Service intervals and warranty questions for 330ci

[Justhe1]

Quick question - have been looking for an M3, but a 330 ci has come up at a bargain price (I think, just under £19k), so may buy this until the summer, anyway went to view yesteday and have a couple of questions..

1) It's an "52" plate 2003 car, and the current owner (from new) took the 2 year warranty, so apparantly this runs out in March, how much is this top extend for another year? - he reckons about £500.00

2) It has done 17k miles and he says it is due a service, when I asked how much he said nothing, as the warranty covers the cost - this sounds wrong, could it be that he hasn't had it serviced yet and doesn't know, and if so should it have been serviced by now?

What are the correct service intervals for one of these?!

Finally, its been on a private plate from new, does this mean that it hasn't had an actual "52" reg assigned to it yet? The owner is emigrating, and hence isn't fussed about selling the plate with the car, just not sure how that works - is the reg then yous to sell on?

Sorry for all the questions, its just that i need to decide today...!

Thanks

Justin

[sacha]

on most of them now, the onboard computer works it out, usually its around the 15k, if he hasnt had it serviced at all, i would wonder, as i am sure they should have a yearly service, if im wrong, its good news as i never got any of my BMW to 15k, as the more you push them, the sooner they need the service.

[Vee]

For someone who's owned it from new he doesn't seem to know too much.
U nless he pays extra for a maintenance contract servicing is NOT free. If anything other than normal consumables is needed, that will be covered under warranty.
At 2 years old the car will need an Inspection 1 - ring around dealers for prices as they vary quite a bit.

Also, these cars normally come with a 3 year warranty so this one must be an import.

Make sure you check it out very carefully.
Call the dealer who serviced it last and check that everything is in order.

Finally, what spec is it ?

£19k might not be as big a bargain as you think . .

[Justhe1]

Thanks for the replies guys,

I must admit, there are a few things that don't sit with me 100% - the front of the car has def been resprayed, when I asked about this he said it was to get rid of stone chips (on a 17k car?)

He also said that when buying it he had the option of a 2 or 3 yr warranty, so he took the cheaper 2 yr??

He also reckoned that it had been services "2 or 3 times" already...

Hmm, maybe I shall dig a bit further.....

[douglasr]

Justhe1 said:

Thanks for the replies guys, I must admit, there are a few things that don't sit with me 100% - the front of the car has def been resprayed, when I asked about this he said it was to get rid of stone chips (on a 17k car?) He also said that when buying it he had the option of a 2 or 3 yr warranty, so he took the cheaper 2 yr?? He also reckoned that it had been services "2 or 3 times" already... Hmm, maybe I shall dig a bit further.....

Dig deep. Sounds very very dodgy (i.e. potentially stolen or written off maybe).

[ScoobyZoom]

There is no option to have a 2 or 3 yr option for the warranty. The car is an Import. The top up for the 3rd year would be £700 ish and you wouldn't get any roadside assistance IIRC.


Also the service intervals are 15000 miles depending on how its driven. If its 2 yrs old and done 17k it will be over due. If it is used regularly and do a lot of motorway miles you may get 17k before its due.

The first service is an oil service and about £150. No big deal.

The plate, if he leaves it on, is indeed yours.

All things considered, if its had a poor respray on the front (all cars have had paint but when its a crap job it affects the value), its an import, its due a service and could no doubt use some tyres any time soon... it is by no means cheap... Run away.

[baz1985]

offer him £17k max then after all work and warranty extension it'll be a good deal. It's a buyers market especially this time of year. Ring up all private ones on the trader find a desperate seller and you'll end up with a bargain.

Baz