking bmw made it as standard but i didnt tell them coz you know they just might have overlook at it.

[BMW320i]

great catch rixo

the car looks great, not have been abused (from where i see it)

i have these manual AC gadgets as well, its true they r manual, but they r BMW manual,
what i mean, my mom has an 05 Golf 2.0 fsi (no offence 4 VW owners), the AC is manual, but they r kinda chunky, BMW's r more elegant n user-friendly

i would say take the car 4 a test drive if u could, if there no problems then its a catch!!

[N1]

Payed in cash lol.

[davinet78]

go for it its a great car