[blackwasp]

After the stiff-riding, cramped & heavy-steering E90 came this F30 which was far easier to live with. But like the E60 -> F10 transition, BMW "softened" the F30 too. The car did well in India & many BHPians have lapped up new / pre-worshipped ones.

Positives:

• A fun-to-drive RWD BMW that can be had for Hyundai Creta money
• Looks great & is a very competent sedan, even by current standards
• Two fantastic engine options; the practical 320d & the high-revving 328i
• Phenomenal 8-speed gearbox is fast & smooth
• Good ride quality & comfort
• Rear seat space was noticeably improved over the cramped E90
• Features like the iDrive, memory seats, head-up display, nice sound system etc.
• 5-star safety rating & equipment
• BMW's excellent long-term reliability
• If you buy a recent car, you can extend the warranty upto 6 years!

Negatives:

• Rear suspension feels too soft under hard driving
• No spare wheel or even space for one! Placing a spare chews away cargo room from the small boot
• Electric steering isn't to an enthusiast's tastes. Not a true BMW steering
• Spare parts can be eye-wateringly expensive to buy
• You need a good independent mechanic to maintain one (authorised workshops too pricey)
• BMW's 2.0L diesel is more clattery / noisy than you'd expect in a luxury car
• Used F10 5-Series are priced not so far away
• Some features missing (folding rear seat, adjustable lumbar support, front parking sensors, cruise control, height adjustable seatbelts)
• Back seat lacks under-thigh support for tall passengers

Related Threads

• Official Review

• F30 LCI video review

• iliketurtles' old-new BMW 328i

• Dr.AD's 320d Sport Line (F30 LCI)

• zebanaff's 320d F30 LCI Luxury Line

• the_skyliner's black 320d

• quickdraw's pre-worshipped 328i

• AdiSinghV12's BMW 320d with M Performance Power Kit

• vishwasvr's 320d

• karan561's modded 328i

• drmohitg's 320d

• pratiksinhal's 320d

• Fraz33r's BMW 328i

Mod Potential:

Exceptional! A popular model worldwide, hence there is ample parts & technical support for mods. You could even fix the soft rear suspension from the after-market.


Source

Availability:

Very good, as the 3-Series is a volume seller by luxury car standards. Check out some of the examples on sale here.

[GTO]

Voted Yes! In this segment of used premium cars, this model would be my top choice. In fact, I would only spend time thinking about whether to go for the practical 320d (which is fast with a remap) or the absolutely enjoyable 328i .

Beautiful sedan. And far superior reliability to the equivalent Mercedes C-Class.

[Abhi5868]

Voted a big YES

How can I let go an opportunity (if it comes) to own one of my favourite sedans. The gearbox is fairly reliable, I prefer the design proportions of the 3-Series over it's bigger siblings and the gadgetry provided is enough for me, although some may not feel the same.

Infact, the 328i is on top of my dad's list for a Pre owned German since he drives 95% of the time alone. Plus he says"That's all the power I'll ever need on Indian roads"

[itwasntme]

Yes!

If it wasn't for overpriced Bangalore, I would have bought an used F30 or a F10 for half the money I spent on my G20 330i.

[irdevanand]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Availability:

Very good, as the 3-Series is a volume seller by luxury car standards. Check out some of the examples on sale here.

Hi, In the link you have given it shows all products bearing the name "3 series" including apple watch 3 series and some 3 series bose speakers. Please use this link https://www.olx.in/cars_c84/q-bmw-3-series . This will set the filter as CARS so that only bmw 3 series is shown.

Mileage Filter
Also if you are keen on a particular mileage like less than 10,000 kms then you can play with the URL like this
https://www.olx.in/cars_c84/q-bmw-3-...eage_max_10000 .
Just change the last 5 digits to 15000 or 20000 and you will get cars within that mileage.

Ignore 3GT
If you dont want to see 3GT in the search results then use this URL
https://www.olx.in/cars_c84/q-bmw-3-...q_bmw-3-series

Under 3 Years
If you want to checkout cars that are under 3 years only then use this url
https://www.olx.in/cars_c84/q-bmw-3-...n_2018_to_2020

Great post. Was waiting for this. Been doing this for a while now. The other useful website for researching used 3 series is https://www.bmwusedcars.in/buy-used-cars the used car division of BMW itself.

Regards
Dev

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by irdevanand

Please use this link https://www.olx.in/cars_c84/q-bmw-3-series. This will set the filter as CARS so that only bmw 3 series is shown.

Thanks for this excellent tip. Will incorporate the same in upcoming Pre-worshipped car of the week threads.

[AirWind]

Nope! I already have a Jetta which is a bit more on space than the 3, so my next car has to be an upgrade to either the 5 for that extra space + snob value or the 3 GT for that practical cabin space+boot, panoramic sun roof and that frameless doors!

[turbo]

Voted no.

I might be able to afford the car, but I can't afford to keep it running. The spares are prohibitively expensive, even if you can find a FNG. And given the NCRs 10/15 year rule, it just doesn't make sense.

[d3mon]

Voted an obvious YES!

The 320d is the perfect introduction to the BMW RWD dynamics. This is the car to get if you want to know what 50:50 weight distribution does to the handing around corners (it's magical), and what 400NM of torque feels like when the gearbox gives you an aggressive downshift on demand.

The ride is exemplary, especially with the 16" wheels on my car. While it can feel unsettled over sharp expansion joints & the like on highways, it truly comes into its own around a series of corners when it shows its true capabilities. The grip levels are absolutely astonishing. You pretty much turn the wheel and it goes where you want it to without a hint of understeer. And yes, there's plenty of power to induce as much oversteer as you like if you play with the throttle mid-corner (with the DSC partially off, of course). All this while, the steering remains pure, uncorrupted by any torque going to the front wheels.

The 2.0L Diesel may be gruff in the city, but it does not lack power. The torque pushes you back so strongly via the 8-speed ZF that it feels much more powerful than the HP numbers suggest. A simple remap takes you well into 530d / 330i performance territory.

Must make a special mention of the noise isolation too. On the highways, you can barely tell the speeds at which you're cruising along. Even in the city, the outside world remains well and truly outside.

Regular maintenance is super affordable. However, some parts like tyres (15K+ each for RFTs) & pads (20K per set, each axle) may pinch.

I've had my car for almost 1.5 years now, and have covered 11K KMs in that period of time. The best part is that at least 70% of those KMs are drives purely for leisure, with no destination at all (more so during the COVID times). I just have to get in and get my driving fix every single weekend, if not more. Mind you, no previous car that I've owned had anywhere near this kind of driving just for leisure before, simply because I never felt the kind of joy that I get out of driving the 3

Here's one of the favorite photos of my car, in it's natural habitat on a twisty road on the way up to Yelagiri.

[Dr.AD]

A big YES!

Buying a used F30 was one of the best car decisions I ever made. More than 2 years and some 30,000km later, I could not have been happier.

You have made great points in Positives and Negatives. I agree with most of your points. However, based on my experience with this car (and my experience of searching for a used F30), I would like to comment on a few points:

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Positives:
• A fun-to-drive RWD BMW that can be had for Hyundai Creta money

This is not strictly true. What you can get in Hyundai Creta pricing is probably a 5 year old model (especially here in Bangalore). If one wants an F30 that is about 2 years old and within warranty and BSI, at least in Bangalore, the prices will touch Rs. 30L. Luckily, the prices have come down now thanks to G20 being the newer model, but when I bought one, a good F30 within original warranty and BSI costed about Rs. 35L Still a great bargain over a new car that is more than Rs. 50L OTR in Bangalore.

Negatives:
• Rear suspension feels too soft under hard driving
• No spare wheel or even space for one! Placing a spare chews away cargo room from the small boot
• Electric steering isn't to an enthusiast's tastes. Not a true BMW steering

The suspensions and steering were both improved in the LCI version. My suggestion to anyone looking for a used F30 would be that please get an LCI model. The suspension is spot on in the LCI, and the ride and handling is quite optimal. There is no need of thinking of suspension upgraded in the LCI model.

Regarding the issue of the spare wheel eating the boot space, yes that is a real issue and I hate that. The boot space (after the space saver) is quite poor and I have faced this issue on more than one occasions.

Actually to be very honest, this boot space (or lack of that due to the spare wheel) is the only issue I have faced so far. The car is just brilliant on all other fronts. And I have taken it on bad roads, rural areas, and even some mild offroading. It just loves to be driven, no matter what the conditions.

In a lighter vein, I often say that the F30 is as reliable as a Maruti. And I say this based on my experiences on owning both. My other car is a Maruti :-)

Just in two years, the car has already created many great memories. I could not resist taking this opportunity to share a couple of my favorite shots. Please allow me to share two memorable moments:

[kanishka88]

Originally Posted by GTO

Beautiful sedan. And far superior reliability to the equivalent Mercedes C-Class.

Votes Yes!

But digressing a bit. Why do you say BMW 3 series is more reliable than a C class? In terms of reliability, the order is Merc > BMW > Audi. Isn't that correct or it's different when it comes to India?

[VineetG]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Positives:

• A fun-to-drive RWD BMW that can be had for Hyundai Creta money
• Looks great & is a very competent sedan, even by current standards
• Two fantastic engine options; the practical 320d & the high-revving 328i
• Phenomenal 8-speed gearbox is fast & smooth
• Good ride quality & comfort
• Rear seat space was noticeably improved over the cramped E90
• Features like the iDrive, memory seats, head-up display, nice sound system etc.
• 5-star safety rating & equipment
• BMW's excellent long-term reliability
• If you buy a recent car, you can extend the warranty upto 6 years!

Negatives:


• No spare wheel or even space for one! Placing a spare chews away cargo room from the small boot
• Spare parts can be eye-wateringly expensive to buy
• You need a good independent mechanic to maintain one (authorised workshops too pricey)
• BMW's 2.0L diesel is more clattery / noisy than you'd expect in a luxury car

• Some features missing (folding rear seat, adjustable lumbar support, front parking sensors, cruise control, height adjustable seatbelts)
• Back seat lacks under-thigh support for tall passengers

Very good summation of positives and negatives. Would like to point out a few clarifications
- Spare wheel provided in later models. I got a space saver spare with my car, though it eats into the boot space. Hence I keep it in the boot only on long highway runs.

- Spare parts are expensive, but a good warranty can help you a lot. Also, look at using quality OEM/OES spares like brake pads from Textar etc. Will cost you 5-6K an axle instead of BMW's 20-25K. Textar/ATE are OE suppliers to BMW. Similarily, suspension bushes etc can be purchased from Lemforder, OE supplier. So we can mitigate the costs of some common spares easily.
RFTs cost 12.5K each in the market, non-rfts available from 10K+ (for 17 inch wheels)

- Front parking sensors and cruise control are also available in some variants. It is a pretty well equipped car, especially the luxury line variant with 9 speaker stereo, ambient lighting, front and rear parking sensors and rear camera, cruise control etc.

Should be a good pre-owned buy as F30 is supposed to be pretty reliable also, in addition to being fun to drive.
Driving one right now, at 23K kms, no issues to report, touchwood. Has brought back the joy in driving.

Rgds

[Entsurgeon]

Voted yes. Though i would rather go for a 330i g20. If you spend significant time on 4 laned highways , a cruise control is absolutely must. And not having a manual option is such a let down.

[Rajeevraj]

Voted a Yes. For pre-worshipped car lovers like me, this would be a logical fit for my next upgrade which hopefully would be in this territory. None of the new cars under 20L excite me too much. If I can get a good example and figure out a way to maintain it, definitely among the top choices

[Torquedo]

No.

When you are right up there, plonk in a few more and get the 530d or the E350, way more on the per sq ft and let's not talk about the performance figures.