Thinking about buying 2009 32i8xi for my daughter

[1215]

Car appears to be a very good deal through a friend of a friend. Seller has a new 3-series on order and is willing to sell for the (low ball) offer the stealership is willing to pay for trade in. It's a 2009 328xi (automatic) with 80k miles. (he will sell for $6k) I've met the seller a few times at parties and social events. He might be more anal/OCD than I am. Everything always serviced at the stealership, maintenance always on time and having seen the vehicle; the car is in great condition.


The newest BMW I've wrenched on is an e36. My X5's have all been company leases. I own a bunch of older BMWs (cars & bikes) and have no problem working on them. What am I getting myself into with a car like this? What do I need to worry about? Suspension? Cooling? Any preventative maintenance I should perform before she takes it to school? Is this something I can buy and she can literally start driving day one? Thanks.


edit: fixed typo in title

[Pelican Parts]

Sounds like a great deal. Maybe get a PPI done for piece of mind? Based on your description, car sounds like it's ready to hit the road day 1. Post some photos of it as well!

[1215]

Sounds like a great deal. Maybe get a PPI done for piece of mind? Based on your description, car sounds like it's ready to hit the road day 1. Post some photos of it as well!

Thanks. I have a lift I can throw it up on and check for the obvious things. I've read about lifter ticking too. What I'm asking is, for example, if I were to buy any e36 the first thing I'd do is the expansion tank because they are ticking time bombs. Are there any items like that on the e90's? While it's great this car has always been dealer serviced, I know that also means that it probably still has its "lifetime" fluids. I want to go through the car before she takes it. I'd rather have it be a problem in my driveway than a problem 4 hours away. I've looked a decent amount and can't find many issues with the n52b30 motors. Plenty of 335/n54 owners complain but not many 328 owners (that I could find). Thanks again.

[gerry1000]

Put 44k on an 07 328xi as a business car ( stick shift)

Comfortable and reliable for me

[Rooster man]

Check the oil and trans fluid- you are good to go- very safe car - easy to drive because of great handling

[1215]

Bumping this back up. I drove the car and it is fine. Owner has done zero to the vehicle personally. This is the type of anal/OCD person who puts gas and washer fluid in only. Everything else is done by the dealer. He has every receipt, all paperwork, records, etc. Everything. What should I look for on the car? I don't mind buying an older car with some miles. Just want to know what I'm up against. Would rather know what it needs than get a surprise. Thanks.

[tpknet]

This is a very nice car but be aware that there are certain problems with this model that can be devastating to the wallet to repair. I right now have a 328xi up on jacks in the garage with the whole bottom of the car torn off, the engine being supported from above by a bar because the bottom subframe is off and both front wheels with suspension are off.

Why you might ask.... all because I put the "wrong" oil filter in. The o-ring leaked which drips directly on the accessory belt below it. The belt started slipping off. the crankshaft got ahold of the kevlar in the belt and wound itself up so tightly on the tiny amount of space between the crankshaft pully and the engine it pushed its way inside past the front main seal. Almost by design if you look at it the belt strands then get funneled into the timing chain gear on the crank. It pulled a lot of the belt inside chewed it up and clogged the oil intake.

Anyhow, Nice car if you take care of it meticulously and make sure that ONLY a dealer or one of two other oil filters are used. Make damn sure the accessory belt is in good shape and dry always and make sure the idler pulley gets replace immediately if you suspect it isn't in perfect shape.

Some other things to be aware of is the cost of repairs to the Vanos system and the electrical valve timing system as well. The cam position sensor alone is about $300, the Vanos parts aren't cheap, the electrical (yup electric) water pump is $500.

The front drive shaft goes through the oil pan so a dripping seal or oil pan gasket is a huge repair.

I wouldn't own one again unless it was under warranty and I work on them myself but that is me. To each his own just do your research before you jump on a "great deal" like I did. There is a reason these cars are so cheap compared to what they originally sold for.

[legoman67]

The belt issue is known and well it does happen its not super common. The best way to avoid it is to replace your belts and tensioner every 60k. And to visually inspect them every oil change.

All N5X motors were susceptible to this problem

[zohaibrose]

Be ready to do a water pump starter and eccentric shaft sensor, once you get those done and belts,fluids replaced your good, otherwise you or the dealer has work to do