Miley 130i - a reliable weekend car?
Discussion
I am considering getting a fun weekend car.
It needs to be enjoyable to drive, reliable, not rot, not a convertible and be able to take a set of golf clubs and associated paraphanelia. If it could take two large dogs in the back, then that’s a bonus but not essential.
It needs to be able to withstand sitting on a driveway for up to two weeks at a time and not being used, and then being started up to drive to the golf club or around the coast roads or wherever. It might sit on a trickle charger I suppose.
Budget is circa <5k and preferably less than £3.5k
It won’t do that many miles in a year in reality, but might do the odd track day.
I have considered: R53 Mini, Audi TT, MX5 Mk3 (with hard top), Boxster (with hard top), Alfa GT, BMW Z4 Coupe, BMW 3 series and BMW 1 series and probably some others.
Many have been dismissed for a variety of reason leaving me thinking of a 130i. I used to have a 123D which I liked.
I have seen advertised a 150k plus 130i which seems to meet my criteria - what does the BMW congiesenti think? Would such a thing actually meet my criteria?
It needs to be enjoyable to drive, reliable, not rot, not a convertible and be able to take a set of golf clubs and associated paraphanelia. If it could take two large dogs in the back, then that’s a bonus but not essential.
It needs to be able to withstand sitting on a driveway for up to two weeks at a time and not being used, and then being started up to drive to the golf club or around the coast roads or wherever. It might sit on a trickle charger I suppose.
Budget is circa <5k and preferably less than £3.5k
It won’t do that many miles in a year in reality, but might do the odd track day.
I have considered: R53 Mini, Audi TT, MX5 Mk3 (with hard top), Boxster (with hard top), Alfa GT, BMW Z4 Coupe, BMW 3 series and BMW 1 series and probably some others.
Many have been dismissed for a variety of reason leaving me thinking of a 130i. I used to have a 123D which I liked.
I have seen advertised a 150k plus 130i which seems to meet my criteria - what does the BMW congiesenti think? Would such a thing actually meet my criteria?
I'm also a former 123d owner, and if you liked that then I think a 130i might well fit the bill.
Before the 123d I had a 320td 3 Series Compact and then in 2014 I bought a 325ti Sport Compact and it was just so much more fun. I realised that is what I should have bought the first time round! Straight 6 petrol power is just so much better.
So when I was looking for a car last year I really wanted a 130i but there weren't too many around and they were all a bit over budget, and I ended up with an E90 330i that has the same N52 engine but is just a bit bigger and heavier. But I'm very happy with it and at 114K miles the engine still runs really smoothly, and can deliver some decent power when you get it revving towards the 7,000 rpm red-line!
I've had the same engine in a couple of Z4 Coupes and an E91 325i that had done 139K miles when I sold it, and haven't had any major issues with any of them. Although 2 of them had the electric water pumps die, requiring replacement. New pumps are over £500 from BMW, but you can find the same Pierburg part for around £250 elsewhere.
So long as the battery isn't heading towards the end of it's life they don't seem to suffer any issues from being lightly used, as lockdown has proved! Although you can get a bit of "ticking" sound from the valve lifters when the engine is cold. Once you've got them warmed up after a decent drive they quieten down and by all accounts it doesn't do any damage, just makes some noise.
You did mention Z4 Coupes though, and to be honest I think they feel much more special than any of the saloons, hatches, etc. You sit low down just in front of the rear wheels with a long bonnet in front - they feel different even before you start the engine, and you can certainly hear it a bit more than in my 330i.
I loved them, and only sold my last one because I bought a Z4M Coupe!
But a Z4 Coupe might be hard to find within your budget, although prices don't seem to be dropping much so if you did stretch the budget you'd probably not lose much.
Good luck anyway.
Before the 123d I had a 320td 3 Series Compact and then in 2014 I bought a 325ti Sport Compact and it was just so much more fun. I realised that is what I should have bought the first time round! Straight 6 petrol power is just so much better.
So when I was looking for a car last year I really wanted a 130i but there weren't too many around and they were all a bit over budget, and I ended up with an E90 330i that has the same N52 engine but is just a bit bigger and heavier. But I'm very happy with it and at 114K miles the engine still runs really smoothly, and can deliver some decent power when you get it revving towards the 7,000 rpm red-line!
I've had the same engine in a couple of Z4 Coupes and an E91 325i that had done 139K miles when I sold it, and haven't had any major issues with any of them. Although 2 of them had the electric water pumps die, requiring replacement. New pumps are over £500 from BMW, but you can find the same Pierburg part for around £250 elsewhere.
So long as the battery isn't heading towards the end of it's life they don't seem to suffer any issues from being lightly used, as lockdown has proved! Although you can get a bit of "ticking" sound from the valve lifters when the engine is cold. Once you've got them warmed up after a decent drive they quieten down and by all accounts it doesn't do any damage, just makes some noise.
You did mention Z4 Coupes though, and to be honest I think they feel much more special than any of the saloons, hatches, etc. You sit low down just in front of the rear wheels with a long bonnet in front - they feel different even before you start the engine, and you can certainly hear it a bit more than in my 330i.
I loved them, and only sold my last one because I bought a Z4M Coupe!But a Z4 Coupe might be hard to find within your budget, although prices don't seem to be dropping much so if you did stretch the budget you'd probably not lose much.
Good luck anyway.
Edited by Mr Tidy on Saturday 26th September 21:48
I have just been offered a Z4 3 litre convertible with just 58k miles on it and very nice condition for a very good price.
Pity I don’t want a convertible, and that’s not really something I can compromise on. If anyone wants a good one for a price that is within my budget then let me know and I will put you in touch with the owner.
Pity I don’t want a convertible, and that’s not really something I can compromise on. If anyone wants a good one for a price that is within my budget then let me know and I will put you in touch with the owner.
I've got the mechanically similar 125i Coupé, now sitting on 152k miles. We got back last night from a 1000 mile road trip round Scotland, and it didn't miss a beat, and returned 31 mpg for the trip - not bad after doing the entire M6/M74 into a headwind. I am about to book it in to have some work done, but the extent of that is 2 new PS4's for the rear, a missing screw in the plastic bit the wipers attach to, and probably new gearbox oil as that is still original.
If you're a golfer I would recommend looking at the Coupé, as the boot is slightly bigger, but more importantly wider so you can get clubs in without taking woods out etc. My playing partner with a 1 Series hatch has to take woods out, and put his trolley on the back seat to fit everything in, in mine the clubs go along the back of the boot with the trolley behind it. This meant I could take my sticks for the obligatory game of golf when I was up there this weekend
Don't worry about the lower output engine in the 125i either, as a quick remap has it putting out slightly more than a 130i, and with shorter gear ratios in 1 to 3 it is pretty quick. Mine was valued within your budget for a 2008 model - around 4k, but I'd be quick if you find one as word is getting out about the 125i and prices are hardening.
If you're a golfer I would recommend looking at the Coupé, as the boot is slightly bigger, but more importantly wider so you can get clubs in without taking woods out etc. My playing partner with a 1 Series hatch has to take woods out, and put his trolley on the back seat to fit everything in, in mine the clubs go along the back of the boot with the trolley behind it. This meant I could take my sticks for the obligatory game of golf when I was up there this weekend
Don't worry about the lower output engine in the 125i either, as a quick remap has it putting out slightly more than a 130i, and with shorter gear ratios in 1 to 3 it is pretty quick. Mine was valued within your budget for a 2008 model - around 4k, but I'd be quick if you find one as word is getting out about the 125i and prices are hardening.
I would definitely consider a 125i. Not many about though. Golf clubs in the back of a 130i isn’t too much of a problem with the seats down, though, and when I had my 123D that’s the way it lived most of the time.
I have seen this 130i advertised not far from me but 10owners, looks a bit tired, no mention of SH and mot check isn’t sparkling! But then that why it’s the price it is!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008202...
I have seen this 130i advertised not far from me but 10owners, looks a bit tired, no mention of SH and mot check isn’t sparkling! But then that why it’s the price it is!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008202...
Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 29th September 18:08
andy97 said:
I have seen this 130i advertised not far from me but 10owners, looks a bit tired, no mention of SH and mot check isn’t sparkling! But then that why it’s the price it is!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008202...
Agreed, the MOT history and number of owners isn't ideal but at 3k it's probably what you'd expect. With less than 100k and a good history file i'd be more like 5k-6k. Worth a look and if checks out ok you're not really going to loose much on it! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008202...
Edited by andy97 on Tuesday 29th September 18:08
AnneTeak said:
Agreed, the MOT history and number of owners isn't ideal but at 3k it's probably what you'd expect. With less than 100k and a good history file i'd be more like 5k-6k. Worth a look and if checks out ok you're not really going to loose much on it!
That’s what I was thinking.This one has just popped up, too. Cat N. OK MoT history apart from a long gap in years, presumably when off the road. Would by a £6k car if it wasn’t Cat N.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007301...
andy97 said:
This one has just popped up, too. Cat N. OK MoT history apart from a long gap in years, presumably when off the road. Would by a £6k car if it wasn’t Cat N.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007301...
That one has been for sale off and on for a while, also going from the MOT history it's always been run on a shoe string (tyres). It also shows as being exported previously but this could just be somewhere offshore. Of the two you've linked to i'd go with the first https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007301...
. swanny71 said:
Took my sadly departed 130i from 50k to over 170k miles in 8 years of ownership. As close to bullet proof reliability as any car gets, service and simple consumables was all it needed.
Fun, fast enough and a firm favourite of all the cars I’ve owned - I miss it.
Wow that's some motoring. I had a 130i previously too, missed it so much I had to buy another.Fun, fast enough and a firm favourite of all the cars I’ve owned - I miss it.
Good ones are now getting hard to find as owners are keeping hold of them. Almost depreciation free motoring if looked after and a recipe that doesn't exist in any other car (5 doors, RWD, N/A straight six, manual box).
AnneTeak said:
swanny71 said:
Took my sadly departed 130i from 50k to over 170k miles in 8 years of ownership. As close to bullet proof reliability as any car gets, service and simple consumables was all it needed.
Fun, fast enough and a firm favourite of all the cars I’ve owned - I miss it.
Wow that's some motoring. I had a 130i previously too, missed it so much I had to buy another.Fun, fast enough and a firm favourite of all the cars I’ve owned - I miss it.
Good ones are now getting hard to find as owners are keeping hold of them. Almost depreciation free motoring if looked after and a recipe that doesn't exist in any other car (5 doors, RWD, N/A straight six, manual box).
I tried to buy a lightly damaged 125i Coupe from Copart last year and just stopped bidding when it got to within £1000 of retail.
These and 130i's really represent the end of an era and are a 'proper' car. There's probably very little difference between 150,000 and 50,000 miles on a well maintained car.
These and 130i's really represent the end of an era and are a 'proper' car. There's probably very little difference between 150,000 and 50,000 miles on a well maintained car.
I can sense a few “little devils” sitting on my shoulder and whispering in my ear!
The trouble is that i can also sense Mrs97 giving me a proper kicking about having too many cars (5 at the last count, inc hers). My argument in tesponse is that none of my other 3 are useable weekend fun cars - one classic and two competition cars, plus the utilitarian daily SUV!
The trouble is that i can also sense Mrs97 giving me a proper kicking about having too many cars (5 at the last count, inc hers). My argument in tesponse is that none of my other 3 are useable weekend fun cars - one classic and two competition cars, plus the utilitarian daily SUV!
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff