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      08-14-2018, 05:58 PM   #1
spazzyfry123
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F31 Purchase?

Hello all. New to the F3x world, but certainly not new to Bimmers. Spec E30 sold not too long ago and an E90 M3 in the garage currently. We typically carpool in our 2001 Jeep Cherokee up until recently when I have been needing to stay late with work. This has turned into me driving the M3 (not complaining!) and her in the Jeep. It has been working fine until I had a bit of an eye opener today when the Jeep totally died on her on the way in with no symptoms leading up to it with perfect maintenance short of tires and brakes on the horizon. Thankfully (!!) it was just a couple miles from work and not on the highway going 70+mph on her commute where she would have lost power brakes and steering. We got the Jeep back home after I turned around and figured a few things out, but it has me concerned with an old vehicle and her safety. We have been talking for a few months about getting a new(er) car for her (as well as the talks of kids and such, safety will establish a stronger role). With the recent issue today, I think I want to expedite the plans of getting her something better, nicer, and safer to drive each day.

Backstory out of the way, we have (after our months of talks on the subject) ultimately put our choice between a newer Jeep Grand Cherokee and an F31. For the F31, I cannot decide between a 328i and 328d. I would love a 328dxi with M Sport, Technology, and Cold Weather packages. With the budget we have planned for this purchase, I think we will be focusing on a 2014/15 328dxi or 328xi with <40k miles for the gasoline variant and <60k miles for the diesel.

Obviously the gas mileage is great on the diesel, but is it really worth the extra premium it demands? A similarly equipped N20 328 is consistently ~15% cheaper than the diesel (but the diesel is so cool!) How is maintenance comparatively between the two? Any big red flags to keep an eye out for and choose one over another? From what I've seen, the transfer case can be a possible problematic issue. What else is out there? (infotainment craps out after three years, the panoramic sunroofs leak, auto transmission tends to leak after 30k miles, etc.).

I have found two diesels that I like at CarMax of all places, but I think their pricing is a tad too high. They are both 55k-ish miles and at the higher end of $20k.

What's the best choice and why? I think we'll be making a decision by the weekend's end.

-Tyler
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      08-14-2018, 07:46 PM   #2
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My wife and I test-drove both variants and ultimately went with the gasoline engine, 90% due to its much-quicker 0-30mph pickup. The diesel to us just felt sluggish when in city driving conditions. We are still happy with the 33+MPG on long freeway hauls.
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      08-16-2018, 10:42 AM   #3
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Get the F30 328 2014+. They are fairly reliable drivetrain wise if maintained and used sanely. Early N20/N26 2012-2013 has timing chain guide issues which 2015+ don't seem to have. And also there is a lot of info available on this forum, just search.
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      08-16-2018, 10:56 AM   #4
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If you want a diesel go for the 330d, the 6cyl is so much quicker and smoother than the 4cyl, otherwise get the 320d (cheaper than 328d) or the 328i.
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      08-16-2018, 11:12 AM   #5
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Well, in the US, we only have 328d for the 4-cylinder, which is an identical vehicle to European 320d. For some reason, US BMW wants to enumerate these models differently despite them being identical.

I personally have a 328d. The 4-cylinder engine is a huge money saver in fuel alone - I drive over 600 miles between refuel stops over around 14 US gallons and it gives me an average of 44 mpg calculated from distance/gallons.

The 4-cyl engine is a little more noisy that an equivalent 6-cyl diesel - strange that less cylinders make more sound. And I agree with getting a newer car, since the timing chain was re-designed on N47 engines to be more reliable. As i think of it - I think it was re-designed for US market when 328d was introduced here, so it should have updated timing chain that is less prone to failure.

Good luck on your decision. I prefer diesels, since I drive a lot and love their torque and fuel economy.
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      08-16-2018, 03:36 PM   #6
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Thanks for the replies everyone! Sorry for my delay, I've had a bit of a hectic past couple days between the Jeep crapping out on us on Tuesday and a young girl, what appears to be, totaling my beloved M3 yesterday morning (https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1525885 if you're interested).

I may be shifting gears and getting the wagon for myself at this point and getting the lady a small SUV. Why is there not a 335i/340i wagon?? That would check all the boxes. No quick turbo variants for this generation it looks like.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dimex View Post
My wife and I test-drove both variants and ultimately went with the gasoline engine, 90% due to its much-quicker 0-30mph pickup. The diesel to us just felt sluggish when in city driving conditions. We are still happy with the 33+MPG on long freeway hauls.
Thanks for the input. We'll certainly keep that in mind. 33 mpg is still more than double what we're used to.

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Originally Posted by vgore View Post
Get the F30 328 2014+. They are fairly reliable drivetrain wise if maintained and used sanely. Early N20/N26 2012-2013 has timing chain guide issues which 2015+ don't seem to have. And also there is a lot of info available on this forum, just search.
I would like to avoid any timing chain issues if possible. My 2013.5 VW GLI's chain tensioner failed on me right outside of warranty and grenaded the motor. Not interested in going down that path again.

I know, search. I guess it's just difficult to know what to search for. We hear these same stories on our forum all the time. If only there was a sticky that put it all out there......

Quote:
Originally Posted by Syntac View Post
If you want a diesel go for the 330d, the 6cyl is so much quicker and smoother than the 4cyl, otherwise get the 320d (cheaper than 328d) or the 328i.
I would if I could!

Quote:
Originally Posted by eugene89us View Post
Well, in the US, we only have 328d for the 4-cylinder, which is an identical vehicle to European 320d. For some reason, US BMW wants to enumerate these models differently despite them being identical.

I personally have a 328d. The 4-cylinder engine is a huge money saver in fuel alone - I drive over 600 miles between refuel stops over around 14 US gallons and it gives me an average of 44 mpg calculated from distance/gallons.

The 4-cyl engine is a little more noisy that an equivalent 6-cyl diesel - strange that less cylinders make more sound. And I agree with getting a newer car, since the timing chain was re-designed on N47 engines to be more reliable. As i think of it - I think it was re-designed for US market when 328d was introduced here, so it should have updated timing chain that is less prone to failure.

Good luck on your decision. I prefer diesels, since I drive a lot and love their torque and fuel economy.
That's incredible on the mileage. I'm used to filling up three times as often as that. I'm no stranger to noise. The S65 has to have the noisiest fuel injectors and valvetrain that I've ever experienced. You'd swear I had a terrible exhaust leak. But I'm a mechanical guy, so I like the noise.
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      08-16-2018, 03:58 PM   #7
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The n20/n26 engines have been fairly reliable aside from the timing chain issues. I believe BMW made the changes mid 2015 for the timing chain. From what I remember, they changed 1 part early 2015 and the rest mid 2015 .... I recommend going on realoem to look at the exact production dates that the change occurred and comparing to the production date of the vehicle you are looking at.

It depends on how many KMs (miles) the car will do... the N20/N26 already gets pretty good fuel economy, however, if you (and/or your wife) drive a lot... the diesel might work out better in the end. I personally have not driven the 328D, so I cannot comment on driving experience, but I would recommend test driving both.

EDIT: as point of reference, I get ~10L/100km (~23-24MPG) with about 75-85% city driving (I have 2013 328i xDrive with N20 motor)
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      08-16-2018, 04:19 PM   #8
dan of montana
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I test drove both, and ended up with a 328i xDrive M Sport, Lighting, Cold Weather, etc....

No regrets, a great car!
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      08-16-2018, 04:23 PM   #9
dan of montana
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Also, I found the price to be both mileage AND feature dependent. Using www.bmwvin.com to decipher and compare is both easy and important.
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      08-16-2018, 04:25 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dan of montana View Post
Also, I found the price to be both mileage AND feature dependent. Using www.bmwvin.com to decipher and compare is both easy and important.
Very good advice, definitely use a VIN decoder to understand what options each car has and not rely on the sales person (or ad).
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      08-16-2018, 07:35 PM   #11
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Just an example
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=high+mileage+f30+problems
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      08-17-2018, 05:13 PM   #12
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I just purchased a 2015 F31 diesel 2.5 weeks ago and am absolutely loving it. Went from an SUV with 19MPG mixed to roughly 34MPG mixed. The low end torque is awesome. Personally don't think you can go wrong either way. #Wagon4Lyfe
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      08-18-2018, 12:46 AM   #13
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Agreed to verify options by VIN. I recently purchased a used F31, clean title, m sport fully loaded minus DHP (since I was going coilovers anyways) for 7k below market rate because seller didn't know how to list the car. Deals can be had!
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      08-18-2018, 12:49 AM   #14
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Oh and to stay on topic, I went with the gas version instead of diesel due to less potential issues. Diesels have more emissions items that may cause issues. If only leasing this may not be as much of an issue.
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      08-23-2018, 11:49 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by redEYEjedi View Post
Agreed to verify options by VIN. I recently purchased a used F31, clean title, m sport fully loaded minus DHP (since I was going coilovers anyways) for 7k below market rate because seller didn't know how to list the car. Deals can be had!
Nice looking car in your sig!

What wheels and what coil overs did you go with?
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