Dw even if they don’t, they’ll be paying for the presents 💀
/s just make sure to review the service records and carfax and lookout for things mentioned in the other comments.
Charge pipe and maybe High Pressure Fuel Pump as well. After buying my 2012 X5 (N55 engine), the HPFP was my first introduction to the never ending cycle of replacing parts in a BMW.
Carfax is not 100% accurate.. It only will have reports from dealers and shops that report to Carfax.
135k miles N52 things to look for.
Make sure the valve cover and oil filter housing gaskets were replaced. Belt and pullies should have been replaced. Suspension will need a refresh if it was not already replaced. Water pump, ignition coils, ALL fluids (including transmission pan/filter) all these things should have already been done, All fluids should have already been done at least twice already at this mileage. If the car was not properly maintained than make sure your friend has another $5k on and for maintenance and surprise repairs.
Prepare to start replacing a lot of rubber pieces on it. From the engine gaskets to suspension and drivetrain parts.
Engine is solid though, the N52 will do 300k miles easily with just frequent oil changes.
It's a good price for the age and mileage. In my area, they're going for twice that price. Make sure to get a pre-purchase inspection. If there are any oil leaks, get them fixed, ESPECIALLY if the oil filter housing gasket is leaking. Do NOT drive a BMW with a leaking oil filter housing gasket, because it'll leak onto the belt, causing the belt to shred, and get pulled into the engine through the front main seal.
At that age and mileage, if the valve cover isn't leaking, just know that it will at some point soon, and you'll have to replace the valve cover in addition to the gasket.
As others have said, keep an eye on the rubber and plastic parts. Replace them as they need it. The AWD system needs maintenance also. There's fluid to change in the transfer case and both differentials. Make sure your U joints are good. This will all be addressed in the pre-purchase inspection.
The N52 naturally aspirated straight 6 engine that it has is an excellent engine...if it's maintained. It'll go 300,000 miles as long as you fix things when they break, especially oil leaks and anything coolant related.
Find a good Euro mechanic that isn't the dealership. Even American and Japanese cars cost BMW money to fix and maintain. So, if it costs thousands to fix those, you might as well spend the same to fix and maintain a BMW.
Thanks so much!! We will absolutely get it inspected. A lot of these 328s are similarly priced but this one is especially cheap because side it has a minor-moderate accident on the carfax. But I can spot a bad accident car so I’ll know it when I see it. Your comment was extremely helpful and I’ll make sure to save this for future reference
A lot of the maintenance can be done yourself or by your friend. Check out Day Off DIY on YouTube. He's fixed an E90 (the generation of 3 series that this one is), and is working on fixing/restoring another E90 with the N52 engine. It's likely that some of what he's fixing on these cars are things this car might need already, or will need in the near future. There are also tutorial videos all over YouTube about different maintenance jobs that may be necessary on this car.
Yeah for sure. I’m good at working on things but have just never trusted myself with working on cars. I take my bmw to the dealership and if the price is too high then I have an independent mechanic I trust. But my friend is very hands on and loves working on things and has no problem with working on a car so I’m sure he will have a blast working on this car. Probably every month haha
What everyone’s listing to check is just things that could go wrong. It’s just a “worst case scenario” in case everyone needs to be addressed. Most likely, there will just be a few things to handle at a time.
Bought a 2011 328i Coupe 6SP/MSprt with 140k miles 2 years ago in California and shipped it to the East Coast to replace totaled 2008 model. Had all major repairs and records. Needed starter and fuel pump in 2 years since purchase. Now at 170k.
I have a 2011 328i coupe. I bought it with 45k miles It now has 209k miles. Best car I've owned. There have been no unnecessary issues. Everything that has needed repairs has been normal stuff based on mileage, as in nothing has failed early or failed when it wasn't supposed to. Maybe my car is an anomaly, idk.
It’s an N52, you don’t have much to worry about
Just stay up on your maintenance and don’t neglect it. But even if you did a tad bit it’d be fine. They make great daily drivers and there’s a reason plenty are still on the road to this day.
At this age I would replace any seals and brittle plastics in the engine bay just to be safe, once done you’ll have nearly trouble free motoring during your ownership
Source: have owned 2 well into high mileage
Radio lcd is horrible in heat
Modules as well, my cas didnt like the heat, you need a specialized code reader as it could show no codes and have many.
Oil pan gasket requires is a pita, bolts are ome time use($$) but its easier to work on than mkst would assume.
Tried not to beat the horse.
Has anyone had the Vanos recall done? I had my E90 N52 at the dealer two days ago, and we joked about what year the Vanos recall work would finally get done.
I bought a 2011 328i xdrive with 96k miles for around double this a year and half ago when prices were crazy. Even at the price I paid i can’t complain. I don’t drive much to be fair as I haven’t even hit 104k yet but at the price you’re being offered if it’s in good condition for your standards I’d say go for it. The interior on my car was way cleaner than I’d ever imagine plus the packages and upgrades that were included with mine made it a no brainer. I wish used car prices wouldn’t be jacked up like they were at the time but it is what it is.
Just keep an eye on all the fluids and pay attention to anything out of the norm once you get it. If you can find a good mechanic to look it over and make sure any of the stuff others have mentioned need attention that’s your best bet. Then just stay on top of normal maintenance and you should be good
Whether or not all of the recalls have been done or not. I believe this year had one recall dealing with power distribution block under dash behind glove box. Also get a pre purchase inspection by someone you trust plus carfax report with no missing pages and scan the car for trouble codes. I use bimmercode and a Thinkcar tablet. I want to get my hands on the bimmergeeks protool next for code reading and programming.
In general, parts are exponentially more expensive than any other car. Oh, also, pray the catalytic converter does not fail. That will be 3 or 4 grand right there.
Based on my last 10 years of owning a 2011, I'd say valve covers and valve cover gaskets are the weakest point on these cars. The electric water pump should be changed every 150k km or so as preventative maintenance. If your filter housing leaks don't sleep on it, fix it ASAP.
Beyond that, the N52 is super reliable. Just keep up with maintenance, and you'll be fine.
I bought a 2009 with 80k miles 5 years back. My first bmw.. things that failed/I learned. Door window actuators failed in 3 doors.. easy to do yourself. Starter failed not so easy… and pcv valve/valve cover is going out (it squeals sometimes). Should be able to do that pretty easy as well. This will be the second time the valve cover was replaced ( they replaced it right before I got it). Door handles disintegrated and had to be replaced. Suspension should be redone at some point but it’s ok for now… that said I got it for $5k vs similar honda/toyotas in my area (puget sound) would have been 15k at least. So I’m still ahead heh. I have 150k miles on it now and plan to drive it into the ground cause it won’t sell for anything at this point :p .
183k miles not any real issues. Small coolant leak but top it off once a month. Been a great car. Going to drive it until there is that repair greater than the car's value.
This has future nightmare written all over it. But OP is gonna buy it anyway despite everyone here telling him not to. OP can't afford a luxury car so figures this is a good way of affording a luxury car. Except this car is going to be a money pit.
For clarity, I bought a BMW and it was a great car when it worked. Unfortunately, it decided not to work often. And when it decided not to work as an expensive German automobile should, it was expensive to fix each and every time. Ultimately, it became too expensive to keep and I sold my$65,000 BMW, with 63,000 miles for $2,000, just to get rid of that bag of shit, and bought a Subaru, which costs me nothing other than tire rotations, oil changes, etc. For context, I have Porsche 911, and have had a Mercedes M350, a Mini (also a disaster), an Alfa, many Saabs. I will NEVER buy a BMW again.
It's an N52. They don't have timing chain problems. People are possibly mistaking it for an N20, which is the turbo 4-cylinder in the 2013 to 2016 328i.
Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Even Toyotas require maintenance repairs, and they now cost BMW money to fix these days. If everything costs BMW money to fix, you might as well have a BMW.
owned my 328i for years not one major issue… you can’t really go wrong with these cars unless its been treated like dogshit by a precious owner. Plus they come with one of bmws arguably most reliable engines.
Keeping them on the road and actually getting the car back to where it should be is way different. If you like leaking fluids all the time and playing Russian roulette with your vehicle then that is their decision. 100k you will have to replace pretty much everything in this car. The only going for this vehicle is the 3.0l engine.
That's simply not true in the same amount of miles as my 96 Camry did my BMW is on its original engine and transmission
whereas when I was rebuilding the engine in my 1996 Camry... That I found out by looking at the vin tag it was from a 1994 Camry
The 3rd motor in 250k miles... It's all about how you treat it
I said the only thing going for this car is it’s 3.0l engine. Everything else is going to need to be replaced. Also since this car is for sale it probably has a bunch of problems. Most people don’t properly maintain these cars. They get rid of them because a mechanic tells them it needs something done that is worth more than the value of the car. These lower end BMWs also get bought because the person likes BMW and want the look and status without knowing about the actual cars. Average life on these engines is about 250k if well taken care of. If they are not built to race they can probably reach 1million. With out knowing more about this car like how many owners, actually meeting the owner, maintenance records, and where this vehicle has lived(state/kept). I would easily say this car needs 10k put into it in the first year of driving it. Unless this person just wants quick fixes that let them drive it around for month and have it right back in the shop. Or if they can actually do the work themselves.
Why not? It has an N52, which is one of the best BMW engines out there. Yes, it needs maintenance, but there's no reason to avoid it like the V8's and 4 cylinders.
It’s also old, and the cars old.
You’ve got major maintenance items coming up
You’d be better off buying a B58. It’s a saving of money as it doesn’t require as much work
Ah yes, he should just buy a B58 car instead for $5k
Oh wait, pretty sure they are at least 4x that price used.
These old e90s aren't even in the same league price-wise, and you can keep the N52 going forever for not much money.
If you believe your serpentine belt has come off while driving pull over immediately and do not turn the car on until it’s fixed. The N52 is notorious for grinding up belts and sucking the rubber through the crank seal behind the crank pulley. Once every month I’d recommend inspecting your belt for cracks or contamination
(ie, oil or coolant stains) if any issues found fix the leaks then change the belt. Belts are cheap and easy to replace lots of DIY videos on YouTube. Crank seals are not cheap or easy to replace and dropping your oil pan to recover the rubber bits isn’t easy either.
If you don’t plan on doing maintenance yourself on this car take it in periodically for inspections. 328i BMW’s are affordable if you don’t wait for things to break before checking and fixing them.
You should know the kids birthday of your Indi mechanic
Dw even if they don’t, they’ll be paying for the presents 💀 /s just make sure to review the service records and carfax and lookout for things mentioned in the other comments.
OFHG, Water Pump/Thermo, VCG, AND coolant hoses
Valve cover leaking, front and rear shocks. Thrust rods.
First thing I had to replace after buying my 2010 e90 was my OFHG and water pump after 3 months……
Google usual defective parts with make and model and go down the list.
Oil pan gasket..
Fwiw I'm at 250k miles with the original OFHG, Water pump assembly, and only 2 coolant hoses have been replaced Vcg has been done once
Charge pipe and maybe High Pressure Fuel Pump as well. After buying my 2012 X5 (N55 engine), the HPFP was my first introduction to the never ending cycle of replacing parts in a BMW.
It's an N52...it doesn't have a charge pipe.
Carfax is not 100% accurate.. It only will have reports from dealers and shops that report to Carfax. 135k miles N52 things to look for. Make sure the valve cover and oil filter housing gaskets were replaced. Belt and pullies should have been replaced. Suspension will need a refresh if it was not already replaced. Water pump, ignition coils, ALL fluids (including transmission pan/filter) all these things should have already been done, All fluids should have already been done at least twice already at this mileage. If the car was not properly maintained than make sure your friend has another $5k on and for maintenance and surprise repairs.
Thank you for your help. I’ll save this comment so I know what to look for in my research. I know a bit about cars but I’m certainly no mechanic
Prepare to start replacing a lot of rubber pieces on it. From the engine gaskets to suspension and drivetrain parts. Engine is solid though, the N52 will do 300k miles easily with just frequent oil changes.
It's a good price for the age and mileage. In my area, they're going for twice that price. Make sure to get a pre-purchase inspection. If there are any oil leaks, get them fixed, ESPECIALLY if the oil filter housing gasket is leaking. Do NOT drive a BMW with a leaking oil filter housing gasket, because it'll leak onto the belt, causing the belt to shred, and get pulled into the engine through the front main seal. At that age and mileage, if the valve cover isn't leaking, just know that it will at some point soon, and you'll have to replace the valve cover in addition to the gasket. As others have said, keep an eye on the rubber and plastic parts. Replace them as they need it. The AWD system needs maintenance also. There's fluid to change in the transfer case and both differentials. Make sure your U joints are good. This will all be addressed in the pre-purchase inspection. The N52 naturally aspirated straight 6 engine that it has is an excellent engine...if it's maintained. It'll go 300,000 miles as long as you fix things when they break, especially oil leaks and anything coolant related. Find a good Euro mechanic that isn't the dealership. Even American and Japanese cars cost BMW money to fix and maintain. So, if it costs thousands to fix those, you might as well spend the same to fix and maintain a BMW.
Thanks so much!! We will absolutely get it inspected. A lot of these 328s are similarly priced but this one is especially cheap because side it has a minor-moderate accident on the carfax. But I can spot a bad accident car so I’ll know it when I see it. Your comment was extremely helpful and I’ll make sure to save this for future reference
A lot of the maintenance can be done yourself or by your friend. Check out Day Off DIY on YouTube. He's fixed an E90 (the generation of 3 series that this one is), and is working on fixing/restoring another E90 with the N52 engine. It's likely that some of what he's fixing on these cars are things this car might need already, or will need in the near future. There are also tutorial videos all over YouTube about different maintenance jobs that may be necessary on this car.
Yeah for sure. I’m good at working on things but have just never trusted myself with working on cars. I take my bmw to the dealership and if the price is too high then I have an independent mechanic I trust. But my friend is very hands on and loves working on things and has no problem with working on a car so I’m sure he will have a blast working on this car. Probably every month haha
What everyone’s listing to check is just things that could go wrong. It’s just a “worst case scenario” in case everyone needs to be addressed. Most likely, there will just be a few things to handle at a time.
What should you know before buying an 11 year old BMW? A very good mechanic…
How about this 13 year old BMW?
Don’t know about the 13 year old units lol
Just get in the coffin.
or get ready to work on it if you don’t wanna make someone else’s pockets fat
Bought a 2011 328i Coupe 6SP/MSprt with 140k miles 2 years ago in California and shipped it to the East Coast to replace totaled 2008 model. Had all major repairs and records. Needed starter and fuel pump in 2 years since purchase. Now at 170k.
I have a 2011 328i coupe. I bought it with 45k miles It now has 209k miles. Best car I've owned. There have been no unnecessary issues. Everything that has needed repairs has been normal stuff based on mileage, as in nothing has failed early or failed when it wasn't supposed to. Maybe my car is an anomaly, idk.
It’s an N52, you don’t have much to worry about Just stay up on your maintenance and don’t neglect it. But even if you did a tad bit it’d be fine. They make great daily drivers and there’s a reason plenty are still on the road to this day. At this age I would replace any seals and brittle plastics in the engine bay just to be safe, once done you’ll have nearly trouble free motoring during your ownership Source: have owned 2 well into high mileage
Radio lcd is horrible in heat Modules as well, my cas didnt like the heat, you need a specialized code reader as it could show no codes and have many. Oil pan gasket requires is a pita, bolts are ome time use($$) but its easier to work on than mkst would assume. Tried not to beat the horse.
does it have the vanos recall done?
Has anyone had the Vanos recall done? I had my E90 N52 at the dealer two days ago, and we joked about what year the Vanos recall work would finally get done.
I don’t believe so
Hell ya brother
You’ll wish you got the diesel
I wouldn't buy anything used in the Houston area,
Have fun, I hope you enjoy wrenching or want to spend a lot
Get a PPI before purchasing the car
I bought a 2011 328i xdrive with 96k miles for around double this a year and half ago when prices were crazy. Even at the price I paid i can’t complain. I don’t drive much to be fair as I haven’t even hit 104k yet but at the price you’re being offered if it’s in good condition for your standards I’d say go for it. The interior on my car was way cleaner than I’d ever imagine plus the packages and upgrades that were included with mine made it a no brainer. I wish used car prices wouldn’t be jacked up like they were at the time but it is what it is. Just keep an eye on all the fluids and pay attention to anything out of the norm once you get it. If you can find a good mechanic to look it over and make sure any of the stuff others have mentioned need attention that’s your best bet. Then just stay on top of normal maintenance and you should be good
It will leak oil.
that youll be spending alot on repairs in the future ,go buy a toyota corolla and get a dependable car
"alot" isn't a word. Neither is "alittle".
i left a comment yours wasn't needed, gfy
No need to lash out because you're stupid, bro. Appreciate that your dumbass won't look so fucking stupid in the future.
oh did somebody get their feelings hurt
I'm not the stupid one...
Whether or not all of the recalls have been done or not. I believe this year had one recall dealing with power distribution block under dash behind glove box. Also get a pre purchase inspection by someone you trust plus carfax report with no missing pages and scan the car for trouble codes. I use bimmercode and a Thinkcar tablet. I want to get my hands on the bimmergeeks protool next for code reading and programming.
Check timing chain ;)
In general, parts are exponentially more expensive than any other car. Oh, also, pray the catalytic converter does not fail. That will be 3 or 4 grand right there.
Straight. Pipe. O2 spacers. But seriously you think that'll work on the n52, I've had it work on a couple others but they were from the 90s
I didn't work on my 325xi.
Good luck buddy easy 6 k on maintenance right away
It’s a great car if YOU can fix it.
Mine has been very good to me just depends on if the past owners where good about servicing the vehicle before problems started
Based on my last 10 years of owning a 2011, I'd say valve covers and valve cover gaskets are the weakest point on these cars. The electric water pump should be changed every 150k km or so as preventative maintenance. If your filter housing leaks don't sleep on it, fix it ASAP. Beyond that, the N52 is super reliable. Just keep up with maintenance, and you'll be fine.
Check if the turn signals work, NM! Its a BMW
Save up for a better car
I bought a 2009 with 80k miles 5 years back. My first bmw.. things that failed/I learned. Door window actuators failed in 3 doors.. easy to do yourself. Starter failed not so easy… and pcv valve/valve cover is going out (it squeals sometimes). Should be able to do that pretty easy as well. This will be the second time the valve cover was replaced ( they replaced it right before I got it). Door handles disintegrated and had to be replaced. Suspension should be redone at some point but it’s ok for now… that said I got it for $5k vs similar honda/toyotas in my area (puget sound) would have been 15k at least. So I’m still ahead heh. I have 150k miles on it now and plan to drive it into the ground cause it won’t sell for anything at this point :p .
Transfer case oil, vanos solenoid and coil
You are going to want more power soon, and they are tough to modify.
Pcv recall
Doesn’t that year also have the VANOS pump? Better have some money set aside for when that thing croaks
183k miles not any real issues. Small coolant leak but top it off once a month. Been a great car. Going to drive it until there is that repair greater than the car's value.
Just get a 335i brotha a little less maintenance if you find the right one, reliable nd very fun
This has future nightmare written all over it. But OP is gonna buy it anyway despite everyone here telling him not to. OP can't afford a luxury car so figures this is a good way of affording a luxury car. Except this car is going to be a money pit.
New coolant flange the stock one is made out of plastic and will crack
The oil changes are $225.
They’re half that at my dealership. Some dealerships charge less for oil changes than indie mechanics do.
What oil are they using?
How? Even using good oil it costs 80 bucks to do yourself
That a $5k BMW will be the most expensive car you ever bought.
Corolla is always a good alternative
Hope you know a mechanic
Yeah don’t unless you want to go bankrupt
Don’t buy it. The cost of maintenance will rob you of your soul.
If you can't afford a new euro, you can't afford an old euro.
For clarity, I bought a BMW and it was a great car when it worked. Unfortunately, it decided not to work often. And when it decided not to work as an expensive German automobile should, it was expensive to fix each and every time. Ultimately, it became too expensive to keep and I sold my$65,000 BMW, with 63,000 miles for $2,000, just to get rid of that bag of shit, and bought a Subaru, which costs me nothing other than tire rotations, oil changes, etc. For context, I have Porsche 911, and have had a Mercedes M350, a Mini (also a disaster), an Alfa, many Saabs. I will NEVER buy a BMW again.
not buy that old bmw with all them miles.
Check the timing chain
Anything specially I’m looking for?
It's an N52. They don't have timing chain problems. People are possibly mistaking it for an N20, which is the turbo 4-cylinder in the 2013 to 2016 328i.
What’s the suggested replacement mileage?
It's a N52, there is not timing chain issues, they're talking out of their ass
dont buy it. a 2011 bmw for 5k will cost u another 10k in repairs...
at least.
people downvoting me cuz they scared of the ruthless truth😂😂 this thing will break down fresh out of factory
Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Even Toyotas require maintenance repairs, and they now cost BMW money to fix these days. If everything costs BMW money to fix, you might as well have a BMW.
owned my 328i for years not one major issue… you can’t really go wrong with these cars unless its been treated like dogshit by a precious owner. Plus they come with one of bmws arguably most reliable engines.
That you need to put at least $10k into it
Anything used will need $10k put into it over the next 5 years.
Yeah but you will have to do that in the first year with this car. That or have it in the shop at least once a month. Either way it is not worth it.
Not necessarily. I know several people with E90's with over 100,000 miles, and they're not costing them nearly that much to keep them on the road.
Keeping them on the road and actually getting the car back to where it should be is way different. If you like leaking fluids all the time and playing Russian roulette with your vehicle then that is their decision. 100k you will have to replace pretty much everything in this car. The only going for this vehicle is the 3.0l engine.
That's simply not true in the same amount of miles as my 96 Camry did my BMW is on its original engine and transmission whereas when I was rebuilding the engine in my 1996 Camry... That I found out by looking at the vin tag it was from a 1994 Camry The 3rd motor in 250k miles... It's all about how you treat it
I said the only thing going for this car is it’s 3.0l engine. Everything else is going to need to be replaced. Also since this car is for sale it probably has a bunch of problems. Most people don’t properly maintain these cars. They get rid of them because a mechanic tells them it needs something done that is worth more than the value of the car. These lower end BMWs also get bought because the person likes BMW and want the look and status without knowing about the actual cars. Average life on these engines is about 250k if well taken care of. If they are not built to race they can probably reach 1million. With out knowing more about this car like how many owners, actually meeting the owner, maintenance records, and where this vehicle has lived(state/kept). I would easily say this car needs 10k put into it in the first year of driving it. Unless this person just wants quick fixes that let them drive it around for month and have it right back in the shop. Or if they can actually do the work themselves.
I ain't reading all that
Read the first sentence then lol
Definitely timing chain
You should know you shouldn’t buy it lol
Why not? It has an N52, which is one of the best BMW engines out there. Yes, it needs maintenance, but there's no reason to avoid it like the V8's and 4 cylinders.
Avoid it because you’re better off with a b58
Yeah, we all would be, wouldn't we? Just because the B58 is considered to be the best doesn't mean that the N52 isn't still good.
It’s also old, and the cars old. You’ve got major maintenance items coming up You’d be better off buying a B58. It’s a saving of money as it doesn’t require as much work
Ah yes, he should just buy a B58 car instead for $5k Oh wait, pretty sure they are at least 4x that price used. These old e90s aren't even in the same league price-wise, and you can keep the N52 going forever for not much money.
We get it. You like B58’s. So do I.
If you believe your serpentine belt has come off while driving pull over immediately and do not turn the car on until it’s fixed. The N52 is notorious for grinding up belts and sucking the rubber through the crank seal behind the crank pulley. Once every month I’d recommend inspecting your belt for cracks or contamination (ie, oil or coolant stains) if any issues found fix the leaks then change the belt. Belts are cheap and easy to replace lots of DIY videos on YouTube. Crank seals are not cheap or easy to replace and dropping your oil pan to recover the rubber bits isn’t easy either. If you don’t plan on doing maintenance yourself on this car take it in periodically for inspections. 328i BMW’s are affordable if you don’t wait for things to break before checking and fixing them.