BMW 1 Series Advice

[pistonhead345]

I’ve been looking to change my car for a few months now and due to being 20 my options have been limited to what I can get insured on with a reasonable price. I found the 2007-2009 120i one series to be the middle ground that gives me a decent power upgrade from my current car whilst still being reasonable to insure. The problem is I’ve heard that the N43 engine is terrible and as I don’t know much about cars would it be better to choose a different car because of the problems I might encounter

[CJ1]

What’s your budget? You should aim for the newer 2011 model onwards if you can.

[rallycross]

Sadly not a good engine, early 120i (pre 2008) are ok, early 118d/120d are ok (pre 2008) avoid N43 2.0 petrol 2010 onwards, also 123d avoid.

Shame really, 1 series are good little cars but only the 6 cylinder models are worth having now, the other models suffer from engine problems.

[aka_kerrly]

You could be better off looking at 3 series,% BMWs, a E46 2001-2006era 325/330i would be considerably better than any 4 cylinder 1Series.

[Mr Tidy]

rallycross said:

Sadly not a good engine, early 120i (pre 2008) are ok, early 118d/120d are ok (pre 2008) avoid N43 2.0 petrol 2010 onwards, also 123d avoid.

Shame really, 1 series are good little cars but only the 6 cylinder models are worth having now, the other models suffer from engine problems.

The 123d isn't the only one to avoid, the facelift 118d and 120d had fundamentally the same engine so are just as likely to have issues - google N47 engine cam-chains!

But my 123d got to over 80K miles with no problems before I sold it, after discovering straight 6 petrol BMWs.

[Obee72]

130i, cracking engine!!!

[rallycross]

Obee72 said:

130i, cracking engine!!!

Correct (I have one) I didnt suggest it as he is only 20 so there is no way he will be able to insure a 130i 265 bhp type motor without paying a fortune...

[Challo]

Obee72 said:

130i, cracking engine!!!

Holding there money though. People wanting £4k for a 05 model with 125k on the clock.

[pistonhead345]

CJ1 said:

What’s your budget? You should aim for the newer 2011 model onwards if you can.

Budget is about 5k

Edited by pistonhead345 on Wednesday 25th March 10:11

[pistonhead345]

rallycross said:

Correct (I have one) I didnt suggest it as he is only 20 so there is no way he will be able to insure a 130i 265 bhp type motor without paying a fortune...

I would love to get it as I’ve heard it has the best built engine and the performance is crazy but your right no chance of getting insurance unfortunately

[Fastchas]

I bought my sister's 118d Sport from her when she PCP'd a Merc.
She was cabin crew for BA so it spent it's life on the M40. At 70k miles it felt as tight as a drum, the steering was excellent.
I sold it six months later as I thought it was too small and bought a 320d E91. Bad mistake.
I miss that car.

[pistonhead345]

Fastchas said:

I bought my sister's 118d Sport from her when she PCP'd a Merc.
She was cabin crew for BA so it spent it's life on the M40. At 70k miles it felt as tight as a drum, the steering was excellent.
I sold it six months later as I thought it was too small and bought a 320d E91. Bad mistake.
I miss that car.

Yeah the Diesel models seem better but unfortunately due to the congestion charges coming into place would be pointless buying a diesel

[ZX10R NIN]

If you don't mind a warm hatch there are some nice options worth considering.

Astra GTC SRI 180

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

Alfa Giulietta Veloce 170

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[pistonhead345]

Thanks had seen the alpha and was an option but again I’ve heard horror stories about the reliability of alphas

[ZX10R NIN]

That's a load of rubbish & applies to old Alfa's the 1.4T drivetrain is well proven & is showing itself to be very reliable.

[Mr Tidy]

rallycross said:

Obee72 said:

130i, cracking engine!!!

Correct (I have one) I didnt suggest it as he is only 20 so there is no way he will be able to insure a 130i 265 bhp type motor without paying a fortune...

My budget didn't quite stretch to a 130i last year, so I bought an E90 330i with the same engine!

Might that be a bit cheaper to insure?

[pistonhead345]

Mr Tidy said:

My budget didn't quite stretch to a 130i last year, so I bought an E90 330i with the same engine!

Might that be a bit cheaper to insure?

Insurance group is in the 30s so not much cheaper tbh

[pistonhead345]

ZX10R NIN said:

That's a load of rubbish & applies to old Alfa's the 1.4T drivetrain is well proven & is showing itself to be very reliable.

Will have another look thanks