BMW 130i, Fiesta ST and Abarth 500, a brief car history!!!
Discussion
So lets start from the beginning,
Graduated from university 2 years ago and got the car I'd lusted for a while after in recent times, a ford fiesta ST!
The Fiesta ST lasted about 10 months, in which time it got stolen and returned back to me, and knowing someone else had been in my car put me right off! So I sold it and bought another car that had taken my interest rather hilariously......an Abarth 500.
Abarth 500
The Abarth was fun for the first two weeks or so. I got a boggo spec 13 plate manual, which had 135bhp coming from the 1.4 litre. I found the noise it made hilarious, but the lack of driveability compared to the fiesta was obvious very quickly. The seating position was also bloody awful. I stuck a monza exhaust on it to make it more interesting but even this couldnt help. I also got tired of driving it on my 250 mile a week commute. So it was gone within 4 weeks
I then bought a BMW 130i, thanks to a friend who had the car himself, I discovered this gem!
At first I loved it, then I got annoyed by it, as it felt like it didnt handle as well as the ford fiesta. But as time has gone on I've grown to love the car, and in my ownership its had a few minor mods such as
E92 M3 lower control arms + knocked out the alignment pins to increase camber
Modified the internals of a BMW 135i N55 exhaust, by welding the perforations within and removing some sound dampeners, and sticking the exhaust on my car. Sounds incredible, without being anti-social (exhaust is still valved, although I disconnected the solenoid
)
Moving down under in the summer so the beloved 130i will have to go, but I think another fiesta ST is on the cards when I move over
Graduated from university 2 years ago and got the car I'd lusted for a while after in recent times, a ford fiesta ST!
The Fiesta ST lasted about 10 months, in which time it got stolen and returned back to me, and knowing someone else had been in my car put me right off! So I sold it and bought another car that had taken my interest rather hilariously......an Abarth 500.
Abarth 500
The Abarth was fun for the first two weeks or so. I got a boggo spec 13 plate manual, which had 135bhp coming from the 1.4 litre. I found the noise it made hilarious, but the lack of driveability compared to the fiesta was obvious very quickly. The seating position was also bloody awful. I stuck a monza exhaust on it to make it more interesting but even this couldnt help. I also got tired of driving it on my 250 mile a week commute. So it was gone within 4 weeks
I then bought a BMW 130i, thanks to a friend who had the car himself, I discovered this gem!
At first I loved it, then I got annoyed by it, as it felt like it didnt handle as well as the ford fiesta. But as time has gone on I've grown to love the car, and in my ownership its had a few minor mods such as
E92 M3 lower control arms + knocked out the alignment pins to increase camber
Modified the internals of a BMW 135i N55 exhaust, by welding the perforations within and removing some sound dampeners, and sticking the exhaust on my car. Sounds incredible, without being anti-social (exhaust is still valved, although I disconnected the solenoid
) Moving down under in the summer so the beloved 130i will have to go, but I think another fiesta ST is on the cards when I move over
I see your car is up for sale on Ebay. I have to say the 130i is a tempting proposition when it comes to experiencing the 3 litre NA engine for less money than a Z4 coupe or 125i coupe.
I do a 60 mile commute a day at present. How do you feel the car handles a combination of motorway and some stop start traffic? What kind of rpm does the engine turnover at just over 70 and what mpg can it return at that speed?
I do a 60 mile commute a day at present. How do you feel the car handles a combination of motorway and some stop start traffic? What kind of rpm does the engine turnover at just over 70 and what mpg can it return at that speed?
I see your car is up for sale on Ebay. I have to say the 130i is a tempting proposition when it comes to experiencing the 3 litre NA engine for less money than a Z4 coupe or 125i coupe.
I do a 60 mile commute a day at present. How do you feel the car handles a combination of motorway and some stop start traffic? What kind of rpm does the engine turnover at just over 70 and what mpg can it return at that speed?
Hi there! It is indeed for sale and open to offers as i’m moving to australia in a couple of weeks! My commute is about 21 miles, mix of stop start and dual carriageway. At motorway speeds it ticks over less than 3k rpm! At 70 you’ll get 35mpg+. I’ve seen almost 40mpg on a long motorway journey. The car has been fantastic and the only problem was one stuck caliper which I replaced
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff