BMW 123D - Advice Please
Discussion
SebringMan said:
I like them too but the N47 engine issues would put me off unless the car had evidence of an oil changes carried out in between BMW's schedules.
The idea otherwise has always appealed to me.
I suppose I could ask about the oil changes. I do mine myself so I could probably do them inbetween. The idea otherwise has always appealed to me.
Funk said:
I ran one for a few years and loved it, cracking car for a diesel.
Word of advice though - get the auto. I had a manual and the final drive in the gearbox is shorter than the 120d so I was constantly changing gear due to not only the shorter ratios but also the shorter rev-range. And then in top at 'motorway speeds' (ahem) it was sitting around 3k+ rpm. Not great for fuel economy or noise!
The base stereo is s
t - I lasted about a week before I bought a set of the Pro speakers and fitted them. Oh, and if you like misbehaving on wet roundabouts, it chews through rear pads.
He is used to a manual, but I suppose he could try an auto. He was looking at an M Sport or a Sport Plus, how do I tell if these have the upgraded stereo?Word of advice though - get the auto. I had a manual and the final drive in the gearbox is shorter than the 120d so I was constantly changing gear due to not only the shorter ratios but also the shorter rev-range. And then in top at 'motorway speeds' (ahem) it was sitting around 3k+ rpm. Not great for fuel economy or noise!
The base stereo is s
t - I lasted about a week before I bought a set of the Pro speakers and fitted them. Oh, and if you like misbehaving on wet roundabouts, it chews through rear pads.s m said:
Drivers Republic drove one round the Ring in companion with a 350Z
https://youtu.be/WQn0HH9G8vU
That’s superb
https://youtu.be/WQn0HH9G8vU
That’s superb
Edited by s m on Tuesday 16th January 20:18
LocoBlade said:
Entirely irrelevant to making a decision but Evo did a nice 8 page spread on my 123d a few years ago comparing it against (of all things) an E30 M3, including me hand modelling on the M3 gear shifter photo! 
http://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/1-series/12225/evolutions...
I also sold up a few years ago when the cam chain issues started to become a bit too frequent for my liking but I had it for 5 years / 60k miles before that with no engine issues at all. The one issue I did have in my ownership was an intermittent but gradually worsening juddery clutch when pulling away. It's quite common on manual diesel BMWs of that era and can be a hint that either the clutch plates and/or dual mass flywheel will need some attention sooner rather than later. Mine ended up having two clutches in it under warranty, the first including a dual mass flywheel replacement at approx 25k, the second clutch another 40k later which is not something you want to be doing out of your own pocket. TBH it was liveable-with most of the time and could be temporarily rectified for a week or two by doing the classic test drive clutch test holding the car on the handbrake whilst bringing the clutch up to the bite point for a few seconds to clean up the plates, but obviously you can't do that too often!
Overall though they're good little cars other than the N47 cam chain concerns. The engine has a very wide useable power band compared to normal diesels (due to the twin turbos that cater for different rev ranges) so feels almost petrol like in it's delivery. I used to get mid 40s mpg out of it on a 20 mile each way A road commute and although 1st gear was certainly too short and a bit of a pain when pulling away with gusto I never found the rest of the ratios particularly short geared due to the aforementioned wide power band. Having said that I didn't do much motorway driving in mine so if it's a long distance cruiser your brother needs then either the auto or a 120d probably would be better.
Thanks for that I will pass it on. He does about 35 miles a day. So I think it should be okay for him. Much less on the weekends but it should be okay for him. I think he mentioned that he wants to try an auto and a manual just to make his mind up. I suppose he can ask the dealer or seller whether the cam chain has been done? Is that the correct term? http://www.evo.co.uk/bmw/1-series/12225/evolutions...
I also sold up a few years ago when the cam chain issues started to become a bit too frequent for my liking but I had it for 5 years / 60k miles before that with no engine issues at all. The one issue I did have in my ownership was an intermittent but gradually worsening juddery clutch when pulling away. It's quite common on manual diesel BMWs of that era and can be a hint that either the clutch plates and/or dual mass flywheel will need some attention sooner rather than later. Mine ended up having two clutches in it under warranty, the first including a dual mass flywheel replacement at approx 25k, the second clutch another 40k later which is not something you want to be doing out of your own pocket. TBH it was liveable-with most of the time and could be temporarily rectified for a week or two by doing the classic test drive clutch test holding the car on the handbrake whilst bringing the clutch up to the bite point for a few seconds to clean up the plates, but obviously you can't do that too often!
Overall though they're good little cars other than the N47 cam chain concerns. The engine has a very wide useable power band compared to normal diesels (due to the twin turbos that cater for different rev ranges) so feels almost petrol like in it's delivery. I used to get mid 40s mpg out of it on a 20 mile each way A road commute and although 1st gear was certainly too short and a bit of a pain when pulling away with gusto I never found the rest of the ratios particularly short geared due to the aforementioned wide power band. Having said that I didn't do much motorway driving in mine so if it's a long distance cruiser your brother needs then either the auto or a 120d probably would be better.
Mr Tidy said:
I think it is possibly the stupidly low gearing on the manual 123ds driving that - my 123d was lower geared in 6th than the E46 320td it replaced, which is never going to help economy!
I think it was to enhance the performance, but as I said earlier with the benefit of hindsight I should have bought a 120d and had the 20bhp upgrade BMW offered.
Although I was disappointed to need a new battery after 4 years and a starter motor after 6 years (I blame stop/start) I did get past 80K miles on the original brakes all round!
But I bailed out of it primarily due to the cam-chain issues (this was before the "Quality Enhancement" programme) and then I discovered BMW straight 6 N/A petrol loveliness!
I bought a Z4 Coupe, but needed a daily so ended up with a 325ti Sport. Either is a much better drive than my 123d.
OK I pay for that at the pumps and when the road tax needs renewal, but it's a price I'm more than willing to pay!
OP, you really need to get him to try a 125i Coupe or a 130i hatch before he commits to a diseasel.
I could ask him to look at a 125i, but I know the 130i are quite rare now. But I think the insurance would be quite high on them due to the engine being a 3.0 petrol. Also the tax is quite a lot too. I would have to look at one with him, then see what the insurance would be, and whether its possible. I think it was to enhance the performance, but as I said earlier with the benefit of hindsight I should have bought a 120d and had the 20bhp upgrade BMW offered.
Although I was disappointed to need a new battery after 4 years and a starter motor after 6 years (I blame stop/start) I did get past 80K miles on the original brakes all round!
But I bailed out of it primarily due to the cam-chain issues (this was before the "Quality Enhancement" programme) and then I discovered BMW straight 6 N/A petrol loveliness!
I bought a Z4 Coupe, but needed a daily so ended up with a 325ti Sport. Either is a much better drive than my 123d.
OK I pay for that at the pumps and when the road tax needs renewal, but it's a price I'm more than willing to pay!
OP, you really need to get him to try a 125i Coupe or a 130i hatch before he commits to a diseasel.
Mr Tidy said:
Yes the road tax is £305 a year, but it's only a couple of quid more a week at the end of the day!
I don't think insurance is too bad - my Z4 Coupe only costs about the same as my 123d did.
The diesel only really makes sense if he is doing a high mileage (which I did when I had mine) but the petrol is so much better to drive.
I nearly test drove a 325ti Compact in 2005 before I bought my 320td Compact, but it had been sold so I missed out. Now I have a 325ti Compact I know what I missed for 3 years!
Yeah its not that much more on the insurance, also the tax if added over a monthly period is okay. Ideally he was looking at about 13k max, but if I can get under that great. It seems that the older 130i is a lot of money I think for an older car. Would he be better with say a 2014 plate? Also whats the difference between the 125i and 130i?I don't think insurance is too bad - my Z4 Coupe only costs about the same as my 123d did.
The diesel only really makes sense if he is doing a high mileage (which I did when I had mine) but the petrol is so much better to drive.
I nearly test drove a 325ti Compact in 2005 before I bought my 320td Compact, but it had been sold so I missed out. Now I have a 325ti Compact I know what I missed for 3 years!
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