BMW 1 series

Scuzi

Scuzi

Scuzi

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Joined
18 Oct 2002
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My mum wants to change her '99 E46 318i as it's getting on a bit. She has been looking around at cars and the only one that she likes is the BMW 1 series 3 door. Nothing else has caught her eye and as I'm sure you all know, with women it's all about what the car looks like and nothing else.

Now, the range of engines and trims is quite large however having look at prices and specs, I have narrowed it down to the 118i or the 116i. SE spec would be ideal but ES would be acceptable. Sport is not an option as she wouldn't appreciate the sports suspension or anything like that.

Obviously the 118i is going to be the car of choice but how much does it differ from the 116i? Given that my mum thinks her <120bhp E46 is "fast", power output, 0-60 or top speeds are not an issue. The bigger issue is fuel consumption. She was interested in the diesel but for the amount of miles she does it would be pointless. The BMW specs are pretty close, ~1mpg difference in the combined cycle but is this true in the real world? If so it would make the 116i pretty pointless would it not? :confused:

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear your views and opinions on the car, in particular the 118i. What did you like about it? What did you hate about it? What options are worth getting? Anything else to look out for?

I'm only interested in hearing from people who have had experience with the car, no posts saying "OMG ITS T3H UGLEH". Also, bear in mind that it's for my mum. Speed, handling and performance are nigh on irrelevant. Refinement, comfort inside and reliability are higher on the list, all below looks and the badge of course!
Also, I will be driving it on a regular basis so I really don't want her to buy a nail.

Another thing. She is quite thorough and hates the 20 minute test drives that are the norm. What are BMW like with extended test drives? Is she likely to get one for a day or two to give it a proper test? I might have a bit of leverage as I'm buying a new car from the same dealership we will be looking at so may be able to persuade the salesman to go that bit further however I don't want to waste my time pushing for something that isn't going to be available.
Thanks.
 
Will she be buying brand new?
One of my friends has one (120d), he bought it from new, it's approx. 2 years old now at a guess. He's never been overly happy with it, always complaining about having to leave it into the dealers for little snags. Early last December the gearbox packed in and had to be replaced.
Vague information, plus the guy drives it pretty hard so his case isn't quite as relevant, and when he's talked about the car it's only been passing comments so I can't offer much more info than that.
 
She wants to buy brand new but I don't think it's wise on a car like the 1 series. If I can convince her otherwise, I'll be directing her towards ~6 month old cars, maybe ex-demos. Warranty will be essential, the longer the better and she will want to buy from a BMW main dealer.

My thinking on the matter of a used car is that some of the initial bugs will be fixed and it should hopefully be in sound condition although that's just a "reckoning" and not really based on anything.
 
My Dad has a 118d M, and he adores it..

I've driven a 116d and to be honest it was a pocket rocket compared to my Mini, but I havnt had a lot of experience driving much else.. mechanically the car has been sound so far, although my dad seems to get a lot of punctures, as well as peices of trim in the cockpit falling off...

As for test drives, they let my dad have a 120d for a good hour or so on his own so best to just ask..
 
I had a 120d Sport and miss it constantly even though it's nearly 2 years since I gave it up. Didn't have a single problem with it, I drove it like I stole it.
 
6thElement said:
I had a 120d Sport and miss it constantly even though it's nearly 2 years since I gave it up. Didn't have a single problem with it, I drove it like I stole it.
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My sentiments exactly :( "sniff"

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Love my 120D and I am yet to have an issue with it. Bought it at 10 months old with 26 months of an unlimited mileage warranty on it. I've had it now for 5 months and it is just coming up to its first service.

I also do on average 2.5K miles a month in it and it had never given me any pains.... i find the seats very comfortable once you have the lumbar support in the right position.

I don't know what the petrol version is like but the diesel hates the cheap stuff.

Only negative is the glove box.... German designers decided it should only be big enough for a pair of gloves.
 
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Absolutely do not buy the 116i. The engine is terrible. IIRC the 118i is EfficientDynamics and the 116i isnt?

The 116i is the worst car I have ever, ever driven.
 
If your mum is buying a brand new or nearly new, the 1 series was updated last year so 116i could do around 48mpg or 44mpg for 118i.
 
The only things I've heard about it are it being not as good as the competition, specifically with a small boot and poor rear leg room, caused by it being RWD, so there's a diff in the back.
 
Ben M said:
The only things I've heard about it are it being not as good as the competition, specifically with a small boot and poor rear leg room, caused by it being RWD, so there's a diff in the back.
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What competition? Only one I can think of is the A3 and you are either in the A3 or 1 series camp. Leg room is limited in the back.... being 6ft4 no one sits behind me in the back but then again people would struggle in a Mondeo. Boot is small but you don't usually buy a small car for a massive boot.... that is what big cars is for.
 
Imho the main diff is the better handling and balance the RWD layout gives, however which 'real driver' goes home and thinks, you know as a driving enthusiast i really want a 1 series.

So the 1 series has no competitor and i think thats for a good reason, cause it simply doesn't have a market!
 
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