BMW 130i - thoughts?

BMW 130i - thoughts?

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Rosco1692

Original Poster:

15 posts

109 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
quotequote all
I'm thinking of spoiling myself and getting a 130i. Anyone ever had one and can give me their opinions on it? I'm 22, and currently drive a 1.2 clio but after driving the parents 2L 3 series I really want a Beemer. Any info on real world MPG and living with the car on a daily basis...oh and price.
Cheers!

Rosco1692

Original Poster:

15 posts

109 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
quotequote all
I've seen a 2006 5dr with 55k on the clock for £7000. Is this a decent price for it? And what should I look out for when buying. Also, I've heard the iDrive system is a waste of time, have you found this to be useless as well?

Rosco1692

Original Poster:

15 posts

109 months

Tuesday 31st March 2015
quotequote all
Are those not a lot more expensive? Really don't want to go more than £7k. However if one was in front of me it would be very difficult to turn down...
The 130 just looks like a pure weapon, but still looks subtle at the same time. Didn't think running costs would be that much different as I only get 30-35mpg on the clio. I know tyres etc are expensive but what other costs would I need to take into consideration when buying a car like this?

Rosco1692

Original Poster:

15 posts

109 months

Wednesday 1st April 2015
quotequote all
12TS said:
I ran for 5 years and 30,000 miles. I bought it 6 months old.

In that time nothing much went wrong other than the DSC module; replacement cost was £1200 or so, but I got mine done under warranty.

With an ageing right foot, I was seeing 32-33mpg, but this would easily drop to around 25 around town. It's going to be worse than your Clio.

I loved the car, the engine was fantastic, the interior was a nice place to be and it was cheap to run. The ride was poor, but this may not bother you at your age wink

The gamble you're looking at is failures, realistically you'd have to say at that age to expect a £1k bill a year for something to go wrong.
It's a 2006 with only 50-60k so I didn't think there would be many problems...

Rosco1692

Original Poster:

15 posts

109 months

Wednesday 1st April 2015
quotequote all
Gompo said:
I think if I had my 130i when I was 22 I'd be thinking it was a bit too grown up, especially if a 5 door. I suppose that's more of a personal thing though. As a 'family' car, then yes 5 doors always easier.

I think I would be trying to get a newer (but higher miles) car if possible. While they're fine in town and on short journeys I can imagine things wearing out quicker (bushes, discs etc) with shorter but more frequent journeys rather than a distance cruiser. I guess that applies to most cars though. Mine doesn't have I-drive, which I am fine with. The stereo is a bit lacking in functions though, even if it does sound fine.
Very good point, I was worried I'd look like a boy driving daddy's car for the day

Rosco1692

Original Poster:

15 posts

109 months

Wednesday 1st April 2015
quotequote all
What sort of routine maintenance would I need to perform on the car myself? I don't have a lot of knowledge about car parts, but if I got the 130 I'd want to take care of it as I never really have with the clio cos it was a s**t-heap when I got it.