2006 330xi, 140K
2006 325xi, 115K
All -
Recently sold my 06 325xi. I have a choice between two cars, having looked at probably 20.
The first is a 2006 330xi. It's at a BMW dealer, one owner, has extensive maintenance records, and has been through their shop. The shop replaced the oil pan gasket, the oil filter housing gasket, and the usual through the shop stuff - oil, oil filter, air filter, cabin filter, etc. It's in pretty good shape - the usual wear on the inside. Monaco blue, gray interior. My only hesitation is that it has 140k miles.
Option 2: A 2006 325xi. It's a private party sale, with limited maintenance history. Owner says she had the water pump/thermostat replaced via a service contract, oil and oil filter recently done, etc. Silver with black interior. 115K miles, but it has E46 wheels, which obviously have the wrong offset. Also, the AC doesn't blow as cold as it should. Also in pretty good shape.
The 330xi would be about $800 less, after accounting for tax, etc. I talked to my usual independent shop, AutoSport Werks, and they said there isn't much to choose from between the cars. I'm inclined to the 330xi simply because it has a much more convincing service history, but the mileage advantage of the 325xi keeps nagging at me. I don't care about the color or the power differential - I've had all the adrenaline shots I need in Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
In my experience, one owner cars with records require much less maintenance. 140k is getting up there, but the car should run twice that. I've been told to "buy the car, not the mileage," and there is a certain merit to that. There are minor concerns with both cars. If the shop had to tackle all the gaskets on the 330xi, I might be a little concerned about deferred maintenance. Likewise the 325xi with mediocre A/C might have the dreaded evaporator leak.
I would lean towards the 330xi because of the service history and the single owner. Both cars should have very nice driving dynamics, though I expect the power bump of the 330xi might go nicely with the AWD.
I often end up driving a couple hours for a used car. Sometimes you can get a great deal if you don't mind the distance.
Last edited by RocketSurgeon; 08-12-2017 at 01:20 PM.
I'd go with the 330 for all the reasons Rickey mentioned.
Thanks - got the 330xi today. Drives well, and needs nothing. Hallelujah!
Good deal. Hope you enjoy it. All you sure that it needs nothing? Is that pursuant to an inspection or are you assuming because no lights are on?
Well, it's entirely possible that your 325 had a bad eccentric shaft sensor or something and you didn't know it because no light came on.
Congrats. The 330s are nice.
It should. I only mentioned it because I picked up like 3 mpg after changing mine. No light but showed up on a scan done with a bmw specific scanner.
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