Thoughts on the BMW 120d or even 118d please.

I'm looking at a more recent model and considering the M-Sport suspension etc package.

Anything to watch out for on used examples?

make sure its white with dark wheels.

buy from main dealer with bmw warranty.

m stripes work a treat.

ignore the negative comments its rwd and it handles.

It handles well for sure. Good engines, rev freely. Not convinced about the amount of room in the back, it's basically a 2 seater with small back seats..

Catch might be that the standard equipment levels were notably poor, no std aircon, but then I reckon the M would have that

Could do a lot worse

thoughts on 1 series BMW? ok, it looks like a shoe. proper car tho'.

MArk

With the discounts I could find on DTD the 120D se, with the M Sport options pack, a stereo upgrade pack and a load of other nice options comes in at much less that a PD170 Octy never mind a GT TDI.

I'm off to have a look at the dealers some point soon, which will give me plenty of time to consider my options. I'm actually plain sick of everything VAG at the moment. I would say the build quality is IMHO "solid with lots of little niggles", but having been left stranded and had major work done on the car impressed is not something I am.

Just do a search on posts by 'Welshy' - you'll find everything you need to know about BMW's

On a more serious note, I'd have one like a shot. Especially in 120d guise. As someone has already pointed out they are rwd and handle rather well

I've driven one of these (the 160bhp 120d) it was very new, about 20 miles, but I added anothe 20 to that... my thougts:

good:

handles brilliantly, one of the best handling cars I've driven.

looks good. (I don't like alot of the new beemers, but the 1's ok..)

bad:

not fast enough, my remapped fiat would 'av it', and vibrations in the cabin and controls. from the engine. (these things may improve with mileage...)

bloody stupid indicators, I thought BMW drivers didn't indicate because they were ****s, but its because the bloody indicators are stupid..... if its not broke BMW don't try to 'redesign' and fix it, simple 'normal' indicator stalk will do!

my tuppance.... feel free to disagree....

Thanks, I'd probably be looking at the 145bhp 118 or the 177bhp 120d myself if i was to get one, most likely with the M Sport options pack.

So what have they done to the indicators? How else can you do it apart from a stalk, or do i not want to know?

Thoughts on the BMW 120d or even 118d please.

I'm looking at a more recent model and considering the M-Sport suspension etc package.

Anything to watch out for on used examples?

Are you looking at the newist 1 series with the uprated engines and clever stop start system etc? Or are you looking at the similarish outgoing model? There are some very strong discounts on those I believe. I saw the DTD price, but you have to take out the BMW loan to qualify for it and I am not sure if it is the new 1 series or not. Sounds an amazing engine though.

Newest model at the moment lady E. Would be a downsize for me, but I would be hoping to keep the car for more than 3 years.

Newest model at the moment lady E. Would be a downsize for me, but I would be hoping to keep the car for more than 3 years.

Must admit, if I had a little spare cash and didn

I was reading you can turn of the auto cut out feature too.

TBH I would probably look at used in about 3-6 months time and get a 6 month old one, but I really can't tolerate the fact that the car spends so much time in the dealer.

So what have they done to the indicators? How else can you do it apart from a stalk, or do i not want to know?

The indicators take a bit of getting used to. Basically you nudge it up/down for 3 flashes in that direction. You push it all the way up/down for continuous indicating. You cancel indicating by nudging in the same direction it's set for (rather than the opposite).

Sounds very complicated, but drive it and you'll see what I mean

Chris

I'd heard the ride was a 'bit wearing' but am sure the guys before will correct me if I'm mistaken.

The M Sport suspension made the rear really stiff and combined with not much rear headroom, makes passengers back there hit their heads when going over speed bumps.

Actually quite fun

The indicators take a bit of getting used to. Basically you nudge it up/down for 3 flashes in that direction. You push it all the way up/down for continuous indicating. You cancel indicating by nudging in the same direction it's set for (rather than the opposite).

Sounds very complicated, but drive it and you'll see what I mean

Chris

so it's the same as the indicators on new vauxhalls, and new fords...etc...not difficult or stupid, just different?

if he's still about, might be worth giving walkie a shout?

if you have any small kids the rear windows are very high after 1 hour of my test drive in the new 120d my 8 year old was complaining she felt sick,it was a hot day and the other thing that i thought was crap was the aircon,the rest of the car was ok but tbh i expected more.:thumbdwn:

The indicators take a bit of getting used to. Basically you nudge it up/down for 3 flashes in that direction. You push it all the way up/down for continuous indicating. You cancel indicating by nudging in the same direction it's set for (rather than the opposite).

Sounds very complicated, but drive it and you'll see what I mean

Chris

So pretty much the same as the newer VAG cars with the lane change feature.

The M Sport suspension made the rear really stiff and combined with not much rear headroom, makes passengers back there hit their heads when going over speed bumps.

Actually quite fun

Rear passengers , now there is an interesting idea.

I'm actually very tempted by the 118d se have had a look over them, again with a few options. I want to see how hard the normal suspension is before I decided to spend any cash on the M-Sport option pack, but I would probably want the sports seats.

For any BMW are so expensive people, some food for thought, which also surprised me:

- 5 years/60k servicing pack is

the indicators: as others have said... but not just different.... (not like the newer VAG cars, i.e. fabia vRS) they don't click into place when you use them.... they just return to the neutral position, this is infuriating! (IMHO) you have to keep a very wary eye on the dash lights to see if the self-canceller has worked, (it often doesn't, like most cars if you only turn a certain ammount) then you must be very careful not to push the stalk the other way to cancel it,(like you would on almost every other car on the planet) because you will simply put the indicators on in the other direction, and they also wont self-cancel if you are straight by this time, if you are lucky, you will figure out how to turn them off, but you will probably have been killed by a driver pulling out on you, who thinks you were turning into his road ect ect....

soooooo, you could circumnavigate the problem like most BMW drivers, and NOT indicate, but bleeding hell... why not simple indicators like the fabia has? then, no problem...

this ****ed my friend off so much, it was added to the list of why he wasn't going to buy the car... he would have been using it as a learner car, and they are so hard to use under normal circumstances, it simply wouldn't be feasable!

others may simply say they are different, I'm sure I'm clever enough to get 'used' to them, and the annoyance would fade away into significance, but why should I? why shouldn't I simply expect an indicator to work as a normal indicator?!

just my two pennys worth again

and by the way cheesemonkhai, don't let my rantings put you off, if you can get a decent deal , and like the car, go for it, its still a cracking drive, even with standard suspension, with m-sport , should be even better

others may simply say they are different, I'm sure I'm clever enough to get 'used' to them, and the annoyance would fade away into significance, but why should I? why shouldn't I simply expect an indicator to work as a normal indicator?!

Yeah I can see how that would be annoying.

just my two pennys worth again

and by the way cheesemonkhai, don't let my rantings put you off, if you can get a decent deal , and like the car, go for it, its still a cracking drive, even with standard suspension, with m-sport , should be even better

Well they couldn't give me one to test drive over the weekend, so have offered to drop one at my place of work for me to have a play with :eek:

I was actually rather shocked by that.

Overall I was surprised by the price, so it will mostly come down to overall price, the package, how scary the insurance is and what I think of the car when I get a chance to give it a seeing to.

If it doesn't happen now, then a RWD or 4WD will happen, most likely as the next car a couple of years down the line.

I don't suppose anyone can tell me the difference between the sports seats and standard seats in the 1 series can they. In the 3/5 the seats get extra support at the front, for under the thigh, which i really like.

Yeah I can see how that would be annoying.

Well they couldn't give me one to test drive over the weekend, so have offered to drop one at my place of work for me to have a play with :eek:

I was actually rather shocked by that.

Overall I was surprised by the price, so it will mostly come down to overall price, the package, how scary the insurance is and what I think of the car when I get a chance to give it a seeing to.

If it doesn't happen now, then a RWD or 4WD will happen, most likely as the next car a couple of years down the line.

I don't suppose anyone can tell me the difference between the sports seats and standard seats in the 1 series can they. In the 3/5 the seats get extra support at the front, for under the thigh, which i really like.

BMW are suprising with the test drives... we had the 1 series for a whole afternoon! got it at lunch, and they just said, bring it back before 5:30!

My day job currently involves moving new and almost new BMW's so, if I was in your position the 118 and 120 are both good choices of cars, buying new I would avoid the 118d at all costs for now, there is an issue with them that as far I am aware is not widely known about, and by all accounts the current fix, doesnt work.

The 118 is possibly a little underpowered but not a bad car, the 120 would be my personal choice.

Having said that if i was buying a 1 series it would be the 130i, yes it is petrol, yes it is a 3 litre stright 6, yes it sounds fantasic, and yes it is 265BHP!!!

Pretty much everyone I talk to that i work with would buy one of these over any other bmw in production. It will suprise everything even a 2.0l fabia.

As for the seats I thing the option that you are on about is where it allows the entire seat to rock like a rocking chair keeping the back at a fixed angle to the base thus allowing more support for the thighs, a great feature I wish I had on my car.

The 130 is pretty darn quick, the 120d is fairly quick Compared to a standard Fabia it's quicker though

My day job currently involves moving new and almost new BMW's so, if I was in your position the 118 and 120 are both good choices of cars, buying new I would avoid the 118d at all costs for now, there is an issue with them that as far I am aware is not widely known about, and by all accounts the current fix, doesnt work.

The 118 is possibly a little underpowered but not a bad car, the 120 would be my personal choice.

Having said that if i was buying a 1 series it would be the 130i, yes it is petrol, yes it is a 3 litre stright 6, yes it sounds fantasic, and yes it is 265BHP!!!

Pretty much everyone I talk to that i work with would buy one of these over any other bmw in production. It will suprise everything even a 2.0l fabia.

As for the seats I thing the option that you are on about is where it allows the entire seat to rock like a rocking chair keeping the back at a fixed angle to the base thus allowing more support for the thighs, a great feature I wish I had on my car.

even a 2.0l fabia.... :rofl:

The pre07 118d had 120bhp yet the new 07 model has 144bhp its nearly 10mpg better on fuel and is very close to the