1 Series for £6k?

[beatngu]

Noticed that they start for around £5k for the 118/120d. Is this one of those situations where something that cheap will be cheap for a reason (like a £3,5k Cooper S) or is this what they go for now? Obviously taking into account mileage and age.

Wouldn't mind the 120d as I was looking for a 330d but the manual is quite rare and I've gotten used to the good tax/insurance/fuel prices of a diesel so not keen on the 330ci.

£5k does seem a bit cheap tho..

Edited by beatngu on Saturday 16th June 10:39

[McSam]

I don't know whether £5-6k seems especially cheap for a seven-year-old hatchback, even if the 1er is popular?

I certainly wouldn't be scared of them, that's for sure.

[Lost soul]

beatngu said:

Noticed that they start for around £5k for the 118/120d. Is this one of those situations where something that cheap will be cheap for a reason (like a £3,5k Cooper S) or is this what they go for now? Obviously taking into account mileage and age.

Wouldn't mind the 120d as I was looking for a 330d but the manual is quite rare and I'm gotten used to the good tax/insurance/fuel prices of a diesel so not keen on the 330ci.

£5k does seem a bit cheap tho..

Edited by beatngu on Saturday 16th June 10:38

The thing to remember is it is not a Renault or Vauxhall or Peugeot , its a BMW

[beatngu]

McSam said:

I don't know whether £5-6k seems especially cheap for a seven-year-old hatchback, even if the 1er is popular?

I certainly wouldn't be scared of them, that's for sure.

It was the performance that I found interesting. A modern diesel with 170bhp, I'd have expected it to keep the price up for years like the 330d. Even the VAG 150bhp diesels are still holding prices fairly high.

Lost soul said:

The thing to remember is it is not a Renault or Vauxhall or Peugeot , its a BMW

Which is a good thing, yes?

Edited by beatngu on Saturday 16th June 10:43

Edited by beatngu on Saturday 16th June 10:44

[Lost soul]

beatngu said:

Lost soul said:

The thing to remember is it is not a Renault or Vauxhall or Peugeot , its a BMW

Which is a good thing, yes?

It has been a very good thing for me over the last 4 years

[Fox-]

The 1st gen prefacelift 1 Series is a fairly terrible car redeemed only by its excellent handling. The rest of the package is pretty poor - gutless and not particularly economical petrol engines, noisy diesels with a cabin dominated by clatter at the traffic lights and poor quality plastics everywhere. Add this to styling you either hate or don't hate quite as much and a boot you can fit not much in and I'm rather struggling to see the point.

The LCI model went a long way to sorting most of this, but of course these are much more than £5k.

[beatngu]

Lost soul said:

It has been a very good thing for me over the last 4 years

Cool, I've read good things about them so far.

Fox- said:

The 1st gen prefacelift 1 Series is a fairly terrible car redeemed only by its excellent handling. The rest of the package is pretty poor - gutless and not particularly economical petrol engines, noisy diesels with a cabin dominated by clatter at the traffic lights and poor quality plastics everywhere. Add this to styling you either hate or don't hate quite as much and a boot you can fit not much in and I'm rather struggling to see the point.

The LCI model went a long way to sorting most of this, but of course these are much more than £5k.

Would have to give one a drive of course but I think it's on my list, trying to find a decent diesel, fairly modern, decent performance with the good reliability. It's a shame the 3 series doesn't have many manuals tho.

[Lost soul]

beatngu said:

Lost soul said:

It has been a very good thing for me over the last 4 years

Cool, I've read good things about them so far.

Fox- said:

The 1st gen prefacelift 1 Series is a fairly terrible car redeemed only by its excellent handling. The rest of the package is pretty poor - gutless and not particularly economical petrol engines, noisy diesels with a cabin dominated by clatter at the traffic lights and poor quality plastics everywhere. Add this to styling you either hate or don't hate quite as much and a boot you can fit not much in and I'm rather struggling to see the point.

The LCI model went a long way to sorting most of this, but of course these are much more than £5k.

Would have to give one a drive of course but I think it's on my list, trying to find a decent diesel, fairly modern, decent performance with the good reliability. It's a shame the 3 series doesn't have many manuals tho.

I have a 5 not 1 but i am sure the same quality is there

[Fox-]

Lost soul said:

I have a 5 not 1 but i am sure the same quality is there

As you'd expect there is a difference in quality as you move up the range. I had a load of pre facelift 1 Series as loaners years ago when I first got my 5 Series and I used to honestly count down the hours until I could drop the brand new car off and drive off in my 4 year old one!

[Lost soul]

Fox- said:

Lost soul said:

I have a 5 not 1 but i am sure the same quality is there

As you'd expect there is a difference in quality as you move up the range. I had a load of pre facelift 1 Series as loaners years ago when I first got my 5 Series and I used to honestly count down the hours until I could drop the brand new car off and drive off in my 4 year old one!

I am surprised there is a difference in quality between a 1 a 3 or a 5

[Fox-]

Lost soul said:

I am surprised there is a difference in quality between a 1 a 3 or a 5

Why? You'd expect the quality to improve as the price goes up and the market changes. A 7 Series buyer has different expectations of quality than a MINI buyer, for example!

[Lost soul]

Fox- said:

Lost soul said:

I am surprised there is a difference in quality between a 1 a 3 or a 5

Why? You'd expect the quality to improve as the price goes up and the market changes. A 7 Series buyer has different expectations of quality than a MINI buyer, for example!

I would imagine a 7 would be much more lux but i would imagine the basic engineering - build would be to the same high standard

[Fox-]

Lost soul said:

I would imagine a 7 would be much more lux but i would imagine the basic engineering - build would be to the same high standard

I'm talking about build qaulity in terms of the bits you see, touch and interact with - dashboard plastics, door cards, etc etc. Ok, BMW had a bit of a bad patch with the 2003-2007 E60's which are sub-par, but generally speaking the higher up the range you go, the better the interior fit and finish.

[McSam]

Fox- said:

I'm talking about build qaulity in terms of the bits you see, touch and interact with - dashboard plastics, door cards, etc etc. Ok, BMW had a bit of a bad patch with the 2003-2007 E60's which are sub-par, but generally speaking the higher up the range you go, the better the interior fit and finish.

True absolutely everywhere.

[Radebe]

I have a 118d Msport (58) with 98k on it.. it's been absolutely fantastic would highly recommend one, they're awesome cars.

[Radebe]

Fox- said:

I'm talking about build qaulity in terms of the bits you see, touch and interact with - dashboard plastics, door cards, etc etc. Ok, BMW had a bit of a bad patch with the 2003-2007 E60's which are sub-par, but generally speaking the higher up the range you go, the better the interior fit and finish.

I think the build quality in mind is superb.

[Cemesis]

The 1 series feels very cheap compared to a 5 (and thats an E39). Compare that to a modern F1 series 7 series and the difference is vast.

I'm not a fan of the 1 series, seems very overpriced for such a small car. I know people say that they have BMW build quality but alas, modern BMW build quality isn't something to shout about.

[Radebe]

Cemesis said:

The 1 series feels very cheap compared to a 5 (and thats an E39). Compare that to a modern F1 series 7 series and the difference is vast.

I'm not a fan of the 1 series, seems very overpriced for such a small car. I know people say that they have BMW build quality but alas, modern BMW build quality isn't something to shout about.

They are quite expensive for what they are. Mine was £24k new.

[S3_Graham]

McSam said:

Fox- said:

I'm talking about build qaulity in terms of the bits you see, touch and interact with - dashboard plastics, door cards, etc etc. Ok, BMW had a bit of a bad patch with the 2003-2007 E60's which are sub-par, but generally speaking the higher up the range you go, the better the interior fit and finish.

True absolutely everywhere.

After driving 5's and 6's a fair amount I was disappointed with the interior on my 130. Just didn't feel quality. Looked it mind....

Everything was tinny when you tap your hand on the dash and the doors didn't clunk etc.

Nothing broke though which is a good thing. Only downside (and the reason I sold mine) was that you can't have fun beyond the limits of dsc.

Eta: I still find myself looking at them in the 'fieds though. The noise......

Edited by S3_Graham on Saturday 16th June 12:10

[themanwithnoname]

Fox- said:

The 1st gen prefacelift 1 Series is a fairly terrible car redeemed only by its excellent handling. The rest of the package is pretty poor - gutless and not particularly economical petrol engines, noisy diesels with a cabin dominated by clatter at the traffic lights and poor quality plastics everywhere. Add this to styling you either hate or don't hate quite as much and a boot you can fit not much in and I'm rather struggling to see the point.

The LCI model went a long way to sorting most of this, but of course these are much more than £5k.

What on earth are you on about!?

Noisy diesels/gutless petrols? I bought my 120d over a 320d in part because it was quieter. I have to agree, that if you're in the wrong gear the 120d can be a tad slow on the uptake but then nothing different to the VAG/Renault/Ford/Vauxhall equivalents that I've driven, if anything the VAG and Renault ones were worse as none of the gears matched the engine for what you want at any one time.

Poor plastics? Significantly better than the 5 Saabs I had previously, not quite as good as the Jag I had a while back, infinitely better than the Renault my wife has, and the Golf I had as an interim car.

I do agree that the boot space is pitiful, but then if I was massively bothered about that I'd have stumped for the louder, less comfortable (IMO) 3 series and gone for a touring model.

For the OP. My 120d SE (with a few decent options like the sport seats, xenons etc) cost me a smidge under £5k in March and I have put 7000 miles on it. It hasn't missed a beat, is almost as comfortable as my old Saabs/Jag the engine is pretty good, though a remap wouldn't hurt, so far the only things I have replaced are the oil and the gearknob. It has just clicked over 108000 miles and is still taught, fresh feeling and a good thing to drive.

Again I bought this after trying a 5 and not being able to justify the size, then trying a 3 and not being impressed with the comparative cabin noise with the 1.

The 1 series, in my somewhat biased opinion is a great buy, and at 5k which is roughly what I paid, is a bargain. I can't think of many cars that I would rather have bought with the criteria I had for the money.