Discussion
2006 320Si, 4 cylinder 3 series homologation special. Now that these are being advertised under £10k (with decent E30 M3's heading north of £20k!), I wonder what they are like? Has anyone on here had any specific ownership experience that they wish to share. I realise that they are heavy and relatively underpowered, but as a fairly practical ownership proposition with the remote chance that their long term depreciation may be reduced by rarity value, are they worth considering now?
I had one as en ex-demo.... Alpine white, full decals. The kids named it pimp-my-ride!
On the whole an enjoyable car.... Good handling, good sound and rarity.
However, fuel economy really suffers compared to the normal vanos 320i and the engine cam cover is the most ridiculous marketing exercise to make up for it's short comings.
Also, I don't see any comparison with the e30. A 320is e30 made nearly 30hp more 16 years earlier!!!!
For the same money you get far more bang for your buck and better economy in something like a 130i.
Having said that, I too scan the ads every now and again.......
On the whole an enjoyable car.... Good handling, good sound and rarity.
However, fuel economy really suffers compared to the normal vanos 320i and the engine cam cover is the most ridiculous marketing exercise to make up for it's short comings.
Also, I don't see any comparison with the e30. A 320is e30 made nearly 30hp more 16 years earlier!!!!
For the same money you get far more bang for your buck and better economy in something like a 130i.
Having said that, I too scan the ads every now and again.......
I am driving one at the moment and have been pleasantly surprised at how good it is. Pulls strongly considering the relatively low power to weight ratio, and handles superbly, I've found it very enjoyable and as a road car in the UK, considering the limitations of how much power can actually be used in a reasonably safe manner, I would say it's fairly optimum as an all round package, I think it would surprise people just how quick it is on a twisty A or B road where ultimate power isn't the be all and end all.
kingmoosa said:
I am driving one at the moment and have been pleasantly surprised at how good it is. Pulls strongly considering the relatively low power to weight ratio, and handles superbly, I've found it very enjoyable and as a road car in the UK, considering the limitations of how much power can actually be used in a reasonably safe manner, I would say it's fairly optimum as an all round package, I think it would surprise people just how quick it is on a twisty A or B road where ultimate power isn't the be all and end all.
Thanks for that, that's useful feedback, and what about real world MPG?You should average about 30 and get 38 on a long steady motorway run at 70-80. They don't go a lot better than a 320i but the engine has a different character - and the engine is very special indeed with no common parts shared with the 320i. It was a bigger bore block, shorter stroke crank (steel iirc), special pistons and rods, a unique head and no Valvetronic. I'm not sure if the engine was built at Hams Hall or by Motorsport, but it was a Motorsport concoction.
A 320Si will hold its value more than a 320i M Sport, but don't expect huge performance - they're lively and likeable though.
A 320Si will hold its value more than a 320i M Sport, but don't expect huge performance - they're lively and likeable though.
My OBC is showing 29.1 mpg average, has been since purchase and I would guess I have done between 700 - 900 congested town and 'spirited' A and B road miles, no motorway or extended relaxed cruising. I'm guessing the average mpg readout hasn't been reset in a while, so that probably isn't an accurate indication of the mpg I am getting. I usually put £20 of standard unleaded in at approx £1.36 per litre, and get between 80 - 100 miles.
dtmpower said:
Slurms said:
I certainly wouldn't expect it to be a future classic, TBH it's more of a cosmetic special edition than a worked over motorsport model.
The E30 320Si was a very different beast.
sorry to be pedantic but you mean e30 320is surely ? 'the Italian m3'The E30 320Si was a very different beast.
They will be a curiosity in years to come but don't expect it to hold its money much better than a 320 MSport - It'll still depreciate but you'll be able to command a slight premium and will probably have an easier time come re-sale.
Touring442 said:
You should average about 30 and get 38 on a long steady motorway run at 70-80. They don't go a lot better than a 320i but the engine has a different character - and the engine is very special indeed with no common parts shared with the 320i. It was a bigger bore block, shorter stroke crank (steel iirc), special pistons and rods, a unique head and no Valvetronic. I'm not sure if the engine was built at Hams Hall or by Motorsport, but it was a Motorsport concoction.
A 320Si will hold its value more than a 320i M Sport, but don't expect huge performance - they're lively and likeable though.
We did build this unit at Hams Hall in a special motorport build area. Like all BMW engines a lot of care went into the engineering and construction. There are lots of very exciting things coming too.A 320Si will hold its value more than a 320i M Sport, but don't expect huge performance - they're lively and likeable though.
Funnily enough the 320Si was on Dave's repeat of Fifth Gear this morning. I only caught the last bit of it, but it sounded like there were some fairly noticeable changes over the standard car. Looked like quite an interesting package.
I can see them being an overlooked bargain in a few years - a bit like the E30 318iS was until recently - but I'm not convinced they'll ever become a classic.
I can see them being an overlooked bargain in a few years - a bit like the E30 318iS was until recently - but I'm not convinced they'll ever become a classic.
Chris71 said:
Funnily enough the 320Si was on Dave's repeat of Fifth Gear this morning. I only caught the last bit of it, but it sounded like there were some fairly noticeable changes over the standard car. Looked like quite an interesting package.
I can see them being an overlooked bargain in a few years - a bit like the E30 318iS was until recently - but I'm not convinced they'll ever become a classic.
Well put, I also wonder how easy it will be to source any trick internal engine parts as and when required in the future. I can see them being an overlooked bargain in a few years - a bit like the E30 318iS was until recently - but I'm not convinced they'll ever become a classic.
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