New to forum needs advice

[shaun_yu]

Hi guys/gals,

new to this forum. Actually don't own a Bimmer yet but is seriously considering to buy the E90 320i. Was at the showroom at PML Bukit Timah last Saturday and test drove the car. Love it. However, was having second thoughts about it after reading all those issues with quality of the car and the service quality of PML. Could owners/mechanics/old birds comment and advice? To be frank, I used to own a Opel Vectra despite all the problems listed by many owners in foreign forums. And really regretted because it was such an awful car; don't perform, build quality is bad and full of electronics failure, repair cost is high etc. Promise myself to never buy one again, ever.

Rgds,
Shaun

 

[Azarael]

Re: New to forum needs advice

i personally thing the E90 320i is a value for money car....it has a a very high OMV $42-43K, better than most cars, also although PML service is nothing much to shout about, many bros here send their cars to BVO, juzz for cars or their own favourite mechanics outside....
the profit margin that PML makes from one 320i is not very high compared to other luxury makes.

the 320i being their bread and butter car, u can bargin about the price and get some goodies thrown in..... electronic faults have mainly been worked out.....but the facelift model is on the way in think, perhaps buying a prefacelift one would be a bargin

so far many people in the E90 club are happy with their ride. but i would prefer a 6 pot all the same....rear wheel drive is a definite big YES in my book

heard about the problems of the old opel Vectra.....1.8 is it, had a fren who owned one, told me never to buy a opel.........falls apart over time..

 

[shaun_yu]

Re: New to forum needs advice

Thanks for the comment. I really like the 320. I guess the straight 4 is sufficient for me as I used it to commute daily and ferry my kids to school, not going to chiong or what Do you have links to the facelift models? Yes, my previous Opel Vectra is a 1.8. A nightmare to be exact. I will never want one, even if it is free. Since PML services is not so great, wouldn't it be better to buy from PI instead of the agent?

Rgds,
Shaun

 

[Azarael]

Re: New to forum needs advice

PIs cannot get you the same price as PML for the entry level models. The 320i comes from South africa ! only the 330i and 335i come from Germany.....bors correct me if i wrong

If u wanted to get a PI one, it would only be worth it for a high end model.

i know a brother who self imported his 335i manual gearbox convertible.......he would advise u to get your 320i from PML.....not worth getting low end models from PI

if u want 135, 335, 330, 530, 745, 6 series or X5, then consider PI

i tried the 320i many times at both leng kee and bukit timah.......nearly signed on the dotted line somemore.....held back......until was poisoned........6 cyclinder poison is very strong, could not get antidote in time..... also no immunity ( like no kids and no wife who would be a voice of reason). the 320 is a good handling car but the first thing i would change if i get the car would be the run flats....they are horrid, and get a nice set of lighter rims instead of the stock ones...

the facelift only has very minor modifications to the front and back.....too bad u missed the Singapore airshow's batch of 320is.....no xenons, only black or white but going at a special rate.

 

[shaun_yu]

Re: New to forum needs advice

I wass offered the airshow version for 5k less. Not sure really worth it since the SE claims that the xenon lights alone is 2k. My only concern is the reliability as I had really bad experience with my Opel which is a continental car. In fact I had selected the color sparkling graphite and almost sign on the dot but held back because of the impending ARF cut. Thanks for the advice about the PIs vs PML. By the way, why is the runflat tyres bad? I saw the Top Gear review and it said that the 3 series's suspension was specifically tuned to use those run-flat tyres.

Rgds,
Shaun

 

[acupunch]

Re: New to forum needs advice

which PML SE told you Xenon is 2K, from factory maybe. PML retrofit Bi-XENON would cost you an arm and leg. 6K+, you can check it on their website.

yes, the 3 series suspension is specially tune for the runflats. that's why I change mine cos I'm not using runflats.

 

[acupunch]

Re: New to forum needs advice

all about the coming facelift E90 , read here

 

[shaun_yu]

Re: New to forum needs advice

Any idea how much does a normal servicing cost at PML? All new cars come with 3 yrs or 100KM parts and labour warranty. Does it mean at servicing, you only pay for disposables like oil and filters etc? Can bring your own engine oil?

 

[nYteMarE]

Re: New to forum needs advice

see if you can get the SE to throw in the bmw service inclusive for you. that'll help you save a big bundle on servicing.

 

[shaun_yu]

Re: New to forum needs advice

Thanks. Will take note. Service inclusive, BMW Driving Training. What else do u guys normally ask for when bargaining with the SE?

 

[phil]

Re: New to forum needs advice

if its a girl, her hp number - Acu taught me one

 

[j8833t]

Re: New to forum needs advice

Bro
We have a meet-up this coming Sunday 24th Feb @ 4.30pm. Carpark next to Kallang"s Mac.
( Check tread posting )
Come on down and meet the guys and I believe those in the know will more than willing to share their opinions and two cents worth. Furthermore, u will get to see for yourself the various models everyone is driving and what they had or did not do to their rides. The guys are friendly and approachable, their cars are there and it's all very casual.
Come join us for the evening.

 

[babe]

Re: New to forum needs advice

hi shaun... welcome to the forum and hope u enjoyed ur stay here...
yes, please do join us this sunday for the meetup, you can look for me if u don't know anybody yet and i will intro u to the other e90 kakis.. so that u can get to know better about the good and bad of this model ya...cheers...

 

[shaun_yu]

Re: New to forum needs advice

Sounds like a good idea but I may not be able to make it as I have to ferry kids to tuition and such. Perhaps another time. However, will really appreciate if you guys/gals can alert/advice me to the things (any things at all) here or via pm to watch out for when buying, driving, maintaining etc. Incidentally, has anyone got a Sparkling Graphite color?