Advice with picking our 3 series wagon !

[stan4life]

Here’s the situation. We’re looking at 3 series wagon to replace our GTI.
Currently looking at two options.
2017 330xi black, red interior. M pack. Fully equipped. Unlimited KM warranty until 2025.
2014 328xi silver, black interior. M pack. Fully equipped. No warranty.
The 2017 is about 12-14k Canadian more.
I love the red interior but hate the keeping black cars clean. Silver is our favourite colour but the black interior is little boring.
Our goal is to drive these cars 25km + a year. Camp. Cottage. Road trips to nowhere.
Is the 12k worth it ? Is that bmw unlimited warranty any good.
What would you guys do... ? Any advice would be great.

[MarcoZandrini]

What company is providing the unlimited warranty. I bet it’s not BMW. I’d do research on the warranty and the company. The warranty is basically for 5 years. So, part of the cost difference is attributable to the warranty. The other part of the cost is the difference in the cars. The 330xi has the 6 cylinder engine so it’ll perform better than the 4 cylinder in the 328Xi. Btw, what are the odometer readings? What are the maintenance histories? Who is selling each car? Dealer, used car lot, private owner?

[White94RX]

As a clarification, the 2017 will also have a 4 cylinder turbo engine. The 2014 has a N20 based engine which is known for timing chain problems. The 2017 will have a B series engine, I believe its the B48 engine (or B46 if it's a SULEV). Based on that alone, I would definitely go for the 2017.

[stan4life]

That is correct, both cars have a 4cyl. They are high mileage ( 85k silver and 55k black ) cars. Both all highway miles ( from the boonies, no city ) , both cars are being sold privately with clean carproofs. The unlimited warranty is covered by Bmw Canada. It cost aprox 4k, already paid and transferable by the seller.

My debate is will the silver car cost 12k of maintenance over the next 4 years. Also, won't the black car also depreciate at a faster rate ? I won't keep the cars longer than 4 years and 60-70k miles. Another plus, is the black would be sold with a year left on the warranty.

[MauiM3Mania]

... They are high mileage ( 85k silver and 55k black ) cars. Both all highway miles ( from the boonies, no city )...

Those aren't high mileage numbers for a BMW. I'd listen to what the ASE and BMW Master Certified Technician said. And get a Pre Purchase Inspection on the car.

Good luck!

[stan4life]

We will get PPI's done on both cars. A possible faulty timing belt is def of a big concern of ours.

[Onizukachan]

Comes down to the options.
n20 issues were resolved before they came to NA, unless that’s an import car.

for me the 2017 f31 is the better buy. Especially since the tuning options and power are better, the color combo is better, and I drive is 5/6 instead of the older Non upgradeable 4.
fully loaded can mean anything from 3 option packs to 8 in these cars so make sure you are getting what you want, or not.
things like HUD /ACC are not easy to retrofit, Nor having the drivers glovebox vs drivers assist package 2 which replaces it with a big plate and 3 tiny on off buttons,