Some of you will recall that I had quite a lot to say in the ‘modern vehicle reliability’ thread some months ago about diesel engines and I pretty much said I would never have a diesel even if you paid me.
Well… as nice as my 330ci petrol was, I really did miss that torque and low-down grunt that a diesel gives and didn’t appreciate the fuel bill on my regular jaunts down to the Docklands. Anyway, for reasons I won’t bore you with, I’ve been driving a 330d SE (204hp) on loan for the past fortnight and I am gobsmacked how fast these BMW 3.0 diesel lumps are! The 330ci was fast but having done some research, the 330d is actually over a second faster than the 330ci from 45-80mph in 4th gear, which is seriously impressive for a diesel considering it has 27hp less than the petrol. I’m sure these diesels are a lot more powerful than the official performance figures suggest.
Anyway I was that impressed with it that I decided to do some reading to see what sort of horror stories I could find for the usual stuff breaking, you know… EGR, injectors, fuel pump, turbo etc. but surprisingly it seems that nowt really goes wrong with them except for the swirl flaps breaking and being ingested by the engine, killing it (easily removed at not too much cost though). So as my 330ci was getting a bit long in the tooth plus the fuel costs as well, the hunt was on for 330cd but ■■■■ these things hold their value well, like £2k more than an equivalent spec 330ci .
One came up on Feebay this week in Wakey and I went to see it today. Awesome awesome car! Full set of stamps, fantastic condition, drives straight as a die, has enough power to pull a house down, plus does 40 to the gallon on normal driving. Has already had the troublesome swirl flaps removed too. So being the complete hypocrite that I am, I went and bought myself another diesel. I pick it up next weekend after having the plate changed.
In true BMW fashion I will be expecting you all to be doing at least 100mph in lane 3 and if you’re not I will be driving 3" from your bumper until you do. Oh I will be expecting you to make a gap for me at 10 yards from the exit ramps when I come across from lane 3 doing 110. Thanks for your co-operation.
Rob K:
In true BMW fashion I will be expecting you all to be doing at least 100mph in lane 3 and if you’re not I will be driving 3" from your bumper until you do. Oh I will be expecting you to make a gap for me at 10 yards from the exit ramps when I come across from lane 3 doing 110. Thanks for your co-operation.
marcustandy:
I was watching the same motor, Rob!!! Is that the one you actually got?
Yes mate. It was up for £8250 as I’m sure you’ll recall, but the guy was absolutely sound and just prior to negotiations he told me he’d take £7500 for it! Couldn’t believe my luck as I was going to start negotiations around £7700 and meet somewhere in the middle because these never go for less than £8k. I felt a bit of a cheeky [zb] asking if he’d take £7400 for it but he split the difference with me . Really top bloke. We worked out from the spec list that it was just over £36k brand new . Basic price before extras was £32k new.
I didn’t get time to go up and see it plus there are a few closer to home but you are right about them holding their money well.
There’s not that many of the 330cd’s about as they’re fairly rare beasts. Most sellers have got them up at pie in the sky monies but they’re not worth the 5 figures that some are asking. There’s actually a grey one in Cleckheaton (is on autotrader website at £7995 iirc) which I was going to look at and struck up a bit of a dialogue with the seller about it, but I wanted to know if the swirl flaps had been removed (major trouble spot on 330 diesels as when they break they get ingested by the engine, wrecking it) and he told me that they had but was unwilling to provide me with any documentation to prove this, but assured me if I phoned a BMW dealer and checked the service history of the VRN they would tell me it had been done. Because he was unwilling to do this for me then I decided ‘bollox to you’ and went elsewhere, but I still reckon it’s worth a look even with 132k on it as he told me the bodywork is mint as he washes and polishes it every week.
I watched a 52 plate (Sport version) go for near £6k!!! Admittedly it was clean as, full BMWSH, only 88k but it still a lot of money.
Yeah they hold their value well, especially the 3 litre Sport Coupe’s. 52 plate is the old model though. Best aiming for 53 plate or later as these are the facelift models with the sweepy-up headlights on the corners (older models sweep down), LED rear light clusters, improved bodykit, 6 speed box, MV2 alloys, M-Sport pack and none of the rear subframe problems. If you can manage one registered after 1/1/04 then you’re covered by BMWs 12 year anti-corrosion warranty, which you will need when the arches start to go from the mud collecting on the lip inside.
If you want a run-down on what you need to check/look out for on the 3 litre dervs just send me a PM.
Nice motor Rob, hope it turns out to be everything you want. It’s a double winner in my book as nothing seems to upset truck drivers as much as a BMW, I’m thinking of getting one next for that reason alone.
The 330ci was fast but having done some research, the 330d is actually over a second faster than the 330ci from 45-80mph in 4th gear, which is seriously impressive for a diesel considering it has 27hp less than the petrol. I’m sure these diesels are a lot more powerful than the official performance figures suggest. 
I pick it up next weekend after having the plate changed.
