323 or 328?

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Wed 6 Nov 2002 13:43
323 or 328? - jb9
I'm looking to buy a BMW 3 series and have £8500 to spend. I've been looking at R reg 323i SE's or M reg 328i SE's both with about 60K miles.

My question is - Is it better to get a newer 323 or an older 328 - Does the extra power make that much difference? Plus the insurance on a 328 is about £100 more.

I'd appreciate comments from anyone but in particular owners of 323's or 328's.

Cheers
Jamie
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 15:32
323 or 328? - PB
Both very good. As I remember you don't really feel the power difference but the 328 feels like it has deeper reserves. These older shape 3 series are nice but seem overpriced at the moment.
In your position/budget I would be very tempted by a 523 on an R plate with a few more miles, a rather better car that the 323.
PB.
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 15:56
323 or 328? - Chad.R
Totally agree PB, IMO all E36 models are slightly overpriced at the moment(why?) when compared to other similar models.
A E39 523/28 may be a better bet depending on your circumstances, especially now that prices are on the move with the new E60 5 round the corner.

However, if you have to a E36, you may find that if you want a very high spec, you may have more choice among 328's. Only about 2mpg difference between the 2.5 and 2.8 6's on comb cycle but 20+bhp and probably more importantly 30+ftlbs.

Good luck.

Chad.R
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Wed 6 Nov 2002 17:24
323 or 328? - John S
Jamie

The important point is that both have the 6 cylinder engine. There's not much of a performance difference (remember the 323 is a 2.5 litre), unless you've got your foot hard down and in one of these you can't do that for long. I run a 323 coupe and I'd agree with HJ's assesment - the 323 gives an excellent balance of power and economy - it certainly can return 35 miles/gall on a run.

I note one comment about specification. Try to avoid paying too much for a car with a lot of extras.

Regards

John S
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Thu 7 Nov 2002 09:15
323 or 328? - Jase
Hello Jamie,

Both these cars sound lovely. However, if you are not already aware, then you should note the Nikasil bore-liner issues with BMWs of this era. Do a search on "Nikasil" on this site and also look at the car by car breakdown for more information on the models and years potentially affected (certain 6 and 8 cylinder models from the 1990s basically).

Good luck with your purchase.
CavV6 and cavWeb fan.
www.cavweb.co.uk
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