I want to buy a 2nd hand BMW for under 125k what are my best options.

[TurboLlew]

It'll be my first car to be entirely honest with you. A little fast would be about 0 to 100 in around 7 seconds or less to be honest something that's got a bit of torque you know. Decently comfortable hopefully I am a bit on the taller end I am 192cm so I know not all cars are made for me and there's a few I've been in that are too small as I have a long torso. Repair prices are not necessarily too much of a hassle for me I'd just prefer something reliable that won't be in for repairs all the time. Also hopefully something that seems modern that's automatic and looks nice on the outside is what I'm hoping for. Thank you very much for the help

The most interesting car that springs to mind (that was also fairly easy to work on, diagnose etc) was the 330ci that recently left my garage. It feels quite modern, built solidly, plenty of fun factor and it was quite comfortable. You can bring it up to date with a newer head unit or sound system - even units that look like they are OEM. That said, you are either going to have to find a fixer upper or wait for a nice one to come up. Parts are mostly available and it is well documented online.

That being said, being old cars (and your budget will ONLY get you old cars if you also want interesting ones), your mileage will vary greatly depending on how much you're willing to learn, what kind of support you have and becoming familiar with self-diagnosing issues and doing some basic repair work.

A sedan or coupe variant is likely going to tick alot of your boxes. While complicated for its day (and a convertible is likely going to have another layer of complication), it is nothing compared to modern turbo cars and their issues.



The owner of this 330ci sent me another early Christmas present to look after for a few weeks in the form of this: this is the opposite and a car I would ABSOLUTELY NOT recommend for a newbie because, while it is built properly and generally looks good, when it goes south, it is orders of magnitude more difficult and more expensive to diagnose, source parts for and repair. It can be very tempting and you will hear lots of guys saying 5ers and 7ers are "alot of car for your money". You need a lot of patience and deep pockets for the ownership experience to be positive. From what you are describing this will NOT be fun. For similar and different reasons, this also goes for the shittier examples of newer (F-series) cars with obviously tampered mileages, loads of repairs and that also have fairly complex electronics



You can also look at vehicles like the Volvo C30 or S40/60 which take HEAVY depreciation knocks. I don't know much about them, but volvo owners tend to be a generally happy bunch - some will no doubt chime in here.

 

[Joshua Turner]

T

Whilst I definitely understand the appeal of a BMW as your first car, the unfortunate reality is that you will likely not find a decent low mileage E90 320D, let alone a decent F30 within that price range. You might be able to find a fairly decent N/A variant within budget, however, ownership might also be a risk, given that this will also be your first car with limited experience.

I strongly recommend reading the following thread as guidance:
Mr Krabs - Part

Whilst I definitely understand the appeal of a BMW as your first car, the unfortunate reality is that you will likely not find a decent low mileage E90 320D, let alone a decent F30 within that price range. You might be able to find a fairly decent N/A variant within budget, however, ownership might also be a risk, given that this will also be your first car with limited experience.

I strongly recommend reading the following thread as guidance:
Mr Krabs - Part 1

Thank you so much for the advice 🙏🏼

 

[Joshua Turner]

Thank you a ton for the advice I really do appreciate it. I've seen some nice audi's around for semi reasonable prices aswell do you have any knowledge on them by chance as I also like the more modern 2011+ audio a4 and a5's they are nice and pretty modern looking cars.

The most interesting car that springs to mind (that was also fairly easy to work on, diagnose etc) was the 330ci that recently left my garage. It feels quite modern, built solidly, plenty of fun factor and it was quite comfortable. You can bring it up to date with a newer head unit or sound system - even units that look like they are OEM. That said, you are either going to have to find a fixer upper or wait for a nice one to come up. Parts are mostly available and it is well documented online.

That being said, being old cars (and your budget will ONLY get you old cars if you also want interesting ones), your mileage will vary greatly depending on how much you're willing to learn, what kind of support you have and becoming familiar with self-diagnosing issues and doing some basic repair work.

A sedan or coupe variant is likely going to tick alot of your boxes. While complicated for its day (and a convertible is likely going to have another layer of complication), it is nothing compared to modern turbo cars and their issues.

View attachment 26212

The owner of this 330ci sent me another early Christmas present to look after for a few weeks in the form of this: this is the opposite and a car I would ABSOLUTELY NOT recommend for a newbie because, while it is built properly and generally looks good, when it goes south, it is orders of magnitude more difficult and more expensive to diagnose, source parts for and repair. It can be very tempting and you will hear lots of guys saying 5ers and 7ers are "alot of car for your money". You need a lot of patience and deep pockets for the ownership experience to be positive. From what you are describing this will NOT be fun. For similar and different reasons, this also goes for the shittier examples of newer (F-series) cars with obviously tampered mileages, loads of repairs and that also have fairly complex electronics

View attachment 26213

You can also look at vehicles like the Volvo C30 or S40/60 which take HEAVY depreciation knocks. I don't know much about them, but volvo owners tend to be a generally happy bunch - some will no doubt chime in here.

 

[FILV]

Thank you a ton for the advice I really do appreciate it. I've seen some nice audi's around for semi reasonable prices aswell do you have any knowledge on them by chance as I also like the more modern 2011+ audio a4 and a5's they are nice and pretty modern looking cars.

They also will be not cheap to maintain. The 2.0T's Tfsi models are plenty, but they suffer from excessive oil usage due to piston ring failure. A rebuild fixes this. Then you have the Dsg gearbox, which guaranteed either the mechatronics unit or clutches will fail which you looking at around 30k to fix.

The 2.0 Tdis are great, but that generation uses a multitronic gearbox which is not sporty and they are also unreliable. If you can get either in manual, that would be the better choice. Their interiors are built solid and are of great quality. Their sound systems are also very good, even with out the excellent optional Bang & Olufsen

If i was in your shoes i would by the cleanest 320D pre lci, or high mileage Lci but a well looked after one with full service history and maintenance history. Then be realistic that you will need 3-4 thousand rand for brakes front or rear, around 10 thousand for a suspension refresh, and 30 thousand in case the gearbox needs a rebuild at any point. Then there are small random things, a battery for 3 thousand, the rear window rubbers tend to Frey from sun etc

 

[r0ckf1re]

My goodness, is it Friday ?


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[NB92325]

I know of a beautiful Audi B6 S4 locally that you can have for your budget. Lovely 4.2l V8 that roars as you drive to the bank to take out another mortgage to service the timing chain when the guides eventually fail (they all do)

On a serious note - listen to Llew. I would seriously recommend looking for the nicest E46 325i or 330i in a manual you can for that money, and then learn everything you can about maintaining it yourself. It's a critical skill that is becoming lost on our generation since everyone just recycles cars in and out of motorplans as we wait for the EV messiah to come and save us from our 6 cylinder beliefs...

 

[r0ckf1re]

You are young, don’t get tied down. Uber!


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[TBP88]

@op the real question is:

1) your only car?
2) if this car breaks down and is non-driveable for weeks (say 3) how bad is your life situation? Are you 50km from work or 500m from work? Are you 3km from the nearest mall or 30km from the nearest mall.
If this is your only car, and if it's going to be calamitous if it breaks down then I'd say just steer clear of pretty much any BMW. At R125k you'd be getting something like an E46 325i for around say R70-80k and you'd be spending at least 25-40k more sorting it to the point where it is once again a (vaguely) reliable car. I'm not sure that makes sense

 

[Greenz]

I'd honestly get a reliable,economical cheapie to drive around for a year or two..gain some experience behind the wheel and see what car ownership is about first.

 

[YozTruly]

I'd honestly get a reliable,economical cheapie to drive around for a year or two..gain some experience behind the wheel and see what car ownership is about first.

Boo oooo oooo!!!! That’s not fast!

 

[Joshua Turner]

Thanks all for the kind responses I really do appreciate all the advice. I will take all into consideration

 

[///M Individual]

Do yourself a favour and buy a 2000-2002 Toyota Corolla 160i GLE. Can probably get a clean one around R80k. It will not go 0-100 in 7 secs but it will give you a pleasurable first car experience. You can use the change to pimp it out with some nice mag wheels and a 50mm performance exhaust. Once you start working you can look at getting into a BMW.

 

[Joshua Turner]

Do yourself a favour and buy a 2000-2002 Toyota Corolla 160i GLE. Can probably get a clean one around R80k. It will not go 0-100 in 7 secs but it will give you a pleasurable first car experience. You can use the change to pimp it out with some nice mag wheels and a 50mm performance exhaust. Once you start working you can look at getting into a BMW.

Thank you for the advice man

 

[Joshua Turner]

@op the real question is:

1) your only car?
2) if this car breaks down and is non-driveable for weeks (say 3) how bad is your life situation? Are you 50km from work or 500m from work? Are you 3km from the nearest mall or 30km from the nearest mall.
If this is your only car, and if it's going to be calamitous if it breaks down then I'd say just steer clear of pretty much any BMW. At R125k you'd be getting something like an E46 325i for around say R70-80k and you'd be spending at least 25-40k more sorting it to the point where it is once again a (vaguely) reliable car. I'm not sure that makes sense

Yeahhh it'll be my only car but I might have a bike aswell depending if I sell it or not. Break downs aren't a massive massive concern only the price spent repairing it would be a concern for me to be entirely honest

 

[TBP88]

Yeahhh it'll be my only car but I might have a bike aswell depending if I sell it or not. Break downs aren't a massive massive concern only the price spent repairing it would be a concern for me to be entirely honest

If you can afford to be without car, and especially if you have a decent workshop and are willing to spend time (and if you're 20 something I assume you have time!) then perhaps an E46 325i in decent shape is worth a look in? We only got 325ci coupe's locally, they're very nice cars for the money.

 

[Joshua Turner]

If you can afford to be without car, and especially if you have a decent workshop and are willing to spend time (and if you're 20 something I assume you have time!) then perhaps an E46 325i in decent shape is worth a look in? We only got 325ci coupe's locally, they're very nice cars for the money.

Thank you I really appreciate it

 

[individj]

I mean are you set on diesel and automatic? does it then also have to be a BMW? Would you say you are a car guy or a Bmw guy? Are you based in Jozi (altitude)

 

[Joshua Turner]

I mean are you set on diesel and automatic? does it then also have to be a BMW? Would you say you are a car guy or a Bmw guy? Are you based in Jozi (altitude)

No not necessarily set on diesel but automatic yes i am set on i just need a car that looks nice and I feel like it's modernish to drive and a bit quick and reliable as possible . I am based in Durban

 

[ecKARd]

Do not buy a BMW where the engine code starts with N
Never

N57?

You sure about that?

 

[Mytfine]

Your 1st bmw experience should be a fairly new low mileage example especially if its you 1st car which means you probably have zero mechanical sympathy,zero experience with rear wheel drive and zero diy knowledge. Old bmw's whilst solidly build still cost not an inconsiderable amount to keep on the road in enjoyable condition.

Buy a hatch enjoy it for a few years and then graduate up