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      06-28-2020, 04:53 PM   #1
The7th
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Exclamation 320M Sport D or i?

Gents,

My work car got written off last week,. Some idiot smashed into my 2018 C250 and it's gone- company car. I got back £7.5k from my company to buy a new car asap.
I looked for the past 4 days like a mad man everywhere. I have seen over 60 cars. Never had an E90 and always liked how they look.
I'm in between 320i or D ? 2009-2011. Cannot find a good one. All abused and treated like a Kia. £6500 for a D or an i both in M sport???
D's are more expensive to repair than i's?
What to look for really ? If you can point me in the right direction I would be grateful. If any good ones around Kent please shout!
Meanwhile I got an Audi A3 from work and I feel like I am limping all the time .
Many thanks.
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      06-29-2020, 12:34 PM   #2
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2011 BMW 325D  [0.00]
If I were you, i'd look for a 3 litre diesel or petrol (325, 330). Much more robust than the 4 cylinder engines. The 320i N46 and N43 engines are terrible and feel underpowered. Known for timing chain issues, fuel injectors, oil leaks and thirsty on fuel. The 320d n47 would be the better option out of the 2 litre engines but do suffer from timing chain failures etc. M sport models look more appealing but you sacrifice a comfortable ride as the suspension feels rather crashy.
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      06-29-2020, 07:30 PM   #3
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The 320i is much nicer to drive than the 320d.

The 320i is sweet, if going manual a much lighter clutch, it revs nicer and is so much more refined. I have a 2009 n43 320i touring that averages 39mpg.
We had a 320d auto that averaged 39mpg as well, also had a manual, but the manual with diesel on it was horrible, nasty clutch (actually unbalanced flywheel) that was heavy and juddered, and being diesel with only 2000rpm to play with you use it a lot!

I have an F31 320d ED touring at the moment, much nicer to drive in all honesty. I love the e91's, but I would be putting my £6500 into an F30/31. They seem far more solid suspension wise and after 2011 they sorted the clutch and sort of made the timing chains better as well.


I disagree they are underpowered, I have had the 335d and the 335i in E91 and never feel the 320i or 320d is underpowered, the 320i is probably the most fun to drive of the lot.

The 320i does have issues with coil packs and injectors can go, but change the oil every 8-10k and buy a £60 scanner and you can do all the bits yourself if needed.

My daughter is using mine, now on 161,000 miles. Just refreshed all suspension parts up front and drives great.
It does 45mpg on a run without trying, will do 50mpg sat at 70. That still amazes me.

The issue you have at the moment is no cars out there, all that is left is the overpriced tat from before covid, and that tat is still overpriced.

Give it 4 weeks and there will be more to chose from at better prices.


I would still look at an F30 though.
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      06-30-2020, 03:08 AM   #4
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I have owned E92 320i close to 5 years now and its a decent smooth drive for town and country roads. You must remember its just a NA 2L engine so don't expect to race hot hatches.

You will always hear negative comments online about 2.0i but never positive and most negatives are from people that never actually owned the car but just read online.
BTW the petrol 325 and 330 uses same injectors as the 320i.

But the E9x models are getting tired now and will need a lot of parts replaced to bring back to former glory.
Unless the injector replaced they will need very soon. The suspension would be tired. I refreshed the suspension a year ago on all 4 corners with OEM and it was day and night.

Injectors can cost £200 each but will go 5+ years with decent grade fuel. Coilpack cost £20 and i have not replaced any in 5 year

I would suggest 320i on the Fx as they use same 2.0i turbocharged engine as the 328i and you can bump the power from the stock 180bhp to 250bhp just with a remap.
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      06-30-2020, 03:17 PM   #5
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Thanks gents. Appreciated.
not into racing silly kids with corsa's and crappy tuned golfs. nope! I come from a long history of Amg's so I know what speed is.
Anyway coming back to this I get the point. 325 it is then . I have a co fuel card so best petrol is going in by default. Too bad I cannot find any good 325s now.
One of my work colleagues replaced 3 F3x and all with issues.
Will shop some more. Thanks again !
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      06-30-2020, 04:22 PM   #6
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No experience of petrols, but can vouch for the 6 pot diesels being night and day with the 4 pot. Partner has a N47 118d, which is shaky and pathetic until 1800+rpm. My M57 330d (OK, a number of rungs up the ladder from the 118) on the other hand runs so much smoother, barely any clutch/dmf judder, and has heaps more off-boost torque. 118d will do 50mpg without trying though, where the 330 averages high 30s to low 40s...will do 45 mpg on a motorway run.

I did the chains on the N47 myself...not a fun job! 330 sips oil, but not enough to cause any worry. I trust both fully in terms of reliability, but will always choose the 330 for a trip, despite fuel costs.

The 330 is generally more reliable than the 4 pots partially because they're lower stressed to produce their peak power, and I think partially because they have so much more low down grunt you don't need to rev them hard to get about.

All that said, does anyone need any more car/performance than a 320?

YMMV, etc

Last edited by Tambohamilton; 06-30-2020 at 04:27 PM..
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      07-01-2020, 03:48 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tambohamilton View Post
All that said, does anyone need any more car/performance than a 320?
Not really but having over 300hp and nearly 700nm on tap from a mapped 330d just makes everything so effortless and smooth. And when you want to quickly nip past something it's all over in a second without having to worry about dropping down any gears or getting a bit of a run up. Just squeeze the throttle in any gear and the torque will get the job done while still returning up to 50mpg on a motorway run.
For me the 6 pot diesel is a no brainer. My mrs has got a 4 pot 120d and that thing is worlds apart. As much as I like it, you definitely know your in a diesel in that thing.
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      07-01-2020, 04:27 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nick46 View Post
Not really but having over 300hp and nearly 700nm on tap from a mapped 330d just makes everything so effortless and smooth. And when you want to quickly nip past something it's all over in a second without having to worry about dropping down any gears or getting a bit of a run up. Just squeeze the throttle in any gear and the torque will get the job done while still returning up to 50mpg on a motorway run.
For me the 6 pot diesel is a no brainer. My mrs has got a 4 pot 120d and that thing is worlds apart. As much as I like it, you definitely know your in a diesel in that thing.

I wanted something to run around not to race. I am talking about civilized driving here not like an idiot. Drove my 7 in Germany at 158mph and it was great. If you want fast lanes and speed Germany is the only way. If you potholes and damages alloys here is great too
Will see a 325i later on today.
Thanks.
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      07-01-2020, 05:03 AM   #9
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There is a massive difference between the N47 and the B47 20d as well.

I'm a petrol fan, mainly because I have always gone with 6cyl diesels and by the time you get to them the difference in any cost savings vs petrol really is negligible. Talking 3% as an overall ownership cost.
I have had enough of the same car in diesel and petrol guise over the years to do the maths and it really is that small a difference.

However, having that discussion on Pistonheads 2 years ago everyone said "Well, if you want to save money you need to buy a 20d or similar."
I had gone from my 530d Touring into 306hp v6 3.5 litre E350 estate and was amazed at how well the modern petrol was performing, often 35mpg over the tank, average for 2 years was 31mpg, which was was about 4mpg behind the 530d (calculated not obc).

I decided to buy a 2015 euro 6 520d touring auto and go for the whole 'economy' thing, justifying having another car with the fact it would almost pay for itself with the incredible fuel savings and no ULEZ charge.
The reality was that over 15 months and 30000 miles it averaged 44mpg calculated (49 obc) and once again I was a little disappointed. But, and it is a big but, I really, really enjoyed the car.

Compared to the 530d it felt light, it was nicer to drive when having fun (I ended up with a tri channel tuning box from DTUK and rolling roaded it at 228hp) and most surprising was just how refined the b47 engine was. That was the biggest shock. It felt very close to the N57 I had.

We have had M47 and N47 engines over the years and they are pretty rough at times, but this was seriously impressive.

I actually sold my F11 recently as I picked up an another 320i E91 and also wanted to try an F31 320d ED to see if a diesel can properly save money. Plus I also have a Z4 Coupe for fun, a Z4 coupe and a 320d ED for the same money as the 520d made more sense than the 540i I was about to buy before lockdown. And pleased with that decision.

The 320d ED is pretty impressive, I often get nearly 70mpg from it, round town it never drops below 49mpg, on 16" wheels with non runflat tyres it is super comfy too. The only regret is I went manual. I think after nipping round in the 320i manual I got hoodwinked into thinking the diesel manual would be as nice, the reality is it is not. Heavier clutch, constantly swapping gears as only 2000rpm to play with, but it is fine.


I have nothing against diesels at all, but for me if going diesel a 4cyl makes more sense.


I really don't get whey people don't like the 320i either. That to me just feels so BMW.
I had E30 325i's etc. and it just reminds me of that. Lightweight, chuckable, not this massive load of power on tap, you have to work it a bit and when you do feels proper enjoyable.
Plus my N43 gets 38/39mpg over most tanks and closer to 50mpg on my London run.


It is a shame E30s have got so expensive, I think anyone who says they enjoy driving should have one of those for a few months, it really did change my thoughts on what makes a good truly enjoyable. I had the 535d Touring and M3 CSL at the time I bought the manual 325i and that little E30 taught me more about driving than any car I have owned.


I think we have a generation who forget BMW were about small light 4cyl cars and grew up when they went to the bigger straight six cars like the E34 and E39 and feel that is what BMW is about.
It is of course what BMW is about, but I think in the race for more and more effortless power we forgot that sometimes, having just enough can, in many ways, be more fun.
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      07-01-2020, 07:53 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The7th View Post
I wanted something to run around not to race. I am talking about civilized driving here not like an idiot. Drove my 7 in Germany at 158mph and it was great. If you want fast lanes and speed Germany is the only way. If you potholes and damages alloys here is great too
Will see a 325i later on today.
Thanks.
So just because I have a high powered car that immediately means I drive like a cunt?
Not that I've got to explain myself to you, but I'm a married man in my 40's with kids. I got all that driving like an idiot out of my system years ago when I used to ride superbikes. I was just saying that having a lot of power and torque makes driving much more pleasurable as its there when you need it, and when you dont you can just purr along at low rpms with absolute ease.

Last edited by nick46; 07-01-2020 at 01:54 PM..
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      07-01-2020, 09:28 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The7th View Post
I wanted something to run around not to race. I am talking about civilized driving here not like an idiot. Drove my 7 in Germany at 158mph and it was great. If you want fast lanes and speed Germany is the only way. If you potholes and damages alloys here is great too
Will see a 325i later on today.
Thanks.
If you gonna checkout a E90 325i with N53 engine I would do some research or take someone that has knowledge of this engine.

A warm N53 engine can hide 6 leaking injectors. The symptoms only show on cold start.
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      07-01-2020, 02:16 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gIzzE View Post
There is a massive difference between the N47 and the B47 20d as well.

I'm a petrol fan, mainly because I have always gone with 6cyl diesels and by the time you get to them the difference in any cost savings vs petrol really is negligible. Talking 3% as an overall ownership cost.
I have had enough of the same car in diesel and petrol guise over the years to do the maths and it really is that small a difference.

However, having that discussion on Pistonheads 2 years ago everyone said "Well, if you want to save money you need to buy a 20d or similar."
I had gone from my 530d Touring into 306hp v6 3.5 litre E350 estate and was amazed at how well the modern petrol was performing, often 35mpg over the tank, average for 2 years was 31mpg, which was was about 4mpg behind the 530d (calculated not obc).

I decided to buy a 2015 euro 6 520d touring auto and go for the whole 'economy' thing, justifying having another car with the fact it would almost pay for itself with the incredible fuel savings and no ULEZ charge.
The reality was that over 15 months and 30000 miles it averaged 44mpg calculated (49 obc) and once again I was a little disappointed. But, and it is a big but, I really, really enjoyed the car.

Compared to the 530d it felt light, it was nicer to drive when having fun (I ended up with a tri channel tuning box from DTUK and rolling roaded it at 228hp) and most surprising was just how refined the b47 engine was. That was the biggest shock. It felt very close to the N57 I had.

We have had M47 and N47 engines over the years and they are pretty rough at times, but this was seriously impressive.

I actually sold my F11 recently as I picked up an another 320i E91 and also wanted to try an F31 320d ED to see if a diesel can properly save money. Plus I also have a Z4 Coupe for fun, a Z4 coupe and a 320d ED for the same money as the 520d made more sense than the 540i I was about to buy before lockdown. And pleased with that decision.

The 320d ED is pretty impressive, I often get nearly 70mpg from it, round town it never drops below 49mpg, on 16" wheels with non runflat tyres it is super comfy too. The only regret is I went manual. I think after nipping round in the 320i manual I got hoodwinked into thinking the diesel manual would be as nice, the reality is it is not. Heavier clutch, constantly swapping gears as only 2000rpm to play with, but it is fine.


I have nothing against diesels at all, but for me if going diesel a 4cyl makes more sense.


I really don't get whey people don't like the 320i either. That to me just feels so BMW.
I had E30 325i's etc. and it just reminds me of that. Lightweight, chuckable, not this massive load of power on tap, you have to work it a bit and when you do feels proper enjoyable.
Plus my N43 gets 38/39mpg over most tanks and closer to 50mpg on my London run.


It is a shame E30s have got so expensive, I think anyone who says they enjoy driving should have one of those for a few months, it really did change my thoughts on what makes a good truly enjoyable. I had the 535d Touring and M3 CSL at the time I bought the manual 325i and that little E30 taught me more about driving than any car I have owned.


I think we have a generation who forget BMW were about small light 4cyl cars and grew up when they went to the bigger straight six cars like the E34 and E39 and feel that is what BMW is about.
It is of course what BMW is about, but I think in the race for more and more effortless power we forgot that sometimes, having just enough can, in many ways, be more fun.


Thank you so much for your post. Appreciated. You have valid points whics tells we're on the same page. I am petrolhead ..my 740d is my first diesel in 25 years. Always had petrols : few AMGs, S500s. I made a mistake getting this 740 as I should have gone for a 750x i M Power. Different car , different planet. My C250cdi was a co car and it was good. Nippy and good mpg. I wanted a E90 no ideas why I just like them. Not fussy on power but need something decent within my figure. Audi is a 'hell no' area- got family working to Audi HO in Ingolstatd so I know. MB could be but high services. A Golf is what every wanna-be kiddo have and they're expensive. What's left? Nothing else really.
Saw this 325i this afternoon...i said no.
Going back to square 1
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      07-01-2020, 02:23 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nick46 View Post
So just because I have a high powered car that immediately means I drive like a cunt?
Not that I've got to explain myself to you, but I'm a married man in my 40's with kids. I got all that driving like an idiot out of my system years ago when I used to ride superbikes. I was just saying that having a lot of power and torque makes driving much more pleasurable as its there when you need it, and when you dont you can just purr along at low rpms with absolute ease.
Not at all. This was not aimed at you. No no! Done 6 weeks Pro Driving Skills in Stuttgart with Brabus so I know what driving is .
I get your point thank you but my post is clearly saying I would like a decent car , not a fast one. I can get a e46 330 with 4-5k which is not bad. A 335 i or d will not make me happier just more money.
I am sorry if I said something that may have offended you- my intention is to get some end-user advice.
Cheers
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