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Post by chipbutty on Aug 23, 2022 8:04:33 GMT
330d and 335ds were punted out on cheap lease deals (particularly 2016-2018) - from memory you could have one for not much more than the usual competitors would charge for their 4 cylinder models.
I think the 18s look great and I would personally look for one without the 19s. Similarly, I can’t get excited about HK speaker upgrades (it’s still not great by all accounts) and a wider nav screen - if I was looking at 5-6 year old used models, I’d be buying on condition and maybe looking for one of the lower spec ones at a BMW dealer with the approved warranty.
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Post by PetrolEd on Aug 23, 2022 8:26:19 GMT
Funnily enough I did Google offset driving positions and the Porsche forums are full of people complaining about the offset driving position on, particularly, 993s and RHD models.  The 993 was the last model, I guess you can call it the last proper 911, to have had the dodgy pedal position but if you think a 993 is bad try something of an earlier vintage. But to cut the 993 a bit of slack it was made nearly 30 years ago by blokes working out of a shed and Porsche were down to their last 2 Deutschmarks. |
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Post by Andy C on Aug 23, 2022 8:28:45 GMT
That 330d looks about perfect to me - no privacy glass and on 18s
I think the 18s look fine, and would only go for 19s if it had adaptive suspension
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Post by Andy C on Aug 23, 2022 8:30:08 GMT
When we looked at an f30 estate I remember sitting in a 335d in the local showroom and thinking the driving position was just about perfect thanks to the adjustability on offer . The seat was also really good . This was the auto though , can’t comment on the manual
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Post by PetrolEd on Aug 23, 2022 8:33:36 GMT
330d and 335ds were punted out on cheap lease deals (particularly 2016-2018) - from memory you could have one for not much more than the usual competitors would charge for their 4 cylinder models. I think the 18s look great and I would personally look for one without the 19s. Similarly, I can’t get excited about HK speaker upgrades (it’s still not great by all accounts) and a wider nav screen - if I was looking at 5-6 year old used models, I’d be buying on condition and maybe looking for one of the lower spec ones at a BMW dealer with the approved warranty. Deffo 18's especially if you run it on the Run flats. Deffo Auto. I know you can get a manual 340i but not sure about the diesels. The non Aluminum dash would be an advantage. We had a black wood grain that was far nicer but it was rarely specified new. We had HK but not sure how much of an upgrade it is over the normal set up. My only other issue would be lack of CarPlay but I guess you can get an audio specialist to upgrade the current system? And looking at Andys comments above the manual seats are fine if its only you driving the car. If you share the car with anyone else, even once a month its worth getting electric seats with memory. BMW manual seat controls are terrible. I remember my Dad swearing everytime he got in my mums 325i in the 1989 and they haven't improved the back rest controls since then. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Aug 23, 2022 9:01:25 GMT
I've no idea why all car manufacturers don't use the knurled wheel adjustment on seat backs - the lever option is never satisfactory.
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 23, 2022 9:08:18 GMT
That 330d looks about perfect to me - no privacy glass and on 18s I think the 18s look fine, and would only go for 19s if it had adaptive suspension Privacy glass will be added if whatever I end up getting doesn't have it! I like the 18's for their looks, as much as the (perhaps questionable) savings on tyre prices. 19's just look too big to my eyes, especially on the 3 series. When we looked at an f30 estate I remember sitting in a 335d in the local showroom and thinking the driving position was just about perfect thanks to the adjustability on offer . The seat was also really good . This was the auto though , can’t comment on the manual It's an auto I want, so that's reassuring. |
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 23, 2022 9:09:59 GMT
330d and 335ds were punted out on cheap lease deals (particularly 2016-2018) - from memory you could have one for not much more than the usual competitors would charge for their 4 cylinder models. I think the 18s look great and I would personally look for one without the 19s. Similarly, I can’t get excited about HK speaker upgrades (it’s still not great by all accounts) and a wider nav screen - if I was looking at 5-6 year old used models, I’d be buying on condition and maybe looking for one of the lower spec ones at a BMW dealer with the approved warranty. Deffo 18's especially if you run it on the Run flats. Deffo Auto. I know you can get a manual 340i but not sure about the diesels. The non Aluminum dash would be an advantage. We had a black wood grain that was far nicer but it was rarely specified new. We had HK but not sure how much of an upgrade it is over the normal set up. My only other issue would be lack of CarPlay but I guess you can get an audio specialist to upgrade the current system? And looking at Andys comments above the manual seats are fine if its only you driving the car. If you share the car with anyone else, even once a month its worth getting electric seats with memory. BMW manual seat controls are terrible. I remember my Dad swearing everytime he got in my mums 325i in the 1989 and they haven't improved the back rest controls since then. As noted, Herself does drive it now and again and the memory seats on my Optimist are a real boon in that regard. I've no idea why all car manufacturers don't use the knurled wheel adjustment on seat backs - the lever option is never satisfactory. Agreed! |
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 23, 2022 10:07:39 GMT
If your other half is at all on the shorter side, the electric seats are a must. It seems that shorter people struggle to get high enough with the manual adjustment. Electric seats are standard on a 4-series but not common on 3-series.
Also if CarPlay is a must, you need at least the next iteration of iDrive after mine. My car as a Nov 2016 build with I think iDrive 5, is not easily CarPlay compatible. The LCI cars I think are.
That said, the BMW prof nav system I have in my car is excellent and easy to use, so I couldn’t see myself using CarPlay even if we had it.
The Mini does have CarPlay, but it also has the Nav Plus Pack which is the equivalent of prof Nav, so I have only used that so far.
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 23, 2022 10:42:29 GMT
If your other half is at all on the shorter side, the electric seats are a must. It seems that shorter people struggle to get high enough with the manual adjustment. Electric seats are standard on a 4-series but not common on 3-series. Also if CarPlay is a must, you need at least the next iteration of iDrive after mine. My car as a Nov 2016 build with I think iDrive 5, is not easily CarPlay compatible. The LCI cars I think are. That said, the BMW prof nav system I have in my car is excellent and easy to use, so I couldn’t see myself using CarPlay even if we had it. The Mini does have CarPlay, but it also has the Nav Plus Pack which is the equivalent of prof Nav, so I have only used that so far. Well she's 5' 5", so 6" shorter than me! Electric seats would be a preference to be sure, but I survived 3 years of Skodaship with manual seats, so I dare say I'll manage. I have no interest (at present anyway) in using Car Play, or Android Auto with my Samsung I suppose it would be, so that's not an issue. Just need to find one relatively near, of the right age/capacity etc, and go test drive it! |
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 23, 2022 10:53:38 GMT
That should be fine. It’s more if you are below 5”3 I think.
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Post by Tim on Aug 23, 2022 12:15:51 GMT
Mrs Tim would disagree about the electric seats being better for shorties. There's no difference between the manual seats in our 320 and the electric ones in the 430.
Ref the Harman Kardon speaker upgrade there is a HUGE difference between these and the standard ones - we tested them back to back.
They may not be great but the standard setup is like a mono radio.
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 23, 2022 14:53:08 GMT
I can only go by the fact that some friends of ours were on the hunt for an estate and had ruled out a 3-series on the basis that when they tried one with manual seats, she at 5’1 couldn’t get the seating where she wanted it. Then she tried my car which has electric seats and was able to get comfortable.
My wife is 5’2 and has no issues with my car.
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Post by Grampa on Aug 23, 2022 21:33:37 GMT
On the odd occasion I drove my daughter’s old Jag, the electric seats would drive me nuts - she would have the seat where I couldn’t even get in the car, and the bloody thing moved so slowly, I would have been a mile down the road if I could have just grabbed the handle and moved the seat.
The Elgrand also has electric seats but the other drivers are mostly my sons in law so don’t have to move it too far.
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Post by Stuntman on Aug 27, 2022 15:34:06 GMT
Mrs Tim would disagree about the electric seats being better for shorties. There's no difference between the manual seats in our 320 and the electric ones in the 430. Ref the Harman Kardon speaker upgrade there is a HUGE difference between these and the standard ones - we tested them back to back. They may not be great but the standard setup is like a mono radio. I would also agree. My 2009 M3 has the Harman Kardon (Logic 7) system which was an option at the time and for a car system it's really good. I also added the Harman Kardon option to my 2003 M3 and that was really good too. So I suspect that it will also be significantly noticeable in this particular iteration of 3-series. |
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Post by bryan on Sept 2, 2022 5:52:47 GMT
Funnily enough I did Google offset driving positions and the Porsche forums are full of people complaining about the offset driving position on, particularly, 993s and RHD models. The 993 was the last model, I guess you can call it the last proper 911, to have had the dodgy pedal position but if you think a 993 is bad try something of an earlier vintage. But to cut the 993 a bit of slack it was made nearly 30 years ago by blokes working out of a shed and Porsche were down to their last 2 Deutschmarks. It's an advantage if you ask me, the passenger can help with the clutch on mine 😂 |
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Post by franki68 on Sept 5, 2022 12:45:00 GMT
Based on the 335d I had ,go for smallest wheels as ride is not great and the Hk upgrade is a huge bonus as the standard stereo was woeful .
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Sept 5, 2022 15:35:20 GMT
Based on the 335d I had ,go for smallest wheels as ride is not great and the Hk upgrade is a huge bonus as the standard stereo was woeful . If you get an XDrive, even in M Sport spec, you get the standard suspension and the ride is much better, even on the larger wheels. |
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Post by Boxer6 on Sept 5, 2022 19:19:45 GMT
Based on the 335d I had ,go for smallest wheels as ride is not great and the Hk upgrade is a huge bonus as the standard stereo was woeful . If you get an XDrive, even in M Sport spec, you get the standard suspension and the ride is much better, even on the larger wheels. Must admit I was put off XDrive by Tim's experience, but it seem the bulk of 30d and 35d 3-series I've seen have it. I do like a 4-wheel drive system I must say, but can't help being a bit wary. |
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Post by Tim on Sept 8, 2022 7:51:29 GMT
You'll be fine, just pay attention to tread depths when you're changing tyres.
I've got to be honest, mine had the fault for 18 months and (probably) 25k miles, it didn't affect performance beyond the fact that I kept away from full throttle.
The obvious sign of the issue (a very slight stuttering under full throttle, probably so slight that someone who had never driven a 320d before wouldn't notice it) actually went away for a while after the car was looked at by a BMW specialist and had the codes reset. It only reappeared months later after a particularly adventurous overtake. However, I had probably not been at full throttle for all those months.......
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Post by johnc on Sept 8, 2022 9:27:33 GMT
All the 335D's are automatic - there was no choice. The 330D came with a choice.
If you are looking for economy, the 320D/520D will still give economy well in to the 30's with round town, stop start driving. My 335D and 435D we bordering on 30mpg with the same sort of driving. On the motorway and longer journeys mid to high 40's was easily achievable and my best was exactly 50mpg with an average of exactly 70mph as I pulled in to Tebay services. A 320D would probably have been closer to 60mpg.
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Post by Tim on Sept 8, 2022 11:00:56 GMT
All the 335D's are automatic - there was no choice. The 330D came with a choice. If you are looking for economy, the 320D/520D will still give economy well in to the 30's with round town, stop start driving. My 335D and 435D we bordering on 30mpg with the same sort of driving. On the motorway and longer journeys mid to high 40's was easily achievable and my best was exactly 50mpg with an average of exactly 70mph as I pulled in to Tebay services. A 320D would probably have been closer to 60mpg. According to the OBC my average for the 320d was usually 44-45, this being the average for the accumulated mileage since a reset which was normally done when the car got serviced (I presume the battery gets disconnected for that). For the 430 it's currently reading 43.2. I can honestly say I drive the 430 harder than I did the 320 but to partially offset that I now go up to Aberdeen once a fortnight which is a 74mph (indicated) cruise due to the cameras. Any built-up areas I drive in are usually towns so fairly free flowing and the office in Dundee is only about 30 seconds (if I get all green lights) from the Tay Bridge. If I was cruising around Glasgow a lot I'd expect the averages to be a bit lower |
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Post by johnc on Sept 8, 2022 12:16:22 GMT
All the 335D's are 4WD - there was no choice. The 330D came with a choice. If you are looking for economy, the 320D/520D will still give economy well in to the 30's with round town, stop start driving. My 335D and 435D we bordering on 30mpg with the same sort of driving. On the motorway and longer journeys mid to high 40's was easily achievable and my best was exactly 50mpg with an average of exactly 70mph as I pulled in to Tebay services. A 320D would probably have been closer to 60mpg. According to the OBC my average for the 320d was usually 44-45, this being the average for the accumulated mileage since a reset which was normally done when the car got serviced (I presume the battery gets disconnected for that). For the 430 it's currently reading 43.2. I can honestly say I drive the 430 harder than I did the 320 but to partially offset that I now go up to Aberdeen once a fortnight which is a 74mph (indicated) cruise due to the cameras. Any built-up areas I drive in are usually towns so fairly free flowing and the office in Dundee is only about 30 seconds (if I get all green lights) from the Tay Bridge. If I was cruising around Glasgow a lot I'd expect the averages to be a bit lower |
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Post by Boxer6 on Sept 9, 2022 14:28:44 GMT
The averages for the Optimist have been quite poor compared to what I'd expected, struggling to get into the forties in a 'normal' week, where the mighty Skoda, complete with 4x4, managed over 40 with ease even in winter with everything electric switched on!
My mind seems to change with the weather when it comes to 3-series vs 5-series, and 20d vs 30d. Currently my favoured flavour is 530d, but again these aren't all that common in my price range and with even half-decent spec. Much better choice of both in 330d flavour, even more so if I take X-Drive versions into account. The sound system thing is a biggy though; the Kia has Harmon Kardon speakers and sounds pretty good (to me anyway).
I'm not allowing myself to rush into this, plus the Kia just passed its MOT and I need to factor in utility prices etc too. I suspect it'll be a while yet .. ..
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Post by PG on Sept 9, 2022 21:06:34 GMT
.... The sound system thing is a biggy though; the Kia has Harmon Kardon speakers and sounds pretty good (to me anyway).... I think once you've had a decent hi-fi quality system in a car, it's very hard to go back to boggo sound. But most people are such tarts. HK speakers or bigger fuck off wheels that ruin the ride? Most take the wheels every time. |
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Post by racingteatray on Sept 9, 2022 21:14:06 GMT
The long range average on my 440i over just short of 50k miles has been 32mpg, which given we live in central London is not shabby.
The Mini, which has yet to chalk up 1000 miles, is currently showing 36mpg.
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Post by Boxer6 on Apr 10, 2023 16:03:50 GMT
Bit of a time lag (to say the least!) but going to see this tomorrow after work. Mileage seems OK for the age, paintwork was unmarked from the very quick look I had last weekend, and it's equally nice inside. I have slight concerns re the price (? a tad high, and on top rate VED at the moment too) and the DVLA mentions an outstanding recall - not had time yet to check that out, anyone got any ideas about that? Anyhow, finally getting my arse in gear and looking around with a bit more intent now. Decent 530d's from what I can see are a considerable bit out of my price range for the most part, or else too old and leggy; seen a few at well over 100K on them, which is way too much for me. Fingers crossed it at least drives well tomorrow. |
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Post by racingteatray on Apr 10, 2023 19:02:47 GMT
That’ll clear the fast Lane with ease…
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Post by ChrisM on Apr 10, 2023 19:27:29 GMT
I wouldn't have a white car
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Post by Alex on Apr 10, 2023 19:35:37 GMT
Good luck with it, hope it turns out to be a good one.
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