BMW and M Power Owners

Hi Beamer owners!

Lease on current car (not a BMW) is coming to an end in a few months. Leasing has become too expensive, so I'm going to buy next time.

I'm thinking of getting a ~4 year old M 320i/d. Are there any common faults or traits that I should be on the lookout for? Is there a reason why there's so many used BMWs listed on BMW's site and autotrader.co.uk?

Cheers,

FB..
 
FBi7 said:
Hi Beamer owners!

Lease on current car (not a BMW) is coming to an end in a few months. Leasing has become too expensive, so I'm going to buy next time.

I'm thinking of getting a ~4 year old M 320i/d. Are there any common faults or traits that I should be on the lookout for? Is there a reason why there's so many used BMWs listed on BMW's site and autotrader.co.uk?

Cheers,

FB..
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They're very common lease and business cars so there's usually a good number coming back into the used market regularly.
 
MissChief said:
They're very common lease and business cars so there's usually a good number coming back into the used market regularly.
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No, they are not. This might have been the case a few years back but now it's the 330e which is the company car choice - the tax on a 320i is so much more I'd be surprised if a single one was chosen as a company car. There might be a few more diesels perhaps but again the tax difference was such that if you had a 3 Series company car, you had a 330e.

Most of the 320i and 320d therefore will be either privately owned/financed or dealer/BMW registered cars originally.


They are good cars - if you do lots of miles, get the 320d. If you don't, get the 320i. If you can find one, get a 330i instead.
 
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[TW]Fox said:
They are good cars - if you do lots of miles, get the 320d. If you don't, get the 320i. If you can find one, get a 330i instead.
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Cheers for your reply - appreciate the info. Nah, I don't do lots of miles, my weekly commuting milage is 80 miles max. Do lots of pootling about and drive 300 miles down south a couple of times a year.
 
Since I'm considering a couple of late f31's to replace older touring was looking at the condition based servicing intervals tasks
surprised there is no explicit task for timing belt changes/checks.

was anticipating what inspections I might have done during the 3rd party warranty period from the purchasing garage, like inspection of chain, or checks on coolant/oil composition,
for those pesky turbo problems/plastic engine attachments in modern bmw's.
Having an appropriate code reader sounds like a useful piece of kit.
 
I am on the search for a fun car that I will enjoy driving, is manual and is seen as reliable and have started leaning toward the F87 M2. Does anyone have any opinion on M2 vs Competition? If the manual is worthwhile or any thoughts on maintenance costs, known problems etc?

Chers for any input.
 
Sargatanas2511 said:
I am on the search for a fun car that I will enjoy driving, is manual and is seen as reliable and have started leaning toward the F87 M2. Does anyone have any opinion on M2 vs Competition? If the manual is worthwhile or any thoughts on maintenance costs, known problems etc?

Chers for any input.
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Personally, the DCT is what makes the car, the manual gearboxes are not the best. If you're insistent on a manual, I think there are better overall packages available.
 
ChrisD. said:
Personally, the DCT is what makes the car, the manual gearboxes are not the best. If you're insistent on a manual, I think there are better overall packages available.
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Thanks, I just love the engagement of a manual and hear that while major issues are unlikely, the DCT can be very expensive if anything does go wrong.

I have always driven manuals and not sure what I would do with my left hand and leg in an auto!
 
GravyMonster said:
Depending on budget, if you want engagement and a manual gearbox then I'd suggest you should be looking in Porsche's direction for an older 911/newer Cayman. Running costs will be another step up from even an M2 though.
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Thanks for the advice, I have looked at the potential of a Cayman/718. A 911 is out of my budget though.

I like that the M2 (while not ideal) has back seats for when you need them too. The M2 stood out because it looks like a good mix of utility and enjoyment. The M4/Competition was a consideration too.
 
Sargatanas2511 said:
Thanks, I just love the engagement of a manual and hear that while major issues are unlikely, the DCT can be very expensive if anything does go wrong.

I have always driven manuals and not sure what I would do with my left hand and leg in an auto!
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Never driven a comp because it was out of budget, but I'm very happy with my manual LCI F87. It sounds brilliant with a stock exhaust and the manual gearbox isn't all that bad considering it's a BMW. The rear seats are very usable and it's averaging 25mpg with mainly town driving. The auto is more economical as it has a 7th gear, but I wanted a manual and needed usable back seats so it's a good compromise for my needs.

What do you want from the car?
 
Sargatanas2511 said:
I am on the search for a fun car that I will enjoy driving, is manual and is seen as reliable and have started leaning toward the F87 M2. Does anyone have any opinion on M2 vs Competition? If the manual is worthwhile or any thoughts on maintenance costs, known problems etc?

Chers for any input.
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As someone who wanted a manual, but was talked into trying PDK in a 981, get a manual.


Doesn’t matter how good the box is, it isn’t a manual.


Any manual is more engaging than the PDK.



The PDK is by far the best auto I have tried, but there’s still not the level of engagement you get from driving a manual.



I own a 2016 Boxster S and a manual F87 M2 LCI is on my list of replacement cars.



My spend this year on the Boxster is about £5k for the following:

Service - £1700
3 year warranty - £1700
Tyres - £1000 all round + 350 recently on replacement
Tax - £350
 
mjt said:
Never driven a comp because it was out of budget, but I'm very happy with my manual LCI F87. It sounds brilliant with a stock exhaust and the manual gearbox isn't all that bad considering it's a BMW. The rear seats are very usable and it's averaging 25mpg with mainly town driving. The auto is more economical as it has a 7th gear, but I wanted a manual and needed usable back seats so it's a good compromise for my needs.

What do you want from the car?
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I want a car that is reliable and enjoyable to drive mainly. I enjoy driving a lot and just want to make sure I have something that brings a smile to my face. I get they can be expensive to run compared to something like a hot hatch but coming from a Fiesta ST I want to try something different and the M2 in particular has stood out to me, especially as a manual.

I don't have kids so I don't NEED the back seats but it would be nice to have them for when people want a ride etc. I am often the designated driver so would be useful.

Cost isn't a huge concern but I work in the public sector so am not looking at supercars or anything, an M2/Competition looked best around about my price point.
MrRockliffe said:
As someone who wanted a manual, but was talked into trying PDK in a 981, get a manual.


Doesn’t matter how good the box is, it isn’t a manual.


Any manual is more engaging than the PDK.



The PDK is by far the best auto I have tried, but there’s still not the level of engagement you get from driving a manual.



I own a 2016 Boxster S and a manual F87 M2 LCI is on my list of replacement cars.



My spend this year on the Boxster is about £5k for the following:

Service - £1700
3 year warranty - £1700
Tyres - £1000 all round + 350 recently on replacement
Tax - £350
Click to expand...

Thanks for that information. This is exactly why I have mentioned wanting a manual and I really don't know what I would do without the fun and enjoyment of the clutch and gearbox. I appreciate that input.

£1700 on a service? Was it a big one?
 
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Sargatanas2511 said:
I want a car that is reliable and enjoyable to drive mainly. I enjoy driving a lot and just want to make sure I have something that brings a smile to my face. I get they can be expensive to run compared to something like a hot hatch but coming from a Fiesta ST I want to try something different and the M2 in particular has stood out to me, especially as a manual.
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FK8 seems ideal.
 
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