So as i posted in General car chat, the time had come to replace my Mk1 Octavia vRS.

I had owned it for 7 years and covered almost 100,000 miles in it, but it was getting very tired and expensive so it was time to go. My circumstances have changed considerably in the last 12 months and i no longer needed a larger car.

I considered a few options, top of my list was a Mk5 GTI Edition 30.. however people seem to be asking incredible amounts for fairly high mileage cars so i knocked that idea on the head after watching them for a few months. I also considered an S2000, Z4 or 350Z but i need fuel economy better than any of those could offer so i was left scratching my head, then it hit me.. a 1 series would be spot on!

I looked around and read the reviews and was considering a 120d but i knew i would never be happy with it knowing there was a 123d. Also all of the reviews i read said the 120d doesn't even compare to the 123d even though they are essentially the same engine. So the hunt began.. i knew exactly what i was after but finding one proved a PITA!

Then i found the one i ended up buying, slightly older than i wanted but with only 30k on the clock. Its a 2008 123d M Sport 3 Door in Silver with M Sport 208 18" wheels and black Boston leather interior.

Standard the car is 204bhp but it has been mapped so is currently around the 240bhp mark.

Having lived with the car for a few weeks now and doing a mix of motorway, traffic and general hoon i am getting around 50mpg on average. I am yet to do a steady motorway run to see what that returns. The gearbox is the shortest box i have ever driven, 1st and 2nd are almost none existent so its not quick off the mark at all. However in gear acceleration is epic!

First mod was a stubby antenna which bizarrely was from a Citroen, but it fits and looks good.

These always appealed. A couple of my mates run 135i coupes and they are utterly mental. Enjoy it.

A slight update...

I was in wales last week for a short break but before i went i thought i'd take the car to the hand car wash as i didn't have time to wash it my self, the road i had to drive down runs parallel with the Thames separated by about 5 meters of trees. I was driving along quite happily and suddenly a small dog ran from the river path, through the trees and straight into the road.

Absolutely nothing i could have done and i ended up hitting the dog which was about jack russel sized. Dog got up and ran to its owner but looked in a really bad way. I stopped and did the honorable thing and offered to take her and the dog to a vets. Any way, the car did not get away scott free either.. In hindsight i really should have taken her details but when you have just pretty much killed someone dog you feel a bit bad saying you need to pay for my car, plus i had no real idea how extensive the damage was until i got home.

So..

Initial damage report, bumper is a gonner, so is the fog light, inner wheel arch, brake air duct and all the supporting plastics.

As i said i was about to drive to wales which called for some emergency repairs, cue the A-team music... self tapping screws, an old aerosol can and some silver duct tape later...

Seamless!

Insurance are coming this week to carry out an estimate, going to be pricey i reckon!

amazing how well that duct tape matches your paint! just leave it like that!

Couple of updates..

Car came back from the body shop a couple of weeks ago, final bill was £1150. Bloody expensive dog!

Any way.. onwards!

Rusty hubs and callipers are gone. I purchased a tin of high temperature calliper paint, i know the finish is all in the prep so everything was scrubbed with a wire brush, then a good going over with wire wool and finally doused in Wurth brake cleaner and a final wipe down. Its fairly subtle but its made a huge difference. It was also an ideal opportunity to give the wheels a really good clean and seal them with some wheel wax.

Before:

After:

The other minor change is some silver bulbs for the front lights.

Before (Fried Egg) and After:

At the moment i am trying to decide whether or not to fit some depo angel eye headlights with a xenon kit. About £300 all in and will pass an MOT. To retrofit original BMW angel eye headlamps is about £2-2.5k

I have also been considering buying the BMW Performance twin exit exhaust tip, the same that's on the 130i. Apparently Milltek do make an exhaust for the 123d but people have reported a drop in performance compared to the stock exhaust, so no point exploring that route.

There wont be a drop in performance it will be internet rubbish!

Another little update..

I quite fancied some number plate surrounds but the only ones I could find for sale in the UK were horrible! So i had a brain wave, why not contact a German dealership...

So off i trott to find a dealership in Munich (the home of BMW) and 10 minutes later with the help of Google translate i had an email on the way to Automag GmbH, they very kindly sent me the following free of charge!

Arrived in the post;

Fitted;

what did you say to get them for free?! haha

what did you say to get them for free?! haha

I said I owned a BMW in the UK and I had been looking for some genuine German number plate surrounds and the only ones I could find on ebay were shizer. Did they supply them with their company details on.. or something along those lines. Then they just offered to send me some, I guess not all dealerships are like the tight fisted money grabbing rip off merchants we have in the UK.

I see you all now composing emails to Czech Skoda dealerships :p

I owned a 123D 3dr for a couple of years and did about 50,000 miles in it. I think I averaged about 43mpg and a lot of the driving was motorway. The short gears certainly don't help the fuel economy.

I remember chasing Shifty in his loony Fabia and he was surprised that cross country I could easily keep up. Only on the motorway at the very top end did he eventually eek out a little distance on me (and threw lumps of coal out of the exhaust at me too )

I test drove the 120D at the time too and came to the conclusion that the 123D engine was in a different class. Totally reliable too. I went for the SE spec however and threw in a few sports extras, but avoided the M Suspension as the ride was granite hard with the run flats. I felt the car was quicker cross country in SE spec because of the extra compliance, although it didn't look quite so good as the M version. Easily one of the best cars I have owned and in my top 3 for fond memories

Don't suppose you fancy posting up a copy of that email do you? My German is nicht gut!

Amazed at how much it cost to repair the damage from the dog too!

Don't suppose you fancy posting up a copy of that email do you? My German is nicht gut!

Amazed at how much it cost to repair the damage from the dog too!

Hello,

I hope you can help me. I am a BMW owner from the UK and i have been trying to purchase some genuine German number plate surrounds for my car in England. The only ones I can find on online are fake 'M Power' ones.

I was wondering if this is something you sell with your dealer name printed on? If you do how much would you charge for two shipped to England?

Many Thanks

Alex Pinner

I just pasted that into Google translate.

hallo,

Ich hoffe ihr könnt mir helfen. Ich bin ein BMW Besitzer aus dem Vereinigten Königreich, und ich habe versucht, einige kaufen echte deutsche Nummernschild umgibt für mein Auto in England. Die einzigen, die ich auf Online finden sind fake 'M Power "Einsen.

Ich frage mich, ob dies etwas, das Sie mit Ihrem Händler verkaufen Namen gedruckt auf? Wenn Sie das tun, wie viel würden Sie für zwei nach England verschifft aufladen?

Vielen Dank

Alex Pinner

Awesome, cheers!