The BMW Question?

mrk said:
Me! and look! today I put the deposit down on one :D

V reg 318i SE
62k
fsh
1old owner from new (2000)
12months parts n labour
12 months tax
new mot
new full service
dual zone climate, traction & the usual extras

Can't wait til it is in my grips next week!

It was the test drive that sold me, sure it may not have as many horses as a 323 or something but it can still cope well and feels very nice especially for my first BMW!
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A 318... Runs for the hills!
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
I'd definitely like to pass comment at this point, particularly so as I'm more than a little older than most here, thus have experience with quite a few "older" cars, and whilst having recently driven a number of BMs.

From a capability perspective, a car like a 330 is clearly going to walk all over a 70s motor for grip, design, safety, comfort, performance etc. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the above is a BIG increase in weight and also a massive numbing down of feedback.
Some of us like a car with feedback (anyone with an Elise should vouch for that), and appreciate the fun that is gleaned by being that bit more intimate with a car, as against relying on electronic gizmos.

As for Fox's comments, can't say I'm surprised. Quite clearly Fox falls under the category of "more interested in comfort than fun", and from his previous posts appears to simply not understand what anyone else gets out of being a hooligan in a car. So he'll simply never get why something like a MX5 can make a 330 feel like a lump of lard on wheels.
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Absolutely spot on sir.

I have driven many cars but I must admit the ones that are the most fun make you drive the car. The most exciting car I have driven was the scariest car also (Polo G40).
 
Firestar_3x said:
A 318... Runs for the hills!
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What's going on here then :p

I intend to own it for 3-4 years then upgrade to a newer better model. I keep my cars in pristine condition too (those who have seen my civic pics will know!) so I expect to still get a fair amount back for it and by that time I'd have the car at 85k at most.

It will defo do me fine! 4cyl, rwd, BMW! and no one in my family/relatives/friends has a bmw either so it would be extra awesome ;)

Not quite sure why some folks say the 318 is slow immediately after seeing the BHP :/ it certainly doesn't feel slow when driving it !
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the above is a BIG increase in weight
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It's not that much heavier. My 330 has a dry weight of about 1,370 kg. Whilst not light, it's not hugely heavier than many cars from way back when.
 
I found you need to spend some time driving the 330 hard to get into it.

First impressions are just that - first impressions.

The nature of the car, the comfort, the refinement, it pushes you towards driving it reasonably sensibly/moderately quickly and gives you the impression that's what you should be doing with it. In fact, once you've got to grips with it and really start to gain confidence - you'll find it's just as happy to be thrown around as cars weighing 200 kilos less.

They do respond to being thrown around. Lots of grip and when that runs out - lots of control.

With me at least I found I needed time with the car to figure it out and bond with it.

As for involvement - you won't see much of that with the electronics turned on, turn em off and sort it out yourself, much more rewarding.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
As for Fox's comments, can't say I'm surprised. Quite clearly Fox falls under the category of "more interested in comfort than fun", and from his previous posts appears to simply not understand what anyone else gets out of being a hooligan in a car. So he'll simply never get why something like a MX5 can make a 330 feel like a lump of lard on wheels.
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This is complete rubbish. It's not how I think and I *can* see how an MX5 can be more fun.

But an MX5 is a world away from a 1.2 litre Chevette.
 
PMKeates said:
It's not that much heavier. My 330 has a dry weight of about 1,370 kg. Whilst not light, it's not hugely heavier than many cars from way back when.
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Want to thing again about that. Here's a link about a Ford Cortina GT:
http://www.pixelmatic.com.au/cortina/articles/gt65test.htm

Kerb weight is listed as 16.1 cwt, which by my calculations, comes in at around 730kg, or just over half the weight of your 330. Infact it's pretty close to the weight of some versions of the Elise.

Quite clearly, the 330 massacres the Cortina in pretty much every way on capability. Does it make it more fun? That's debatable.
My personal view is that some old cars most certainly are/were a lot of fun, but again you need to actually have a mindset that appreciates additional rawness to like them.
 
PMKeates said:
It's not that much heavier. My 330 has a dry weight of about 1,370 kg. Whilst not light, it's not hugely heavier than many cars from way back when.
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Your car is 1505kg. Dry weights are useless, nobody drives a car with no oil, petrol or other fluids in it.
 
Ive always thought of BMW a decent cars. Ive never fantasised about owning one,but I have previously owned a 330Ci which I really enjoyed. I do desire to own an E46 M3 at some point soon. Im not a badge snob either so it wouldnt make a difference to me if the 330Ci had a Ford/Skoda/whatever badge on it.
Nice cars, slightly overrated, not the pinnacle of motoring.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Your car is 1505kg. Dry weights are useless, nobody drives a car with no oil, petrol or other fluids in it.
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The 1505 includes fuel and a passenger allowance.

When you look at other manufacturers quoting kerb weights - they don't include that allowance, so it's not really an apples to apples comparison.
 
Mr_Sukebe said:
Want to thing again about that. Here's a link about a Ford Cortina GT:
http://www.pixelmatic.com.au/cortina/articles/gt65test.htm

Kerb weight is listed as 16.1 cwt, which by my calculations, comes in at around 730kg, or just over half the weight of your 330. Infact it's pretty close to the weight of some versions of the Elise.
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Well, 16.1 cwt is nearer 820kg, but I get your drift - although I didn't have 42 year old cars in mind when I said that! :p
 
[TW]Fox said:
Your car is 1505kg. Dry weights are useless, nobody drives a car with no oil, petrol or other fluids in it.
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It's 1430kg with nobody in it and a 90% full fuel tank, with all fluids at maximum capacities as per EU guidelines.

merlin said:
The 1505 includes fuel and a passenger allowance.

When you look at other manufacturers quoting kerb weights - they don't include that allowance, so it's not really an apples to apples comparison.
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Actually, virtually all manufacturers currently issue their vehicle weights using the same measurement system as BMW, which is to an EU standard. If, however, they don't, it will be mentioned. Some will subtract the 68kg driver and 7kg luggage allowance :)
 
[TW]Fox said:
Thats odd as BMW claim 1505kg in the 2002 330i Sport brochure..
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It's my job to know - and it's 1505kg to EU guidlines: "Weight of the car in road trim (DIN) plus 75 kg for driver and luggage."

Road trim for BMW is all fluids at maxium capacity and a 90% full fuel tank :)
 
Whats the obsession with BMWs on here? They are just cars, a couple of them are nice, big wow.

Fox you seem to think your special because you own one.
 
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