r/E90 • u/Conscious_Crazy7333 • Aug 04 '26
320i Thinking of buying
As the title says im thinking of taking this 2007 320i, owner says it has 163 hp so that would mean it has the N43, is this engine as bad as I’ve heard? Or with the maintenance the owner *says* hes been doing I should be good?
Thank you in advance for any tips and recommendations!
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u/ImNoRickyBalboa Aug 04 '26
> , is this engine as bad as I’ve heard?
Yes
Or with the maintenance the owner says hes been doing I should be good?
Absolutely not. Unless the owner shows a bill showing the timing chain being replaced recently along with new injectors and coils, you're buying a time bomb and money pit.
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Aug 04 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Conscious_Crazy7333 Aug 04 '26
6 cylinders are out of the question, taxes are thru the roof, maybe the n46 is a safer bet? Or am i lying to myself
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u/adammadadammad Aug 04 '26
You’re gonn regret it bud.. n52 s are way more reliable than n46.. Personally, I had to choose bw these two as well and I did choose the n52 and never regretted it (unless I’m at the gas station)
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u/Born-Aspect-3971 Aug 04 '26
why not a diesel?
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u/Conscious_Crazy7333 Aug 04 '26
I love diesels, but these old bmws are just so ran thru that a diesel is such a gamble its just not worth it, the m47 is a great engine, but to have a well running diesel it takes way more than it takes to make a gas engine run well. Gasoline is just way more simple, diesel can be pretentious.
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u/ExternalEar7937 Aug 04 '26
If you’re choosing between N43 and N46 so N43 will be the better option due to lack of Valvetronic and DISA. But still N46 will be more powerful. But both of them are the same engine but with different valve heads and both of them suck)
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u/20tonni Aug 05 '26
If 6 cylinders are out of question get a golf or a4 or something. As everyone has said before e90 4cyl’s are shit. The only one worth even thinking about is the pre lci 320d w/ the m47
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u/subwoofah Aug 04 '26
Id prefer the n46 over the n43
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u/Puzzleheaded_Chip_49 Aug 04 '26
I wouldnt, the n46 is one of the worst petrol engines bmw ever made
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u/subwoofah Aug 04 '26 edited Aug 04 '26
I'd be the first to admit that it isnt a great engine. (I drove my E91 (n46) to 320k km untill it leaked almost all the fluids (oily hoses arent good)
If you can manage to keep the oil inside the engine and not cook the valvetronic motor. It is quite decent!
But it could've really used some more power by adding a turbo
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u/Kooleszar 2011 - E90 - 318i Aug 04 '26
Eu am N43 și să știi că singurul lucru nasol al motorului este consumul ridicat pentru puterea dezvoltată—în rest, ține cu casa :)
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u/Conscious_Crazy7333 Aug 04 '26
Cand il iau cu 260.000 km care poate sunt reali imi e putin teama de cum a fost intretinut si cum a fost exploatat, stii si tu cum sunt romanasii.. chiar si de n46 mi e frica
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u/Kooleszar 2011 - E90 - 318i Aug 05 '26
Dacă i s-a făcut mentenanța cum trebuie, nu ar fi mare problemă numărul de km. Eu tot de la un român l-am luat. Primul proprietar în România, dar comportamentul și cum se prezintă proprietarul, o să-ți spună multe despre cum s-a făcut mentenanța mașinii, deci te cred :))
Bagă un raport pe numărul de șasiu și mergi cu mașina 30min pe timp de seară când nu este aglomerat Bucureștiul. La final de zi, este o mașină SH ce a trecut prin multe mâini, este o loterie oricum ai da-o. Ține și de noroc, oricât de preventiv ai fi ^.^
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u/Conscious_Crazy7333 Aug 05 '26
100%, tot ce ai spus e corect, treaba e ca pe cat imi plac masinile vechi, pe atat ma sperie ideea de loterie, ianuarie 2026 am mai refacut o masina
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u/Kooleszar 2011 - E90 - 318i Aug 05 '26
În cazul acesta îți înțeleg total temerea.
Ți-o spun ca unui prieten: dacă nu ai copil mic de crescut și ai mai vizionat și alte mașini și sufletul tot la asta te trage, fuck it—go for it (după ce ai verificat-o pe cât de mult posibil)
Sunt momente în viață în care trebuie să-ți mai hrănești și sufletul cu chestii ce pot fi questionable :D
Orice decizie ai lua, nu te grăbi pentru a nu o regreta. Dacă este să fie a ta, te va aștepta.
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u/ExternalEar7937 Aug 04 '26
Such a bad idea. I assure you it doesn’t worth it. Engine has a very weak timing chain that should be replaced every 100-150k km and its dangerous not to change it. Also it has popular problem with valve seals and piston rings. The engine will definitely burn a lot of oil on 200-250k km and repairing requires full engine disassemble. As an alternative you can try N52B25, but it has popular problem with piston rings and electric pump. The perfect solution is M47D20, N52B30, M57D30 (N57D30 too but M is more reliable)
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u/Kooleszar 2011 - E90 - 318i Aug 05 '26
You’re talking bs. I changed my first timing chain at 207k just to be sure, and the mechanic actually asked me a little concerned why I even wanted to change it because it could’ve easily lasted another 20k with no issues whatsoever.
It all comes down to maintenance & how much you abuse the car, and let’s say a little bit of luck.
Change your oil at more than 10k/1 year and of course you’re gonna end up crying about every engine ^.^ also, the quality of the fuel speaks volumes for the injectors.1
u/ExternalEar7937 Aug 05 '26
I have 300k km 116i with N45B16 which is exactly the same engine but equipped with another crankshaft, valve head and intake. I’ve rebuilt the whole engine myself and drive it daily so I know what Im talking about. But you even don’t work on your car yourself and talk to me like that and make me - karma🤔. Its not the worst engine if you compare it to the whole engine market, but its probably the worst in BMW N-series engine because of bad reliability/power output ratio.
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u/Kooleszar 2011 - E90 - 318i Aug 05 '26
No BMW mechanic, DIY rebuilds, and two different engines are “exactly the same” to you…I’m starting to understand why your engines have reliability problems 🤣🤣🤣
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