RE: Shed Buying Guide | BMW 1 Series (E87)

[B'stard Child]

Mr Tidy said:

<snip>

So if I ever bought another E8* 1 Series it would have to be a 130i hatch or a re-mapped 125i coupe

That’s interesting - I started out looking for a 135i Coupe but struggled to find a decent one - too many owners - too many miles although that’s not normally an issue for me if the car wears it’s miles well and the 135i in the examples I looked at didn’t appear to wear them well at all.

I’ve just started to look at re-map options for the 125i coupe that I pick up soon - amazed at the claims from some reputable tunners - 216 bhp to 280 bhp on a normally aspirated engine is quite impressive - BMW seriously choked that 3.0 engine back in 125i badge flavour (I know it’s same engine as 130i which was 256 bhp but even 256 to 280 bhp is good going for a map change)

[JakeT]

BMW did strange things with the N52 3l. It did come with 272BHP in the E92 models, so realistically it's maybe 8BHP over standard.

I think a 125i will need the tri stage inlet manifold from a '3.0' model though to unleash full potential.

[Court_S]

JakeT said:

BMW did strange things with the N52 3l. It did come with 272BHP in the E92 models, so realistically it's maybe 8BHP over standard.

I think a 125i will need the tri stage inlet manifold from a '3.0' model though to unleash full potential.

From what I've read elsewhere, I got the impression that the 125 was purely strangled by the map of the throttle.

Interesting re people slating the build quality - a friend bought a 125 with 157k on the clock this year and the interior has worn its miles really well. You would never guess the mileage looking at it.

I've just bought a 2007 116es for my other half as a cheap runabout. We bought it from her folks who have owned it since it was a year or so old. It's only done 69k, has been serviced every year and is mechanically fine. It needs a bit of work cosmetically because it never really go washed. The es spec is pretty poor though - I managed to source an M Sport interior which will resolve the poor seat issue and luckily quite a few things can be retrofitted for not too much using second hand parts.

[5harp3y]

We've got a 90k 120i se

Tensioner is a £30 hour job on the drive (really easy)
We've had a reluctor ring go so replaced the driveshaft
It does have a oil eating habit but it cost less than 2k for a very smart looking car

Got very decent aircon too

[s m]

B'stard Child said:

Mr Tidy said:

<snip>

So if I ever bought another E8* 1 Series it would have to be a 130i hatch or a re-mapped 125i coupe

That’s interesting - I started out looking for a 135i Coupe but struggled to find a decent one - too many owners - too many miles although that’s not normally an issue for me if the car wears it’s miles well and the 135i in the examples I looked at didn’t appear to wear them well at all.

I’ve just started to look at re-map options for the 125i coupe that I pick up soon - amazed at the claims from some reputable tunners - 216 bhp to 280 bhp on a normally aspirated engine is quite impressive - BMW seriously choked that 3.0 engine back in 125i badge flavour (I know it’s same engine as 130i which was 256 bhp but even 256 to 280 bhp is good going for a map change)

The thing I found a bit annoying re the 125i was the steering - sure you get used to it but shame it never got the old type assistance like the turbo car

[sixpistons]

s m said:

The thing I found a bit annoying re the 125i was the steering - sure you get used to it but shame it never got the old type assistance like the turbo car

Adding m3 lower arms helps for not much money (about 100 quid a pair for TRW ones), adds more negative camber and presumably also changes the scrub radius in the process. It’s never as good as a good hydraulic setup but it’s not bad.

[anonymous-user]

I had a 56 plate 120d M Sport, and it was an utter disappointment, even after a remap which took it to 212bhp from its original 163.

Appallingly bad ride quality, not appreciably improved after ditching the run-flats. Performance wasn’t bad but not an enjoyable car to drive. The interior was ok - the M Sports have a peculiarly narrow panel for your back, and the inflatable side bolsters went from tight to crushing. I liked the steering wheel, unlike most.

There is a derisory amount of room in the back, so carrying four about us absurd, and five, unthinkable.

Not a car I can recommend.

[Tracktor]

I had a 120d M Sport 3 door from 2011, admittedly newer than the guide has been written for but it was more or less flawless in the 45k miles over 18 months that I had it. That was from 60k-105k, the only non service costs were new rear driveshafts due to the abs sensor rings, £300 for the pair, and some winter tyres on e46 Wheels, got me everywhere through 'The beast from the east'. I gave it an oil change every 10k, and did the air and pollen filters at 20k intervals. Changed to a F30 320i touring for the space and a much shorter commute, but I'd highly recommend the 1 series, based on my experience, if you don't need too much space, and really pile on the miles.

[MrMister]

Loved my E81, was in Montego blue colour. My first faray into BMW ownership.

Was a 2008/58 118d and it was such a well balanced car, took it around Europe twice, as far as Italy, utter dream on the flats and the twisties.

Thing with these engines (N47) you need to over service them in the oil department and they should be fine, think along the lines of every 10k.

Flexi/clutch/flywheel/EGR was all it needed, and I took it upto 180k - still going strong now with over 200k **I check on the MOT history online

[Shiv_P]

Imo overall its a pretty poor shed buy. Most of the engines bar 1 have major issues, the ride is st, the cabin is alright but nothing special and a standard diesel or petrol is no more exciting to drive than a focus. Combined with crap interior space why buy one now?

[martin mrt]

I bought this 120d in October 2017 for £1200. Overall it was a terrific car, but no matter how I drove it the mpg (for a diesel) was terrible at
32mpg.



I spent a good chunk of money changing various bits but never did solve the fuel economy. Later sold it and replaced it with a Mk4 Golf TDI

These are great value for money

[Mr Tidy]

Court_S said:

JakeT said:

BMW did strange things with the N52 3l. It did come with 272BHP in the E92 models, so realistically it's maybe 8BHP over standard.

I think a 125i will need the tri stage inlet manifold from a '3.0' model though to unleash full potential.

From what I've read elsewhere, I got the impression that the 125 was purely strangled by the map of the throttle.

Interesting re people slating the build quality - a friend bought a 125 with 157k on the clock this year and the interior has worn its miles really well. You would never guess the mileage looking at it.

I've just bought a 2007 116es for my other half as a cheap runabout. We bought it from her folks who have owned it since it was a year or so old. It's only done 69k, has been serviced every year and is mechanically fine. It needs a bit of work cosmetically because it never really go washed. The es spec is pretty poor though - I managed to source an M Sport interior which will resolve the poor seat issue and luckily quite a few things can be retrofitted for not too much using second hand parts.

I think there is a bit of confusion here!

The facelift E9* 3 Series 325i got a 3 litre N53 engine that I think does need a different inlet manifold to unleash it's true potential, but the 125i had a restricted 3 litre N52 engine that only needs mapping to get towards 130i (also N52) outputs.

Although the 125i has smaller front brakes than a 130i so after a remap it might be worth upgrading them as well!

Sadly I think all 1 Series got the electric PAS when the facelift came along in 2007 - well it does drop a tax band for the 130i so it's £25 a year cheaper! Which means all 125is will have EPAS, but pre-2007 130is will have HPAS and I'd be happy to pay £25 a year to have HPAS, based on my experience of my Z4 Coupe with EPAS and my E90 330i with HPAS! (Both have the 3 litre N52 engine).

I saw the thread about the 116es, and it looks like it is being transformed into a great daily driver.

While access to the back seats isn't great in an E87, once you've got in they aren't too cramped so long as the front seats aren't too far back - and the back seats in my E87 probably only got used a few times each year anyway!

Getting in or out of the back was definitely easier than it was in my E46 Compact.

[Craikeybaby]

NicoG said:

Thanks! - I always had Alpine gear in my yoof, but I honestly didn't know this box existed.
How does it connect to the car??
there's a box that's hidden right? - this must be hard-wired somehow.

If this can be made to work in my above mention Volvo, I am literally buying one right now....

Edited by NicoG on Thursday 25th July 13:00

I got my Alpine DAB boxes mixed up - the EZI DAB does indeed have a hidden box, but that isn't what I have fitted to my BMW. That is the EZI DAB BT, which is Bluetooth. Theres a small box on the windscreen which needs 12v power running to it and connects to the AUX in (under the armrest on my BMW). It is controlled by a wireless remote, which I have lost...

[s m]

sixpistons said:

s m said:

The thing I found a bit annoying re the 125i was the steering - sure you get used to it but shame it never got the old type assistance like the turbo car

Adding m3 lower arms helps for not much money (about 100 quid a pair for TRW ones), adds more negative camber and presumably also changes the scrub radius in the process. It’s never as good as a good hydraulic setup but it’s not bad.

Ah, good info
I noticed it on the 130 coupe especially when I got back into my E46 straight after. Whereas with the 135 coupe it had a much better ‘feel’ because of the hydraulic set-up

I know it’s all done for emissions on the non-turbo 3-litre ...but I still prefer the old style setup

[bodhi]

B'stard Child said:

Mr Tidy said:

<snip>

So if I ever bought another E8* 1 Series it would have to be a 130i hatch or a re-mapped 125i coupe

That’s interesting - I started out looking for a 135i Coupe but struggled to find a decent one - too many owners - too many miles although that’s not normally an issue for me if the car wears it’s miles well and the 135i in the examples I looked at didn’t appear to wear them well at all.

I’ve just started to look at re-map options for the 125i coupe that I pick up soon - amazed at the claims from some reputable tunners - 216 bhp to 280 bhp on a normally aspirated engine is quite impressive - BMW seriously choked that 3.0 engine back in 125i badge flavour (I know it’s same engine as 130i which was 256 bhp but even 256 to 280 bhp is good going for a map change)

I've had a 125i for 5 years now, getting the remap done about 18 months ago, and it really is night and day difference. As standard they go well but start to get strained near the top of the rev range, like they are struggling to breathe properly. Post remap they zing round to the redline like a BMW NA 6 should. I'd call it properly quick afterwards too - I struggled to keep up with a friend in a 430d before I had it done, he was fairly easy meat afterwards

It's also been fantastically reliable. In 85k miles I've had to change 2 brake calipers and 2 ABS Rings, only other expense has been tyres, plugs and coils and quite a lot of oil (it uses 1 litre every 5000 miles or so). I refreshed the suspension after 130k as it was getting a bit tired.

I've also only really done 3 mods - the remap, added a Bluetooth Receiver (the Sony one, as the cheap ones I tried were rubbish) and took the runflats off and fit a set of Pilot Sport 4's instead, transforming the car.

It's about 6 months away from replacement (probably with a 4 GC), but I'm already figuring out how I can keep it afterwards. Best car I've owned by a country mile.

[B'stard Child]

bodhi said:

B'stard Child said:

Mr Tidy said:

<snip>

So if I ever bought another E8* 1 Series it would have to be a 130i hatch or a re-mapped 125i coupe

That’s interesting - I started out looking for a 135i Coupe but struggled to find a decent one - too many owners - too many miles although that’s not normally an issue for me if the car wears it’s miles well and the 135i in the examples I looked at didn’t appear to wear them well at all.

I’ve just started to look at re-map options for the 125i coupe that I pick up soon - amazed at the claims from some reputable tunners - 216 bhp to 280 bhp on a normally aspirated engine is quite impressive - BMW seriously choked that 3.0 engine back in 125i badge flavour (I know it’s same engine as 130i which was 256 bhp but even 256 to 280 bhp is good going for a map change)

I've had a 125i for 5 years now, getting the remap done about 18 months ago, and it really is night and day difference. As standard they go well but start to get strained near the top of the rev range, like they are struggling to breathe properly. Post remap they zing round to the redline like a BMW NA 6 should. I'd call it properly quick afterwards too - I struggled to keep up with a friend in a 430d before I had it done, he was fairly easy meat afterwards

That was my impression of a std on - Fine up to 5000 rpm but distinctly flat after.......

Can I ask who did the re-map?

bodhi said:

It's also been fantastically reliable. In 85k miles I've had to change 2 brake calipers and 2 ABS Rings, only other expense has been tyres, plugs and coils and quite a lot of oil (it uses 1 litre every 5000 miles or so). I refreshed the suspension after 130k as it was getting a bit tired.

That's not that bad an oil use - I change oil on my fleet at around 5000 miles or every year if less

bodhi said:

I've also only really done 3 mods - the remap, added a Bluetooth Receiver (the Sony one, as the cheap ones I tried were rubbish) and took the runflats off and fit a set of Pilot Sport 4's instead, transforming the car.

It's about 6 months away from replacement (probably with a 4 GC), but I'm already figuring out how I can keep it afterwards. Best car I've owned by a country mile.

I will ditch the runflats asap anyway as I dislike the hard ride

[bodhi]

Must admit I'm not 100% sure who did the remap - for all work I use a guy in Stafford who takes the car away, does the work and brings it back with a full valet - but from the digging I've done it looks to be an Elite Remaps reseller in Stafford. Haven't had it on a dyno to confirm, but the arse dyno suggests it's quite a bit quicker than it was

If you're down south Jason @ BW Chiptune seems to be the recommendation, up here I'd say either go with P-Torque or speak to my guy.

[B'stard Child]

bodhi said:

Must admit I'm not 100% sure who did the remap - for all work I use a guy in Stafford who takes the car away, does the work and brings it back with a full valet - but from the digging I've done it looks to be an Elite Remaps reseller in Stafford. Haven't had it on a dyno to confirm, but the arse dyno suggests it's quite a bit quicker than it was

If you're down south Jason @ BW Chiptune seems to be the recommendation, up here I'd say either go with P-Torque or speak to my guy.

Thanks for that I'm neither South or North but East but it seems a couple of places offer similar "maps"

[dan98]

Owned one for a few months.

Cramped, uncomfortable, laughably impractical interior, terrible ride quality, gutless diesel engine, awful gear change, poor economy, ridiculously expensive servicing.

Flabbergasted why anyone would buy one through choice (BMW brand obsession?)

[swanny71]

Had my ‘07 130i for 8 years and 120k of the 170k miles it’s now done.

The most reliable (experienced very few of the faults mentioned in Shed’s article) and is my favourite of all the cars I’ve owned, will likely never sell it.

A brilliant little car with more character than the modern equivalents I’ve tried. If BMW still made them, I’d buy a brand new one tomorrow. I even love the way it looks!