24 BMWcar
BUYING GUIDE
wears, cracks and peels off, which doesn’t
look great. Other minor defects can include
radio display panel failures, but they can
easily be repaired.
Andy advises that buyers check the
functionality
of the sat nav,
if fitted. If the
system keeps
re-starting, this
is indicative of
a fibre-optic
network fault, which can be expensive to
put right. Such problems can leave you
with no parking sensor audio, radio, sat nav,
service indicator updates or Bluetooth.
If you’re buying from a garage and there’s
a warranty involved, then check whether or
not it extends to dealing with audio-visual
issues, electric water pump failure on petrol
models and the turbocharger and flywheel
on a diesel. A lot of warranties will exclude
these sorts of items – classifying them
as simple wear and tear – so be sure to
check for this.
So, there you
have it, two pretty
decent purchase
options at very
affordable prices.
The E90 drives
and handles well and, with either of these
engines fitted, will be an interesting and
rewarding car to own. Andy’s pick would be
the 330d with an automatic transmission,
simply because of the combination of
drivability, fuel economy and the engine’s
mechanical resilience that the model offers.While many might consider the 330i
to be the ‘driver’s choice’ powered, as
it is, by that iconic, straight-six three-litre
engine, it’s hard to argue against the all-
round capability of the diesel model; it’s
an extremely impressive car which, in real
terms, is likely to be faster than its petrol-
powered brother. Granted, the oil-burner
can’t beat the 330i to 62mph, but that isn’t
the most practical measure. Most people’s
driving takes place between 30 and 70mph
and, in those ranges, the 330d’s torque will
provide the sort of effortless progress that’s
a real pleasure to live with.
But whichever model you chose, if
you buy carefully and then maintain the
car properly in the future, either of these
six-cylinder E90s will reward you with
satisfaction by the spadeful. lEither of these six-cylinder
E90s will reward you with
satisfaction by the spadeful
The E90 330d can be a
truly great, real-world
all-rounder; and fun to
own and drive, too.Dark grey, black, silver and blue are the favourite E90
colours. White, red and green tend not to be so desirable.