[Tunechisback]

Hi there,


Looking for a new car, just turned 20 years old(so bare in mind insurance) budget of 20k MAX, no older than 3 years old/30k miles, want a coupe.

So i've narrowed my search down, at first it was between BMW 3 series E92 vs Audi A5. However after looking around and doing some research there is no way i could get an A5 with the right mileage for my budget, so then i thought about AudiTT because of it's performance but i decided it's still too well known as a girl/hairdresser car... so no!

After all that i've decided I would like an E92 coupe, because of my age and insurance factors it would have to be either a 320i/d or 325. There are 3 cars up for sale at the moment that have really caught my eye, I'll list 2 of them below:

BMW E92 M-Sport 320i 2008/08

Spec:
2 owners, 18k miles, Black saphire, Full leather interior, BMW CSL 19" Wheels (Michelin Pilot Sport rear's and continental contact 2's on the front) , Xenon head lights, Privacy glass, Black grills, cruise control,
auto climate control, phone preparation, AUX, M-Sport Package.

BMW E92 AUTOVOGUE CONVERSION 325i [3.0] 2007/07

Spec:
Manual, 25k miles, Metallic black sapphire/ cream beige dekota leather trim, piano black accents. usual spec, privacy glass, DTC traction, park distance control, full AERO conversion from autovogue: front apron, sideskirts, rear apron, boot spoiler, 20 AV alloy wheels, 4 brand new tyres and brakes, sport lowered suspension, stainless steel exhaust with dual twin exit round tail pipes, exterior dechrome, Full BMW Service History, just serviced.


Both of these cars are priced up at just over 19k so are extremely similar price wise. The insurance is a lot different for this coming year, after adding all of the mod's the 325i has had it ends up at around £700 more than the 320i, but next year it'll go down to just under £150 difference from the quotes i have got.

To be honest I would go with the 320i because it's a year younger, less mileage and with the rims is still an extremely good looking car! However after reading up about the 320i i've read a LOT of threads with owners/ post owners saying how they feel extremely under powered and no positive comments about the engine. That's why i started looking at 325's (330 is just N/A for insurance this year) the only issues i'm having with the 325 is the autovogue kit, will i look like something out of max power? Most people my age have a type R, seat leon etc but i want 40year olds to see my car and think that's a nice car not look at it and think what's that pr*ck did to that beautiful BMW. It has HAMANN stickers instead of BMW, just details like that think it might be a bit too "pimped". If i got the 320i i would later this year/ next year change the rear exhaust, just personally i love the quad exhaust but that's probably all i'd do to it.

Is the performance on a 320i that bad? I just wanted to get some opinions/views from people who know what there talking about.

Thanks in advance,
Jonny

[willhollin]

Look for a 320d Coupe, much better performance than the 320i and should be cheaper to insure than the 325i.

[Tunechisback]

Originally Posted by willhollin

Look for a 320d Coupe, much better performance than the 320i and should be cheaper to insure than the 325i.

320d wouldn't work for me, i only do short distance trips and also I just personally don't want a D, i should have pointed that out in original post, srry.

[willhollin]

Have you driven any of the E92s?

[Tunechisback]

Originally Posted by willhollin

Have you driven any of the E92s?

I've driven a friends 330 a couple of times, but neither of the car's i'm looking at so that doesn't really help, both of these car's are private therefore i wouldn't be able to test drive, and believe it or not BMW don't welcome a 20 year old with open arms, thus a test drive through them may be hard to get!

[zltm089]

Go for petrol!!! .....about performance i wud go up the ladder and get a 330 or 335...but since ur 20 , insurance will be a joke...

i wud go for the autovogue one...how many owners does it have?...wud suit someone ur age and ur friends will love it...actually forget about ur friends...The girls will love it!!!...

20....and cruising in an e92.....u'll be king of the streets! ;-)

I don't think A5s are that great...unless u go for the big daddy...the S5.... ;-)

ur right, most people ur age wud be in Type Rs and GTIs etc....The e92 looks so much better and u have good value for money with the e92 in terms of BHP and handling performance...

[zltm089]

I'm 29 btw...but with an 19 year old mind ;-)

[Osian85]

Hey buddy i have a 320i (bought it brand new last year) and its frickin' awesome (alpine white, m sport, few toys) as others have said for good looks/ value for money, and for us young uns' (im 24) its a big deal of a car. i dont find it underpowered, im mostly on country roads and like to keep it affordable so i drive at 60-70mph with good mpg, and if anyone in front aint going fast enough for me its easy enough to get around them. and its been up to 145ish no bother and didnt struggle to get there. so in our situation (expensive beatiful car with insurance to consider) i cant recommend it enough.

Osh.

[kdiz]

I think mine and your situation are quite similar, I was considering the 325i m sport until I realised there were quite a lot of 335i m sports going for a similar price, insurance is quite a lot more for me also, but, i think with a 320 or a 325 i will end up getting bored pretty quickly and probably lose money eventually by re-selling sooner than i would if i just took the initial hit on the 335i for insurance.

I will only have 1 year driving experiance but i will be 24 when buying so i guess my insurance wont be as expensive as yours.

Also personally I wouldnt go for the autovogue kits, from what iv read, evidently they aren't top quality fittings.

Performance is relative to your own needs,
320i [0-62] - 8.1 seconds
325i 3litre [0-62] - 6.7 seconds
330i [0-62] - 6 seconds
335i [0-62] - 5.5 seconds

To me 8.1 seconds isnt fast, it's pretty much what i get now and I am bored of it, anything 6 seconds or lower is pretty good though, under 6 is gonna be mental

Also if your thinking about modding, you can do the odd bits on 320, 325 and 330 but remember they are non turbos so there isnt that much you can do for big power gains without spending mental money.

[ss134]

Have you checked out the insurance for a 330i? Its an absolute peach of an engine and would give you so much more fun than the 320 or 325. Out of the 2 choices though i would definately go for 325i....you cannot beat a BMW straight six, forget about 0-60 times etc, the 325 is much smoother than the 320 and is worth the extra £££ on insurance if you can afford it.

If you are going petrol E92 then it has to be a 6 cy IMO. If the insurance is too much then i would go for the 320d all day over a 320i -and i have never owned a diesel. The 320i is underpowered and doesn't have the aural appeal of the straight sixes, i have driven both 320's and there is no comparison ...320d is the one i would have. If you tested them back to back i would guarantee the 320d would leave a better impression.

In order:

1. 330i if the insurance is affordable to you - different class altogether from the rest - night and day.

2. 325i - Sounds great and is smooth as silk, a good compromise for insurance sake.

3. 320d - Feels as fast as the 325i - you lose that straight six's ability to rev and the sound but will hold its value and is a great engine that feels very strong as well as being far better at the pumps.

4. 320i - Wouldn't even consider it - not as fast or economical as 320d and doesn't have the sound, power or smoothness of the straight sixes - a compromise too far in every area IMO.

[SiKkBaSs]

Friends think why I would want another car, girlfriend loves it, you can make it look nice (plenty of modding opportunities), not exactly slow when you think about it, sounds great, handles great, insurance is reasonable considering what it is, revs nicely. Girls love a BMW over a Honda Civic Type R or other japanese mobiles. Some like my 325i over an Evo X...then again what do they know

Think yourself fortunate to be in this position in the first place.

Happy Hunting


(Warning: E90post will make you think your car is mediocre leading to a lighter wallet, browse with care)

[sheps]

I appreciate you don't really want a diesel, but I'd definitely give one a go before you discount them entirely; I drive a 325i (albeit a late 2007, which uses the 2.5 not the 3 litre) and it hasn't been everything I'd hoped it would be. Sure, it sounds great, but I have been disappointed with its performance and being normally aspirated, ones tuning options are limited.

Being 20 years old this may not bother you as much as it does me (I have a string of quick cars under my belt) so it has been less than expected.

A mapped 320d will give a 325i a hard time all day long when charging hard and in real world driving, will be quicker in a lot of situations (giving it the beans in 6th at motorway speeds, a mapped 320d will pick up and go hard, the 325i will want 4th gear to move).

Bare in mind that 4 cylinder cars miss out on some standard spec over the 6 cylinder counterparts; electric seats, posh cruise control (that use the brakes going downhill to maintain a fixed speed) auto hill hold etc.

[chrisbin]

Before you buy a 320i, go read the thread about the engine problems.....then don't say you weren't warned....

[creepy coupe]

BMW E92 AUTOVOGUE CONVERSION 325i [3.0] 2007/07, for me, sounds a loverly spec, just give it a good hard look over, one forum member bought from them and had paint/fit and finish issues.

You're 20, you don't need a diesel so early in life and the 325 is a 6 pot, something BMW are very good at.

[sbce90]

320i works for me. It is fairly slow though, but does sound okay (nowhere near as good as a 6 cylinder, but good for a 4pot.) How long do you plan on keeping the car for?

[E92westy]

Originally Posted by chrisbin

Before you buy a 320i, go read the thread about the engine problems.....then don't say you weren't warned....

+1,000,000

Six cylinder petrol or a diesel every time...........

[G6DDS]

Think yourself very lucky being in a position to buy a 20k car at 20 years old!
I would go for the 320i, anything bigger in a rear wheel drive car could be a handfull if you're not an experienced driver. Get some no claims under your belt, forget about mods and enjoy a very very nice car.

[grant1987]

Originally Posted by zltm089

...but since ur 20 , insurance will be a joke...

This could well be true, im 23 and i pay £900 FC on a 320m sport with over 5 years NCB, its worth it though.

Originally Posted by zltm089

i wud go for the autovogue one...how many owners does it have?...wud suit someone ur age and ur friends will love it...actually forget about ur friends...The girls will love it!!!...

20....and cruising in an e92.....
.

Other road users will think your a Pr***, other guys will think your a pr*** (secretly they're hating on you because they dont have one), however.... every girl knows what a BMW is so theres no problem there, in short ...they love it!


Therefore....I love it

[grant1987]

Sriously though, i answer to your question, the 320i is alot quicker than you might think. Its certainly feel a lot more torquey than a citreon or ford whatever of the same engine size so its very easy to drive. Averages around 35mpg which isnt bad, ive got 39mpg doing a few motorway miles.

I was going to do the same as you mentioned and get a 325i but it was a 2007. In the end i went for a much newer 320i on a 2008 plate with a third less milage. I feel i made the right decision.


As for the auto vogue, its an aquired taste i feel. Bear in mind though those 20 inch rims will certanly get a few bends/crack in them after a while, there will be no give in them whatsoever. Id part them out for some 19" csl's straight away.


Hope that helps

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by grant1987

Bear in mind though those 20 inch rims will certanly get a few bends/crack in them after a while, there will be no give in them whatsoever. Id part them out for some 19" csl's straight away.

Why because they're 20" rims, should they be any more likely to damage, it's about design/material, not size, In fact a bigger rim might give better than a smaller.

[kend]

BMW E92 AUTOVOGUE CONVERSION 325i [3.0] 2007/07

That is not the 3.0l engine.
In 07/2007 only the 2.5l was available I think it was at least 57/2007 before the 3.0l came out

[sheps]

Originally Posted by kend

BMW E92 AUTOVOGUE CONVERSION 325i [3.0] 2007/07

That is not the 3.0l engine.
In 07/2007 only the 2.5l was available I think it was at least 57/2007 before the 3.0l came out

This is correct. Only the E93 325i's used the 3.0l from launch.
The E92 325i initially used used the 2.5 litre engine, with cars manufactured from September 2007 using the 3.0l.

Mine was manufactured and shipped so it would e registered Sept 1st, so mine is the 2.5l. Anything pre that will also be the same lump, unless subject to an (unlikely) engine change.