125d vs 125i

[ratty6464]

Hi, looks like the M3 is going to make way for a semi boring company car.

Have been looking at lots of options and for the 20k miles I'll be doing there doesn't seem too much difference between a 125d and i as the d is more pricey on the monthlies.

Question is - is the 125i a decent steer? Looks to be similar performance to a golf gti. Is the petrol engine fun, or might I as well go for the diesel?

We have a 120 d which I quite like although it lacks a bit of power for overtaking etc

[ratty6464]

The M135i is tempting, but a fair chunk more on the company car scheme. Also my commute will now be 70miles per day so fuel is more of an issue. Otherwise I'd just keep the M3 and take the cash allowance.

The other option would be to take the cash and get a 135i on some sort of finance deal as they seem pretty good value, but then I'd have to pay for insurance and tax etc. hence going back to the 225d / 125d.

If there's not much in it between the 25i and 25d then I'll probs just go for the diesel, just wondered if anyone have tried them back to back?

[ratty6464]

Thanks for all the feedback chaps. Especially the info on the 125i, I thought it might have been a bit of a cut down 135i that's a bit slower and much more economical - clearly it's in no mans land in a way. So I'll strike it off the short list!

The car allowance is pretty rubbish so after tax it works out as only £240 per month, but as the 135i pcp deals look good then I might go for it. On the company scheme it would cost loads in BIK and I'd have to pay extra every month as its above my default band.

So that leaves the other main option which would be a diesel, and if I'm going to go for one of those it may as well be on the comp scheme so I don't have to worry about where it is parked or insurance etc. so that's where the 225d idea came from. The wife has a 120d auto as a comp car too and it's pretty good at most things, if a little slow once you're above 50. But it would be a bit sad having 2 of the same car.

Or get a golf gti on the scheme, but they apparently don't get near the fuel consumption quoted and although I enjoyed the mk5 gti we had a while back, I think going back to fwd would be a bit of a step back.

[ratty6464]

SlowStig said:

Not wanting to upset anyone but having owned a 125i for the past few months these are things I have noticed(in my opinion):

> Engine and exhaust sound is crap, its a 4 banger with the soundtrack of a diesel
> For 220bhp, it is surprisingly slow. Off the mark its poky but 3rd gear onwards is a tiresome and disappointing lesson of patience and hope.
> The engine is detuned from the F30 328i down to 220bhp for no logical reason, but remaps for a 328 work on a 125i apparently
> Handling doesn't give much feedback, I have servotronic on mine but I can't imagine its much better without
> Fuel economy is awful, I just filled up and got 35mpg where 80% of the tank was sat on a motorway doing 70

Personally, I would avoid a 125i and either get a 125d for economy or M135i for speed. There really isn't a logical reason to buy a 125i and after getting mine, every salesman I have spoken with all seemed to agree that there isnt really any selling point for a 125i. I regret getting mine, all shirt and no trousers sadly.

This is mine:

Thanks for the honest info it really helps, as on paper I thought the 125i may be a decent compromise, np but clearly it isn't.
How many miles have you done? I'm sure the engine will loosen up after 5k miles.

[ratty6464]

K0409964 said:

I've had a 125d for about a year, had exactly the same issue as you, I was going to go for a Cayman but my job changed such as I would be doing 20k miles a year.

Briefly, the car is rapid, very rapid; I believe slightly faster on paper than a Mk7 GTi (so not as fast as your M3) and is a quite a nice sleeper, i.e. it just looks like a 120d with the sports pack, and I do enjoy giving it the beans when coming up against 320s, 120s, 220 Merc etc. however, it has little soul, I had a Mk5 GTi previously, that was slower but probably more enjoyable.

I have the 8 Speed Auto, which is very good, but again probably a factor in terms of enjoyment/soul.

I believe they are also rarer, in terms of numbers registered, than a Ferrari 458....

Yep it does look really tempting on paper. And maybe in 225 for the handling may be slightly more fun?

Ref the Cayman, I was thinking about those today. What sort of mpg do you think you could realistically get on one of those? I've never been bother by mpg before but at 20k ps it really does make a significant difference.

[ratty6464]

Welshbeef said:

How much does or will the M3 cost to own for these miles PCM?

Would be interesting to see total cost v any of the cars mentioned so far and might well turn out to be cheaper /nothing in it plus the best drive of the lot

I've got a spreadsheet with all the estimated figures in. As I put a large deposit on the m3 and it is zero % finance it's only costs me £350 month finance. Fuel will be circa £380 month (depending on mpg achieved) and I put away £140 month to cover insurance, tyres and tax etc.
It's got 6 months OEM wwrranty left but the issue is as I rack up the miles quickly it will probably reduce the small amount of equity in it. Then next year I'll need to fork out for a warranty too and then consumables like brakes etc eventually. Although I have got the service pack for the 5 years which is handy. The downside is that driving into Birmingham everyday it may get clonked / it's really not the habitat for a manual m3.

The flip side is that with a comp car I wouldn't need to worry about it at all, would probably save a bit of cash every month but would have to chop in the M3 which would be so sad as I specced it from new and it's one of the best examples of the last of a breed.

It's a real head vs heart decision.

[ratty6464]

Then there are offers like this

http://www.easternmpower.co.uk/new-cars/detail.php...

[ratty6464]

Welshbeef said:

ratty6464 said:

I've got a spreadsheet with all the estimated figures in. As I put a large deposit on the m3 and it is zero % finance it's only costs me £350 month finance. Fuel will be circa £380 month (depending on mpg achieved) and I put away £140 month to cover insurance, tyres and tax etc.
It's got 6 months OEM wwrranty left but the issue is as I rack up the miles quickly it will probably reduce the small amount of equity in it. Then next year I'll need to fork out for a warranty too and then consumables like brakes etc eventually. Although I have got the service pack for the 5 years which is handy. The downside is that driving into Birmingham everyday it may get clonked / it's really not the habitat for a manual m3.

The flip side is that with a comp car I wouldn't need to worry about it at all, would probably save a bit of cash every month but would have to chop in the M3 which would be so sad as I specced it from new and it's one of the best examples of the last of a breed.

It's a real head vs heart decision.

Why not give it a go for a bit to see how it works out? Also you could run it right up to the point it needs new discs and pads then chop it in (though they are not that pricy really).

Yeah. I may well do that. If you take the allowance rather than the comp car you need to take it for a min of 6 months. So I could run it for 6 months and see. Although by then the warranty would be up an it will have another 10k miles on, so not such an attractive sale

[ratty6464]

So after a lot of deliberation I chopped in the M3 for a 435d. It's a step up luxury wise, but a bit of. A barge although you can waft along on the torque. Just a shame the HK is crap compared to the HK in the e92, which I'm really surprised about!