E90 325i Pre Facelift

[fabianyee]

Accountant meh? Some say loyar la..:39:

Loyar by profession, accountant by heart.

 

[Schwepps]

Haiyo, die lar! Lawyer + Accountant = Risk Management Professional ma. No wonder so hard to decide.

 

[astroboy]

I also heard he has RM80k as down payment le (some time back when he was hunting for E46).. so interest a little higher for used car also he doesn't mind because low loan sum ma.. now maybe he has RM100k for down payment lio... very prudent spender..

I wish I like him... then I'll be driving a VIOS now and by my original calculation, the VIOS would have fully paid off today! (24 months loan @ RM2k/mth)

 

[anxious]

I also heard he has RM80k as down payment le (some time back when he was hunting for E46).. so interest a little higher for used car also he doesn't mind because low loan sum ma.. now maybe he has RM100k for down payment lio... very prudent spender..

I wish I like him... then I'll be driving a VIOS now and by my original calculation, the VIOS would have fully paid off today! (24 months loan @ RM2k/mth)

Yes the goal I have set for myself is 50% downpayment for whatever car I decide.

When I got my E30, I paid RM26k cash and enjoyed the car for 4.5 years.

Three years ago I sold the E30 and got a E36 325i for RM40k also cash.

Since I have decided to skip the E46, I cant afford to get the E90 cash, but have decided to put down at least 50% downpayment.

About Fabian's "kan cheong" comment, there may be some truth in it, hence my nickname, "Anxious", but as you would also have noticed I am no NATO and have put into action many things which I have discussed in the forum.

As to my frugality, well a fellow forumer once called me an Indian Penang Hokkein. With car prices what they are in Malaysia, how not to be.

Of late my postings are more seasonal due to work commitments and other distractions.

However I believe most of my postings/queries also benefit forums who visit this site (and use the search function).

Therefore I thank all of you for your comments. I do appreciate the time you take to reply to my postings.

 

[Schwepps]

Kidding only-ah bro. You're one of the most fun guys to racun lar!

I for one really hope that you will join us E90-ers now, rather than next year. Do a leap of faith mate. You won't regret it! :wink:

 

[racheltoh]

Indian Penang Hockkien = Kiam Siap

haahhahhahaha Anxious..

 

[fabianyee]

good luck on your hunt, hope u won't fall in the trap of 'paying 10K less than market value but end up spending 20K on repair bills'....

 

[Traveler]

Well I have thought about getting a new E90.

As for the 320d, I would wait for the diesel quality to improve. Our goverment is so capable of flip flopping that I don't believe in their timetable for introducing Euro 4.

However a pre registered 320d at say RM210k would be very tempting esp as I believe it has the torque of a 330i which in city driving makes all the difference.

Also bear in mind the 325i does 0-100km/h in 7.7s while the 320d does it in 8.0s. Only 0.3s difference! I bet in city driving, and even weekend drives on windy roads, you won't feel much difference due to the 320d's higher torque.

That said, the pre-LCI 325i is nice too. Speaking from almost 40,000km worth of experience :top:

One thing I noticed, for the 325i Sports (starting from first batch in 2007):

Initial batch (early 2007) has no USB connector, only AUX connector (cannot retrofit USB) and no folding side mirrors. Not sure when they put this in, either late 2007 or early 2008, I think. If you put in iPod connector, you will lose the ability to use the CD changer.

 

[astroboy]

The later version runs hard disk in the iDrive.. but our friend has sounded that he refused to spend the extra la..

RM150k for an E90 325i... its much worth than getting a floaty E46 la. Good choice! Go for it!

 

[E46Fanatic]

Supergrippen is an excellent example to follow. Don't wait, just jump in!

PM E46F to sell you his uber-reliable and ultra-well maintained 2005 CBU 325i. It's Regensburg built (hell, he even knows the welds!) has orig performance mods and orig big banana brakes. Racun him to get the 335i (to race with DY) or the 320d (because he likes playing with new OS's)

GO FOR IT bro!

LOL. So when are we all going to test drive this? More E90's will be up for sale after :vroam:.

 

[astroboy]

 

[David Yong]

good luck on your hunt, hope u won't fall in the trap of 'paying 10K less than market value but end up spending 20K on repair bills'....

This is very true. Dun try to save on something small, then ended up with spending something big to get it rectified!

Good luck anxious on your hunt. For your information, mine in superb condition was sold at RM 188k last year Oct. Mine is Aug 2006 e90 325i.

 

[Schwepps]

Addendum

PM E46F to sell you his uber-reliable and ultra-well maintained 2005 CBU 325i. It's Regensburg built (hell, he even knows the welds!) has orig performance mods and orig big banana brakes. Racun him to get the 335i (to race with DY) or the 320d (because he likes playing with new OS's) or the A4 Quattro (because he likes funny looking cars with eyeliner LEDs)

 

[anxious]

good luck on your hunt, hope u won't fall in the trap of 'paying 10K less than market value but end up spending 20K on repair bills'....

To be fair to me I think RM40k I paid in 2007 for a E36 325i was about market value at that time. I dont think u can say it was RM10k cheaper than market. I know of someone who sold a 1997 E36 328i at about the same time for RM40k to a dealer. So a 1995 325 RM40k direct owner should be have been right.

Anyway,it is nice to know that the prices of E36 have help up pretty well since then.

I probably lost my mind over when buying the e36 due to its unbelievable mileage, which was 80000km at that time. It was single owner and accident free. If not for the overheating the previous owner had experienced and the resulting cracked cylinder head, I would have no cause to complain.

Having said that in retrospect my E36 turned out to be quite ok. Anyway, it thought me a lot about cars. Basicly to own a second hand BMW, you must be prepared to pay for the experience. Who said the best things in life are free!

 

[fabianyee]

To be fair to me I think RM40k I paid in 2007 for a E36 325i was about market value at that time. I dont think u can say it was RM10k cheaper than market. I know of someone who sold a 1997 E36 328i at about the same time for RM40k to a dealer. So a 1995 325 RM40k direct owner should be have been right.

Anyway,it is nice to know that the prices of E36 have help up pretty well since then.

I probably lost my mind over when buying the e36 due to its unbelievable mileage, which was 80000km at that time. It was single owner and accident free. If not for the overheating the previous owner had experienced and the resulting cracked cylinder head, I would have no cause to complain.

Having said that in retrospect my E36 turned out to be quite ok. Anyway, it thought me a lot about cars. Basicly to own a second hand BMW, you must be prepared to pay for the experience. Who said the best things in life are free!

Honestly, i didn't know about any problem u had with the E36.. It was a general statement for some ppl who thought they have saved a bit on the purchase but ended up spending more.. As the saying goes, penny wise pound foolish.

However, there are undervalued 'treasure' but these are far and few in between...

 

[anxious]

I have decided to get the E90 325i Pre Facelift next year as my 40th birthday present. I have budgeted RM150k for the purchase and am confident that prices will fall to that level.

As I would probably looking at a 2006/07 ( 4-5 year old )car, finding one in good nick will be a bit of a challenge as most uninformed owners rely on BMW's BSRI servicing system which entails oil change b/w 20-25k km and may expose such cars to oil sludge problems. Someone I meet recently told me that his 2006 325i was overhauled by AB as it stalled as a result of this oil sludge problem.

I prefer getting the 325i as opposed to the 325i Sport as I am more of a comfort biased person. I am also not too keen to run on 18" rims with run flats.

How about the difference b/w the pre F/L cars sold b/w 2005-2007?

A 2005 AB brought in 325i CBUs which sold for RM320k, I think.

Then there was rhe issue of some CBUs getting stuck in Port Klang and later being sold at RM20k discount.

CKDs were started in 2006 and sold for RM288k.

In Aug 2007, AB sold pre reg 325i for RM260k. See http://www.autobavaria.com/driven/August2007/Aug07.php

In Dec 2007, AB offered 325i for RM288k but dropped it to RM277k in Jan 2008.

See http://www.autobavaria.com/driven/Jan2008/jan08_m.php


I would be obliged if someone could share some insight in to the various variations of pre F/L 325i's available.

I am looking out for Black on Black. That would probably rule out CBUs as most CBUs brought in by AB have ligther color interior.

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