[amberzombie]

hey guys

been lovin my E90 320i for close to 5 years now. My first beemer and my wife and I are totally in love with the brand.

We've been contemplating a change in car recently - mostly because for about the past year or so I keep complaining about the lack of power. We live in Sydney with next to crawling traffic most of the time so my wife doesn't see what i'm complaining about (and she's right to a certain extent).

So we decided to test the waters in terms of what we can get - with a changeover budget of approx $20k.

With that in mind the F30 is obviously out of reach. What we could do is a nice ex-demo F20 118i, or maybe we could even look at an LCI E90/91 320d or 323i.

Just wondering amongst you guys - would you go from a pre-LCI to an LCI or would you rather wait, save and just go for the F30?

[amberzombie]

EDIT: Just wanted to add that we have two kids so unfortunately coupe's aren't an option at all!!

[ABC99G]

I think go for a late model 320d. It will have more power than your 320i and
much better fuel economy. I would not go to a 1 series if you had a 3, except if you went for a 135 or 1M which are coupes so not what you want.

[QLD]

Originally Posted by ABC99G

I think go for a late model 320d. It will have more power than your 320i and much better fuel economy.

+1 - Yep.. the perfect fit for a family man - power and economy. (although having said that, a late model D - I doubt you would get that for a $20K changeover)

[amberzombie]

I think a $25k changeover might just get me there... but thanks I think that's what I'm kinda leaning towards as well

[Ben0426]

+1 for 320d

[BMA-E92]

+1 for the 320d also , it's got fairly good tourque down low and that's mainly what gets used in city driving.

[sbce90]

+1000 for a 320d. However I don't see the benefit in changeover $$ to still have the same basic car (ie interior/exterior/idrive etc..) with just a different motor. Personally I would save the money for a few more years and get a nice F30 LCI Msport 320d when it comes out in like 3 years or so.

[kaitan]

Originally Posted by sbce90

+1000 for a 320d. However I don't see the benefit in changeover $$ to still have the same basic car (ie interior/exterior/idrive etc..) with just a different motor. Personally I would save the money for a few more years and get a nice F30 LCI Msport 320d when it comes out in like 3 years or so.

Well said suj!!! I agree if you gonna change car you should upgrade otherwise it defeats the purpose of changing. 320i e90 to the f30 320d is an upgrade but I cant justify that change over for something similar in power and size(320d obviously more and much more fun to drive in) unless it's performance or size upgrade.

[Ninjaoz]

I've gone through the same process swapping from LCI 320i to 320d msport, never regret it though even though it is basically the same car with different engine. 320d has tremedous torque and is such a beautiful car to drive, I only had the 320i for less than year and didn't lose much as I sold my LCI 320i privately got a really bargain on the 320d demo as they were trying to get rid of old stocks for the F30.

That said, definitely worth having a look at the F30 although it is still the same engine, the interior is a lot more modern.

[bcoz]

Wait a year or so, then get either an F30 320i or 320d demo during the 2014 new year sales, or a used F30.
320i has the new 4-cyl turbo engine with same power as 320d but less torque (135/270 vs 135/380 kW/Nm).

[mmmmQuattro]

I find the 320i not too bad with no one else in it, but once you get it loaded up with stuff, it does slow down a bit.
Anyway, I changed from the 320i to a new X5 40d, so that's a big step up in terms of size, space and power (600Nm).
The actual cost difference was about $200 / month.

[davidturnedge]

I agree. Alone, the 320i is OK, but gutless. With one other you'll start to notice you pushing. With a full car or a bot of shopping... erm...

[Chucky]

2 Kids? 320d Touring. Magic car. Plenty quick enough and does it on the smell of an oily rag.

[mmmmQuattro]

have you considered a late model 530i?

[amberzombie]

Originally Posted by jp330Cic.au

have you considered a late model 530i?

I did actually... and nearly pulled the trigger on one but my wife just found it too big. It was an E61 (wagon) too.

Yes I know the F20 is not that much smaller (E39 size), but when you're looking for on street parking in Surry Hills every inch counts! This is gonna be our daily driver too so I'd really like something economical.

I just hope that by the time there are actual, proper used F20 320d for sale the E90's haven't dropped even further in price!

Would you guys go for a Golf R? Just a random thought...

[sbce90]

I would go a Golf R. But probably not for the same reasons you would think of for it.

[kaitan]

Golf R is awesomely to drive !!! steering is quick direct !! I would say quite close to the bimmer feel but still not exactly the same...and it has alot of powah !!

[Fuelrw]

+1 on the 320D

I went straight into a 320D LCI E90, I've also got 2 kids and its been great for us on all fronts - fuel, size, price, torque. I change my car every 2 years due to boredom so the F30 may be a future option, the heavy up front depreciation will knock down the price to my price bracket over the next 1-2 yrs!

[QLD]

Originally Posted by Fuelrw

I change my car every 2 years due to boredom..

[mmmmQuattro]

How about a golf r32?
I like the VW's if they are new and very well looked after, but they wear out quicker than BMW's
we have a turbo jetta as a work car. it's showing it's age more than I would expect.
Good fun to drive though.

[amberzombie]

The only reason why I'm apprehensive about a Golf R32 or an R (or a GTI) is probably boot space and the suspect reliability with the auto gearbox.

Our stroller, while it's no monster, is still a fairly sized one and JUST barely fits the F20. I'm not sure if it'll fit the Golf at all!