RE: BMW 340i manual (F30) | Spotted
Discussion
Pistonheader101 said:
ian332isport said:
MissChief said:
if you spoec the Sports auto you get paddles behind the wheel (that don't move with the wheel!)
They're bolted to the wheel. They 100% move with it.Master Bean said:
Ian-qos5p said:
As a sleeper, i couldn;t agree more
Decent lurking. 7 years. - Debadge
- Stage 1 remap
- Short shift kit
- Suspension by Birds
- UHP tyres
- Panel filter
- LSD
Limpet said:
Great car in a great (and relatively rare) colour. Shame it’s absolute poverty spec though. No HK (so the stereo will sound like a £49.99 micro system from Argos), no pro nav, no heated seats. I see no heroism in austerity, particularly when it has no measurable impact on the way the car drives. Give me the toys!
Same here….Edited by Limpet on Tuesday 9th August 08:25
The F3x is a big car and suits 19’s both I have driven rode well enough on the bigger wheel. Had is a must for me too given how rubbish the basic one is. I prefer the bigger screen too, looks better with some added functionality. In a daily (which these are) I don’t see the point in skimping on spec.
I do like the red and cream combo though. The manual ‘box is an interesting choice too.
J4CKO said:
Does the 3 series suffer the same poor steering and easily confused suspension as the M140i ?
I am not set on the colour scheme but as a manual with the 3 litre six I bet that is actually a superb car, the ZF8 is fantastic as an auto box and I like auto boxes but I dont want one give the amount and type of driving I do, manual all the way.
Thats the kind of car, with maybe a few modifications could be a keeper, maybe a little more power, and LSD and upgrade the suspension if its as poor as the one series. Could kind of create a low key, modern Lotus Carlton type thing, turbo six with 400 ish bhp, manual and RWD.
The steering is still poo, but the ride / suspension is much better in my experience providing it’s not an X Drive with the wobbly SE suspension.I am not set on the colour scheme but as a manual with the 3 litre six I bet that is actually a superb car, the ZF8 is fantastic as an auto box and I like auto boxes but I dont want one give the amount and type of driving I do, manual all the way.
Thats the kind of car, with maybe a few modifications could be a keeper, maybe a little more power, and LSD and upgrade the suspension if its as poor as the one series. Could kind of create a low key, modern Lotus Carlton type thing, turbo six with 400 ish bhp, manual and RWD.
Clivey said:
My point is that if "even" a GT3 car only needs 18"s, a road-going saloon doesn't need anything larger, especially as ride quality and dealing with the kinds of surfaces a race car never sees are priorities on the road. Basically it's a case of function dictating form and 19"s make the car measurably worse in every performance metric.
The only "opinion bit" here is me saying that I think whilst the 19"s still look nice, they're not really an improvement on the 18"s. I'd rather put the money towards interior upgrades or an LSD.
Personally I think the ride is pro more than acceptable on 19’s with these. My E92 minus run flats rides more than well enough on 19’s too…better than my old M140i on 18’s. The only "opinion bit" here is me saying that I think whilst the 19"s still look nice, they're not really an improvement on the 18"s. I'd rather put the money towards interior upgrades or an LSD.
Mr Whippy said:
Buy an M3 instead.
All the cost to tinker one of these up and you’re in M3 money.
Fair play if it was a well specced estate and thus not something an M3 could provide… while only requiring tuning jobs to make it have decent grunt…
I agree with this, for the saloon as you say. All the cost to tinker one of these up and you’re in M3 money.
Fair play if it was a well specced estate and thus not something an M3 could provide… while only requiring tuning jobs to make it have decent grunt…
I've got a 68 plate 340i Touring, which has been delivered to Birds for the B3-40i treatment. 430bhp, proper tuned Bilsteins and an LSD. It transformed the car, no exaggeration. Particularly the new suspension setup was so much better than the M-Sport setup.
I do love it, particularly because it has all the toys as well! Not sure I'd be up for the red one.
joropug said:
Manuals might be preferable in some marques, but from my experience BMW ones are the worst out there - I sold my F30 320d purely due to how much I hated the manual gearbox which is notchy and clutch which has a huge throw (to the point you can buy aftermarket clutch stops, but they run the risk of grinding gears).
Worst of all, the pedal position just doesn't work in a manual, the brake and accelerator feel really far forward because of the long clutch throw, which meant i sat diagonally in the seat and got a bad back on long journeys.
I noticed all of this on the test drive and convinced myself it's a 3 series, they sell millions of them, it'll be fine - it really wasn't.
I’ve found my last two be be greatly improved by removing the clutch delay valve and actually changing the gearbox fluid. Swapping the white shifter bush as it wears with age / mileage helps too. Still not perfect but a lot better then a none fiddled with car (the manual shifting the X1 courtesy car I had recently was atrocious).Worst of all, the pedal position just doesn't work in a manual, the brake and accelerator feel really far forward because of the long clutch throw, which meant i sat diagonally in the seat and got a bad back on long journeys.
I noticed all of this on the test drive and convinced myself it's a 3 series, they sell millions of them, it'll be fine - it really wasn't.
Jon_S_Rally said:
Krikkit said:
Surely somewhere like PH we can acknowledge the fact that bigger diameter wheels are only about vanity and compromise the actual driving experience?
Of course you can want the big wheels and rubber band tyres, but you must admit that to those that prioritise ride quality over looks a 19" wheel is absolutely the wrong answer.
Why? Car enthusiasm is a broad church. It isn't vanity to prioritise appearance over performance, or to prefer bigger wheels. Different people just like different things. Of course you can want the big wheels and rubber band tyres, but you must admit that to those that prioritise ride quality over looks a 19" wheel is absolutely the wrong answer.
Also, the ride of a car depends on more than just the wheel and tyre size. Yes, a larger sidewall makes it easier to achieve good ride quality, but there are plenty of cars out there with low profile tyres that ride perfectly well.
There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to cars. They're just a series of compromises; either ones made by the designers/engineers, or ones chosen by the customer depending on their budget/preferences.
Thefastestindian said:
Jeez, the way a load of you talk about heated seats!!!
You make out you'd die if heaven forbid you were to sit on a cold seat for lets be honest, a whole 5 mins till your arse cheeks warm them up. Heated seats can very cheaply be retrofitted, and same with speakers if you don't like the bog standard one. In fact, you could spec a much much better aftermarket system than the OE HK kit for less. Haven't we all been doing this since forever on cars?
Also, don't most people use google maps over the built in satnavs in cars? I've never heard of anyone saying the standard satnav is any good as theyre always slow, out fo date and have clunky user interfaces, so I don't know why you'd make a fuss over it being missing on this car.
All the spec bits that are missing are easily and cheaply remedied (especially in comparison to the cost of the car) so really, there's no issue.
Don't like the 18's? Buy some 19's of your choosing. I don't get whats not to like about this spec at all!
Are you sure about the retrofit of heated seats being cheaply? The BMW nav will be cack, but you’ll need to pay for CarPlay to be retrofitted should you wish to have Google maps / Waze on the screen and that’s a function that works better on the bigger screen and allows you to have split screen displays as well. You make out you'd die if heaven forbid you were to sit on a cold seat for lets be honest, a whole 5 mins till your arse cheeks warm them up. Heated seats can very cheaply be retrofitted, and same with speakers if you don't like the bog standard one. In fact, you could spec a much much better aftermarket system than the OE HK kit for less. Haven't we all been doing this since forever on cars?
Also, don't most people use google maps over the built in satnavs in cars? I've never heard of anyone saying the standard satnav is any good as theyre always slow, out fo date and have clunky user interfaces, so I don't know why you'd make a fuss over it being missing on this car.
All the spec bits that are missing are easily and cheaply remedied (especially in comparison to the cost of the car) so really, there's no issue.
Don't like the 18's? Buy some 19's of your choosing. I don't get whats not to like about this spec at all!
Krikkit said:
Compromise isn't it, which is the point, about a 45 profile for an everyday car is about the sweet spot, obviously for sportier cars that swings again.
Are the 18’s on this not 35 profile on the rear and 40 fronts? That’s been the case on every BME I’ve had with 18’s.Fiedka said:
There was a similar article on Pistonheada about a year or two ago - that other car was also for sale by BMW dealer and was white. Don’t remember now what the conclusions from the discussions were.
This very thread will be added to my collection of threads of the recent(ish) past discussing somewhat expensive-sounding second-hand manual 6+ cylinder BMWs:Aug 2022, F30 340i saloon, 67 plate, 56K miles, £19,000: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... <-- YOU ARE HERE
Apr 2020, F30 340i saloon, 18 plate, 15K miles, £21,769: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... (is this the one you're thinking of?)
Jan 2019, E60 550i saloon, 58 plate, 98K miles, £12,500: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Sep 2018, F31 335i estate, 13 plate, 53K miles, £16,950: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I wonder what any these eventually sold for. There isn't really any conclusion to be had, I don't think, other than that regarding demand vs supply, perhaps second hand buyers spending £20,000 or less have a different set of priorities than those spending more like £40,000 when buying new - and, relatedly, regarding price, with the supply so small in the first place, you don't need many interested buyers for the sort of market dynamic that can keep prices higher than you'd think.
Fiedka said:
This one is nice but I can’t get past leather colour and alloy interior insert combination.
A more serious issue with this car in my view is that it probably doesn't have HID bulbs (the little dial thing next to the light switch is usually a sign). Having had 2 BMWs with halogen bulbs I just wouldn't have another. Maybe they're better nowadays though? Or maybe they have LED bulbs?Thefastestindian said:
Jeez, the way a load of you talk about heated seats!!!
You make out you'd die if heaven forbid you were to sit on a cold seat for lets be honest, a whole 5 mins till your arse cheeks warm them up. Heated seats can very cheaply be retrofitted, and same with speakers if you don't like the bog standard one. In fact, you could spec a much much better aftermarket system than the OE HK kit for less. Haven't we all been doing this since forever on cars?
Also, don't most people use google maps over the built in satnavs in cars? I've never heard of anyone saying the standard satnav is any good as theyre always slow, out fo date and have clunky user interfaces, so I don't know why you'd make a fuss over it being missing on this car.
All the spec bits that are missing are easily and cheaply remedied (especially in comparison to the cost of the car) so really, there's no issue.
Don't like the 18's? Buy some 19's of your choosing. I don't get whats not to like about this spec at all!
I'm with you on most of that; I like heated seats, but I did manage for years without them. I also think it's slightly missing the point that it doesn't have all the extras and maybe the next owner won't be bothered about the stereo (I rarely put mine on as I like a bit of peace), doesn't need a sat nav (I usually know where I'm going). I actually think the interior looks a pretty nice place to be too, perhaps I'm biased having had a 61 plate 320 with the same colour seats (maybe not as nice as those though).You make out you'd die if heaven forbid you were to sit on a cold seat for lets be honest, a whole 5 mins till your arse cheeks warm them up. Heated seats can very cheaply be retrofitted, and same with speakers if you don't like the bog standard one. In fact, you could spec a much much better aftermarket system than the OE HK kit for less. Haven't we all been doing this since forever on cars?
Also, don't most people use google maps over the built in satnavs in cars? I've never heard of anyone saying the standard satnav is any good as theyre always slow, out fo date and have clunky user interfaces, so I don't know why you'd make a fuss over it being missing on this car.
All the spec bits that are missing are easily and cheaply remedied (especially in comparison to the cost of the car) so really, there's no issue.
Don't like the 18's? Buy some 19's of your choosing. I don't get whats not to like about this spec at all!
gingergaz said:
I’d have had a 316i badge on the back just for s
ts and giggles.
I think I'd agree with that. ts and giggles. 
Just one point of order though: The talk of 'flat red' makes me think it's matt/satin...whereas it's glossy red, just not metallic. I happen to like a bright red car myself and my RS2000 is 'gloss black' not 'flat black' (well actually it is pretty 'flat' at the moment, but I digress) which I'd prefer over a metallic colour. Of course compared to a 1970s sports saloon this BMW is like a spaceship.
Mr Whippy said:
Buy an M3 instead.
All the cost to tinker one of these up and you’re in M3 money.
Fair play if it was a well specced estate and thus not something an M3 could provide… while only requiring tuning jobs to make it have decent grunt…
But you need to tweak an M3 too to make it any good.All the cost to tinker one of these up and you’re in M3 money.
Fair play if it was a well specced estate and thus not something an M3 could provide… while only requiring tuning jobs to make it have decent grunt…
I had a 2015 manual 335i touring. A unicorn spec for sure. It had all the extras you could wish for, Hk speakers, pano roof etc. I retro fitted heated seats.
It was good fun, but sold it to buy something smaller.
Did it sell easily ? No, i had time waster after time waster. If it was an auto it would have sold much quicker.
I sold it to the trade eventually. Lots of people say they want a manual, but very few of these actually buy one. This red one has been for sale for ages and has been reduced in price at least once if not twice.
It was good fun, but sold it to buy something smaller.
Did it sell easily ? No, i had time waster after time waster. If it was an auto it would have sold much quicker.
I sold it to the trade eventually. Lots of people say they want a manual, but very few of these actually buy one. This red one has been for sale for ages and has been reduced in price at least once if not twice.
willttqs said:
I had a 2015 manual 335i touring. A unicorn spec for sure. It had all the extras you could wish for, Hk speakers, pano roof etc. I retro fitted heated seats.
It was good fun, but sold it to buy something smaller.
Did it sell easily ? No, i had time waster after time waster. If it was an auto it would have sold much quicker.
I sold it to the trade eventually. Lots of people say they want a manual, but very few of these actually buy one. This red one has been for sale for ages and has been reduced in price at least once if not twice.
This. Finally someone has said it.It was good fun, but sold it to buy something smaller.
Did it sell easily ? No, i had time waster after time waster. If it was an auto it would have sold much quicker.
I sold it to the trade eventually. Lots of people say they want a manual, but very few of these actually buy one. This red one has been for sale for ages and has been reduced in price at least once if not twice.
Nobody in the market for these wants a poverty spec one. Many don’t want a manual, hence so few are selected from new. All these commenters frothing over a 90s spec manual car, mugging off others for liking heated seats, yet they don’t actually buy them. It’s like some kind of weird reverse snobbery/anoraking.
SidewaysSi said:
Mr Whippy said:
Buy an M3 instead.
All the cost to tinker one of these up and you’re in M3 money.
Fair play if it was a well specced estate and thus not something an M3 could provide… while only requiring tuning jobs to make it have decent grunt…
But you need to tweak an M3 too to make it any good.All the cost to tinker one of these up and you’re in M3 money.
Fair play if it was a well specced estate and thus not something an M3 could provide… while only requiring tuning jobs to make it have decent grunt…
And it’ll hold value better over time.
I’d have a high spec manual touring 340i.
Or an M3.
A rubbish spec 340i manual, which from what I hear were all just BMW company cars (hence base spec)… no thanks.
Mr Whippy said:
You’re not going to be messing with anywhere near as much though vs this base-spec model.
And it’ll hold value better over time.
I’d have a high spec manual touring 340i.
Or an M3.
A rubbish spec 340i manual, which from what I hear were all just BMW company cars (hence base spec)… no thanks.
Depends what you want though. A lot of people enjoy modifying cars and aren't bothered by residual values or the badge on the back.And it’ll hold value better over time.
I’d have a high spec manual touring 340i.
Or an M3.
A rubbish spec 340i manual, which from what I hear were all just BMW company cars (hence base spec)… no thanks.
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