[DaNkKnD]

Hello All,

I'm planning on buying my first BMW and I'd like to tap into everyone's experience to help guide my purchase decision.

I'm looking for a CPO 3 series no older than 2009 with no more than 50,000KM. I have around $35k to spend.

At the dealerships in my area I have a couple options:

1) I can go for a 2011 323i Luxury Edition with ~20,000KM. BMW has a special promotion where they'll convert the 2 year CPO warranty to the full new car warranty ONLY for 2011 models. This means my car will be warrantied until approx. 2017 (depending on in service date). I’m basically getting a brand new car with peace of mind. The only downside is it’s a 323i and only comes in automatic (yeah I know, I’d prefer manual) (for the luxury edition). FYI Luxury edition includes sunroof, heated/electric seats, 17inch rims, Bluetooth, etc…

2) Alternatively, I can purchase a 2009/2010 328i with ~30-40,000KM. There will roughly be only 1 year left on the new car warranty before the 2 year CPO warranty will kick in. The car will be older and will have more wear and tear but will have the power I’m looking for and extras like leather seats, etc…

This being my first BMW purchase I really want to do this right, I’m interested in the CPO series because I don’t want to worry about costly repairs down the road. Plus I have a feeling that when I sell it in about 4 years, if the car still has a year warranty left, it will greatly increase its value.

What would you guys do/recommend? What you go the safe route or go straight for the performance?

Thanks in advance!

[aaronding]

option 2

[kw515]

You will be disappointed with the performance of the 323

[mad villain]

328 for sure

[pHo_e92]

I would recommend going to see both cars in person and taking both for a test drive. Then you can narrow down your choice. If your still iffy about both then keep searching, it took me almost a year to look for my car because i wanted certain options/packages that most cars did not have.

[bobblehead]

323 is like a 'European Honda Civc'... cheap interior plastic finish ... I would think a real Honda Civc Si would beat the crap out of the 323 in road performance.


For $35K, I would think you can pick up a 1 year old 328xi ... my friend picked up a dealer demo 2011 328xi Exec package + Auto out in Vancouver for $36K + taxes back in December 2011.

[silvermist99]

Originally Posted by kw515

You will be disappointed with the performance of the 323

should be fine, my 335 have probably close to double the power and I don't find 323 slow.

a genesis 2.0T 6MT thought he can take me in the 323 the other day... he was so wrong when I slowly walked away

That being said I'll probably go with option B. The 328i, automatic climate control + rear vents, more power & hopefully dakota leather.

Originally Posted by kw515

323 is like a 'European Honda Civc'... cheap interior plastic finish ... I would think a real Honda Civc Si would beat the crap out of the 323 in road performance.

Other than the leathette vs dakota leather & climate control buttons, my 323 & 335's interior is almost indentical. If the trims aren't different I won't even know which one I'm sitting in until I put it in gear.

I've driven the Si, they're pretty similar in straight line accleration when going all out launching at high rpm. Their powerband is similar, nothing low end and pulls quick near redline.

[dtea604]

328i forsure, 323 in my opinion its like buying the name you get the shell with out the gut if that makes any sense.

[Zebra99]

Originally Posted by silvermist99

should be fine, my 335 have probably close to double the power and I don't find 323 slow.

a genesis 2.0T 6MT thought he can take me in the 323 the other day... he was so wrong when I slowly walked away

That being said I'll probably go with option B. The 328i, automatic climate control + rear vents, more power & hopefully dakota leather.

Other than the leathette vs dakota leather & climate control buttons, my 323 & 335's interior is almost indentical. If the trims aren't different I won't even know which one I'm sitting in until I put it in gear.

I've driven the Si, they're pretty similar in straight line accleration when going all out launching at high rpm. Their powerband is similar, nothing low end and pulls quick near redline.

Are you trying to tell me you beat a 2.0 GT Genesis in your 323?

[silvermist99]

Originally Posted by Zebra99

Are you trying to tell me you beat a 2.0 GT Genesis in your 323?

no not to you. Telling kw515 the 323 is not slow.

[PepE92M3]

Option 2

[ELITE_TRAYUNZE]

LMFAO!! There is no way a 323 is faster than a 2.0 GT Genesis.................LOLLLL

[marcvtec]

Add another 5 k and try to buy a 335 , you ll be happy with that

[marcvtec]

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/pv/Used/...%2c10%2c9&st=1

There is a 2008 335 with 65km selling for 28000

[Zebra99]

If one of the factors you're looking at is performance, then by all means forget everything and get a 335i.

Get a 328 and you'll regret it. No offense to the 328 guys, but we all know there are obvious power restrictions/differences.

If your main concern is SOME power and more looks/low maintenance then the 328 is perfect for you.

When I was looking at my vert. I had the opportunity to save $4k by getting it in 328i version....I thank god today I didn't try to be stingy. The 300hp/300trq is worth ever penny. And with $1000 you can easily push 400hp/400trq.

Just my $0.02

[Zebra99]

Originally Posted by silvermist99

no not to you. Telling kw515 the 323 is not slow.

Lol okay, cuz I was gonna say a GT Genesis would easily walk a 328 due to weight and lower end torque.

[johndeere]

I'd think that for $35K u should be able to get a CPO 335.

Also, are you looking for a sedan or coupe?

[johndeere]

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/BMW/3%20...0463115941747/

Slightly higher km than what you're looking for but it's a 2010.

[m42stanle]

Originally Posted by DaNkKnD

Hello All,

What would you guys do/recommend? What you go the safe route or go straight for the performance?

Thanks in advance!

I drove LCI 328i and 323i in both 6MT and auto before making a decision and ended up going with a new 323i in 6MT. The situation may be a little different today (you are looking at CPO versions of both cars) but in terms of non-performance considerations (warranty, total cost of ownership over 4-6 yrs) the 323i seemed to be the better choice vs. a CPO 328i even though the former was a brand new car. CPO prices for E90 are kind of insane in the GTA (all of Canada really) relative to black book retail/trade-in values and the 323i was being pretty heavily discounted (this was end of 2010). The new car factor as well as the ability to take advantage of the (new for 2011) BMW factory extended warranty down the road if I wanted was also a plus.

In terms of performance, this will depend on whether you can find the car you want in 6MT, and to a lesser extent whether you are considering the 328i or xi. I would if possible stay away from a 323i or a 328i in auto. Neither version of the N52 is known as a low end torque monster, so the car will be pretty much neutered by an auto transmission. The ability to feather the clutch and keep revs high in either the N52B25 or B30 makes a huge difference in how these cars feel around the city in stop-and-go driving.

Also keep in mind that most 328 in Canada are xi, and 328xi and 323i are roughly equivalent in terms of straight line acceleration as the AWD drivetrain components fatten the car up considerably. This lack of RWD inventory was frustrating as the only option I had for 328i was going to be a custom order which would have meant a price difference of > $10k (taking all incentives & discounts at the time into consideration) so I imagine the situation is the same today with 2-3 yr old CPO inventory.

Neither of these cars is a stop light drag racer so if you are still at the point in your life where racing students in their Hyundais and Civics is important to you, I would maybe reconsider your options. (or at least save up a bit more and go with a 335i)

The lux edition 323i is pretty well equipped by BMW standards: power seats, heated steering wheel, bluetooth/ipod integration, etc and 99.9% of people will not be able to tell the difference between the interior or exterior of a base 328i and 323i. (Not sure where the "cheap interior" comments are coming from - I have a colleague with a 2010 LCI 6MT 328xi and without exaggeration the two interiors are pretty much indistinguishable down to every button on the dash, save for a "hill descent control" button in the 328xi) However there are a couple of things I do miss: the stereo is ok but not great, there is no available sport package so no sport seats/sport steering wheel, and no available factory nav/idrive.

Good luck with your search!

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by marcvtec

Add another 5 k and try to buy a 335 , you ll be happy with that

+1

I'm not sure if you're looking for more power etc. but make sure to do an analysis on how much more it would cost you to buy a 335 instead and if you have the budget for it. I went with 328 for budget issue but if I would have visited these forums before, I would probably have ended up with a 335. With that said, I love the 328 as well.

[Armito]

I would buy this 335 coupe below. I personally know the owner and the KM's are mostly highway. I can also guarantee that the car was never tuned or abused and it has warranty until 160K.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=669587

[silvermist99]

one thing I forgot to mention is, imo the 323i is pretty bad on gas for the 200hp you're getting, especially if you're keeping revs up.

and for the genesis thing, these car's power to weight ratio is very close. 3400lb 210hp vs 3300lb 200hp, civic SI is probably high 2000 lb & 200hp, they're all close in a dragrace. Their 2.0T powerband is triangle shaped and falls off flat in the higher range, the 323 pulls to/past redline.