BMW 320 Coupe - Petrol or Diesel?
- Thread starter Ocean Breeze
- Start date
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
I have actually just last week got rid of a 320i M Sport Highline Coupe after 1.5 years of ownership.
In day to day driving they aren't bad, but they are definitely on the slow side. Pulling out of a T junction for example requires you to really floor it to get up to pace with the traffic, as does overtaking on the motorway, you have to really boot it.
Economy wise I'd say I was averaging about mid 20s with a mix of town and dual carriageway driving, with the odd run out.
Mine had the engine management light come on intermittently for about a year, took it to various BMW specialists, none of which could fathom the issue. whenever this happened the engine would run roughly, with lumpy acceleration. The timing chain also needed replacing at 50000 miles at a cost of over £1k.
The clutch is the same as most BMWs, crap. It has no feel to it whatsoever, and changing from 1st to 2nd makes the car judder for a second before the acceleration kicks in, especially noticeable in slow moving traffic. I believe this is largely due to the clutch delay valve that all BMWs have which can be removed if you desire.
Mine also produced a huge cloud of vapour from the exhaust on cold mornings, a lot more so than other cars, even sat behind a 640i once that kicked out not even a fraction of the smoke mine did. A bit embarrassing.
The interior spec isn't bad, but now rather dated. I also found it near impossible to find a comfortable position in the driver's seat.
All being said I'd much rather have went for the 6 cylinder version.
In day to day driving they aren't bad, but they are definitely on the slow side. Pulling out of a T junction for example requires you to really floor it to get up to pace with the traffic, as does overtaking on the motorway, you have to really boot it.
Economy wise I'd say I was averaging about mid 20s with a mix of town and dual carriageway driving, with the odd run out.
Mine had the engine management light come on intermittently for about a year, took it to various BMW specialists, none of which could fathom the issue. whenever this happened the engine would run roughly, with lumpy acceleration. The timing chain also needed replacing at 50000 miles at a cost of over £1k.
The clutch is the same as most BMWs, crap. It has no feel to it whatsoever, and changing from 1st to 2nd makes the car judder for a second before the acceleration kicks in, especially noticeable in slow moving traffic. I believe this is largely due to the clutch delay valve that all BMWs have which can be removed if you desire.
Mine also produced a huge cloud of vapour from the exhaust on cold mornings, a lot more so than other cars, even sat behind a 640i once that kicked out not even a fraction of the smoke mine did. A bit embarrassing.
The interior spec isn't bad, but now rather dated. I also found it near impossible to find a comfortable position in the driver's seat.
All being said I'd much rather have went for the 6 cylinder version.
I doubt it, the 320i was never particularly amazing in the E9x, it might have had a headline figure of 170bhp but this was right at the top of the rev range, it really needed to be thrashed to get the performance.
I had an earlier 150bhp 320i as a loaner from new for 8 weeks years ago, it was slow and hardly any more economical than my 530i was!
warranty can usually eradicate any issues that surface; I heard about the injector issue but didn't crop up on mine. I did however have my 02 sensors replaced.
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This is all a bit of a minefield. I have established fuel consumption will not be an issue. Now I am worrying about expensive repairs with all these horror stories.
In terms of warranties what would my options be? Are these purchasable warranties from Warranty Direct etc any good?
In terms of warranties what would my options be? Are these purchasable warranties from Warranty Direct etc any good?
It sounds like the 6 cylinders are reliable so doing what Fox suggested in post #11 seems like the best thing. BMW warranty is going to be your best bet, it will be more expensive than a third party but much more comprehensive. Getting one slightly older with low mileage and a BMW warranty sounds like the best plan to me