30i v 28i

Tinker15 said:
Big Bad Boris said:
Nice chariot Owdgit,

A non M-Sport...but with sport seats? Are they heated? What other options do you have from my wish list?
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There are some well specced non M-Sport cars about. Mine has the following:

Sports seats
Sports steering wheel
Rain sensor auto wipers
Heated seats
IDrive
Professional navigation system
Electric fold in mirrors
Parking distance control front & rear
Automatic air conditioning
Storage compartment package
Wind deflector
Sport automatic transmission
S676A HiFi speaker system
Cruise control (retro fitted)
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Useful to know, I guess starting with a non MSport model as a base gave the original buyer around £3k to spend on options before they reached the base price of the M, maybe there could be a good few more we’ll specced cars like yours out there for that reason. I would go for either, although I do find the silver versions of the E85 not that dissimilar from the front as they both have the “smiley face” grill (I have a silver E85 at present).
 
Big Bad Boris said:
MACK said:
Big Bad Boris said:
Great feedback, thanks people. Loving those pictures too, suns out and I can’t do a damn thing about the upgrade from E85 to E89 other then hover around here making plans :x

So when this is over I shall be scouring the country for a 30i, with for sure; iDrive, Heated sport seats and parking sensors....if I can also spy one with some or all of wind breaker, cruise, extended lighting and a sound upgrade I shall be a very happy bunny :driving: ...even more so if it’s metallic black with a cheeky coral red interior.

As an aside, I just took another look at the 2011options and price list. An M-Sport 30i specced with all those goodies (plus metallic paint and 18 inch 293 wheels) would have been somewhere north of £45k....nine years ago.
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One thing I found quite surprising when looking at E89's of any model/trim, including the top end 35i/is was how few seem to have a decent spec option wise. The I-Drive is notably absent on most cars you see as is the pro audio etc
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I guess my poking about in the options price list earlier helps clear that up a little, the iDrive system was over £2200, while the top spec speaker package all but £900. My must haves and nice to haves quickly added about £8k to the base price, there were a good few other options that could have pushed the new car price even higher. It’s a lot easier stumping up a couple of hundred quid on a used car because someone originally shelled out £5,£6,£7 grand in extras. I assume many new buyers didn’t see the value in the iDrive package, £2200 for a glorified sat nav.. I imagine a good few said bugger that I’ll use my phone or buy a Garmin and save 2 grand, I can keep my shades in that empty box on the dashboard 8)
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A premium car like BMW Mercedes Audi etc will always command higher resale and have more demand if factory satnav is fitted. Some buyers would not have specced it when new due to cost but especially when the car is around 3 to 5 years having that satnav could make or break a sale. Perhaps less difference in value / demand as the car gets older.
 
It’s scary the price of toys at the front end / purchase then see that they make no finance benefit at the backend of ownership-
We buy any car don’t even ask the question last time I looked - but I bet a dealer makes a song and dance about it!
 
I 100% agree, I for one will be seeking a car that has the iDrive, why wouldn’t you, when it’s adding a fraction of the original cost the the used price. Thing is, from my experience the units big manufacturers put in their vehicles are rarely state of the art when the roll them out. Technology moves on very quickly, so when you get to the car being a decade old the system is generally pretty old school and clunky and you can buy something better for about 10% of the cost, sadly nothing you can buy will fit in the hole left by the manufacturer hence original equipment is sought after as you rightly say.
 
If you find a potential 'right car' see if you can get the vin code and then run it through a BMW vin decoder. It will tell you exactly what options are fitted on the car. Even though a car has iDrive don't assume it will have bluetooth (don't think it became standard on E89's until 2012?)... even if it has bluetooth don't assume that you can stream music through it (yet another option).
 
Zed Baron said:
If you find a potential 'right car' see if you can get the vin code and then run it through a BMW vin decoder. It will tell you exactly what options are fitted on the car. Even though a car has iDrive don't assume it will have bluetooth (don't think it became standard on E89's until 2012?)... even if it has bluetooth don't assume that you can stream music through it (yet another option).
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The minefield that is the options lists!
One thing to consider when choosing between M Sport and SE is the headlining. The M Sport had black where the SE didn't and I'm not sure there was an option to change this. So depending what your preference is could drive your choice of trim level.
 
ronk said:
It’s scary the price of toys at the front end / purchase then see that they make no finance benefit at the backend of ownership-
We buy any car don’t even ask the question last time I looked - but I bet a dealer makes a song and dance about it!
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The reason why webuyanycar don't ask about it is because generally they give a really low price so it really doesn't matter to them and on top of that all the cars they buy they stick them through auction where they know in most cases they will get way more for them. Don't forget webuyanycar belongs to British Car Auctions (BCA). From my time in the trade I know the difference it makes when it comes to sale time either in the sale price achieved or ease of sale or both in having some options such as leather trim factory satnav etc. on a premium brand car.
 
Zed Baron said:
If you find a potential 'right car' see if you can get the vin code and then run it through a BMW vin decoder. It will tell you exactly what options are fitted on the car. Even though a car has iDrive don't assume it will have bluetooth (don't think it became standard on E89's until 2012?)... even if it has bluetooth don't assume that you can stream music through it (yet another option).
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I assume there isn’t a way to get the VIN code other than from the car itself or it’s paperwork? Would be nice to be able to do exactly what you suggest during my current forced window shopping stage. Being bored and keen to feed the fantasy of a new car I have made a table of the main options for all 30i’s currently on Autotrader (I can tell you are impressed :oops: ) plugging the VINs would amuse me a while longer and provide a more detailed picture.
 
ronk said:
DF1CA67F-4626-4EFB-B4E1-1804304C9B01.jpeg
Look at this spare parts app - it gives the vin from only the registration No.
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That's useful to know! Bmws warranty site used to give you the vin from the reg number and ever since they stopped checking the spec of a BMW whilst car shopping has been a real pain. Even if you have access to trade info via Hpi etc their spec checker facility just isn't accurate
 
ronk said:
DF1CA67F-4626-4EFB-B4E1-1804304C9B01.jpeg
Look at this spare parts app - it gives the vin from only the registration No.
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Thanks ronk, another improvement to my online shopping experience :)
 
I’ve just checked the app and added my daughters car etc and it still works !
From the Vin there are other sites to interrogate the spec.
 
Watch out for the Canberra beige interior. It may look pretty but it's a royal pain to keep clean.

I'm only the third owner of my Z4 and the seats were looking pretty grim. I had the leather cleaned and re-coloured but to keep it clean is really a PITA.
 
gusTaco said:
Watch out for the Canberra beige interior. It may look pretty but it's a royal pain to keep clean.

I'm only the third owner of my Z4 and the seats were looking pretty grim. I had the leather cleaned and re-coloured but to keep it clean is really a PITA.
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From my time on 39 Sqn, I seem to remember Canberra beige exteriors were a PITA too :)
 

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Thanks gus, I have all but ruled out all of the lighter interiors for that reason. Like me all 30is are going to be getting a bit and will have seen a good bit of ar5e traffic (unlike me) :oops:

My one exception is if I find a good blue one I might be tempted to risk a lighter colour. Although looking on line the drivers seat always looks a lot more lived in than the passenger side on those lighter hues.
 
ronk said:
I’ve just checked the app and added my daughters car etc and it still works !
From the Vin there are other sites to interrogate the spec.
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What site did you use, I tried a couple which did not seem to give much detail?
 
I can’t remember off hand but I will look back but if you do a search on this forum there are a few mentioned.
The sites I used gave a full list of the bmw codes and their description.
 
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet. But a 20i can be remapped to the same BHP as a 28i. If you're still looking at some 28i's then this may help to increase the pool of cars you can look at (just make sure you leave a spare £500 to allow for an oil change, spark plugs, and the remap).

Happy hunting!
 
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