Discussion
I used to have one and it was a good car, only reliability issues we had in 44k miles was a lambda sensor and a thermostat.
They do have a habit of suffering from cracked blocks though, I don’t know why this is, maybe due to them being overworked from cold (no temp gauge). Ours was driven harder than most I suspect and never a hint of block cracking.
They are not fast, but the engine is eager and sounds good passing 6500rpm. I handles and steers better than the 330i we replaced it with, probably due to the lower engine mass. Economy wise, on a 80mph motorway run you would see 32mpg, and generally 28-30pmg in varied use.
There are not many aftermarket tuning mods available. BMW Performance exhaust, adds some sound and maybe a little performance. The air filter arrangement is the same as a normal 320i, so there are some options there, and although remaps are advertised, I doubt they do anything other than change the pedal map.
They do have a habit of suffering from cracked blocks though, I don’t know why this is, maybe due to them being overworked from cold (no temp gauge). Ours was driven harder than most I suspect and never a hint of block cracking.
They are not fast, but the engine is eager and sounds good passing 6500rpm. I handles and steers better than the 330i we replaced it with, probably due to the lower engine mass. Economy wise, on a 80mph motorway run you would see 32mpg, and generally 28-30pmg in varied use.
There are not many aftermarket tuning mods available. BMW Performance exhaust, adds some sound and maybe a little performance. The air filter arrangement is the same as a normal 320i, so there are some options there, and although remaps are advertised, I doubt they do anything other than change the pedal map.
jayemm89 said:
This is the "special edition" touring car inspired thing right?
I always liked the sound of them... but every time I went looking I just gravitated towards six cylinder models which tended to be much better cars for the money
Not touring car inspired, but more importantly a homolgation model to allow the use of the 320Si Bore and Stroke ratio, Block casting and valve train (non valvetronic), oh and a carbon fibre cam cover.I always liked the sound of them... but every time I went looking I just gravitated towards six cylinder models which tended to be much better cars for the money
I would say a 330i could be regarded as a better car by virtue of the fact they are so much faster. A 325i, I'm not so sure. Not so much faster (7sec to 60 as opposed to 8sec even though the 320Si need two gear changes) as to offset how sweet the 320Si is to drive. You really have to drive it to get the best from it, be in the right gear, pick the right lines and waste no momentum. It is really quite rewarding. In comparison to my 330i, the 320Si definitely has a better front end with more direct turn in, and you don't miss the lack of an LSD quite so much due to the relative lack of power.
On paper they might not look much, but to drive they are great.
stevesingo said:
jayemm89 said:
This is the "special edition" touring car inspired thing right?
I always liked the sound of them... but every time I went looking I just gravitated towards six cylinder models which tended to be much better cars for the money
Not touring car inspired, but more importantly a homolgation model to allow the use of the 320Si Bore and Stroke ratio, Block casting and valve train (non valvetronic), oh and a carbon fibre cam cover.I always liked the sound of them... but every time I went looking I just gravitated towards six cylinder models which tended to be much better cars for the money
I would say a 330i could be regarded as a better car by virtue of the fact they are so much faster. A 325i, I'm not so sure. Not so much faster (7sec to 60 as opposed to 8sec even though the 320Si need two gear changes) as to offset how sweet the 320Si is to drive. You really have to drive it to get the best from it, be in the right gear, pick the right lines and waste no momentum. It is really quite rewarding. In comparison to my 330i, the 320Si definitely has a better front end with more direct turn in, and you don't miss the lack of an LSD quite so much due to the relative lack of power.
On paper they might not look much, but to drive they are great.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the drive I had and would definitely consider one.
There are a couple of companies who will sleeve a damaged block. Probably not cheap, but if the car is something the owner wants to hang on to and he is capable of some DIY, then probably worth it. Along with some high compression pistons and head work and cams…
http://www.hthoward.co.uk/engine-machining-service...
http://www.hthoward.co.uk/engine-machining-service...
stevesingo said:
There are a couple of companies who will sleeve a damaged block. Probably not cheap, but if the car is something the owner wants to hang on to and he is capable of some DIY, then probably worth it. Along with some high compression pistons and head work and cams…
http://www.hthoward.co.uk/engine-machining-service...
Interesting read, thanks for that. From memory I think the owner accepted BMW's offer and I dont know what became of the car after that.http://www.hthoward.co.uk/engine-machining-service...
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