BMW 130i

Buckster

Buckster

Buckster

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20 Aug 2006
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from reading forums etc - are these reasonably reliable cars/engines ?

I'm in a dillema whether to go private sale or dealer,I'd originally decided dealer - main-dealer with BMW - but its quite a premium, and stock levels are low/thin on the ground atm.

I did see a nice one at 12 with 1 owner from a BMW dealer, but day before I went to get it - it was sold :( I've found another but its more expensive - 13k and 3 owners (2007, under 50k miles) -to me even though its a nice car - seems a lot of money for the age/no. of owners ?

I've seen some private sale pre-facelift ones (2006) for around 8k so a massive difference in price.

I was thinking private sale if say 2-4k cheaper, thats a lot of money in back-pocket in case anything goes wrong vs buying from a dealer ?

one last question - is the M Sport version critical handling wise,or are the standard SEs etc still good (relatively) handling wise ?

I do wonder whether - as good as the 130is are - whether a nearly new Octavia VRS would be almost as fun and a better option. I guess wouldn't handle as well or be as quick, but as a comparison fromcars I'velooked at

130i M Sport - BMW dealer - 3 owners - <50k miles = 13k
Octavia VRS - 2010 plate - 1 owner - 10k miles = 11.5k

VRS is much newer

any help appreciated :)
 
Very reliable. Owned one for 3yrs and spent nothing on it other than oil, tyres and servicing. My mechanic says the engines are pretty bombproof - same engine in his car - 630i which is what I now own too.
Great fun, engine noise is infectiously sublime. Servicing and tyres are cheap. Buy facelift '07-'08 for £10k-£12k or '05-'06 pre-facelift for <£8k.
I'd go for M-Sport which I had (for looks and extras), but the SE suspension setup handles better apparently (although I've never driven it).
Edit: One more thing - if you can, be patient. There aren't many about, so be patient for a mint one. They do come up but you may have to wait.
 
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£12k seems a bonkers sum to pay for a 2007 car regardless of whether it's from a dealer to me (but I'm far from up on the going rate to be fair).

They are by all accounts reasonably reliable - I can't help with M sport / non M sport as i've only driven the former but tbh at this age of car the suspension will be getting a bit tired anyway unless it's had very little use - a refresh wouldn't cost you too much and should improve things no end.

You should have the option of the much fabled BMW warranty if you pick the right car, pay by direct debit and it's under 60k (not sure what the other conditions are but it will be easy to check). This will be a relatively low sum per month for genuine piece of mind
 
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thanks to both of you :) I guess I need to wait for the right car then - and if something else "amazing" comes up in meantime non BMW - I'll go for that

re 12k for an 07 - was my thoughts as well really - I can afford it but seems a lot for that age - even though they're nice premium cars

I was tempted with a 07 Cupra the other day at £8.5k - but perhaps a bit extreme for what I really need - but was 5 door etc
 
Buckster said:
^^ not really power wise, but over-all package, ie the Cupra has to be run on super-unleaded, has ultra stiff suspension etc etc
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i thought an M Sport - especially if still on run flats have a bone crunching ride!

If it is of any help, i tried a few cupras and a 130i when i was looking but decided to lower my budget and get a 2006 VRS.

I decided a 130i was a bit pricey and i wanted to spend less and whilst the cupra was fun, i hated the interior ( and the only ones i could find for sale were yellow, and they already looked faded)

If i was in your position, i would probably rather spend 12k on the newest/low mileage VRS i could get.
 
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Depends what level of performance he's after really - whilst I agree the vrs is a good balance at a great price the 130i is a good bit quicker, plus makes a great noise and it's a 6
 
Buckster said:
I've seen some private sale pre-facelift ones (2006) for around 8k so a massive difference in price.
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Imo I think that's what you should get. 50% price increase for what is essentially the same car is not worth it at all. I don't care that there is a minor increase in interior quality and different headlights, there's nowhere in hell it's 50% more car for the money.
Simply find one in decent condition, keep 1k in the bank all the time and enjoy life.

It's a petrol NA engine so no DMF, turbo or injectors to go pop and throw bills at you.
 
Joe T said:
Absolute rubbish.
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ive had 2 bmws and 1 volvo s60 with a dpf my driving is very mixed a lot of town and stop start trips then motorway, never had any dpf issues

yet my mate with a vectra 08 plate has had problems and he said his dpf is constantly trying to regenerate
 
I've seen my fill of broken 320d's thanks and owned bmw's as well as plenty of other motors - your comment was just naive i'm afraid. By all means keep believing that by buying a "quality" product like a modern bmw that you'll avoid any issues

Irrelevant to this thread though
 
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