Stu9 Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 I've been looking at 1.8 and 2.0 petrols as well as some diesels, then a freind texed earlier and said someone he works with is selling his 316 est, i said i'd think about. I've read some reviews just briefly, and although they get a good write up, they're underpowered. There's nothing near me to get a go in one and he's to far away just to go and have a go in his Should i stick to the 1.8/2.0 or diesel....i've also looked at the 325 but think i'll still to these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonlpearce Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Only you can answer that questions as it really depends on what you are looking for from a car. Personally i wouldn't touch anything that's not got 6 cylinders, but that's just me, plus then you might as well go 330 as the difference in running costs is minimal. StuBeeDoo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu9 Posted February 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Think you're right....can't get a 330 though, that's out....i don't mind the 1.8 or 2.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlosos Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 316 is a 1.8 115bhp so it's standard focus power but better to drive. If it's cheap enough and been looked after it won't be painful to drive (you will be led to believe it will), it would still be perfectly acceptable for a daily driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlosos Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Unless you find a particularly good deal there are 2 petrol engines to go for 330 (3lt) or 318 (2lt). The others are a compromise only worth doing because of price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nero_slk Posted February 26, 2014 Report Share Posted February 26, 2014 Only you can answer that questions as it really depends on what you are looking for from a car. Personally i wouldn't touch anything that's not got 6 cylinders, but that's just me, plus then you might as well go 330 as the difference in running costs is minimal. fully agree.... before getting a 4cyl BMW type in common problems and see how many people struggle with there cheap to run cars.... 318is was my first and last bmw with a small engine (mom still drives it, but I compared it mpg wise with my 328 at the time.. and 328 was more economical lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlosos Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 Only you can answer that questions as it really depends on what you are looking for from a car. Personally i wouldn't touch anything that's not got 6 cylinders, but that's just me, plus then you might as well go 330 as the difference in running costs is minimal. fully agree.... before getting a 4cyl BMW type in common problems and see how many people struggle with there cheap to run cars.... 318is was my first and last bmw with a small engine (mom still drives it, but I compared it mpg wise with my 328 at the time.. and 328 was more economical lol) Not biased at all then? Plenty of problems on almost every car. If you can't get better mpg from a working 4 cylinder compared to a 6 that ain't the cars fault!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nero_slk Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 I knew i would touch someones feeling when I said that... how many 330 do you see with 170k+++ runnin strong... and how many 318 ? my friend at work has the newer e46 with 140? bhp 4 cyl... engine light keeps coming up for (ah cant remember exactly, was nearly a year ago) related to vanos, and it seems such a pain on the 318 and its such a common problem on them too and the 318is isint maintained as well as my 328 was, thats the main reason, and i never bothered pushing it as it didn't go - and still got less mpg.... sorry if Im being rude, but I had a 330 supercharged ,m3 evo and so on... and I wouldst even touch a 316/318 rickeh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu9 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 I had a 330 supercharged ,m3 evo and so on... and I wouldst even touch a 316/318 Good for you....some of us have to settle for what we can afford CharlE46 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlosos Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 I knew i would touch someones feeling when I said that... how many 330 do you see with 170k+++ runnin strong... and how many 318 ? my friend at work has the newer e46 with 140? bhp 4 cyl... engine light keeps coming up for (ah cant remember exactly, was nearly a year ago) related to vanos, and it seems such a pain on the 318 and its such a common problem on them too and the 318is isint maintained as well as my 328 was, thats the main reason, and i never bothered pushing it as it didn't go - and still got less mpg.... sorry if Im being rude, but I had a 330 supercharged ,m3 evo and so on... and I wouldst even touch a 316/318 It's not about feelings (I don't have any) it's about giving sensible advice to someone asking for it. Not filling there heads with stuff that doesn't really make sense. I run a 318 because it's cheaper to run than a 330. I get just a smudge under 40mpg in mixed driving. I dont drive slow and I don't drive fast (to often) as it's a normal car with normal power. If your not bothered about economy or can live with the cost I would 100% recommend the 330. If you want a cheaper to run car ( other than diesel ) there is nothing wrong with the 316 or 318 apart from the power difference. CharlE46 and StuBeeDoo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu9 Posted February 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 Thanks, i knew someone would stick up for me Carlosos 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuBeeDoo Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 although they get a good write up, they're underpowered. Says who? Only you can decide that when you've driven a few. It may be perfectly adequate for you. If 316i tourings were as bad as some here would have you believe, Autotrader, eBay, etc would be flooded with them - either that or BMW would still have compounds full of unsold ones. Opinions are like arseholes - everyone's got one. Make your own mind up, don't be swayed by others. CharlE46 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) BMWs are built to order so they would never have compounds full of unsold ones. The reason there aren't many for sale is because not many were ordered new. I had a rental 316i facelift for a weekend in Germany once. Drove it about 2000km in a long weekend. The top speed was 200km/h (personally verified) although it took a while to get there. Most cars were moving out of my way on the autobahn (unlike the Lexus IS200 I had the week before; nobody moved for that, and it was very unstable above 180km/h). Anyway, point is if the car is empty, it's not going to make you massively excited but it will do the job. Problem comes when you start to add passengers and luggage. Then you really feel it and find you have to drive the car harder, which uses more fuel than a bigger engined car would. Personally I'd rather get a different car than a 316 touring, maybe an Audi or Volvo, but I'd rather a mint 316 than a snotter of a 318 The weight isn't that different to a saloon so test drive a used one at a dealer! Edited February 27, 2014 by mit rickeh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeh Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 I had a volvo s40 for a couple of months after my 306 blew its HG. cost me £600 and it had 120bhp from a 1.6L engine. Pretty much what Mit says sums up what I had - fine for daily especially when empty.. add passengers to the mix and became so slow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BmEagle Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 I ran a 318i for six years. 254,000m when I traded it in. No issues other than usual maintenance. It was a great car. I'd agree it wasn't "exciting" to drive like the 330cd I've got now but it was nippy enough. There are benefits over the 330 like £260 for 4x 16" Goodyear tyres v £600+ for the 18"s mit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu9 Posted February 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks guys, I'll see what happens As for Nero.....must be great to be able to not have to drive anything less than a 330 supercharged....whoopdy bloody doo StuBeeDoo, BmEagle, touringking and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holdawayt Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Thanks guys, I'll see what happens As for Nero.....must be great to be able to not have to drive anything less than a 330 supercharged....whoopdy bloody doo He's just sharing his opinion, no need to be an arse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu9 Posted February 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 And I'm sharing mine so bugger off mit, touringking and Carlosos 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlosos Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 And I'm sharing mine so bugger off That's brilliant. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickyZ Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 Now now, lets all be nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mit Posted February 28, 2014 Report Share Posted February 28, 2014 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuBeeDoo Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) BMWs are built to order so they would never have compounds full of unsold ones. I think I've found the exception that proves the rule. Took me a while to get to the bottom of it and get the facts right.......... Locally to me there's a pre-facelift 316i saloon on an 02 plate. Always thought there was something suss about it. I've checked it out and it was built early October 2000 and not registered until July '02! Edited March 18, 2014 by StuBeeDoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momo Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 BMWs are built to order so they would never have compounds full of unsold ones. I think I've found the exception that proves the rule. Took me a while to get to the bottom of it and get the facts right.......... Locally to me there's a pre-facelift 316i saloon on an 02 plate. Always thought there was something suss about it. I've checked it out and it was built early October 2000 and not registered until July '02! There's always unsold cars for every manufacturer. Where BMW differs is there's a lot less! You wont find many images of thousands of BMWs on an airfield waiting to be sold. Generally they're ordered cars where the customer has cancelled the order so the car sits in the dealership waiting to be re-sold again. My car was built in August 2003 but registered in October 2003. Seems about right for a car ordered from BMW direct. BUT i've seen a 2004 pre-facelift coupe before. The car was built in 2002 but wasn't registered until 2004. It happens! But as it's not the norm, it'll be due to cancelled orders etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...