[Luoma118]

Hey so I am looking at purchasing my first BMW. The one I have found is a 2013 328i xdrive and it has 127k miles. The person told me that the timing chain has been replaced in 2021 and a brand new turbo this year with all oem BMW parts. I know the timing chain had issues so knowing it was replaced makes me feel better but I am not sure if this is a vehicle I should stay away from or not. They are asking 9k but I believe I can get them down to 7500-8000 range. Any information and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[ptpending]

i would recomend you to look for similar 328d or x3 f25 2.8d instead

[khp3655]

I had a 320xi from 2013. I traded it with 110K miles in 2019. There was really nothing wrong with it and it was a solid car. I would check all of the hoses and plastic parts in the engine bay as they start to degrade after 10 years and at that age it always worth a look over by a qualified mechanic.

[erickonphoenix]

I've got 100k on my 2014 and have had no serious issues. I work on the car myself so I inspect it every Sunday morning. I do an oil and filter change every 5k miles or 3 months.

Things I've done to date:
Head unit failure (the stereo/CD player), replaced with a used one. (That did require coding)
Valve Cover Gasket
Oil Filter Housing Gasket
Coils/plugs/filters
Cooling system refresh
Control arms
struts/shocks

Issues with the car are a chronic failure of the passenger door to lock. It will be unresponsive for several attempts then will start working.

Chronic temporary failure of the left rear tail light/brake light/ turn signal. This is a known issue with the pin connection. I have a replacement in my tool box, but it's been working lately so I haven't been motivated to get out there and re-pin the new connector.

[Josh-PA]

I'd stay away from early N20 engines - you can google their issues. BMWs at 125k miles will need maintenance. If you're looking at cars in (I'm guessing) a $10k or less pricepoint, an older BMW will probably be more maintenance than you'll be comfortable spending.

You should budget $1500 / year in maintenance for a 2013 328xi w/ 125k miles. If you're pretty set on a BMW, you'd be much better off getting a 2012 with an N52 inline 6 engine.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by Luoma118

Hey so I am looking at purchasing my first BMW. The one I have found is a 2013 328i xdrive and it has 127k miles. The person told me that the timing chain has been replaced in 2021 and a brand new turbo this year with all oem BMW parts. I know the timing chain had issues so knowing it was replaced makes me feel better but I am not sure if this is a vehicle I should stay away from or not. They are asking 9k but I believe I can get them down to 7500-8000 range. Any information and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

2013-2015 f30 328 are some of the worst driving bmws. You should test drive e9x to compare. It’s rather radical difference. I would not consider above mentioned car as your first bmw.

[Rafichicago]

Originally Posted by Mavus

2013-2015 f30 328 are some of the worst driving bmws. You should test drive e9x to compare. It’s rather radical difference. I would not consider above mentioned car as your first bmw.

I agree with this statement. The N20 cars are usually cheaper than the rest given same model year. Same goes for early N63 cars (550s and others) they seem cheap and are fast but oh boy this engine is tragic if it comes to reliability. I would stick to non turbo well maintained car with 3.0 N52. If you’re on a tight budget keep in mind it’ll cost some money to get this car to where it should be. With above milage most of suspension components are done.

[BMWCCA1]

Originally Posted by ptpending

i would recomend you to look for similar 328d or x3 f25 2.8d instead

Diesel BMWs are quite rare in the US for good reason, and becoming more so with every passing year. Thankfully.

[Luoma118]

Originally Posted by Rafichicago

I agree with this statement. The N20 cars are usually cheaper than the rest given same model year. Same goes for early N63 cars (550s and others) they seem cheap and are fast but oh boy this engine is tragic if it comes to reliability. I would stick to non turbo well maintained car with 3.0 N52. If you’re on a tight budget keep in mind it’ll cost some money to get this car to where it should be. With above milage most of suspension components are done.

What kind of reliability should one expect out of the n52? With proper maintenance how many miles should one of those motors go?

[Rafichicago]

Originally Posted by Luoma118

What kind of reliability should one expect out of the n52? With proper maintenance how many miles should one of those motors go?

250K is akryl easily attainable. Typical BMW stuff. Cooling usually every 100K miles.
Ac compressor will probably ho out at around 120-150k.
I’ve never had electrical problems with any of my BMW’s. Water pump is electric. If you find one with 5-6k miles oil changes it should be fairly reliable. Keep in mind though. It’s not Toyota or Honda. It needs attention from time to time and once you hear/see something it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. If you don’t work on your car or don’t have decent shop knowledgeable with those cars you will not like it. Plenty of repairs are shown on YouTube. This Engine has magnesium block it leaks in general Bmw fashion. Valve cover gasket oil filter housing gasket and oil pan gasket are common. If left not repaired it will come and bite you. If you are tight on your budget look elsewhere.

[Luoma118]

Originally Posted by Rafichicago

250K is akryl easily attainable. Typical BMW stuff. Cooling usually every 100K miles.
Ac compressor will probably ho out at around 120-150k.
I’ve never had electrical problems with any of my BMW’s. Water pump is electric. If you find one with 5-6k miles oil changes it should be fairly reliable. Keep in mind though. It’s not Toyota or Honda. It needs attention from time to time and once you hear/see something it needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. If you don’t work on your car or don’t have decent shop knowledgeable with those cars you will not like it. Plenty of repairs are shown on YouTube. This Engine has magnesium block it leaks in general Bmw fashion. Valve cover gasket oil filter housing gasket and oil pan gasket are common. If left not repaired it will come and bite you. If you are tight on your budget look elsewhere.

I appreciate all of that! So I have found a 2012 bmw 328i x drive with the n52 and it has 160k on it but the thing looks like it came off the show room floor. The guy has every maintenance record. Hasn’t driven it in the winter. He has had the valve cover gasket replaced, oil pan gasket replaced, replaced all the plugs and has changed oil every 5k miles. I have him down to 6k on this car. Would this be one you would buy or would you stay away with it having 160k on it? It is a very beautiful car

[Rafichicago]

Originally Posted by Luoma118

I appreciate all of that! So I have found a 2012 bmw 328i x drive with the n52 and it has 160k on it but the thing looks like it came off the show room floor. The guy has every maintenance record. Hasn’t driven it in the winter. He has had the valve cover gasket replaced, oil pan gasket replaced, replaced all the plugs and has changed oil every 5k miles. I have him down to 6k on this car. Would this be one you would buy or would you stay away with it having 160k on it? It is a very beautiful car

Depends on how long you keep your cars. I tend to lean towards lower mileage car tha had no maintenance done since I can get price lowered and do things myśl and having lower mileage. maintained car with higher miles can be good as well. As long as everything was properly done with high quality parts.

[Luoma118]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I'm replying to both this thread and your other thread about the 328ix. 160,000 miles on the E90 chassis is nothing. The E90 is one of BMW's best-built models. Being a northern car (I'm assuming), you should definitely look at and possibly expect to replace the front driveshaft as they have been showing recently to be susceptible to corrosion and fail past the 150,000-mile mark. There are several posts on the forum about front driveshaft replacements. Other than that, the 328ix should have all of the other attributes that make the E90 a tank.

As far as the N52 goes, it can reliably reach over 400,000 miles. If you have all the maintenance and service records to review that is a bonus. 5,000-mile oil changes doesn't really mean anything as the N52 easily accepts double and even triple that interval if the correct oil and filter are used. at 160,000 the oil pan is probably leaking and the OFHG should have been replace at least once and possibly the valve cover gasket as well. The oil pan gasket for the ix is around $1,200 at an indy if you want it replaced.

Yeah the guy with the n52 has replaced the valve cover gasket and oil pan gasket and changed the plugs. I’m very tempted to take the chance with that one. Was worried with the 160k but just seems there isn’t much to worry about with the way he took care of it

[StradaRedlands]

Do yourself a huge favor and get the 2012 E90.
If it is as clean and well maintained as you say, it will be a great car for you. Still lots of regular maintenance items all cars have, and some additional BMW specific ones like oil gaskets.
But the E90 platform is perfection, you can update the iDrive to Android or Apple play if that's a desire. Everything is typically fixable on them, and a huge community here and on YouTube to figure out problems.
I'm biased, and this is based on anecdote and personal experience, but I think you'll like the E90 more.

[ptpending]

Originally Posted by Luoma118

I appreciate all of that! So I have found a 2012 bmw 328i x drive with the n52 and it has 160k on it but the thing looks like it came off the show room floor. The guy has every maintenance record. Hasn’t driven it in the winter. He has had the valve cover gasket replaced, oil pan gasket replaced, replaced all the plugs and has changed oil every 5k miles. I have him down to 6k on this car. Would this be one you would buy or would you stay away with it having 160k on it? It is a very beautiful car

the oil change interval is very good
but with a such mileage you have to check if all recalls are done, because vanos bolts should be done, PCV heater (last well known recall)
and after that you have probably be ready to replace water pump, head cover, that all will cost around 2k at dealer
also xdrive can take its own maintenance, and if you location have no winter, i've tried to avoid car with xdrive with a significant mileage