Looking to buy a 320-328

[Crispin38]

Hello,
My wife and I are currently interested in buying a used 320i or 328i xdrive.
It would be our first BMW. I wanted to know if there was anything I should check for before buying or if there was anything at all I should be aware of before buying one.
I would also be interested in a 335i if I could find one I could afford.
I am a technician and can handle most drivetrain and undercar issues, but have limited electrical-diag-drivability experience.
Thanks,
-Crispin

[mbanks21]

F30post.com is a much more active f30 forum FYI

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[floydr]

Hello,
My wife and I are currently interested in buying a used 320i or 328i xdrive.
It would be our first BMW. I wanted to know if there was anything I should check for before buying or if there was anything at all I should be aware of before buying one.

Various years have had problems with the vacuum pump (recalled, so probably ok), valvetronic positioning motor (easy to fix), and xDrive positioning motor. Some more recent cars have had the transfer case fail, for whatever reason. Be sure to check the front driveshaft CVJ boots. You will need a BMW-specific OBD code reader (Torque for Android, Bavarian Technic, INPA, etc.)

They're pretty good cars, in general. Some people don't like the steering feel, and some hate the RFT tires. As mentioned, f30post has many more posts, bimmerfest also is very active.

You might also want to consider a 328xd - not as quick/fast, but mileage to die for. The 328d has the same basic trim level as the 328i; the 320i comes with less standard goodies.