D3 tourer 2007

[dave walmsley]

Well, it's now a year since I sold my B10 #55 which I enjoyed so much during our 16k miles together over 8 months or so and i've decided it's time to now start looking for a D3 tourer- obviously nothing like the B10 but the economy/versatility sounds good to me with the sort of mileage I do.
Intriguingly an example has just become available only a couple of miles from home with less than 30k on the clock , 1 owner with full history etc etc and I'm hoping to try it out at the weekend.
Whilst I would really like a tiptronic with softline(?) wheels this one is a 6 speed manual with dynamic(?) wheels and beggars can't be choosers. I've heard that there have been occasional clutch problems with these cars and wonder if this is the case and are there any other problems I should look out for (apart from the cost of the tyres.....)
Presumably a 2007 will be a single turbo ? Do these have a dpf ? I was lucky enough to get one of these swapped under warranty on my current car and was amazed at how much they would cost- maybe a big issue in a few years time!
Any help would be much appreciated
Thanks

[PATAKET]

I would think the chances of finding a MT Touring with Switchtronic are slim. 2007 model will be MT although there is a trader selling this 2006 one under the misapprehension it's a BT:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-3-SERIES-ALPI ... 981wt_1139

They all have DPF. DPFs usually only cause a problem if you do a lot of town work. From your post I'm guessing this won't be a concern! There have been instances of clutch problems, IIRC this has been a rear seal problem. My D3 does very little town work and mainly long trips. The DPF is fine and I have only very occasional clutch judder which is always within the first couple of miles when the vehicle (engine) is cold. I have a theory about this. When you go to view the vehicle, assuming the engine is cold, ask the seller to raise the bonnet before the engine is started. As the engine idles from cold you will see it shakes alarmingly on its mountings. Take it for a nice long test drive and when you get back, open the bonnet with the engine idling and you will see it's stopped jumping about on the mountings. Source of clutch judder?......maybe.

Some on here have experienced problems with buckled / dented wheels (Dynamic or Classic-with-locking-centrecaps) due to hitting potholes. New wheels are £525-ish (each) inc vat from bmminiparts

Any other potential problems would be common to E9x with the obvious exceptions of things like rear silencer, front spoiler, the hybrid turbo...

I reckon a sub-30,000 miler is well worth a look at the right price. Colour?

PÃ¥ Taket

[dave walmsley]

Thanks for the advice- really helpful.
The colour of the one I was going to look at is Montego(?) blue but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the car has sold! Will keep looking though as there seems to be a few more estates coming available now
Thanks again
Dave

[ade and liz flint]

Thanks for the advice- really helpful.
The colour of the one I was going to look at is Montego(?) blue but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the car has sold! Will keep looking though as there seems to be a few more estates coming available now
Thanks again
Dave

Was it this one?

http://www.sytnernewportbmw.co.uk/usedb ... 0X0K020217

[dave walmsley]

That one looks nice and has the preferred(for me) classic wheels or whatever they are called. The actual one wasthis one with dynamics but, sadly, already sold!
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p
Will keep looking as there seems to be a few more becoming available now
Cheers

[ade and liz flint]

That WAS a nice one. Good luck with the hunt!

[Eviltad]

Is there anything else a newbie should look out for when viewing a D3 MT?

I've decided that its practical to get a D3 MT as its the best mix of sensible and sporting. I've emailed a chap about Car 488, which is on the register and is for sale on Pistonheads.

Spec looks good but what indicators of a well looked after car should I look for? We have been bitten before with Private Sales and been fooled to think that a clean car was looked after when underneath all was rotten.

[Evoman]

Hi

I would recommend going by the usual checks for any second hand car, I don't mean to sound unhelpful, but there are the standard things to run through with any potential car purchase.

I have heard or read and it may have been on here or elsewhere, a potential buyer being put off by cars in what was described as terrible condition - these 'terrible' things turned out to be peeling off Alpina stickers in the engine bay and Alpina front logo in not great condition - these things do happen, doesn't mean it is a'bad' car!

Generally I go by current condition, mechanical taking precendence over cosmetic. A good clean inside and out, perhaps a full clay bar treatment and a polish and some use of detailing products may be all that is needed to get the car to a condition you are happy with.

The bigger questions to me are, mechanically does it/will it need much spending soon? Brake pads/discs, next due service, what is required on the next service. And the potentially concerning question of DPF and life expectancy.

I was worried from reading on the forum recently about DPF and life expectancy and I have to confess I didn't check this before buying. I would strongly recommend you do. I was pleased to find my car OBC states 120000miles for the DPF and the car has just clicked past 50K miles. I will now monitor how this changes, but suffice to say my car does next to zero town driving which is perhaps reflected in this range for the DPF and perhaps the fact that maybe my driving style suits a longer life expectancy of the DPF though I do average between 43 and 49mpg depending on journey.

How to access the menu to check DPF life:

Using the left hand stalk flick the toggle switch up repeatedly through various menus until you see 'Service Info'. Then press the BC button, now use the toggle up switch until you see the symbol of what resembles an exhaust with a filter and the word 'Diesel' above. It is the very last display amongst the various service items (note, the same symbol appears with a fan symbol on the top left - this is the micro-filter, not the DPF).

Cheers

Rich

Edit: that looks like a nice car no. 488, why not ask the seller what the DPF longevity is showing on the OBC?