[dwells]

Hey all, I stumbled across a very well-kept manual 330xi that I'm planning on picking up. Only problem is that it has 170,000 miles. Typically that would send me running scared, but the owner is an enthusiast who is only selling it since his M2 was delivered, and he's owned and daily driven the car since new and kept every single service record (which I plan on reviewing).

I'm hoping you guys can help out a bit with some questions I have on how to inspect the car when I go to check it out:

1. What key records should I be looking for, and how recently in terms of miles should they have been done?
2. If it has the common lifter ticking issue, is this a deal-breaker, or is it just an annoyance and safe to leave alone?
3. I believe the clutch is original, has anyone heard of the clutches on these lasting that long? Any advice for testing its condition?
4. I suspect the "lifetime" fluids were treated as such and haven't been changed. Is this a deal-breaker, or is it safe for me to do the diffs, transfer case, and manual transmission fluids at this high of a mileage if they haven't been done before?
5. Other than around the valve cover and oil filter gaskets, is there anywhere particular I should be examining for leaks?
6. Any general recommendations for things to check?
7. I have a copy of INPA - any recommendations other than doing a code read? Things in particular to look out for?

And finally, am I insane for thinking that this car could be a suitable daily driver? I know the miles are high, but the fact that it's a naturally aspirated engine and manual transmission that's supposedly been excellently maintained by an enthusiast who bought the car new gives me some hope that it's got a lot of life left in it.

Any help here would be great, thanks everyone!

[Manual Transmission]

2. Lifter tick is an annoyance, but doesn't really pose any threat. You can safely drive the car with lifter tick, it won't do anything to the engine.

I think a bigger question is how low is the price that you're willing to consider a 170K car. Even an enthusiast owned car is not immune to wear and tear, and there's a lot on a car that wears. That said a 170K NA e90 could be a great car. It's hard to find a 330i, especially an xi so compromising on miles might be reasonable. I have however found that the difference in price between a ~120K and 200K car is fairly little so I wouldn't be willing to consider the higher mileage vehicles.

[Efthreeoh]

You can't decide anything until you review the service records. You say the guy is an enthusiast, but is he a BMW enthusiast? Meaning did he have the car serviced by a BMW-trained technician (Dealer or Indy shop), or did he get it serviced at Costco? I can't speak to the xi drivetrain, but the RWD drivetrain is pretty bullet proof. At 170,000 it will need some stuff obviously. I've pretty much followed BMW's CBS schedule for my car and I hit 300,000 miles back in April 2016.

A PPI is always a good idea. You'll have to put some money in it over time to keep it in good shape. If you turn your own wrenches then owning a high mileage BMW is no big deal. I'd imagine a 330xi with a manual trans is a rare bird; I'd get it just for that alone. My clutch went 290,000 miles and still had room to go, but the flywheel was toast.

[rothwem]

Here's what I'd look for:

-Look for any leaks on the motor, particularly the oil pan gasket, oil filter housing gasket and the valve cover gasket.
-Inspect the mounts for the suspension, particularly the rear mounts under the trim
-The shocks may be ready for their second replacement by now, take a drive and see if the body is well controlled
-Pull the codes with INPA, or any other BMW scan tool. Look for transfer case wear codes, transmission codes, or any of the water pump shadow codes. The water pump has probably been replaced by now, but make sure you check for sure.
-Any maintenance records are a bonus.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by rothwem

-Any maintenance records are a bonus.

Exactly, that would help. I dunno what an indie charges for a pre-inspection, but if it's $100 or even $150, worth it imho....

edit: imho, no matter how much you know, or wish that you knew, or think that you know, it's unlikely that you can catch everything in a used car transaction. If the seller let's you take the car for a week and you drive it around, maybe. My aunt has a 2006 330xi, and the water pump failed just around 50k, under, I believe. Her car has like 55k now, and if you look under the hood, you can see lots of grease making its way up the steering shaft. Multiply the mileage by 3, better since it's driven more, or worse? If selling this car, take the 10 min. it would take to clean that grease off. ;-)

I have heard that the grease in itself is not bad, it may be a leak elsewhere that lands on the shaft due to airflow. Personally, no matter what car, BMW, Toyota, lower miles is preferred. At some point, a high mileage car should be tossable, if something goes wrong, part it out. $5,900? I'm not sure, I think it's a bit much to be able to toss. ABS pump goes, that's $4,200, and the car only cost $5,900. Or of course DIY for $288.

[dwells]

Originally Posted by Manual Transmission

I think a bigger question is how low is the price that you're willing to consider a 170K car. Even an enthusiast owned car is not immune to wear and tear, and there's a lot on a car that wears. That said a 170K NA e90 could be a great car. It's hard to find a 330i, especially an xi so compromising on miles might be reasonable. I have however found that the difference in price between a ~120K and 200K car is fairly little so I wouldn't be willing to consider the higher mileage vehicles.

Price is $5,900. I've seen lower mile examples (less than 150,000) at this price, but always with questionable or missing histories. I'm of the belief that a 170,000 mile car with a good service history is a safer bet than one with 100,000 miles and no history.

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

You can't decide anything until you review the service records. You say the guy is an enthusiast, but is he a BMW enthusiast? Meaning did he have the car serviced by a BMW-trained technician (Dealer or Indy shop), or did he get it serviced at Costco? I can't speak to the xi drivetrain, but the RWD drivetrain is pretty bullet proof. At 170,000 it will need some stuff obviously. I've pretty much followed BMW's CBS schedule for my car and I hit 300,000 miles back in April 2016.

A PPI is always a good idea. You'll have to put some money in it over time to keep it in good shape. If you turn your own wrenches then owning a high mileage BMW is no big deal. I'd imagine a 330xi with a manual trans is a rare bird; I'd get it just for that alone. My clutch went 290,000 miles and still had room to go, but the flywheel was toast.

He is indeed a BMW enthusiast and he's taking delivery of one of the first M2s to make it to the area. He had it serviced at the dealer during warranty and then switched to an indie shop that knows and races BMWs.

Originally Posted by rothwem

Here's what I'd look for:

-Look for any leaks on the motor, particularly the oil pan gasket, oil filter housing gasket and the valve cover gasket.
-Inspect the mounts for the suspension, particularly the rear mounts under the trim
-The shocks may be ready for their second replacement by now, take a drive and see if the body is well controlled
-Pull the codes with INPA, or any other BMW scan tool. Look for transfer case wear codes, transmission codes, or any of the water pump shadow codes. The water pump has probably been replaced by now, but make sure you check for sure.
-Any maintenance records are a bonus.

He's got every last record, so I'm going to be combing through them. Fingers crossed the suspension is solid, as he had it completely redone and the car has highway miles from commuting - I'm hoping the replacement suspension is still in good shape.

The oil pan gasket looks like a major one. Do you have any tips for how to check for that? I'm guessing it would be obvious once I pull the underbody panel if there's oil buildup anywhere?

[Efthreeoh]

The tell tale sign of a leaking oil pan gasket is to check the right side (passenger-side) of the engine block near the bell housing. That's where they start to leak. A bad leak will have a big, grimey, oil spot on the belly pan mostly on the aluminum shielding where the exhaust comes out from the engine bay. xi's are bit more work to drop the pan and change the gasket. When you go through the records, write them down by date and mileage, so you can see the pattern of the service history and compare it to the BMW service requirements.

It sounds like to me the guy knows what he was doing when it came to getting the car serviced by BMW professionals, which is a huge plus in your favor. Again, I can't speak to the xi drivetrain as I have no experience with it, but the '06 N52 E90 are tanks. From what you describe the car's shape is, and the owner is, and you have all the maintenance records, and he's selling because he's replacing it with a BMW enthusiast model (M2), I'd not worry too much about picking the car up. It's a 330xi with a manual trans, which I'd not pass up.

I'd bet he's looking for a good home for it. Sounds like a safe deal to me.