Help with purchasing

[eager coyote]

Is the 2017 330i a good car, I’ve been looking at 230i and there is only 3 coupes available in my whole country of f22 and none are the spec I want and a 430i but the insurance is 8k, would a 330i be a good mid ground or are they bad cars

[south blade]

Personally own a 2016 340i and am in love with it
Great car in my opinion, bmw is known for its saloon cars especially the ones from that generation (6th gen)
In general they are good reliable cars the only issue is that if it breaks its expensive

When you are buying one or looking at one of these (or any bmw of this generation, 1 series, 3 series whatever)
A good thing look for is whether the distribution chain has been recently replaced, as the chain is at the back of the engine and the entire engine has to be taken out to replace the damn thing (could cost up to €1500 depending on where you live)
If the chain hasn't been replaced this doesnt mean its a bad buy, when starting the car for example for a test drive leave the door open and listen for any rattling, if it rattles the chain is most likely up for replacement
Other than that make sure you check whether the lights arent fucked up as especially the xenon lights can be quite pricey to replace

Besides all that idk what you're driving now but do know that unless you're getting one with xdrive (highly recommend) it will be a rear wheel drive car
it personally took some getting used to after only driving fwd before it, especially in the winter it can be a bitch (dont skimp on the winter tires)

[eager coyote]

Thank you man I appreciate it, aside from a rattling from the chain when starting it on a test drive, how do I check if the headlights are fucked or not and is there anything else that I need to look out for, I’m going from a 2011 1.25 fiesta so it will defo take getting used to but I’m well aware of that going into this

[south blade]

Best way to know on the headlights is if they have condensing on the inside, the light will still work but it looks like shit, means the seal is broken
A mechanic could fix the seal with a special kind of glue but even experienced mechanics can fuck this up
A new headlight costs between 250 and a 1500 depending on the type, to my knowledge xenon is the most expensive one (also the best looking one if you ask me)
Other than that, if the light doesnt turn on its obviously broken, the seal is more of a cosmetic thing rather than a necessary part

Do aslo check if the mistlights work (assuming it has them because mine does and havent seen one without them)
The button should be inbetween the steering wheel and driverside door next to the rotary switch for the regular lights
Also not a necessity but nice to know if it works

Another expensive/annoying thing to have to fix would be the speakers, especially the subwoofers likely situated under the chairs, replacing those requires removing the chairs themselves

If it comes with a trailer hitch make sure the socket is there as they're prone to being stolen(and in europe check if the car comes with a white plate)

Startup on the car should take less than a second (mine starts in 0.6 seconds) if it takes longer then its likely the starter is bad or is starting to get bad replacing that will cost around a 1000 including labor cost

Other known problems include but are not limited to:
Manual transmission problems such as high clutch wear (just get an automatic its better anyways)
High oil consumption (its a bmw thing)
The handbrake being utterly useless (find me a bmw with a working handbrake tbh)
Sunroof problems which come with improper maintenance (not cleaning the channels and such)
Ignition coil/sparkplug problems, the original sparkplugs bmw put in there are admittedly shit just check them every so often, if they start blackening: replace them, its easy to do yourself and doesnt cost that much

Cars like these do require maintenance and not doing maintenance will cause them to break faster
Take care of it it'll take care of you so to say

Dont let the list of problems deter you btw every car has its problems and in the end with second hand cars its always a gamble, you never know how the old owner treated them or how long theyve been sitting still

[eager coyote]

I’m not arsed about mist/fog lights really I never use them even when you can’t see your own foot it’s that thick so that’s no issue, it comes with hk sound not the bmw hifi so I don’t know if they will need fixing, don’t think it comes with a trailer hitch, I’ll keep in mind the start up time, it’s an auto and doesn’t have a sunroof so no bother there also Wdym the handbrake is utterly useless don’t really fancy chocking my tyres 😂

[south blade]

Dw wont be a problem with an automatic, but the handbrake in BMWs are notorious for being kinda shit

Ya pull it up high enough it'll be fine

[eager coyote]

Alrighty sound

Thank you