e9* 318 are they that bad?

[Trustmeimadoctor]

so been looking to replace the run-a-round for something a bit nicer and spotted a few nice e9* cars but most of them seem to be 318's in budget unless they have no history and very shabby paintwork

it will just be used for going to the train station a few times a week and other odd journeys and maybe the occasional motorway trip if the main car is been used

really looking under 5k and after petrol just for the bit less to go wrong

I'm talking n43b20 ones

Edited by Trustmeimadoctor on Monday 4th March 18:15

[Mr Tidy]

I've never driven a 4 cylinder one as my Indy recommended 6 cylinders and preferably petrol, so I have an E90 330i.

But you ought to find plenty of early petrol 6s for less than £5K!

Mine got a tap in the rear last year and the other insurer declared it a Cat N. I couldn't get them to value it any higher than £2,240, but at least I got to keep it for less than £500.

I'd have to spend silly money to get anything noticeably better so I plan to just keep it as it drives really well.

[The Conflated Outlier]

They're junk - don't bother.

If all you need is a cheap runner, the UK is full of decent older cars for a couple of grand - 1.25 Fiesta, Yaris, Mondeo etc.

If you buy an old E90 or 1 Series you'll spend every waking hour fixing it. The four pot petrols really are landfill. Oil leaks, timing chain, injectors, whiney diff, coils - anything with the N43 is very possibly the worst secondhand car you can buy.

Avoiding anything German at this price point is a sound move. Honda/Toyota and even Ford are a better idea.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

Cheers, I was coming to that conclusion

One we spotted seemed very nice never had a failed MOT or advisory

Unfortunately list of requirements is long not french, not Japanese, no ford or vauxhall, not too old, not too small, not too big

Can have android auto fitted

[Trustmeimadoctor]

Actually it's had is chain recently replaced. Need to find out how bad it was before it was replaced

[bodhi]

If it's recently had a chain then it might be ok - I'd still try to find a 325i instead however. Generally more reliable engine, not much worse on fuel.

[I-am-the-reverend]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

I'm talking n43b20 ones

Don't even go there.

The chain is one thing, the injectors are another. £350 plus VAT.

Each......

Plus fitting and coding. Plus that bloody NoX sensor at £450 plus VAT, fitting and coding.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

I suppose it's why there are so many and so cheap

[Trustmeimadoctor]

found an interesting e92 330i just trying to get the vin and see if the injectors and fuel pump has been done, id assume they have as its been main dealer service all its life until its last one

[Court_S]

I normally avoid the four pots because they do have a really bad reputation but we bought a 116i from my in-laws and it was faultless to in the time we had it and it’d been super reliable for them over the course of 8 years plus.

You might get lucky but you might not as well…

[Mr Tidy]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

found an interesting e92 330i just trying to get the vin and see if the injectors and fuel pump has been done, id assume they have as its been main dealer service all its life until its last one

Before you do that find out if it is an N52 or N53 engine - claimed power is slightly higher for the latter and Road Tax is a band lower IIRC.

The N52 engines don't suffer from injector or fuel pump issues, which is why I specifically looked for N52s when I bought mine!

[g3org3y]

Mr Tidy said:

Trustmeimadoctor said:

found an interesting e92 330i just trying to get the vin and see if the injectors and fuel pump has been done, id assume they have as its been main dealer service all its life until its last one

Before you do that find out if it is an N52 or N53 engine - claimed power is slightly higher for the latter and Road Tax is a band lower IIRC.

The N52 engines don't suffer from injector or fuel pump issues, which is why I specifically looked for N52s when I bought mine!

Good advice.

2007 is the transition year iirc.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

It's a 2009 so it's n53

I could go 1 series as they are all n52

[Kuwahara]

Had an E91 318i for a short while as a stop gap and jesus wept it was gutless….

[culpz]

Always go for the 6-cylinder BMW engines; it's what they do best. Otherwise, I'd just look at something else entirely.

For ultimate reliability, It's probably worth going for an N52 325i or 330i; the latter is the better option, but I wouldn't overlook a decent 325. The crossover will be late 2007, but some early 57 plate cars will still have the N52. They're a bit weepy, but pretty solid and don't come with the expensive injector or HPFP problems. They're not the best on fuel either, but they are smooth and perform well.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

off to look at a e82 125i instead now

[Court_S]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

off to look at a e82 125i instead now

Cracking little cars - we wife had an E88 125i for two years.

In stock form the engine feels rather flat but they remap to 130i power really easily and it wakes them up nicely. Front brakes are easy to upgrade to 130i size rotors by swapping the brake carrier and fitting bigger discs.

[Trustmeimadoctor]

cheers BC said your the person to talk to about retrofitting nav

[Mr Tidy]

Trustmeimadoctor said:

off to look at a e82 125i instead now

That's good news - I think the E82 was the last model to still get the N52, in the UK anyway.

Hope it all goes well.

[Boobonman]

If you ever see an E9X puffing out blue smoke, it will ALWAYS be a 318/320i. Gutless and fault prone, avoid...