BMW 316 TI Compact

empirix

Hi Lads,

Thinking of buying or enquiring about the car below, anybody own one of these, its right on my budget, opinions appreciated

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=602569

This one is also the same price but higher mileage (has alloys though)

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=595143

Cheers

rebel.ranter

Try to put the alloys out of your head, decide on which one is the better car. Alloys can be canged afterwards. You can pick up a se of genuine BMW alloys like the ones on the red car for about €300 on buy and sell. You'll pick up a new set of wheels and tyres for approx €700.

Tony255

The second one also has air conditioning, 50000 miles is nothing for a bmw personally i would go for the second one. You would probably get a 00/01 318CI for that price

jhegarty

Go for the second becuase of the air-con... the extra 20k is nothing on a car like that...


I have the exact same model/spec (01) and its the best money I ever spent

junkyard

Compacts have a very poor resale value and are very hard to shift later on when you want to change it, you might bear that in mind if you decide to buy one.

ballooba

The mileage on the first one would be verifiable with Maxwell Motors. I used to mix up John Hayes and John Traynor (of Veronica Guerin fame), thankfully google has just cleared that one up for me.

The second one is a UK import. Don't like the look of that tacky floor mat, bad sign.

I have a 01 325ti compact which decided to break down on me on thursday. Think its the gearbox or the gear linkage it got stuck in gear. Thankfully its under warrenty..
Apart from this find it a great car to drive, very comfortable with great handling.
The look of it puts some people of but I quite like it.

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=512344

Worth a look too. Its a diesel too if that floats your boat.

empirix

ballooba wrote:

The mileage on the first one would be verifiable with Maxwell Motors. I used to mix up John Hayes and John Traynor (of Veronica Guerin fame), thankfully google has just cleared that one up for me.

The second one is a UK import. Don't like the look of that tacky floor mat, bad sign.

Cheers lads for the feedback, do you know i was thinking the exact same thing about that floor mat! I quite like the compat version, might hold out until July and see what else comes on the market.

cheers

DonJose

You could always bend down, pick up the floor mat and throw it away

The compact was manufactured on the same production line as the E46, its a good quality car.

jhegarty

DonJose wrote:

You could always bend down, pick up the floor mat and throw it away

The compact was manufactured on the same production line as the E46, its a good quality car.

I am actually not sure its a floor mat... there is a panel (black) in that place on the floor on my one...

DonJose

I worked at the Munich plant for 10 years, that red mat is not a BMW mat, the mat you mentioned is the standard mat.

optiplexgx270

ronoc wrote:

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=512344

Worth a look too. Its a diesel too if that floats your boat.

Spec of that one kicks the crap out of the other 2 examples and 80k is nothing on a bmw diesel.

Wez

Please do not buy a compact! They're such ugly cars and an excuse for a BMW!

I recently helped my brother buy an e46 and the market's flooded with compacts, I can't stand them! Is there any particular reason you need the compact? It's not much shorter like..

optiplexgx270

TBH I'd far sooner go for one of the following over a 02 316 compact for similar money.

http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=654267
or
http://www.usedcars.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=400269

ballooba

DonJose wrote:

You could always bend down, pick up the floor mat and throw it away

I was actually thinking in terms of what other damage the individual who bought that mat might have done.

kdevitt

Wez wrote:

Please do not buy a compact! They're such ugly cars and an excuse for a BMW!

Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say - but your excuse for a BMW remark is well wide of the mark. The E46 compact handles and drives fantastically - better than either the saloon or coupe.

Owen

junkyard wrote:

Compacts have a very poor resale value and are very hard to shift later on when you want to change it, you might bear that in mind if you decide to buy one.

TBH, we can't get enough used Compacts. They're great sellers. We recently had a 04 compact for sale, for the same price as a 02 saloon, so there is value in them.

Wez

Wez wrote:

Please do not buy a compact! They're such ugly cars and an excuse for a BMW!

I recently helped my brother buy an e46 and the market's flooded with compacts, I can't stand them! Is there any particular reason you need the compact? It's not much shorter like..

Flooded with compacts? Ive been keeping an eye on them on carzone since I bought mine and they seem to turn around fast enough.
They are pretty rare on the road, the e46 wasn't a huge seller. Their high initial price seems to contribute to their depreciation in a very competitive hatchback segment.