Quote:
Originally Posted by BreakingTraction
Hello all, my first post here so please be kind 
I've located a 2008 335i with a colour combo and spec to my liking and agreed a price with the seller. The only thing preventing me from putting down a deposit is the mileage of the car at 140,xxx km.
Now I've read the buying guides and various pieces of owners advice to death and understand the various common N54 issues quite well. This car has had the injectors and water pump replaced fairly recently and the service history looks up to date otherwise. No waste-gate rattle that I could notice and presumably the car has it's factory HPFP. Many seem to think that these things would be likely to go within the next 20,000 kms but others say it's somewhat luck of the draw. Given they have lasted this long without issue, is there any reason to be concerned?
I would of course have a PPI done also prior to purchasing but it would be good to have some input before I start putting money down. I'm not naive enough to think this engine will cost nothing to run, I'm just wanting to cover my bases so that I'm not left with a nasty shock.
On the one hand, this car ticks my boxes and seems in good nick with only the possible service bills weighing on my mind. On the other, I could wait for a car with fewer km's to pop up within my budget and area or look at the 135i too which tend to be similarly priced but with less km for their age.
On a seperate note, my DIY knowledge is fairly limited but I figure I can do the basics myself such as an oil change. I have good access to some reputable independent shops if anything goes wrong so would I be alright on the maintenance side?
All help is much appreciated, cheers! |
140km is not to bad, most cars here on the forum are pushing 200,000 and running strong. Sounds like you have done your research and know something about these cars which is more then most. It is hard to give advice because not sure how much the car is being sold for. tbh for a 2008, $18K to $19K is about as much as you should pay. Lots of people asking stupid money like $25K. These cars are over 10 years old now and are simply not worth that type of coin. With that out of the way lets answer your specific questions:
mileage of the car? 140,000km is no problem if it has been well maintained. Most things that will blow up, should have already done so
Is there any reason to be concerned about the original HPFP? If its original it may last another 50,000 KM or fall over tomorrow. No real way of telling other then long cranks when starting the engine. Tbh they are not that expensive and they are easy to get to when replacing
Consider 135i too which tend to be similarly priced? Depends on if you like small or big cars. Mechanically they are pretty much the same. handling is different main because of the size difference etc. I prefer the bigger cabin of the 335i but thats just me
if anything goes wrong so would I be alright on the maintenance side? Yep should be. There are plenty of DIY guides if you want to have a go at something yourself and if not these cars are not too complicated to work on, any decent indy should be able to fix a water pump or a replace a valve cover gasket
Tbh I think the 335i and 135i are awesome cars. Affordable to buy, plenty of power, great fun to drive and lots of modding potential.
Like all aging cars, there will be things to fix and maintenance to do, the cars that constantly break down are those where the maintenance hasnt been done and people throw modifications at them and wonder why things break
Anyway good luck with your purchase, if you need any help, just shout out
