Today’s Nice Price or No Dice 328d is a rare car. Not just for BMW but across all the model lines from all the carmakers selling here in the U.S. The reason for its rarity makes it interesting. Let’s find out if its price also makes it a rare deal.
Thanks to the Federal Government’s 25-Year rule, American car buyers are now open to privately importing a slew of lust-worthy cars. There are also quite a few not-so lust-worthy options out there, and some of those make their way here too.
Based on the comments, the 1996 Nissan Rasheen soft-roader we looked at last Friday could be classified in that latter category. That’s not to say that there isn’t someone, somewhere in the vastness of our great nation, that wouldn’t get a car-boner over the little wagon. Unfortunately for that imagined randy road-goer and the Rasheen’s seller, the $7,500 asking price was also called into question. In the end, that price resulted in a 72 percent No Dice denouement to end the week. Maybe things would have turned out differently if that Nissan 4x4 wagon had been a diesel?
A diesel engine is what you’ll find lurking behind the badge on today’s 2014 BMW 328d. Like Friday’s Nissan, this Bimmer is also a wagon and sports no-fuss AWD. It also happens to be a BMW and according to the ad, it is optioned up the wazoo.
We’ll get to that in a minute, but first, let’s address the elephant in the room. “Hello, Jumbo. Would you like a peanut?”
Okay, all joking aside, the 328d was one of the models that came under investigation when the European Commission accused BMW of colluding with competitors Volkswagen and Daimler to cheat on diesel emissions standards. The shake-out was that all three companies had to shell out billions on reparations and fines, and the consumer diesel engine issued forth its inexorable death rattle. Or, maybe that was just the diesel rattle. It’s hard to tell with oil burners.
It’s true that a noisy and unrefined engine has long been one of the complaints that swirl around the 328d. The 2-liter twin-turbo oil burner does put out a reasonable 180 horsepower and a very usable 280 lb-ft of torque, but the way it goes about its business can be a bit agricultural around town. To make matters worse, that’s exacerbated by the annoying stop-start system that brings the engine to life like there’s a wet dog shaking itself dry under the hood at every green light.
On the plus side, you can get pretty excellent mileage in these, with the seller claiming that 40 mpg can be obtainable. Speaking of high mileage, we should also note that this 328d has 175,000 miles on the clock. That falls into a nether world of not low enough to be notable nor high enough to be amazed and/or shocked by.
Remarkably, those miles don’t show excessively on either the bodywork or the interior. The explanation the seller gives is that the odo reading has been made up of mostly highway-driven miles. Another feather in its cap is the seller’s claim that the car has been properly maintained over the entire course of its one-owner life.
To be fair, there is a bit of haze on the headlamp covers and some wear on the driver’s seat bolster, but that’s pretty much it for the immediately noticeable stuff. The rest of the cabin looks clean and it’s full of toys as the seller notes there are a ton of options loaded on the car. Those were added via the packages BMW loves to bundle on their products and include:
Comes with several packages including: Driving Modes (Comfort, ECO, Sport Mode, Sport+ Mode), Premium Package, Sport Line Package, Cold Weather Package, Driver Assistance Package, Red Stitching Upholstery, Black Mirror Covers, Rear Windows Privacy Shades
There’s more too, but all we’re itching to vote, right? Before we get to do so, we’ll have to give the price tag a bit of a walk-around and a kick of the tire. That price is $12,985, and the purchase includes both a clean title and a roof rack!
Okay, let’s get to it. What’s your take on this high-mileage but high-mileage 328d and that $12,985 price? Is that cheap enough to roll the dice on a highway star car? Or, is that just highway robbery?
You decide!
New York, New York, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappeared.
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