Discussion
I decided it was time to bring an end to 17 years of running 4 cylinder diesels and make the most of what will probably be my last ICE car.
The last nearly 4 years have seen me running an ex Thrifty rental 320d bought from Motorpoint with 10000 miles. Having reached 92000 and the last MOT pointing out that the diff was leaking and having had various EGR issues sorted out under warranty I felt that I would most likely face some bigger bills in the next 12 months, particularly as tyres and pads and discs were close to being worn out.
The search started and I had my heart set on a Golf GTI Mark 8. Lots of searching for cars with the correct 19 inch Adelaide alloys but kept on missing them. Widened my search and started looking at Mk 7.5 Performance models and found a great low mileage one at the MINI garage in Malton. Great test drive, was up for doing the deal until I sent a picture of it to Mrs Running Man who took a dislike to it as it was red.
So back to square one. As I was leaving the MINI garage I saw a very late model (August 2019) M140i on the forecourt of BMW garage next door. Months of agonising turned into an impulse buy as I quickly realised that with a mileage of under 7000 miles it was a new as these were going to get.
Fast forward to collection day and first impressions of the drive back home were that it has a bouncy suspension, the engine sounds fantastic and it’s bloody fast.
6 weeks into ownership and I have clocked up 2200 miles and the ride is ok when you’re used to it. It’s very easy to set off the traction control at 50mph so it does require a bit of care on wet roads. 36mpg is better than I was expecting but the small fuel tank does mean that twice weekly fuel ups seem to be required.
Longer term, is it the most suitable car I could have bought? Definitely not as 500 miles per week is not what is was designed for. In terms of scratching the itch of six cylinders and a car that is very much the last of it’s type then definitely yes!
Part exchange day photo!
The last nearly 4 years have seen me running an ex Thrifty rental 320d bought from Motorpoint with 10000 miles. Having reached 92000 and the last MOT pointing out that the diff was leaking and having had various EGR issues sorted out under warranty I felt that I would most likely face some bigger bills in the next 12 months, particularly as tyres and pads and discs were close to being worn out.
The search started and I had my heart set on a Golf GTI Mark 8. Lots of searching for cars with the correct 19 inch Adelaide alloys but kept on missing them. Widened my search and started looking at Mk 7.5 Performance models and found a great low mileage one at the MINI garage in Malton. Great test drive, was up for doing the deal until I sent a picture of it to Mrs Running Man who took a dislike to it as it was red.
So back to square one. As I was leaving the MINI garage I saw a very late model (August 2019) M140i on the forecourt of BMW garage next door. Months of agonising turned into an impulse buy as I quickly realised that with a mileage of under 7000 miles it was a new as these were going to get.
Fast forward to collection day and first impressions of the drive back home were that it has a bouncy suspension, the engine sounds fantastic and it’s bloody fast.
6 weeks into ownership and I have clocked up 2200 miles and the ride is ok when you’re used to it. It’s very easy to set off the traction control at 50mph so it does require a bit of care on wet roads. 36mpg is better than I was expecting but the small fuel tank does mean that twice weekly fuel ups seem to be required.
Longer term, is it the most suitable car I could have bought? Definitely not as 500 miles per week is not what is was designed for. In terms of scratching the itch of six cylinders and a car that is very much the last of it’s type then definitely yes!
Part exchange day photo!
Lovely - stonking engine haven't they!
There's a few around on Pistonheads - mine can be seen here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
They respond extremely well to a spring and damper upgrade (Bilstein B12 kit is a popular choice and can be had for about £500 if you look in the right place).
It transforms the weakest point of the car IMO, the crap standard ride - damping is in a different league and the springs used are softer than stock - only lowers around 10mm too if you're not keen on the lowered look.
There's a few around on Pistonheads - mine can be seen here: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
They respond extremely well to a spring and damper upgrade (Bilstein B12 kit is a popular choice and can be had for about £500 if you look in the right place).
It transforms the weakest point of the car IMO, the crap standard ride - damping is in a different league and the springs used are softer than stock - only lowers around 10mm too if you're not keen on the lowered look.
It’s a stonking engine and gearbox. They’re very good long distance cruisers other than the stupid small fuel tank; mine would show a vey optimistic range on the motorway which would drop very quickly one you were off it!
Are you still running the Pilot Supersports? I appear to be in the minority because I didn’t mind them even in the winter (they’re very good in the dry) but what I did find was that as you approached them being halfway worn, the grip rapidly falls away.
The ride is so so on stock suspension; the underbody brace helps as does a set of Bilstein B8kscand slightly softer rear springs (the M135i rear springs are a good upgrade if you don’t want to lower it….although mine did sit well on the H+R -15mm springs I had). There are definitely more practical hatches out there but it’s hard to ignore a hatch with a big engine.
Are you still running the Pilot Supersports? I appear to be in the minority because I didn’t mind them even in the winter (they’re very good in the dry) but what I did find was that as you approached them being halfway worn, the grip rapidly falls away.
The ride is so so on stock suspension; the underbody brace helps as does a set of Bilstein B8kscand slightly softer rear springs (the M135i rear springs are a good upgrade if you don’t want to lower it….although mine did sit well on the H+R -15mm springs I had). There are definitely more practical hatches out there but it’s hard to ignore a hatch with a big engine.
Edited by Court_S on Thursday 28th October 06:50
The small fuel tank is one of those apparently minor issues that does have quite an impact on ownership for higher-mile drivers. Having to factor in fuel stops every few days when you're already spending hours on the motorway, frequently stuck in traffic jams and late to work/home etc seems like a 1st World Problem but became quite a PITA.
Do the later installations of the ZF8 allow it to surf the midrange in 8th? My M-lite tended to drop down a gear or two when I wanted to overtake around NSL speeds.
The MPG was remarkable for the performance though. Mine was pretty comparable to the 3.0d I had beforehand.
Do the later installations of the ZF8 allow it to surf the midrange in 8th? My M-lite tended to drop down a gear or two when I wanted to overtake around NSL speeds.
The MPG was remarkable for the performance though. Mine was pretty comparable to the 3.0d I had beforehand.
That's quite an upgrade in performance terms!
I did something similar in 2014 when I was no longer doing business miles which meant economy wasn't an issue, so after 10 years of 4 cylinder turbo-diesels I replaced my 123d with a 3.0Si Z4 Coupe.
But the same size 55 litre tank didn't go too far. And since i replaced the 3.0Si with an M Coupe 2 years ago it goes even less far!
Hopefully you'll feel filling up more often is a small price to pay for the driving pleasure.
I did something similar in 2014 when I was no longer doing business miles which meant economy wasn't an issue, so after 10 years of 4 cylinder turbo-diesels I replaced my 123d with a 3.0Si Z4 Coupe.
But the same size 55 litre tank didn't go too far. And since i replaced the 3.0Si with an M Coupe 2 years ago it goes even less far!
Hopefully you'll feel filling up more often is a small price to pay for the driving pleasure.
D4MJT said:
These are just such a great do-it-all everyday car.
I've had mine now almost 4.5 years from new, covered 78K miles in it so far and it's just brilliant. I still can't imagine what I'd replace it with. You'll have a lot of fun with it.
Yours is an absolute beast though! Doubt there are many stock cars that will compare until you get into the world of proper big boys toys!I've had mine now almost 4.5 years from new, covered 78K miles in it so far and it's just brilliant. I still can't imagine what I'd replace it with. You'll have a lot of fun with it.
Well 18 months of ownership and I decided last week that I had had enough. The car is a fantastic concept on paper and definitely the last of its kind but I just couldn't gel with it. Turns out that the small fuel tank (I refuelled four times in one particular week), bouncy suspension and lack of space is actually quite tedious when you're doing around 2000 miles per month. Fuelly tells me I have spent £6129 in petrol over 30000 miles at an average of 34.9mpg. All of this was predictable and I don't regret buying it as I now have it out of my system.
Not sure what to replace it with but will undoubtedly be bigger, use less fuel and have slightly softer suspension. Probably less exciting too. For now I am borrowing a family member's car whilst I make up my mind.
Final photo at the handover to WBAC (which was unexpectedly painless)
Not sure what to replace it with but will undoubtedly be bigger, use less fuel and have slightly softer suspension. Probably less exciting too. For now I am borrowing a family member's car whilst I make up my mind.
Final photo at the handover to WBAC (which was unexpectedly painless)
At least you’ve scratched that itch. The 340i touring would have been more suitable in terms of size and range.
When I used to do big miles I would always get a little frustrated it limited me to a workhorse. A 320d was usually my tool of choice - I covered circa 200k across 2 company cars.
You know a 335d is calling
When I used to do big miles I would always get a little frustrated it limited me to a workhorse. A 320d was usually my tool of choice - I covered circa 200k across 2 company cars.
You know a 335d is calling
Mr Tidy said:
That's a shame, but if it doesn't work for you/how you use it then you might as well move on. At least you've had the experience.
I wouldn't be disappointed with 34.9mpg though - my Z4M is showing an average of 26.9mpg with the same tiny tank!
I feel your pain guys, my M2 is currently showing 27mpg and also has the same tiny tank. I wouldn't be disappointed with 34.9mpg though - my Z4M is showing an average of 26.9mpg with the same tiny tank!
Matt_E46 said:
kiethton said:
Our F20 M135i is averaging 160 miles to a £80 tank......ouch
Doesn't help that all its used for is local journeys/my wife's commute (S Croydon - Old Street and back in rush hour)
Ouch that sounds like awful commute.Doesn't help that all its used for is local journeys/my wife's commute (S Croydon - Old Street and back in rush hour)
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