Quote:
Originally Posted by kiwie91
Hello,
I am looking to buy a e91 325i. Ive found one, thats within my budget, so ive got some money left for maintenance/repairs. Its a 2008 325i m sport touring with idrive, sunroof and has 99,000 miles. Is it a bad idea to buy one with this mileage? Its in very good condition, only 1 tiny scratch to paintwork and interior is very good too. Idrive works and it drives nicely. Should i do it?
Will be mainly used for driving to and from work as well as lots of short weekend trips on open/country roads. Really want one as i like the looks and heard that the 325i seems to be pretty reliable.
Thanks
Elias
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At 160k km it's right at the threshold of where things start to go wrong. That's not to say it won't run for a little while without issue, but eventually things will need attention. Fortunately for the 325i it has the N52 engine, so the things that go wrong are not catastrophic or particularly expensive if you can take care of them yourself.
These cars will last to 500k miles with wear and tear maintenance. With BMW's the wear and tear is a bit more than just rotors/pads/engine oil.
For the N52 you have the oil filter housing gasket and potentially Valve cover gasket and valvetronic system (valvetronic motor and/or eccentric shaft sensor). Then there is the water pump and thermostat. Vanos solenoids sometimes go as well.
See these threads:
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1345967
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1251458
I've had to deal with airbag faults, a dead adaptive headlight module, corroded AC line, door lock actuator, window regulator, and there's more. Almost all of it i've done myself. These cars are quite needy when they are older and have high mileage but replacement parts are available and the knowledge base of design and repair is essentially infinite. I would buy another e90 in a heartbeat.
Every time you go to the dealer they will find broken things on the car and you will be walking out of there $500 poorer each time. Find a good independent mechanic who can take care of the bigger things (AC, wheel bearings, etc) and do the rest yourself and you'll be fine.