[Thyag]

If I have this money in hand & looking for a compact sedan then will go and buy Ford Aspire TDCI. The engine is tested & tried, the Mileage it gives is simply great. The Ford Spare parts are easily available nowadays, Maintenance charges have also come down.


It also comes with 5 years / 1 Lakh Kms warranty.

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by GTO

Don't go for the Fiesta 1.6S. Outdated by current standards.

If I were in your shoes, my top choices would be:

1. VW Jetta 2.0 TDI MT: Fast, spacious, mature dynamics, reliable. Get a simple remap that will bump up it up to ~180 BHP.

2. Fiat Abarth Punto: F-A-S-T, beautiful steering, amazing road manners.

3. Skoda Laura 1.8 TSI: guaranteed every time you redline that sweet revv-happy motor. MT means no DSG headaches.

4. S-Cross 1.6: A Maruti that feels & drives like a European car. Engine has long legs too.

POLO TDI has done closer to 95K. Car is remapped and has B12 suspension. Nicely built and no signs of any rattling. Replaced part list are Water pump, timing kit, one fuel injector (under warranty)...since its under extended warranty, even the steering rack is due to be replaced with new one under warranty. Like the car and wanted to retain for another 50k minimum. But stuck on highway due to injector malfunctioning & hesitant to hold this beauty.

Other options -

Pick a new Ameo high line TDI DSG and do mods like suspension, remap, air filter, upgrade stock to MPS4 tyres...this also comes with 6 Yr and 1.5L warranty.

Used 2014 Jetta TDI Manual...Done 35k. With upgrades like Suspension, tyres, remapping iam ending with similar initial costs. Accounting max of 2L for the recurring maintenance costs till I hit 125 to 150k on the ODO. Pls advise

[VWAllstar]

Such threads where we ask for suggestions should have a post from the one who made the thread giving out details of which car he/she picked up.

Very curious to know as many come under the same bracket and keep eyeing for examples.

A detailed post about decision making, delivery experience and few pics would be such a good closure for such threads.

[auxsend]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Such threads where we ask for suggestions should have a post from the one who made the thread giving out details of which car he/she picked up.

Very curious to know as many come under the same bracket and keep eyeing for examples.

A detailed post about decision making, delivery experience and few pics would be such a good closure for such threads.

Just to update, after much procrastination & many test drives of a good number of the above mentioned cars, didn't bite the bullet and pick up the 'fun' car, as yet.

So, in a sense the search still continues.

[sharma_sanjeevi]

Dear Friends,

Could not find any appropriate thread to post my query.
Hence, posting this here to get your views:

I was looking specifically for a used BMW E90 2010-2012 Model.
My running is around 500-600 Kms to max per month.

While searching i came across a Pristine Condition E90 - 2010 325i.
It is in Immaculate condition with History available.
It runs Fantastic and smooth with no squeaks and sounds from anywhere apart from Great Engine Growl at higher RPMs

Works done by the owner include:
1. New Battery
2. New Tyres All 4 Michelin
3. New Suspension
4. Insurance renewed in Jan-2020 valid till Jan-2021

Need your advice, What else to look for in the car, and:
1. Since this is a Rare Variant, will the Service & part availability would be an issue ?
2. How expensive would be the service in BMW Service Center
2. Any outside Garage / Mechanic suggestions near Navi Mumbai for regular service

Looking forward for your responses to make the purchase decision.

regards,
Sanjeev

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by sharma_sanjeevi

Dear Friends,

Could not find any appropriate thread to post my query.
Hence, posting this here to get your views:

It sounds good but your best bet is reaching out to Sushil aka Maverick. He heads Infinity BMW service workshop and will be able to get you the car history and approx cost of ownership.

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[sharma_sanjeevi]

Originally Posted by Sahil

It sounds good but your best bet is reaching out to Sushil aka Maverick. He heads Infinity BMW service workshop and will be able to get you the car history and approx cost of ownership.

Thanks Sahil for valuable input.
Yes, it would be necessary to get the history of car validated from BMW. Also, discuss with him on other aspects as well for the ownership experience.

And, I hope spare parts for this engine will be available handy. I was in doubt since this is a rare engine to be seen on 3 Series in India.

Had a talk with Karan, he gave me confidence, that I need not worry about service and spares. There are plenty available. He will be sharing some sites as well where we can order whatever is required. Even nuts and bolts, that's Great

I shall get in touch with Maverick. Can you please share his contact with me on PM?

Thanks in advance.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by sharma_sanjeevi

Dear Friends,

I was looking specifically for a used BMW E90 2010-2012 Model.

I would so, so not do this. With BMW, it is not about history being clean or about it being maintained or not. It is not about availability of parts either, they will be available. But it is about sheer costs. Service, maintenance and also things just going wrong.

I have owned two E90s (an E90 and an E92) in the US, and have had multiple friends own E90s too. Yes, the earlier ones (2006-2009) were more unreliable and the later ones (especially 2012) were better. But still, I would not go shopping for any BMW with an 8-lakh budget. Even in the US, I wouldn't own one out of warranty, at least aftermarket warranty.

For a random example, my friend's E90 had a failed power window switch. Total cost to fix, $1500. Warranty took care of it completely. Another two friends had the notorious water pump failures on theirs. My first one had so many niggles, again thankfully taken care of under warranty, but I sold it in less than a year, The last E92 was reliable, touch wood. So it can be hit or miss.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by sharma_sanjeevi

Need your advice, What else to look for in the car, and:
1. Since this is a Rare Variant, will the Service & part availability would be an issue ?
2. How expensive would be the service in BMW Service Center
2. Any outside Garage / Mechanic suggestions near Navi Mumbai for regular service

I think people have rightly addressed the availability of parts/tuners who can install them for you. However, I have to add, the parts are mostly ordered online and more often than not, get stuck in customs - they will ask you for an arm and leg every time the part is big enough to catch their attention. For example, if it is a small sensor, you may get away, but you will have a hard time getting a brake pad/rotor through.

BMW probably won't have parts for it, so official BMW service may not be the best option. Either way, if you lose a part, be prepared to wait for weeks together if not months, based on what part. I know of a E90 with MAP sensor issues, which was quietly parked for a few months.

In general, it is not a great idea to buy a 12-15 year old naturally aspirated BMW. The E90 has notoriously stiff suspension (which can be fun, but not with wife and kids), is very low on technology and there are much better modern + turbocharged cars available, with better safety features. Even the 2.0 Turbo on 328i was known to be quite unreliable, but the current generation 330i is much better (or so I hear).

[SaiSW]

If you're okay with a used car, may i add - Figo S. It is one hell of a car with that punchy 1.5 tdci and the handling is great as well.

If you can get one in mint condition for a fair price, then you'll never regret it.

[Chetan_Rao]

I'll repeat an oft-quoted cliche: Price tags depreciate on expensive cars, not on their spare parts.

Please re-evaluate your appetite for the time/effort/money it will take to own a decade-old German, purchase is the easy part.