Considering a used G20 330e - How bad is it

[Snail89]

Hey all,

Brand spanking new forum member looking for a daily driver replacement.

The CliffsNotes :

- I'm used to Japanese reliability. I would like to continue with some form of reliability and low manageable running costs;
- My top pick at the moment is a 2025 Civic hybrid. All round excellent car with plenty of power, great intuitive handling and turn in, steering is a bit numb, but phenomenal packaging, plenty of room. Look great inside and out;
- ...but the 330e is that unbelievably hot, clearly in a different league, chick in finance you see nearly every day;
- I'd really like a plug-in hybrid for my next car, as it would really fit the bill with how I use my car on a daily basis;
- I have 2 young kids but the reality is I don't actually need all that much volume since my wife drives an 8-seater Toyota Highlander.
- Looking at new cars, willing to consider lightly used to slide into a $45-50k CAD budget;
- I know nothing about BMWs. Never owned one, never even looked into owning one;
- Forecast ownership would be 10-12 years minimum, 15,000 km /yr, country roads, B-roads;
- Can I get away with only oil, fluid & filter changes, brakes, tires & bulbs in 12 years? Or is there gonna be more...
- I really enjoy a light car with great steering and feedback that handles curves well but I have a miata for those days. I can part ways with the lightness in favour of comfort. Getting old anyway;
- I'm a DIY'er Lite. I do plenty of simple stuff myself. Opening up the powertrain on my Miata? ehhh alright then; everything is cheap and simple. In my daily driver? not really my thing.
- Also browsing a lightly used V60/S60 Recharge for the same reasons.

So what's the deal with the 330e; are they reliability nightmares? Are these lease-only cars that totally plummet down a dark path of 5-figure service and repairs? How do they do with corrosion? I've owned nothing but Mazdas and Volkswagens; corrosion is my nemesis.
I'm looking at plug-in hybrid 3-series only. That's a B48 2.0T mated to an 8-speed ZF? Is the electric motor snadwiched between the enging and transmission? We have salty fluffy winters here, but also some good curvy roads.

Thanks!
James

[BlkGS]

330e isn't going to be in the same league as a basic Japanese econobox. It will blow away the Volvos in reliability.

12 years is a long time for a PHEV, and frankly I don't think you can expect just normal fluids and tires on any non American or Japanese car.

Also, depending on age of your kids, the back of the 3 is really small. When I get them as service loaners they barely fit car seats for my toddlers. The B48 is also kinda a rough, garbage engine in 330i form. It's likely better with hybrid power added, where it really struggles is around town sluggishness. Makes power when you stomp on it, but I'm traffic it's weak and not premium. The hybrid drive probably fixes that.

[Canuck335]

BMWs are notoriously expensive to maintain, especially after about 5 years / 100,000km.
Yes they’re rewarding to drive but there’s a significant premium to own one.
You should expect A/C, cooling system, transmission, etc replacements. Always budget around 3-5k/ year for maintenance if you’re driving it daily.

Given the nature of your questions I’d say stick with Honda unless you’ve got the cash to spend properly maintaining the BMW.

[Snail89]

Thanks a lot guys for your input; very appreciated! I'm definitely shopping around quite a bit so we'll see where I settle, but your information was really valuable.

Some of the Volvo guys are saying the V60 & S60 are decently reliable, albeit with tall entry price and moderate running costs. Honda is still the safe bet. I'm not sure the 330e if for me, to be fair.

Again, thank you!
James

[MJBO]

Originally Posted by Canuck335

BMWs are notoriously expensive to maintain, especially after about 5 years / 100,000km.
Yes they’re rewarding to drive but there’s a significant premium to own one.
You should expect A/C, cooling system, transmission, etc replacements. Always budget around 3-5k/ year for maintenance if you’re driving it daily.

You are living in the past.

[LogicalApex]

I don't have any experience with the 330e, but my 530e has been extremely solid over the last 5Y and over 50K miles. The BMW PHEV platform, and all of the recent BMW models, are using some influence from Toyota as BMW and Toyota have been collaborating heavily. As a result, BMW PHEVs, or modern BMWs in general, aren't the maintenance nightmares of the past.

That said, you still want to evaluate the car heavily and look into the forums to see what issues have been encountered by owners and how frequently those issues crop up.

Also check the warranty for PHEVs where you are to see what coverages you may have available to offset any risks you might be worried about. For instance, if you're in certain states in the US BMW PHEV cars have the bulk of the EV parts warrantied for 15Y/150K miles which is beyond what you can otherwise extend a BMW's warranty to from BMW directly. You're in Canada so that doesn't matter beyond checking if Canada or QC has similar coverage mandates for PHEVs.

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by Snail89

Thanks a lot guys for your input; very appreciated! I'm definitely shopping around quite a bit so we'll see where I settle, but your information was really valuable.

Some of the Volvo guys are saying the V60 & S60 are decently reliable, albeit with tall entry price and moderate running costs. Honda is still the safe bet. I'm not sure the 330e if for me, to be fair.

Again, thank you!
James

You should watch the savage geese reviews of the Volvo XC90. Modern Volvos are horribly unreliable.