The Purple One. BMW 435d Gran Coupe
Discussion
I've been in and out of BMW's a couple of times over the last decade. My first BMW was an E90 325d which I took from 66,000 miles to 135,000 miles in just over 3 years. It never put a foot wrong in the time I owned it, and because I'm a bit weird I still stalk it's MOT history from time to time - it's still going strong today on 171k miles.
Then when I changed jobs in 2018 and dropped my mileage dramatically, I took the opportunity to run an M2 for a couple of years. I did a lot of business mileage in this time and the car was perfect for the job, understated enough in Alpine White to turn up to clients homes in, but I had a lot of fun getting there (and being paid 45p a mile to do it!).
My most recent car was a Megane RS Trophy, which was probably an even better drivers car than the M2 but you do sacrifice the interior quality and feelgood factor.
Another job change means I'm now only using the car a couple of times a week for a 50 mile commute, which the Megane is not a great car for. 30mpg and a temperamental lightweight battery meant it probably made sense to free up some money and let it go, especially as Cazoo were offering just £1,000 less than I paid for it in January 2021.
My other half has a company car we use a lot of the time, and I work from home most days, so I was comfortable going a little bit older. I started looking at very cheap 320d's with over 100k miles on them, but then a bit of budget creep kicked in. I quite fancied a 328i, a nice revvy engine with decent fuel economy for the performance on offer, but there weren't many on the market.
I then thought I should consider another 3.0 diesel, given my positive experience with the E90. Somehow, I ended up spending about a third more than I originally planned, and it's not a 3-series. Advert pics:
The mileage is still on the higher side at 94k, but it does have full BMW service history and an incredible spec list. I need to pass the VIN code to someone who can pull the spec up for me, as I'm not even sure the advert had everything listed. Below is what I know it has:
BMW Individual Purple Silk Metallic Paint
BMW Individual Extended Merino Leather Opal White
BMW Individual Piano Black Trim
Professional Navigation
Adaptive Headlights
High Beam Assist
Adaptive Suspension
Heated Seats
Heated Steering Wheel
Sunroof
Head Up Display
Harmon Kardon Stereo
Being very distinctive, it also wasn't too difficult to find some images of its past. Typing 'Purple 435d' into Google yielded this photo of it being handed over to one of its previous owners in 2017!
I had a bit of a logistical challenge to make this happen, as the Cazoo valuation on the Megane ran out on a Sunday but I needed to be in the office on Monday. The car was 200 miles away in Edinburgh, so I took a chance and left a deposit, booked a train ticket for Saturday morning and booked an appointment for the Megane to be picked up on the Sunday.
Thankfully, it was worth the 0630 train. The car is in cracking condition for 7 years/94k miles, it's clearly been very well looked after.
Some photos from the run home - I somehow sadly collected a small bird in the front air duct between Edinburgh and Newcastle, something that's never happened to me in nearly 2 decades of driving. Didn't even realise it was there until I got home.
Initial driving impressions - really fast, probably faster than the RS in a straight line. Alarmingly vague steering coming from something so sharp, but I think it's just an adjustment I need to get used to. The ride quality is unlike anything I've ever driven and the colour combination makes it feel genuinely special, I'm over the moon with my downgrade!
Then when I changed jobs in 2018 and dropped my mileage dramatically, I took the opportunity to run an M2 for a couple of years. I did a lot of business mileage in this time and the car was perfect for the job, understated enough in Alpine White to turn up to clients homes in, but I had a lot of fun getting there (and being paid 45p a mile to do it!).
My most recent car was a Megane RS Trophy, which was probably an even better drivers car than the M2 but you do sacrifice the interior quality and feelgood factor.
Another job change means I'm now only using the car a couple of times a week for a 50 mile commute, which the Megane is not a great car for. 30mpg and a temperamental lightweight battery meant it probably made sense to free up some money and let it go, especially as Cazoo were offering just £1,000 less than I paid for it in January 2021.
My other half has a company car we use a lot of the time, and I work from home most days, so I was comfortable going a little bit older. I started looking at very cheap 320d's with over 100k miles on them, but then a bit of budget creep kicked in. I quite fancied a 328i, a nice revvy engine with decent fuel economy for the performance on offer, but there weren't many on the market.
I then thought I should consider another 3.0 diesel, given my positive experience with the E90. Somehow, I ended up spending about a third more than I originally planned, and it's not a 3-series. Advert pics:
The mileage is still on the higher side at 94k, but it does have full BMW service history and an incredible spec list. I need to pass the VIN code to someone who can pull the spec up for me, as I'm not even sure the advert had everything listed. Below is what I know it has:
BMW Individual Purple Silk Metallic Paint
BMW Individual Extended Merino Leather Opal White
BMW Individual Piano Black Trim
Professional Navigation
Adaptive Headlights
High Beam Assist
Adaptive Suspension
Heated Seats
Heated Steering Wheel
Sunroof
Head Up Display
Harmon Kardon Stereo
Being very distinctive, it also wasn't too difficult to find some images of its past. Typing 'Purple 435d' into Google yielded this photo of it being handed over to one of its previous owners in 2017!
I had a bit of a logistical challenge to make this happen, as the Cazoo valuation on the Megane ran out on a Sunday but I needed to be in the office on Monday. The car was 200 miles away in Edinburgh, so I took a chance and left a deposit, booked a train ticket for Saturday morning and booked an appointment for the Megane to be picked up on the Sunday.
Thankfully, it was worth the 0630 train. The car is in cracking condition for 7 years/94k miles, it's clearly been very well looked after.
Some photos from the run home - I somehow sadly collected a small bird in the front air duct between Edinburgh and Newcastle, something that's never happened to me in nearly 2 decades of driving. Didn't even realise it was there until I got home.
Initial driving impressions - really fast, probably faster than the RS in a straight line. Alarmingly vague steering coming from something so sharp, but I think it's just an adjustment I need to get used to. The ride quality is unlike anything I've ever driven and the colour combination makes it feel genuinely special, I'm over the moon with my downgrade!
Edited by resolve10 on Tuesday 4th July 10:21
Edited by resolve10 on Tuesday 4th July 10:47
d_a_n1979 said:
Fantastic car and what a gorgeous colour 
Re the VIN; decode it on mdecoder.com - if you use Chrome, make sure you've got any adblockers switched off etc
Thanks for the tip! I think the items I've put in bold are the cost options. Would be interested if anyone has a 2015 price list and knows what each option would have cost at the time - apparently the list price new was £58k!Re the VIN; decode it on mdecoder.com - if you use Chrome, make sure you've got any adblockers switched off etc
- S337 M Sports Package
- S710 M Leather Steering Wheel
- S715 M Aerodynamics Package
- S403 Glass Roof, Electrical
- S420 Sun Protection Glazing
- S423 Floor Mats Velours
- S428 Warning Triangle And First Aid Kit
- S430 Interior/Outside Mirror With Auto Dip
- S431 Interior Mirror With Automatic-Dip
- S459 Seat Adjustment, Electric, With Memory
- S481 Sports Seat
- S494 Seat Heating Driver/Passenger
- S4DM Accent Strips, Pearl-Effect Chrome
- S609 Navigation System Professional
- S610 Head-Up Display
- S654 DAB Tuner
- S688 Harman/Kardon Surround Sound System
- S698 Area-Code 2 For DVD
- S6AC Intelligent Emergency Call
- S6AE Teleservices
- S6AK Connected Drive Services
- S6AM Real-Time Traffic Information
- S6AN Concierge Services
- S6AP Remote Services
- S6AR Internet
- S6FV Online Entertainment
- S6NS Comfort Telephony W/ Enhanced Smartphone
- S6WA Instrument Panel With Extended Scope
- S502 Headlight Cleaning System
- S508 Park Distance Control (PDC)
- S521 Rain Sensor
- S522 Xenon Light
- S524 Adaptive Headlights
- S534 Automatic Air Conditioning
- S544 Cruise Control With Brake Function
- S563 Light Package
- S575 Additional 12V Sockets
- S5AC High-Beam Assistant
- S5DA Passenger Airbag Deactivation
- S21C BMW LA Wheel, M Double Spoke Bicolor
- S230 Extra Package, EU-Speciifc
- S248 Steering Wheel Heater
- S258 Tyres With Runflat Properties
- S2NH M Sport Brake
- S2PA Locking Wheel Bolt
- S2TB Sport Automatic Gearbox
- S2VB Tyre Pressure Display
- S2VF Adaptive M Chassis
- S302 Alarm System
- S316 Automatic Trunk Lid Mechanism
- S3AG Reversing Camera
- S812 National Version England / Ireland
- S850 Dummy-SALAPA
- S853 Language Version, English
- S880 On-Board Literature, English
- S8KA Oil Service Interval 24 Mths / 30,000 Km
- S8S2 Coding, Alarm Signal
- S8S3 Automatic Locking During Starting
- S8SM Car Ident. Number Visible From Outside
- S8TG Thiefproofing Device
- S760 High Gloss Shadow Line
- S775 Headlining Anthracite
- S1CA Selection Of COP-Relevant Vehicles
- S9AA Outer Skin Protection
- SXE7 Indiv. Int.Trim Strips,Piano Paint,Black
- SA090 90 Ah AGM Battery
- SLEDE Leather Equipment
Edited by resolve10 on Tuesday 4th July 16:37
Summit_Detailing said:
A fabulous colour for it.
Nice spec too.
The silver wheels look out of place though, I think I'd get them refinished in satin grey.
Thanks, I like the wheels - the dealer had them done in BMW Star Silver. They are diamond cut from factory and the dealer said they were black when he bought it. I hate diamond cut wheels with a passion, my last two cars had them and they never age well no matter how well looked after they are. Black would be a bit gangster for this spec, but I'd have been interested to see how it looked.Nice spec too.
The silver wheels look out of place though, I think I'd get them refinished in satin grey.
Having said that, I do have black kidney grills on order. I just don't think they look right in chrome.
resolve10 said:
Summit_Detailing said:
A fabulous colour for it.
Nice spec too.
The silver wheels look out of place though, I think I'd get them refinished in satin grey.
Thanks, I like the wheels - the dealer had them done in BMW Star Silver. They are diamond cut from factory and the dealer said they were black when he bought it. I hate diamond cut wheels with a passion, my last two cars had them and they never age well no matter how well looked after they are. Black would be a bit gangster for this spec, but I'd have been interested to see how it looked.Nice spec too.
The silver wheels look out of place though, I think I'd get them refinished in satin grey.
Having said that, I do have black kidney grills on order. I just don't think they look right in chrome.
Black would have looked horrible!
resolve10 said:
d_a_n1979 said:
Fantastic car and what a gorgeous colour
Re the VIN; decode it on mdecoder.com - if you use Chrome, make sure you've got any adblockers switched off etc
Thanks for the tip! I think the items I've put in bold are the cost options. Would be interested if anyone has a 2015 price list and knows what each option would have cost at the time - apparently the cost price new was £58k!Re the VIN; decode it on mdecoder.com - if you use Chrome, make sure you've got any adblockers switched off etc
- S337 M Sports Package
- S710 M Leather Steering Wheel
- S715 M Aerodynamics Package
- S403 Glass Roof, Electrical
- S420 Sun Protection Glazing
- S423 Floor Mats Velours
- S428 Warning Triangle And First Aid Kit
- S430 Interior/Outside Mirror With Auto Dip
- S431 Interior Mirror With Automatic-Dip
- S459 Seat Adjustment, Electric, With Memory
- S481 Sports Seat
- S494 Seat Heating Driver/Passenger
- S4DM Accent Strips, Pearl-Effect Chrome
- S609 Navigation System Professional
- S610 Head-Up Display
- S654 DAB Tuner
- S688 Harman/Kardon Surround Sound System
- S698 Area-Code 2 For DVD
- S6AC Intelligent Emergency Call
- S6AE Teleservices
- S6AK Connected Drive Services
- S6AM Real-Time Traffic Information
- S6AN Concierge Services
- S6AP Remote Services
- S6AR Internet
- S6FV Online Entertainment
- S6NS Comfort Telephony W/ Enhanced Smartphone
- S6WA Instrument Panel With Extended Scope
- S502 Headlight Cleaning System
- S508 Park Distance Control (PDC)
- S521 Rain Sensor
- S522 Xenon Light
- S524 Adaptive Headlights
- S534 Automatic Air Conditioning
- S544 Cruise Control With Brake Function
- S563 Light Package
- S575 Additional 12V Sockets
- S5AC High-Beam Assistant
- S5DA Passenger Airbag Deactivation
- S21C BMW LA Wheel, M Double Spoke Bicolor
- S230 Extra Package, EU-Speciifc
- S248 Steering Wheel Heater
- S258 Tyres With Runflat Properties
- S2NH M Sport Brake
- S2PA Locking Wheel Bolt
- S2TB Sport Automatic Gearbox
- S2VB Tyre Pressure Display
- S2VF Adaptive M Chassis
- S302 Alarm System
- S316 Automatic Trunk Lid Mechanism
- S3AG Reversing Camera
- S812 National Version England / Ireland
- S850 Dummy-SALAPA
- S853 Language Version, English
- S880 On-Board Literature, English
- S8KA Oil Service Interval 24 Mths / 30,000 Km
- S8S2 Coding, Alarm Signal
- S8S3 Automatic Locking During Starting
- S8SM Car Ident. Number Visible From Outside
- S8TG Thiefproofing Device
- S760 High Gloss Shadow Line
- S775 Headlining Anthracite
- S1CA Selection Of COP-Relevant Vehicles
- S9AA Outer Skin Protection
- SXE7 Indiv. Int.Trim Strips,Piano Paint,Black
- SA090 90 Ah AGM Battery
- SLEDE Leather Equipment
d_a_n1979 said:
resolve10 said:
Summit_Detailing said:
A fabulous colour for it.
Nice spec too.
The silver wheels look out of place though, I think I'd get them refinished in satin grey.
Thanks, I like the wheels - the dealer had them done in BMW Star Silver. They are diamond cut from factory and the dealer said they were black when he bought it. I hate diamond cut wheels with a passion, my last two cars had them and they never age well no matter how well looked after they are. Black would be a bit gangster for this spec, but I'd have been interested to see how it looked.Nice spec too.
The silver wheels look out of place though, I think I'd get them refinished in satin grey.
Having said that, I do have black kidney grills on order. I just don't think they look right in chrome.
Black would have looked horrible!
It is such a lovely spec and colour combo I reckon.
Nice car and I love the colour. I think I looked at this on auto trader when it was for sale? Would like to hear your thoughts how you get on with it. I like the 4gc shape.
I don’t need the power in a daily and I’m not sure if I need 4wd. Although the 4wd arguably makes it more useable as a daily. I also prefer the silver wheels. Enjoy op!
I don’t need the power in a daily and I’m not sure if I need 4wd. Although the 4wd arguably makes it more useable as a daily. I also prefer the silver wheels. Enjoy op!
keo said:
I don’t need the power in a daily and I’m not sure if I need 4wd. Although the 4wd arguably makes it more useable as a daily. I also prefer the silver wheels. Enjoy op!
I've done around 300 miles in it now and to be honest, it feels like any other RWD BMW I've driven. You wouldn't know it was AWD unless you launched it, but it has been 20+ degrees every day since I've had it so maybe I will notice it more in the rain/cold.First wash tonight. Pretty smitten with it. Couple of chips on the BMW badge on the bonnet has got me thinking about replacing it (and the rear & centre caps) with the M 50th anniversary badges, but can't decide if that's a bit naff on a car made in the 44th year?!
resolve10 said:
Thanks for the tip! I think the items I've put in bold are the cost options. Would be interested if anyone has a 2015 price list and knows what each option would have cost at the time - apparently the list price new was £58k!
2014 but going to be close enough.https://www.bmwbrochures.co.uk/0114/BMW_4S_Coupe%C...
I make it £5215 of extras.
- S403 Glass Roof, Electrical £895
- S420 Sun Protection Glazing £460 Comfort Package
- S423 Floor Mats Velours
- S428 Warning Triangle And First Aid Kit
- S430 Interior/Outside Mirror With Auto Dip
- S431 Interior Mirror With Automatic-Dip
- S459 Seat Adjustment, Electric, With Memory Comfort Package
- S481 Sports Seat
- S494 Seat Heating Driver/Passenger Std
- S4DM Accent Strips, Pearl-Effect Chrome
- S609 Navigation System Professional £1000 Pro Media Package
- S610 Head-Up Display £825
- S654 DAB Tuner
- S688 Harman/Kardon Surround Sound System £675
- S698 Area-Code 2 For DVD
- S6AC Intelligent Emergency Call
- S6AE Teleservices
- S6AK Connected Drive Services
- S6AM Real-Time Traffic Information
- S6AN Concierge Services
- S6AP Remote Services
- S6AR Internet
- S6FV Online Entertainment
- S6NS Comfort Telephony W/ Enhanced Smartphone
- S6WA Instrument Panel With Extended Scope
- S502 Headlight Cleaning System
- S508 Park Distance Control (PDC)
- S521 Rain Sensor
- S522 Xenon Light
- S524 Adaptive Headlights £360
- S534 Automatic Air Conditioning
- S544 Cruise Control With Brake Function
- S563 Light Package
- S575 Additional 12V Sockets
- S5AC High-Beam Assistant inc Adaptive Headlights
- S5DA Passenger Airbag Deactivation
- S21C BMW LA Wheel, M Double Spoke Bicolor
- S230 Extra Package, EU-Speciifc
- S248 Steering Wheel Heater £155
- S258 Tyres With Runflat Properties
- S2NH M Sport Brake
- S2PA Locking Wheel Bolt
- S2TB Sport Automatic Gearbox
- S2VB Tyre Pressure Display
- S2VF Adaptive M Chassis £515
- S302 Alarm System
- S316 Automatic Trunk Lid Mechanism
- S3AG Reversing Camera £330
- S812 National Version England / Ireland
- S850 Dummy-SALAPA
- S853 Language Version, English
- S880 On-Board Literature, English
- S8KA Oil Service Interval 24 Mths / 30,000 Km
- S8S2 Coding, Alarm Signal
- S8S3 Automatic Locking During Starting
- S8SM Car Ident. Number Visible From Outside
- S8TG Thiefproofing Device
- S760 High Gloss Shadow Line
- S775 Headlining Anthracite
- S1CA Selection Of COP-Relevant Vehicles
- S9AA Outer Skin Protection
- SXE7 Indiv. Int.Trim Strips,Piano Paint,Black
- SA090 90 Ah AGM Battery
- SLEDE Leather Equipment
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff