Hey guys, I'm 18 and looking to buy my first car. I'm about to graduate and my dad is going to help me purchase a car for my grad present. I found a 2003 320i. It's going for $25,900 and I wanted to know if this is a good price for the car. The leather is in great condition and it has 47,000 km on it. It is a certified series at my local bmw shop. Also, if I throw some X-Ice tires on the thing for winter, will it be a good winter car. I live in Saskatchewan and we get a ton of snow. Thanks for and replies and help in advance.

They also have a few 2003 325's going from $27,500 to $28,900 with the premium package. Would that be a better bet for me? The reason I chose the 320i was because it was a little more in my price range.

Also, it wouldn't let me put the link to the site as it said i don't have permission too.

If you can squeeze somemore money out of your dad,go for the 325i,better engine,more pep,and more options.Those look to be pretty good prices,cause you probably couldn't get one here in Edmonton for that price,especially if it is certified.Make sure you don't end up buying one from another dealership,could be a big hassle when it comes to warranty,some BMW dealers will not accept a warranty from another dealership(not certified warranty).Trust me it took me 6 months of looking around the city till I finally bought my X5,had my local BMW dealer buy it,then re-sell it too me,only paid $1000.00 more than what the dealer paid.Hope this helps,and good luck,cause if you do end up buying a Bimmer,there is no other car on the road that performs and is as much fun to drive....except the exotics...and who can afford those????

Thank you for the reply. I'll have to talk to my dad about the 325 then, and work a little more in the summer but it will totally be worth it. All the certified series appear to be on sale. The 320i was originally $31,000. Also, they come with a 6 year or 160,000 km warranty. Is the 6 years from when i buy it or from when the car was originally bought? Any other opinions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I believe the warranty is from the original purchase/in service date.

Yup,just what Schnell said from in service date.The certified warranty is pretty damn good as well,if you do purchase from the dealer,ask for a copy of everything that the warranty covers,and keep it,I have a copy for both my vehs,and its pretty extensive.Thats why I got the dealer to purchase my X5 for me,and then have me buy it from them so I could get the extended warranty.

So if I buy a 2003 certified series, and the car was bought for example in October of 2002, the warranty would expire October 2008? Because I certainly will not reach 160,000 km before then.

The cars I'm looking at are all below. They are all part of the certified series at my local BMW shop:

2003 325i premium package
http://listings.boostmotorgroup.com/Details.aspx?InventoryID=100915&DealershipID=448&PageSize=20&ParentCompanyID=0&DealerGroupID=0&MediaID=36&onSpecial=0&Wholesale=0&Demo=0&lng=ENG&isLogo=1&origin=0&CustomLogo=0&IsSpecial=0&IsDemo=0&IsWholesale=0&NotDemo=0&RowNumber=2

2003 320i
http://listings.boostmotorgroup.com/Details.aspx?InventoryID=100917&DealershipID=448&PageSize=20&ParentCompanyID=0&DealerGroupID=0&MediaID=36&onSpecial=0&Wholesale=0&Demo=0&lng=ENG&isLogo=1&origin=0&CustomLogo=0&IsSpecial=0&IsDemo=0&IsWholesale=0&NotDemo=0&RowNumber=3

2003 325i
http://listings.boostmotorgroup.com/Details.aspx?InventoryID=100809&DealershipID=448&PageSize=20&ParentCompanyID=0&DealerGroupID=0&MediaID=36&onSpecial=0&Wholesale=0&Demo=0&lng=ENG&isLogo=1&origin=0&CustomLogo=0&IsSpecial=0&IsDemo=0&IsWholesale=0&NotDemo=0&RowNumber=6

2003 325i premium package
http://listings.boostmotorgroup.com/Details.aspx?InventoryID=100909&DealershipID=448&PageSize=20&ParentCompanyID=0&DealerGroupID=0&MediaID=36&onSpecial=0&Wholesale=0&Demo=0&lng=ENG&isLogo=1&origin=0&CustomLogo=0&IsSpecial=0&IsDemo=0&IsWholesale=0&NotDemo=0&RowNumber=10

Just throwing out some options, but have you looked at any 5 series?

If you're tall like me, the 3 series might be a tad small for you. I'm 6'3, and I do pretty well in my 328, but after a few hours I know my body hurts :(


It's the damned sunroof!

The warranty goes by the date the car was put into service,not from when it was bought.Those links keep asking me to send my e-mail n shit...lol.Anyways,when it comes time to buy,take someone that owns a bimmer with you,make sure you're getting what you're paying for.What the above msg from timmtc is saying is right as well,they are a lot smaller than a 5er,but the price jumps anywhere from $10,000-$30,000 for a 5series.IF you go with a 5er,the only one to buy is the 540i,a 528i has no balls,the 5 series is a very heavy car,and the 2.8L isn't powerful enough,just like the 530i,no balls as well...BUT the 540i has a 4.4L,and has lots of balls...lol. Go with atleast a 325i.

Well, height is not a problem as I'm short! :p I'm 5'7, I'm still growing but my dad is 5'8 so I don't expect to go past 5'10 at all. The site never asked me for my email, so sorry about that.

So you guys would recommend the 325i over the 320i for sure? So the 320 has roughly 170hp and 155 ftlbs of torque off the top of my head compared to the 325i which i believe has somewhere around 190hp and like 180 ftlbs of torque. Does this make a big difference? What else does the 325 have over the 320 feature wise that makes it a better deal? Also, is the premium package worth it? Is it just a sunroof and better sound system or is their a lot more too it?

Also, the owner of the BMW shop is our neighbour who we know, so hopefully he can do some sort of deal for us. Again, thank you so much for the help, I wish I could give you guys rep but I think I need more posts.

It really depends what you are looking for in the car. Personally, I would go with a 325i. I wouldn't pay alot of money to have the premium package, I would much rather use the money and do what I wanted with the car. I've never driven a 325i before, but I think my 328i is pretty quick. From what I understand, a 325i isn't far behind a 328i, and it would be a significant improvement over a 320i.

If you want a car that you can have fun with definately go for the 325i. Keep your options open because you're still pretty young. If in a few years down the line you want to head to the track or something, you would definately be able to do it with a 325i. Hope this helps!

For that money you could probably look at 330's. It's significantly better horses. I just sold my 2002 for 28K even. It had extended warranty and was fully loaded with two sets of tires. Let me mention....premium tires.

Well now I think I will look at the 325i's because I want something fun to drive around with some balls. I think your right in that I really don't need the premium package. The only problem is their is only one 325i w/o the premium package at my dealership and it has black plastic moldings and the car is silver. I really don't like the look of that, I like it when it's color matched. The other one I like has the premium package for like $1000 more and it's blue, so the black door moldings don't stand out quite so much.

Also, their is a 2003 325xi going for $30,900 with 59,000 km on it. What do you guys think of the all wheel drive versions. My buddy who is a lot attendant at BMW says they under steer, but would this help me for winter driving as we got a ton of snow this winter.

I think you should look at 330s too, I have a 01 330i and i love it, I took it to the track and it whales. I used to have a 325 and i always wanted to upgrade to a 328 or 330 If you can test drive a 330, DO IT and you will forget all about the 325. You could get a pretty nice e36 M3 that is in your price range and everyone knows M cars rule the world.

Yes, I too love m3's. The problem is that I sort of want to stick to the certified seriers at my dealership so I know they have been inspected and come with a warranty. Their are no m's and the only 330 is a 2003 330xi that is a little out of my price range.

Here at the links to the cars I'm looking at on auto trader as people are having trouble with the BMW site.

2003 325i
http://www.canadatrader.com/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=17610973&pgno=3&srt=1


2003 325i with premium package
http://www.canadatrader.com/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=23638170&pgno=3&srt=1

2003 320i
http://www.canadatrader.com/result/detailinfo.aspx?ID=23638277&pgno=1&srt=1

MAN that BMW lot looks pretty bare...lol.Go with the 325i with premium pakage,those little extras are still nice to have.My first BMW was a 99 328i/sport,my wife still hates me for getting rid of it...lol.

Lol, well I only live in a city with 250,000 people. Those are only the used cars. The new cars are all on the other side but anyways. Do you think $28,900 is a good price for that 325i with premium package. The sound system would be nice, but I don't need a sun roof. What else does the premium package offer?

That seems to be a reasonable price for it,not to sure what the premium package offers,it has the 6pack CD player,which is nice to have.You may not think a sun roof is a big thing,but I use mine all the time in the summer,I think I turned my AC on twice last summer.The heated seats are some sweet in the winter,as well as heated mirrors,and auto dimming rearview mirror is nice too.

Man..I wish I found this thread earlier. You might have to travel a bit if you're really serious about this. Edmonton does not seem to have the selection that you need. Get a 325ci, maybe an 01 or 02. If you're not carrying passengers a lot then the 2 door is just so much sportier. My dad drives a 2001 325i and it's decent, but personally, I would probably have to mod it to get the excitement. The premium package is okay, but I would not pay any extra for it. G/L with your purchase.

Thank you for the replies. BTW, I live in Saskatoon :p Anyways, I guess I'll just had to test drive and see what I like. My friend just bought a 1989 325i that's got just about every feature, its pretty sweet.

Thank you for the replies. BTW, I live in Saskatoon :p Anyways, I guess I'll just had to test drive and see what I like. My friend just bought a 1989 325i that's got just about every feature, its pretty sweet.

yeah..My car has more gadgets and options than my dads e46. If you're not totally set on getting a warranty and all that jazz, you should pick up an e36 328i and use some extra money to mod/maintain it. For me atleast, I would much rather have something faster and more sporty than something almost brand new. I don't trust dealers anymore after working for one last summer. The salesman just ragged on the cars.

Lol, I assume that's your car in your sig. Looks pretty darn nice. The thing is, I love cars and all, but I won't be able to do the mods myself as I'm not that handy, so I would also have to pay someone to do it, making the costs a whole lot more. Autotrader doesn't have too many 3 series older than like 2001 for Saskatchewan, so I would definetly have to make a trek to another province if I went that route. That's what my buddy did, he drove to Edmonton to get his.

Buy the 325i with the premium package...lol.If you want later down the road,you can do mods to the engine...etc.I also agree with you...nice bimmer Dawg.

Lol, ya I'm leaning towards the two 325i's. The non premium still has the sunroof, heated seats, auto-dimming mirrors and on the quote he gave us for both, it actually was originally selling for more than the one with the premium package. So besides the 6cd changes with upgraded sound system, does it have anything else to offer?

Not sure,but I think it had the list of options on the web site.We can all tell you what to buy,but its all personal choice...lol.

Yeah, I prefer the blue to the silver. I'm not a fan of the black strips running done the sides of the silver car. I just have to decide if I want manual or not. I've only ever driven manual once, but all my friends who have boughten cars have boughten manuals, and talk about how much fun it is to drive. My main concern is driving a manual in winter, especially having to stop on an icey hill and not rolling back when the light turns green. We have tons of snow and it can get pretty rutty and icey.

Just make sure that when you do buy,make sure you buy another set of rims with winter tires,yes they have a traction system,but trust me,you'll want some good winters.See if your local stealer has a board with used tires.etc for sale.When I had my 328i I bought tires through Kal-Tire and steel rims through my dealer.

Yeah, I'm definetly planning to buy some winter tires.

Just went back to the dealership. Everything seems good, good interest rate and everything, clean carfax. One Question. The car has 58k on it. When is the next big servicing?

Should tell you on the dash,I think on the three's you have a numbered countdown(anyone with a 3 let me know if thats wrong),and that will tell you when next servicing is.BUT,BMW will tell you,and it will read on your dash,every 25,000km,change oil....I split that in half,and change oil midway,and at the 25,000km mark.The stealer should have a printout that will have the breakdown of major servicing,take it with a grain of salt,you usually don't need most of the stuff done,personal choice.Remember,nothing is cheap when it comes to these cars,so major repairs are expensive,but highly un-likely.The stealer should also tell you when the last oil change was,and if its really close(1000km),get them to change it....for free, before you take it home.

Ok, thank you. One more question. I have to put premium in this bad boy, right? I wish that hill start assistant had come out earlier, would really help me :p

Don't have to,but it is best,I put premium in both of my bimmers,atleast 92 octane.I have to look,but BMW recommends 91 octane,it should say in your drivers manual,and on the inside of the gas door.

Alright, thank you very much for all your help!

Never a problem,as there are also other folks here as well,that are up on bimmers as well.Me I don't remember everything about the 3s as I haven't owned one in a few years.We all expect pics when you can.

Yes, I will definetly post pics on which ever one I choose on. I'm so excited.

When are you going to buy??