my friend bought a 323 last year but after a week of driving he felt it was really under powered. i agreed with him. so he went back to the dealer and after a bit of negotiating he ended up replacing it with the 330i.
if your son is looking for 400E let alone 300E that means he's going for a bit more power. i suggest test driving them both and figure out the difference for yourself. rather get a pre owned 330 for the same price with the pre owned warranty in the same price.
don't bother leasing a pre owned because for some reason bmw leases for 3 year olds are almost the same as brand new ones for the same model, diff year.
and yes going for a newer car will save him the hassle of buying a money pit which 400E is for a fact. I know because my good friend owns one right now. and i've read a little too many posts as well
