120i M Sport (3 or 5 door) or 318i ES

Moobert

Moobert

Moobert

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Hi, my father will soon be getting a motability car and will be putting me down as his driver and we have almost narrowed it down to these models.

They are almost the same amount of money but which would be the best to go for.
 
Drive both, the 1 series ride can be quite firm, especially with the M sport suspension. The 3 series is bigger, but it depends whether you need the space. I'd also look at base specs and factor in likely options before making your decision :)
 
The 3 series has a lot more room than the 1, and seems to have a much better quality cabin also, saying that the 1 has a much more powerful engine.
For the money that Motability want (I'm on the scheme also) the 1 seems like a great deal so it all depends on what you want your car to do.

My advice is to drive both and see what you value most - a better quality, larger cabin, or a smaller car with more power.
 
318 but get the SE, ES is a crappy spec.

The i've driven a 120d, was a really crappy drive for a bmw, very shocking. However the 318d when I test drove it, was actually very good.
 
Simple one is whichever model your father is most comfortable sitting in.

Ability to get in and out easily is important.

Also factor in the equipment his condition necessitates must be loaded in the car.
 
PsiFox said:
Simple one is whichever model your father is most comfortable sitting in.

Ability to get in and out easily is important.

Also factor in the equipment his condition necessitates must be loaded in the car.
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The voice of reason, the whole point in a motability car is to enable you dad to get around not for you to have the best driving experience. You dads requirments and preferences should come first, last and everywhere in the middle.
 
a1ex2001 said:
The voice of reason... You dads requirments and preferences should come first, last and everywhere in the middle.
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I'm guessing that they've already ascertained that either of those cars will accommodate his dads specific mobility requirements, and now he's asking opinions on the 1 or 3 series.
a1ex2001 said:
, the whole point in a motability car is to enable you dad to get around not for you to have the best driving experience.
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In that case why is he looking at BMWs? A Ford Fiesta would offer as much space as either of those two and cost a fraction of the BMW.
 
Ref the ride of the 1 series. I'm told that as part of the recent update, that the ride has improved quite a lot. Having not driven a facelift version, I could state that from experience, but it's worth considering.
 
Thanks guys, the reason we are looking at the bmws is that we really like them lol.

Looks like we need to be gettin test drives sorted out
 
[TW]Fox said:
Is the taxpayer paying for this? ;)
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Yes, people can choose to received Disability Living Allowane Mobility (Higher Rate) at about £45 per week, or exchange that for a motability agreement, for a new car which gets replaced every so often
 
[TW]Fox said:
Is the taxpayer paying for this? ;)
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Nope, not at all.
The motability scheme takes the persons Mobility component benefit away from the individual which pays for the insurance/servicing and tyres, you are then given a pretty wide choice of cars from most of the major manufacturers (BMW have just joined, as have Audi).
You could choose a basic Fiesta for £0 deposit, or you could choose a VW Passat 2.0 SE TDI for an eyewatering £7000. Basically the more expensive car you choose means a higher deposit, so in the case of the OP, his dad has some money to spend on a car, so he's choosing a BMW.
The cars are limited to cars under group 14 insurance (which is a shame!).

Feel free to check out the range of cars and associated deposits..there are some good deals (the BMWs are - relatively speaking - great deals) and some shockers.
For example the above Passat is £7k, whereas a 120i M sport manual is £2500. The prices are a bit hay-wire though as a Freelander 2.2 SE (retail price £23k) is a bonkers £9999 deposit.


The prices are based on a complicated mixture of purchase price, running costs and residual value, but that often doesn't explain the huge variances in some of the cars.

Have a look at the choice at the Motability website
 
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Morthoseth said:
Yes, people can choose to received Disability Living Allowane Mobility (Higher Rate) at about £45 per week, or exchange that for a motability agreement, for a new car which gets replaced every so often
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That's not entirely correct. That would only get you the most basic of cars, in the OP's case he would have to find a non-refundable deposit of around £3k.
 
Basically it equates to around 9k over 3 years if i got the 120i msport, and considering that insurance is covered in that i would consider that very good.

Esp as i live in northern ireland and 21.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
Ref the ride of the 1 series. I'm told that as part of the recent update, that the ride has improved quite a lot. Having not driven a facelift version, I could state that from experience, but it's worth considering.
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They've improved the ride on the new facelift but if you're remotely bothered about handling then they've actually just ruined it due to the new electric steering rack that has been put in. The feel of it is totally lifeless and even at higher speeds when it is supposed to be heavier it just doesn't do it for me. It is said the old version can be improved massively by replacing the RunFlat tyres with normal but both BMW and the insurance company may go in a mood.

I've got a 5-door 1 Series and if you want to carry rear passengers then it's not particularly good due to legroom issues. I don't have them that often so when I do it's not too bad but if you want to carry a load of adults around often then avoid it.
 
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