MARSDALEBEAR Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 thats ok, because I will be able to satisfy my own arogance by the knowledge that not many 316i's leave the factory with rain sensor wipers and headlight washers (as the 330 does as standard).Ok, the rear bumper would need a bit of a mod as would fitting a 330 backbox. Another giveaway is the chrome around the windows/kindney grill fins and colour coded door handles. They would also have to retro-fit the chrome rings round the speedo/rev counter and the silver-look headlamps too (they are not on the 330D, just the 330i) Sooooo many finer points that the local 'rebadging' merchants just miss. I know my E46's and E39's like the back of my hand Will,that is sooooo anal Anyone that knows the finer differences between various BMW models really deserves one. At the moment you drive a car,why would you want to drive an image? Quote
Bob Green Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 I'm hip hop and happening And a very catholic taste in music Quote
DickieB Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 I had 2 Beemers in my younger and richer (pre-married) days. They are the poodle's plums, and if I could afford one now, I'd buy one. So I make do with a wannabee - Mini. The 330s (petrol or diesel) sound awesome - I'm sure it'll be just grand! Quote
Mark Stanton Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 They are the poodle's plums Yep very true Eve'nin Mr B Quote
Alfred Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 I have run a 330i manual Coupe for the last 12 months, covered 20,000 miles trouble free, mpg 26 in town 33 on a long run. Comfortable and capable but not particularly exciting. Tried an auto before buying the manual, didn't like it but thats probably personal preference. Due to low profile tyres can be a pest as car follows every bump and white line it can find. Friend with an M3 has same problem. Dealers are a pain in the butt as they look down on anyone wanting less than an M3. Service is not bad and reasonably priced so far. Quote
KerryS Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 ..and I thought it was just me who thought BMW drivers owned the road.... ...I'll get me coat.... Kerry S Quote
jak Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 ..and I thought it was just me who thought BMW drivers owned the road.......I'll get me coat.... Kerry S They do. Never let BMW drivers out of side roads either. John. I'll get my coat too TAXI!!! PS. Evenin' Kerry. Quote
rm163603 Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 Not sure if I want to admit this now after reading some of the previous posts ;o) I've got an 02 330i sport touring (manual). I would say go for it but then I would. Its not really quick (if you want that get a scooby or similar)but it makes a nice noise. The handling is really good though, coming from a golf it will feel great. I was expecting it to be good but it really surprised me. The downside is a hard ride. Mine is on 18's and you do wince when you crash into potholes. Forget the lexus IS200. it's gutless. The IS300 is really thirsty (as is the 3.0 Audi A4). A Merc C class is a nice car but if you want a manual only the recent ones are any good. A few things to think about though. If you can get a car that's under 3 years old it will still be in warranty. You can extend the warranty at the end of the factory warranty (about 500 per year) indefinately as long as it never lapses. This sounds a lot but is worth it IMHO. I just had a broken rear spring and this was covered under warranty. God knows how much stripping down the rear suspension would have cost but it wouldn't have been cheap. The common problems are: Front control arms wearing out quickly (Bad tramling and vauge steering) Cracking rear subframe mounts (the box section) Clonks from the back end Water pump failure (it's recomended to change it at 60K miles but's it's a fairly easy DIY) The car is well made but don't expect Toyota reliability. Options worth looking for (and paying extra for) are: Leather Sat nav Harmon Kardon Hi Fi Xenons A good forum is www e46fanatics.com... yes it is heavily yank biased but there is good knowledge there. There is also: http://www.bmwcarclubforum.co.uk/ http://forum.bmwcarmagazine.com/default.asp Also the car is quite easy to work on, you can buy the disks the dealers have (like a giant haynes manual) on ebay for under a tenner making doing your own work less hit and miss. Sorry for the long post but just the things that came off the top of my head.... Cheers Rhodri Quote
peterg Posted February 22, 2005 Posted February 22, 2005 why not get the 330d, I had a 330i courtesy car (both autos) while mine was in the dealer having a towbar fitted and I honestly had to work harder to get the petrol to go as quick as the diesel 22mpg from the petrol vs 30mpg from my diesel and that's doing mostly 10-20 mile journeys at <50mph Quote
rm163603 Posted February 23, 2005 Posted February 23, 2005 I'de agree... 330D is awesome especially when chipped. Like Peter says you do have to wring out the 330i more to make the same progress although that isn't really a hardship ;o) I even like the noise... The reason I got the petrol is that prices are quite a bit lower and I don't do many miles so the fuel saving wasn't really an issue. Actually the 320D is pretty good too and capable of 190bhp with a chip. A good place I found was the internet car showroom... they specialise in BMW's and prices are pretty good. Quote
markcoopers Posted February 23, 2005 Posted February 23, 2005 My 320D has a chip, but not rated at 190, more like 170bhp. Goes well if a little clater clater bang bang in the noise department. Quote
Bananaman Posted February 23, 2005 Posted February 23, 2005 The 330D is not that much slower 0-60 BUT the 'in gear' acceleration willl be much better & this is what you feel in the Real World they also tow better, have better fuel ecconomy & are cheaper to insure........... That's why i'm planning on getting a 330D touring. Make sure you go for the face lift model as the steering/suspention setup is much better. Personally I couldn't give a to$$ about the image, it's what the car does that counts.. Quote
peterg Posted February 23, 2005 Posted February 23, 2005 Goes well if a little clater clater bang bang in the noise department 330d doesn't clatter/bang as its a 6cyl it's been fun seeing how often the traction control light has come on in the last 3 days Quote
custardtart Posted February 23, 2005 Posted February 23, 2005 Hi all, I've got a Golf TDI 130 at the moment, and want to get into a car that I like every morning, rather than one that makes sense. Try here Quote
Vinny's Westie Posted February 24, 2005 Posted February 24, 2005 Use a 330D as everyday transport, chipped to 260BHP and 560 Nm torque. Far quicker than a M3 (seriously) yet is now better on fuel (32.4 around town, compared to 30.1 before), will get 38 on a run. Mine auto, every gear change forces you in the seat, done 23k miles, 15k since chipped far nicer to drive and the traction control light will come on when you want! Turn it off for some serious sideways fun Why by the petrol, diesel comes with free 5 years servicing (60K max) and you have the pleasure of burning off all those petrol performance cars (Impreza WR1's) Quote
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