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 Help on BMW E90 LCI Model (Used Car), Need help on buying a BMW E90/E60

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SYL17
post Feb 9 2016, 04:44 PM

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Junior Member
295 posts

Joined: Aug 2011
From: Johor Bahru


QUOTE(niklys @ Feb 8 2016, 07:14 PM)
BMW E90 LCI Model - Facelifted

Dear Sifu(s) / Beemer(s) / BMW Specialist(s) / Experienced People(s),

I would like to purchase a used/secondhand BMW 3-Series E90 Facelifted LCI Model, probably year made from 2009 to year 2011, as I'm a big fan of BMW and by heart, wanting to be a Beemer. As I'm inexperienced with the automotive world, I would like to seek help and advice from sifu(s), beemer(s), BMW Specialist(s), and experienced people in LYN to give me a better understanding and for me to be prepared to own one BMW E90 (I don't mind to come out for coffee, chilling session, or meetups, the treats on me). I understand that this car is not cheap to maintain by nature, and I should not expect this car (maintenance, road tax, insurance cost) to be the same as my Proton Wira SE '08. Thus, I will be as detailed as possible regarding my financial strengths and my potential daily driving usage of the new BMW for I would like to understand the potential outcome of driving a BMW, the UDM.

Objective of this Post
-Can I afford a used BMW E90/E60?
-Where can I find a good used car dealer/good used BMW car?
-What should I look out for (potential signs of bad car owner, resulting in bad car condition)?
-How much should I standby for the used BMW (from the initial stages of purchasing it)?
-Reliability of the BMW E90 LCI Model

*About Myself*
-Personally, I'm just a typical Chinese dude who works in an IT company that has no family commitments (girlfriend is not in this category, right?  blush.gif), no car commitments, and no housing commitments. I would most probably drive this car (E90) for the purpose of point A to point B (nothing more than 5,000km in 2-3 months) and sometimes love couple weekend trip within Malaysia (Melaka, Penang, Johor, etc) and maybe once in a blue moon to Thailand and Singapore. I would need to meet important people like CEOs, COOs, CFOs, Directors, VPs, Datuks and the list goes on, thus, I need something of value like a E90 to ride with these people. My driving style is moderately relaxing (mostly in traffic jams with 10-80 km/h, highways at 110-130 km/h, and sometimes if empty road at 150 km/h and above). I'm not a heavy right footer, but occasionally when I need the power to overtake some stupid lorries, buses, or irritating fast lane hoggers, I would pedal to the metal. Given the fact that if it's a BMW, I might ride at 160-180 km/h on highways when I'm travelling far to places like Ipoh, Kuantan, and etc. I'm would be bias to and wants more of a comfort ride (wants great tolerance to bumpiness, dampings, and extremely low NVH, road noise, wind noise) than to performance driving (super cornering speed, drifting, pickup, topspeed, and the list goes on), basically, a guy who wants comfort and luxury driving than to a sports car.

*My Financial Strengths*  sad.gif

Monthly Income (without including annual bonus, deduction from EPF/SOCSO/TAX)  hmm.gif

-Budget price for the car itself (including OTR, insurance, deposit, for the car) = RM105,000 maximum.
-Gross Monthly Salary (without bonuses, EPF/SOCSO/TAX deduction, etc) = RM5,000
-Monthly Side Income (non-deductable by EPF/SOCSO/TAX) = RM500
-Annual Bonus (let's ignore this for the time being, for best measures) = RM0

Total Monthly Salary (without bonuses, deduction from EPF/SOCSO/TAX) = RM5,500
Total Annual Salary (without bonuses, deduction from EPF/SOCSO/TAX) = RM66,000

Monthly Liability & Commitment (active and visible through CTOS/CCRIS) icon_question.gif

-Personal Loan (2 years duration) = RM650 per month
-PTPTN Loan (10 years duration) = RM110 per month
-Housing Loan (none) = RM0
-Car Loan (none) = RM0

Total Monthly Liability ohmy.gif = RM760 per month

I have a Proton Wira Special Edition '08 Auto (WiSE) 1.5 GLi, which has been fully paid off. I would like to trade in this car to support my initial deposit in buying the E90 as spoken.

*BMW Option Keen In* icon_question.gif [\B]
-BMW 320i E90 LCI Model with I-Drive (ok ok lo)
-BMW 323i E90 LCI Model with I-Drive (my preference)
-BMW 325i E90 LCI Model with I-Drive (ok ok lo)
-BMW 520i E60 LCI Model (not my preference)
-BMW 523i E60 LCI Model (my preference)
-BMW 525i E60 LCI Model (not my preference)
-BMW 530i E60 LCI Model (not my preference)

[B]From the above, I am seeking knowledge on the the potential maintenance cost, parts to be in concern with (damages like oil leaking, mechatronics, and etc), as well as overall review of the car model mentioned above. However, I'm currently having my eyes on the BMW E90 LCI Model 323i with I-Drive with year made 2009 to 2011. In addition to that, I'm looking forward to understand is CKD or CBU better for this model. It would be superb if you may suggest me a workshop where I can check the secondhand BMW for potential damages (a BMW specialist, etc). I'm also trying to look out for a good E90 323i with I-Drive as mentioned above, so, is there any secondhand car dealer which I can try out for best results?


Thank you in advance  notworthy.gif  for your assistance and advice which I am extremely grateful for and highly appreciated. Your support, advice, and guidance would be appreciated for me transitioning into a Beemer. Please give me energy to become a Beemer!  icon_rolleyes.gif

Yours genuinely,
Nikly
*
Firstly. U don't call yourself a beemer. U call yourself a beemer owner.

You are definitely dying to drive one because its a beemer. Some friends may tell u, u only live once.
I used to have one e36 many years ago. Paid through my nose for maintaining it. I was earning around 10grand and I felt it took a huge chunk of meat..
Anyway, its a old man tale...typically its around 3-3.5k to maintain it..if u r taking a loan. Like what others are saying, u should calculate per annum instead.

Thirdly..that's a old bmw. Many high flyers and bosses do not mind what car u are driving, unless u are the boss of ur company. And to them, u are driving a old bmw, like any regular car. If u are truly getting a 3 series, bosses hated the legroom..they prefer at least a 5 series or a segment d.

If u r taking a long term loan, it is hard for u to get out of the loan unless u don't mind paying off the balance. For the next few years, your bmw will look really old.

Really pointless to get a bmw just to look good for your company visitors.
These bosses...if they are superficial, they will mind more of luxurious feel, legroom, or whether it's a high end car. A entry level bmw doesn't really work in ur favor. They don't just look at a badge.

Good luck.



 

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