Re: COE BMW

[JasonKuan]

Hi all:

I am currently thinking of purchasing a COE BMW 318IA (from SG Carmart: BMW 318IA (COE till 01/2011) Details - sgCarMart ), and have the following questions:

1. Does anyone know about the history of this car?

2. Are parts easy to source in Singapore since it is a 1991 BMW?

3. What are the things to look for when purchasing a use / COE BMW?

I appreciate anyone insights and feedback.

JK

 

[iScoupe]

Re: COE BMW

Wow u got 2 cars liao still going for 3rd car, good choice for E36 is a nice classic to drive;

1. No sure the history
2. Yes. At Propel, Eng Soon, PML u can get most of the things.
3. Price, Receipt of repairs

Btw one glance the blue interior is nice & very well kept.
Only the 318 is under power if stock but road tax is cheap.

 

[sszone]

Re: COE BMW

hi Jason,

I'm also driving a 91 318ia.
first, i think u will need to know its a M40 engine under the hood, later models have a better improved version of the engine i guess.

parts are still relatively easy to source; old parts from Propel, new parts from Eng Soon, PML or Sin Guan Hin.

things to look for when buying a COE car, check the mileage, condition of the car. the engine is of utmost importance. Thereafter, u will have to bear in mind that this being an old car will have its share of wear n tear problems, which hopefully u can get the dealer to replace as part of the deal, if not ask them to give u a cheaper price.

As for the car u are eyeing:

1) first, i did heard of some ppl having disputes with the dealer b4
2) 5.3k depreciation is pretty ridiculous for the car, i think somewhere near 4.5k would be more realistic
3) steering wheel sucks (get a M3 one from Milk....hehe)

you can always join our Club Sandy or ask any of us for advice.
1 word of advice, dun get smoked by the dealers to put down deposit money or get committed.
good luck shopping, if u are viewing car, ask jio jio our Sandees to join u :woowooo:

 

[JasonKuan]

Re: COE BMW

Wow u got 2 cars liao still going for 3rd car, good choice for E36 is a nice classic to drive;

1. No sure the history
2. Yes. At Propel, Eng Soon, PML u can get most of the things.
3. Price, Receipt of repairs

Btw one glance the blue interior is nice & very well kept.
Only the 318 is under power if stock but road tax is cheap.

Actually buying it for a friend of mine, taking her license...

How much for the road tax?

Parts wise are they expensive?

 

[JasonKuan]

Re: COE BMW

hi Jason,

I'm also driving a 91 318ia.
first, i think u will need to know its a M40 engine under the hood, later models have a better improved version of the engine i guess.

How would I know if it is a M40 engine?

parts are still relatively easy to source; old parts from Propel, new parts from Eng Soon, PML or Sin Guan Hin.

Great to know that!

things to look for when buying a COE car, check the mileage, condition of the car. the engine is of utmost importance. Thereafter, u will have to bear in mind that this being an old car will have its share of wear n tear problems, which hopefully u can get the dealer to replace as part of the deal, if not ask them to give u a cheaper price.

As for the car u are eyeing:

1) first, i did heard of some ppl having disputes with the dealer b4
2) 5.3k depreciation is pretty ridiculous for the car, i think somewhere near 4.5k would be more realistic

Will bargain with the dealer.

3) steering wheel sucks (get a M3 one from Milk....hehe)

you can always join our Club Sandy or ask any of us for advice.
1 word of advice, dun get smoked by the dealers to put down deposit money or get committed.
good luck shopping, if u are viewing car, ask jio jio our Sandees to join u :woowooo:

Please PM me your contact. Cheers

 

[SC_IS]

Re: COE BMW

Road tax you're looking at about $950/ half year.

Parts are not expensive, definitely more then the jap cars but thats what i guess you come to expect of cont cars.

Mine's a 91 as well. Its been sheer enjoyment driving it.

However, if this is for someone who just wants to use it as a regular day to day transport car, i dont recommend it.

 

[JasonKuan]

Re: COE BMW

Road tax you're looking at about $950/ half year.

Parts are not expensive, definitely more then the jap cars but thats what i guess you come to expect of cont cars.

Mine's a 91 as well. Its been sheer enjoyment driving it.

However, if this is for someone who just wants to use it as a regular day to day transport car, i dont recommend it.

Why won't you recommend as a day to day transport car? Is it there will be plenty of problems if one do?

 

[sszone]

Re: COE BMW

However, if this is for someone who just wants to use it as a regular day to day transport car, i dont recommend it.

ooi mata gia, i using it a daily transport car leh....haha
fc is defintely way higher than jap car so jason, u better advice your fren the pros n cons of owning one. if petrol cost is a factor, better to stick to a corolla or vios....save money driving that

 

[sszone]

Re: COE BMW

Actually buying it for a friend of mine, taking her license...

How much for the road tax?

Parts wise are they expensive?

u buying for her ah? hehe
i think better to wait till she pass the TP test then think abt it
parts wise, i dun feel its that expensive....cost jap car parts have also risen quite a bit nowadays while bmw remained unchanged relatively

 

[iScoupe]

Re: COE BMW

Why won't you recommend as a day to day transport car? Is it there will be plenty of problems if one do?

ooi mata kia, i use it every day & clock 80km a day, now coming 380,000km still kicking lei! anytime overtake u with my R gear ...

 

[SC_IS]

Re: COE BMW

Unless you get it from a direct owner, who has spent min 3k up to some even 10k on their car, you can almost be sure that whatever you get from ANY dealer, will be one that has problems.

And when problems i mean suspension, aircon, oil leakage, (engine/gearbox/) etc. Not only do they take money, they take time to rectify. They are major inconvenience and can spend days in a workshop. (All these, reasons why it wont be a good day to day car, unless you're willing to put in time and money to get the problems sorted out right from the start)

sszone mention fuel consumption as well. For the auto you probably get 8km/L ? Don't know what the others are getting cause we vary but i would say 8 to 8.5 is the average. Again, not good for daily to and fro.

In any case, there are 2 me, 2 kinds of day to day drivers.

1. The kind that just wants to get from point A to B
2. The kind that wants to get from point A to B, but enjoys alittle fast pace action every now and then during the journey to point.

So unless shes (2.) again, i dont recommend the car.

my 2cents bud

 

[JasonKuan]

Re: COE BMW

What about a COE 520IA? Which is better to go for as the price are almost similar?

BMW 520IA (COE till 01/2012) Details - sgCarMart

 

[JasonKuan]

Re: COE BMW

ooi mata kia, i use it every day & clock 80km a day, now coming 380,000km still kicking lei! anytime overtake u with my R gear ...

See you next meet...

 

[jin teck]

Re: COE BMW

why not try this as you can ask owner on what are all the repairs down. Can jio us too when you want to view cars.

BMW 520IA (COE till 11/2010) Details - sgCarMart

 

[sszone]

Re: COE BMW

What about a COE 520IA? Which is better to go for as the price are almost similar?

BMW 520IA (COE till 01/2012) Details - sgCarMart

your this dealer on my banned list....haha
teck's recommendation is better, buy from owner should be cheaper compared to dealer.
better still, if the owner is hands-on with the car, that would be a plus point.
my only worry is that your gal fren if she get her p-plate, can she handle a big car like that, die die must install reverse sensors to be safe.
the e34 is much wider n longer, very different from the cars used for learning

 

[sszone]

Re: COE BMW

See you next meet...

u can join us at our Club Sandy outings....its more fun (cos everyone knows each other) and frequent compared to the monthly big one

 

[JasonKuan]

Re: COE BMW

your this dealer on my banned list....haha
teck's recommendation is better, buy from owner should be cheaper compared to dealer.
better still, if the owner is hands-on with the car, that would be a plus point.
my only worry is that your gal fren if she get her p-plate, can she handle a big car like that, die die must install reverse sensors to be safe.
the e34 is much wider n longer, very different from the cars used for learning

Why is the dealer in your banned list? Bad experience with them?

Once she received her P-plate, must install front and rear sensors! :->

 

[jin teck]

Re: COE BMW

Front n back camara will be better. a 6 pot is anytime better than a 4 potter. Go for the e34 if the condition is good.

 

[joon]

Re: COE BMW

To the OP.. this is my 2cents worth of advice

I kind of agree with SC_JC_0308.. A COE BMW is NOT the choice for a daily driver, and 100% definitely NOT the choice for a first time driver.. you only buy an old bimmer if you are passionate about it.. there is really no other reason to buy one.. we love our cars so much we make excuses for them

1. COE BMW's are old, I really mean OLD.. most of us are experienced car owners who can handle ourselves, but first-time drivers will be baffled at the maintenance levels.. things that are taken for granted on the newer cars we have to fix..

2. BMW's are rear-wheel-drive.. these are trickier to handle, even in lower-powered automatic form.. for a novice driver trained on FWD econoboxes, this is not ideal and I can almost guarantee a situation where she would run into trouble.. compared to the FWD cars, the bimmers are heavy on the controls and react differently.. the bimmer wants to involve you in the driving experience, but this can be a terrible distraction to a novice driver already overwhelmed by unfamiliar roads, heavy traffic etc

I have an E36 and much as I absolutely love this car, I cannot recommend it to a novice driver. For first time driver, I recommend a cheaper, smaller, front-wheel-drive like a Vios or Fit or something along those lines, it will be easier to drive.. much more reliable and dependable and have lower running costs.. after a few years of driving and getting familiar with Singapore roads, she can graduate to something more fun

 

[mrbryant]

Re: COE BMW

So if p-plate driver thinking of getting Z4, would you recommend?