[M4rius]

Originally Posted by Jase 320d

White is a bad colour

2006 VAG group registered 119 white cars

2012 VAG group registered 30,000 white cars.


Smart money is not to buy a white car as its no longer fresh and different. More so common that anything else.

Buy a different colour that's bubble wont burst shortly

But it's not a vag is it

[Jase 320d]

Originally Posted by M4rius

But it's not a vag is it

No but it shows the trend off. Id assume the story is same with bmw

[mistertml]

Originally Posted by Terryk

reasonable offer?
1. money back
2. 320d
3. 320i lci

how could you possibly accept to go from a 320si to a 116i ??? st@pid dealer

The dealer has offered to find a suitable 3 series in white for me as I'm struggling to find one myself within my budget.

[mistertml]

Originally Posted by mistertml

The dealer has offered to find a suitable 3 series in white for me as I'm struggling to find one myself within my budget.

The dealer has just comeback to say that he has found a replacement for me which should be coming in as a part ex next Tuesday.

He has only told me it is a 3Series in white and has 53k on the clock with MSport Spec.

I'm still waiting on some pics and the rest of the info on the car.

[Terryk]

hopefully will be the one for you. do you know any infos regarding the engine and the year?

[mistertml]

Originally Posted by Terryk

hopefully will be the one for you. do you know any infos regarding the engine and the year?

I'm still waiting for the dealer to comeback with reg, model and year.

I'll let you know once I have more info.

Thanks

[mistertml]

Update... We'll sort of...
The car that has been sourced is a BMW dealer part exchange. The car isn't due to come into the dealer until next Tuesday as the previous owner will be picking his new car up from BMW.

I've been told the car has outstanding finance on it and a cherished number plate on it which will need to be sorted before I can pick it up (provided it is right for me). The dealer is on holiday from tomorrow until next Saturday and apparently no one else deals with used cars at the showroom, as the rest only sell brand new cars. I'm not sure if he's trying to drag this out but he knows that I'm not messing around as we raised an official complaint on Monday and he will all for refunding us yesterday.

I have told him that I want to know the spec of the car by close of play today but I won't get any pictures as the car is still with the previous owner.


What do you guys think?

[Digitalize]

I think you need to check he's not dragging it out to a point where he doesn't have to refund etc.

I'd also be ringing the BMW dealership to find out if it's actually true.

[Jase 320d]

Yeah id ask for the cash back

It seems to me he could sell you a white unicorn with a bmw and M badge on it right now

You need to chill out get a refund and keep on the lookout

[mistertml]

Just spoken to the dealer

The car he will have is a 318i on a 06 plate with 57k (23k less than 320si), FSH, service and 12 months warranty. I'll have to wait until the following Tuesday to view it as I'm going to be working away next week now.

I'm taking my mechanic with me who will give it the once over and hell also plug in he's diagnostics tool to ensure no lights have been turned off.

It's not a 320i but for a straight swap I'm certainly going to have a look.

What do you guys reckon?

[KM79]

Hope you're not into power mate as the 318i is gutless,a fair drop in power from the si.

[mistertml]

Originally Posted by KrisM79

Hope you're not into power mate as the 318i is gutless,a fair drop in power from the si.

It sure is a drop in power but it'll definitely be easier to maintain...

I'll have to drive it to see how it feels. The showroom is near some country lanes so should be able to see how well it handles!

I was restricted due to the colour as this is really a gift for the Mrs as I only drive this on the weekends so it's been a difficult search to say the least.

[Bobbydazzler74]

Well I hope you don't mind me hijacking this thread but I suppose it saves duplication! I've read the 320si posts with interest and may be I can share my tale of woe! Now that seems something quite common with the Si...!

Not so long ago my wife and I found out that we were expecting our first child. Now that was the first mistake! I reluctantly accepted that I now had to have a grown ups car. But during my search, I refused to grow up and my road to BMW ownership began.

I found a lovely low mileage example of a BMW 320SI. I couldn't even pronounce Homologation, never mind know what it meant. But I didn't care. Great looking car, motor sport heritage and 4 doors... perfect.

Unbeknown to me at the time was the reputation that the si was building up. What I also didn't know was that my beautiful new car had caught the eye of some local 'magpies'. The type of thieving variants who don't like paying for their own goods! 4 weeks to the day after purchase, my car was sat in the yard of an insurance assessor's being labelled Cat D.

After several weeks of haggling, I now have money burning a whole in pocket as the search starts for my second BMW in as many months. I wanted another si.... until now!

You see, it seems the local thieving types did me a favour. The more I searched the classifieds, the more Si's appeared with engine rebuilds and the more alarm bells which started ringing.

I've now come to this conclusion. To buy another Si would be financial suicide. I feel like I'm standing, almost teetering on the edge of a whole world of pain. The pockets which currently hold my insurance settlement would need to be significantly deeper.

So onwards to the next chapter. I've put it down to a lucky escape. I now just need to find another beautiful BMW which will satisfy my needs for a family sports car... if there is such a thing.

Any suggestions would be gratefully accepted.

[Digitalize]

The 320D is the most common engine, and for good reason, it's more powerful, cheaper to tax and more economical that the petrol equivalent, there's literally no reason to buy a petrol 4cyl, they're gutless, no torque or power, and not even that frugal.

[Terryk]

@ digitalize, no offence mate but some of us don't like the low rpm of 4Cyl diesels and the poor sound of them. yes, a 320d is more economical from a 320i and a bit quicker (on pre-lci models the difference in bhp is 148-161 and the acceleration is 0.6'' ) but consider the 100extra kilos of the d model which will be there in every turn and corner of your driving. thanks, the answer is no.
if someone wants a truly quick car then he/she shouldn't even look at 320-325 models and he/she must go for the 330i or 335i.

[Terryk]

Originally Posted by mistertml

It sure is a drop in power but it'll definitely be easier to maintain...

I'll have to drive it to see how it feels. The showroom is near some country lanes so should be able to see how well it handles!

I was restricted due to the colour as this is really a gift for the Mrs as I only drive this on the weekends so it's been a difficult search to say the least.

from a 320si to a 318i pre-lci the difference is massive, a 44bhp difference.
as said, maybe just ask for money back.

[Digitalize]

Originally Posted by Terryk

@ digitalize, no offence mate but some of us don't like the low rpm of 4Cyl diesels and the poor sound of them. yes, a 320d is more economical from a 320i and a bit quicker (on pre-lci models the difference in bhp is 148-161 and the acceleration is 0.6'' ) but consider the 100extra kilos of the d model which will be there in every turn and corner of your driving. thanks, the answer is no.
if someone wants a truly quick car then he/she shouldn't even look at 320-325 models and he/she must go for the 330i or 335i.

What I'm saying is, there's literally no reason to buy a 4cyl petrol. They don't even sound good. Diesels sound alright but don't really make a noise. Low RPM you mean below 1600rpm where it still has probably the same torque as the petrol before the turbo kicks in and you get loads more.

If looking at 4cyl for insurance/economy/tax etc reasons, a Diesel, and probably only the 320D, is the one to go for. Petrol should be 6cyl only.

Even on short journeys the diesel would beat the petrol on MPG, so even then I'd still say diesel, unless its purely for around town and never going to leave it, then maybe a petrol but what a completely uninspiring and frankly terrible engine.

Okay you want to defend your engine, but why. 320D isn't even a great engine but it's passable. They're of comparable smoothness, only difference is you put a different fuel in it, you get a bit of turbo whine with the windows open, fuel lasts longer, and you have more power.