Where would you go next...

carsfan2

bazz26 wrote: »

M Sport would be similar to Audi's S Line range. Sport would be a watered down version of the M Sport that sits between the SE and M Sport. The M Sport has lowered suspension, body kit, anthracite interior headlining, M Sport steering wheel, larger infotainment display and a few other things.

Technology Pack adds - Head Up Display, Harman/Kardon surround sound speaker system, wireless charging, enhanced bluetooth, Wifi hotspot and gesture control. I'd look for one with the M Sport Plus pack which includes larger 19" alloy wheels, larger blue coloured brake calipers and the adaptive suspension.

You really know your specs Bazz.
I am guessing your average BMW sales person wouldn't have a clue.

CIP4

carsfan2 wrote: »

I think the m sport in the 3 series is the body kit, different bumpers, more aggressive styling, m sport steering wheel. Basically they area better looking car.
Tech pack is the heads up display, Harman kardon speakers, wireless charging tray and WiFi I think but there might be more.
M sport generally more desirable. Personally I would look for m sport plus pack if going for one which looks better again.
You thinking of moving from golf gti now?

Thanks CF2 and Bazz for the info.

I won't be doing anything till towards the end of the year just trying to educate myself on the BMW range at the minute.

I like the Golf but am more of a Saloon type person like the bigger cabin plus the bit more luxury interior. I have never had any involvement with BMW cars really but anyone that drives them seems to praise them and I like the G20 a lot plus the fact you can readily get one with some bit of performance with the 330i without completely outrageous cost it would suit me quick enough to be nice to drive but not something crazy to run. I never owned a RWD either which I thing probably adds to the driving experience. The GTI also attracts a lot of attention and stands out which isn't for me really. Whereas a 330i is a bit more sleeper like as it looks no different to a standard diesel one and is more subtle.

I have always liked Audi and like the look of the A5 but think if I bought one it would feel quite similar to the B9 I had G20 standard spec well trumps the A5 also. Issue I have is a BMW dealer won't have any interest in taking a Golf on a trade in so I will probably end up having to go the DoneDeal route which it may be difficult to sell there.

carsfan2

CIP4 wrote: »

Thanks CF2 and Bazz for the info.

I won't be doing anything till towards the end of the year just trying to educate myself on the BMW range at the minute.

I like the Golf but am more of a Saloon type person like the bigger cabin plus the bit more luxury interior. I have never had any involvement with BMW cars really but anyone that drives them seems to praise them and I like the G20 a lot plus the fact you can readily get one with some bit of performance with the 330i without completely outrageous cost it would suit me quick enough to be nice to drive but not something crazy to run. I never owned a RWD either which I thing probably adds to the driving experience. The GTI also attracts a lot of attention and stands out which isn't for me really. Whereas a 330i is a bit more sleeper like as it looks no different to a standard diesel one and is more subtle.

I have always liked Audi and like the look of the A5 but think if I bought one it would feel quite similar to the B9 I had G20 standard spec well trumps the A5 also. Issue I have is a BMW dealer won't have any interest in taking a Golf on a trade in so I will probably end up having to go the DoneDeal route which it may be difficult to sell there.

330i would be a very logical next step from a golf gti alright. Lovely cars both.
You might be pleasantly surprised at the moment with trading in however. Golf gti is relatively rare and sought after. Your car will sell easily in the trade.
I traded in a golf gti for a 330e and got a very healthy trade in. Lost a fraction of what a bmw would have.
That said if you sold privately there is better value bringing in from N.I. Or U.K.

bazz26

carsfan2 wrote: »

You really know your specs Bazz.
I am guessing your average BMW sales person wouldn't have a clue.

Thanks but to be honest I had to look up the BMW configurator website to double check as they seem to change the options packs regularly and they seem to be different between the models too.

bazz26

@ CIP4, I'd say you would have no trouble selling that GTi privately. It's a nice colour, spec and has low mileage.

CIP4

What is the 8 speed auto gearbox like in them is it used across the range ?

bazz26

It's a great gearbox imo. Very smooth and fast shifting like the DSG. It's used across the range except for the M cars afaik.

CIP4

bazz26 wrote: »

It's a great gearbox imo. Very smooth and fast shifting like the DSG. It's used across the range except for the M cars afaik.

Yes any of the reviews I watched say the gearbox is decent. In general the reviews on the 330i G20 are very positive say its a great mix of performance while still being practical and not too mad.

bazz26

MarkN from here reviewed the 330i last year also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duGdVZVT5QQ

CIP4

bazz26 wrote: »

MarkN from here reviewed the 330i last year also:

I am sorry I watched that will definitely have to buy one after seeing that :pac:

Leonard Hofstadter

bazz26 wrote: »

It's a great gearbox imo. Very smooth and fast shifting like the DSG. It's used across the range except for the M cars afaik.

Now that EOP has occurred for the M4, the only M car that doesn't use the 8 speed ZF is the M2, that still has the DCT should you want one without a clutch pedal.

carsfan2

CIP4 wrote: »

Yes any of the reviews I watched say the gearbox is decent. In general the reviews on the 330i G20 are very positive say its a great mix of performance while still being practical and not too mad.

330i may just be the sweet spot in the 3 series range.
Petrol and enough power to be quick. No heavy batteries either like 330e so great handling.
Would appear that the engine can be remapped if desired.
They are coming up now at reasonable prices too especially U.K. cars and vrt not bad.

Leonard Hofstadter

carsfan2 wrote: »

330i may just be the sweet spot in the 3 series range.
Petrol and enough power to be quick. No heavy batteries either like 330e so great handling.
Would appear that the engine can be remapped if desired.
They are coming up now at reasonable prices too especially U.K. cars and vrt not bad.

The only thing it's missing is a six cylinder engine like you got in cars displaying the 330i badge in times gone by. Apart from that it probably is the best model in the range, it's not lumbered with 4WD like the M340i is, and is a lot cheaper to buy, too.

AWD & 4WD are not at all the same

chalky_ie

carsfan2 wrote: »

330i may just be the sweet spot in the 3 series range.
Petrol and enough power to be quick. No heavy batteries either like 330e so great handling.
Would appear that the engine can be remapped if desired.
They are coming up now at reasonable prices too especially U.K. cars and vrt not bad.

I know you said 330i, but people seem to be obsessed with the 330e on this forum, but I sold my previous car(2008 E92 330i) to a guy who was getting rid of a 2017 330e. Said it wasn't a great car at all, drank petrol compared to what he expected with the way the hybrid system was set up(for the driving he was doing anyway), and didn't have an enjoyable engine. Not sure if the same can be said of the 330i engine.

The fact that he was happy to move 10 years backwards to a car with 100k miles on it didn't give me a great impression of the 330e at all.

Cyrus

conor-w wrote: »

I know you said 330i, but people seem to be obsessed with the 330e on this forum, but I sold my previous car(2008 E92 330i) to a guy who was getting rid of a 2017 330e. Said it wasn't a great car at all, drank petrol compared to what he expected with the way the hybrid system was set up(for the driving he was doing anyway), and didn't have an enjoyable engine. Not sure if the same can be said of the 330i engine.

The fact that he was happy to move 10 years backwards to a car with 100k miles on it didn't give me a great impression of the 330e at all.

Is the basic 330i engine not similar to the 330e ice engine tho ?

Leonard Hofstadter

conor-w wrote: »

I know you said 330i, but people seem to be obsessed with the 330e on this forum, but I sold my previous car(2008 E92 330i) to a guy who was getting rid of a 2017 330e. Said it wasn't a great car at all, drank petrol compared to what he expected with the way the hybrid system was set up(for the driving he was doing anyway), and didn't have an enjoyable engine. Not sure if the same can be said of the 330i engine.

The fact that he was happy to move 10 years backwards to a car with 100k miles on it didn't give me a great impression of the 330e at all.

To be fair the G20 is a big improvement on the F30; double the electric range and a lot more power; the most of any 330 derivative in fact. Also, they've swapped the batteries and fuel tank around so in the G20 the batteries are underneath the rear seats and the fuel tank is behind the rear axle, so that means much better weight distribution, and therefore the handling and driving pleasure improvements BMW claims they have made in the G20 compared to the F30 should be even more pronounced when you compare the 330e versions of both cars. It's another sign of the progress they're making with this type of drivetrain.

That said, I'm not entirely convinced by the plug in either; there are still significant compromises in terms of fuel tank size, boot space and especially weight. The 330e is also not available with M Sport suspension even if you get one in M Sport spec, a BMW is meant to be about driving pleasure and the non availability of sports suspension (although it still comes with the adaptive dampers if you order the M Sport Plus pack like the standard M Sport Plus cars do) coupled with the considerable increase in weight makes me sceptical about just how good they are.

I think they're definitely going the right direction, especially when you look at something like the X5 45e and its big six cylinder petrol engine, proper sized fuel tank (69 litres) and 97 km electric range capability; if you were that bothered by driving dynamics you wouldn't be buying a bulky SUV anyway, so that coupled with the attractive price (about the same as a 30d but over 100 more bhp and the noise and refinement of a six cylinder petrol engine) and you can see why I think not only is it a very good plug in SUV, but it's the best model in the range. Sure there will still be a weight penalty, but in any case, a 200 kg weight penalty on something that weighs over 2 tonnes to begin with is a completely different ball game to something whose baseline weight is about 1.5 tonnes, plus like I say, it's a bit strange to buy an SUV and then worry about the last word in handling and dynamic prowess.

Thus, for me, they make complete sense in some models, but they're not there yet with the regular cars.

Cyrus

Cyrus wrote: »

Is the basic 330i engine not similar to the 330e ice engine tho ?

Yup..... Much of a muchness. Some of the 330e tunes eek loads out of the 330e without any intake, turbo or intercooler mods..... The 330i would have different Bolt ons.

CIP4

I would like a 330i I have no interest in the 330e. I don’t want to plug in a car, also not going around with a small fuel tank and hauling around a load of batteries. Weight like that just ruins a car like a 3 series for me. I have no doubt when tuned they are quick but I have no interest in going that route ~260bhp and sub 6 seconds to 100kmh is plenty quick enough for me I just want a bit of power don’t need anything outrageous where the practicality is compromised.

I just like the idea of 2.0 twin turbo petrol RWD and saloon, I don’t need the batteries, electric motors and all that complexity.

MarkN

Get the 330i. Sounds like you know that’s the thing to do anyway

mickdw

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

To be fair the G20 is a big improvement on the F30; double the electric range and a lot more power; the most of any 330 derivative in fact.

That said, I'm not entirely convinced by the plug in either; there are still significant compromises in terms of fuel tank size, boot space and especially weight. The 330e is also not available with M Sport suspension even if you get one in M Sport spec, a BMW is meant to be about driving pleasure and the non availability of sports suspension (although it still comes with the adaptive dampers if you order the M Sport Plus pack like the standard M Sport Plus cars do) coupled with the considerable increase in weight makes me sceptical about just how good they are.

I think they're definitely going the right direction, especially when you look at something like the X5 45e and its big six cylinder petrol engine, proper sized fuel tank (69 litres) and 97 km electric range capability; if you were that bothered by driving dynamics you wouldn't be buying a bulky SUV anyway, so that coupled with the attractive price (about the same as a 30d but over 100 more bhp and the noise and refinement of a six cylinder petrol engine) and you can see why I think not only is it a very good plug in SUV, but it's the best model in the range. Sure there will still be a weight penalty, but in any case, a 200 kg weight penalty on something that weighs over 2 tonnes to begin with is a completely different ball game to something whose baseline weight is about 1.5 tonnes, plus like I say, it's a bit strange to buy an SUV and then worry about the last word in handling and dynamic prowess.

Thus, for me, they make complete sense in some models, but they're not there yet with the regular cars.

New model x5 45e giving awful bother im hearing. All sorts of faults and power loss and breakdowns.

Harcrid

First time seeing one of these in the wild. Stunning looking car.

Cyrus

what is it?

Mickiemcfist

Cyrus wrote: »

what is it?

Looks like a kia optima that someone stuck some bmw badges onto

Theboinkmaster

8 series gran coupe?

Harcrid

BMW 840D

Cyrus

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

8 series gran coupe?

that its

jesus i think that looks rubbish for 130k, in fact it looks rubbish for 60k

its a bigger lower x4

Top Dog

Can't say I like that at all :eek:

Leonard Hofstadter

I must be in the minority then, I really like it, low down and sporty looking, exactly like cars from the brand that claims its cars are 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' should look. The 8 series has always been one of my favourite BMWs and the current model does nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for them.

Harcrid

In the flesh it really caught the eye, and I like it.

maddness

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

I must be in the minority then, I really like it, low down and sporty looking, exactly like cars from the brand that claims its cars are 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' should look. The 8 series has always been one of my favourite BMWs and the current model does nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for them.

The coupe is lovely but not so keen on that, the proportions at the back don’t really seem to look right.

carsfan2

Harcrid wrote: »

First time seeing one of these in the wild. Stunning looking car.

That Picture taken in Nenagh?

Very imposing in the metal. I imagine too big to hustle on our country roads though.

frozenfrozen

I'm sure it'll grow on me like the e63 rear end, I am a bangle sympathiser now. But that angle doesn't do it for me, it looks like a stretch kia

maddness

frozenfrozen wrote: »

I'm sure it'll grow on me like the e63 rear end, I am a bangle sympathiser now. But that angle doesn't do it for me, it looks like a stretch kia

BMW design is really going a direction that just doesn’t appeal to me at all.

GavMan

The boot lip is just a little chunky for me. Even if the badge was mounted a little higher would help IMO.

Looks great otherwise.

CIP4

Anyone know what a 5 year service pack comprises of on a BMW (Irish dealer) the salesperson said it was 5 years from when it was registered from new so what Is included and what would it be worth ?

carsfan2

Five years or a 100k km which ever come first from first registration.
Covers all service costs including oil changes etc but not adblue top ups or wipers and so on.
Well worth having.
Price varies depending on what model of BMW but it’s a few hundred quids worth

bazz26

CIP4 wrote: »

Anyone know what a 5 year service pack comprises of on a BMW (Irish dealer) the salesperson said it was 5 years from when it was registered from new so what Is included and what would it be worth ?

https://www.bmwservice.ie/contentv3/?fuseaction=serviceinclusive

CIP4

bazz26 wrote: »

https://www.bmwservice.ie/contentv3/?fuseaction=serviceinclusive

I don’t know the intervals on a G20 but say you wanted to get it serviced every 15km is that ok or are you forced to go with long life servicing say 30k km or whatever ? Or surely there is some limit on the amount of services you can get on it. Every 15k I’m would be 6 services by the time you reach 100k Km will they do all them ?

sunnysoutheast

CIP4 wrote: »

I don’t know the intervals on a G20 but say you wanted to get it serviced every 15km is that ok or are you forced to go with long life servicing say 30k km or whatever ? Or surely there is some limit on the amount of services you can get on it. Every 15k I’m would be 6 services by the time you reach 100k Km will they do all them ?

They will only service to the schedule under the service pack. So 30k/24m for oil changes (unless that's changed).

Nothing stopping you getting intermediate oil changes, just don't reset the indicator.

Assuming you do the miles, you'd get 3 oil changes, 1 fuel/air filter change and a brake fluid change under the service pack. I think the cabin filter is every second oil change.

carsfan2

The BMW service pack is done under what they call condition based servicing.
The car tells you when it needs some attention.
I f you have it enabled it will contact the garage who contact you to book it in.
If you want to do oil changes etc more often I reckon they will charge.
At the rate you change cars I would just stick to the BMW maintenance schedules and maintain the service history that way. If you plan to keep car longer then maybe pay for extra services.

bazz26

The car's iDrive system will show what's due at what mileage and when it's due. It will pop up on the screen when it's close to be due as a reminder. The service history is also digital and stored in the iDrive system if you stick to main dealers or BMW independents who are registered to the BMW cloud.

One thing is that some main dealers won't log unscheduled services in the service history if they are not due. For example if you get an oil change done between intervals they won't log it into the iDrive service history.

Idbatterim

The eight series is on another planet visually compared to any of their other offerings. Something that actually befits bmw....

CIP4

carsfan2 wrote: »

The BMW service pack is done under what they call condition based servicing.
The car tells you when it needs some attention.
I f you have it enabled it will contact the garage who contact you to book it in.
If you want to do oil changes etc more often I reckon they will charge.
At the rate you change cars I would just stick to the BMW maintenance schedules and maintain the service history that way. If you plan to keep car longer then maybe pay for extra services.

Thanks for the info. Difficult to know the only one that is for sale 2019 year is a 'Sport' model I Personally like the colour and black interior and its a bit less in your face than an M Sport. But I get the impression if it's not an M Sport no one has interest in them.

So I would worry a combination of it not being an M Sport and BMW residuals also I would really want to be buying it to keep it for 3 years at least as selling it after 1-2 years I would absolutely lose my shirt on it mores than anything I have ever bought as a 330i will have a limited market also.

I'd like to think I would keep it for years and years as I thing it would be a smashing car but my track record isn't great!

bazz26

SE and Sports are less desirable than M Sport. Same goes with Audi, try getting the same money for a A4 or A5 SE compared to a S-Line. If you don't care either way then might as well go with the cheapest version but a 330i SE or Sport would not be as desirable as a M Sport.

The funny thing about car resale values is that when your buying you will be told by dealers that resale values are strong but when your selling/trading you will be told the opposite.

carsfan2

Used car values appear to have improved since lockdown possibly due to fewer U.K. imports and lack of new car availability as well as ever increasing New car prices.
Anecdotally garages are extremely busy and looking for good trade ins. Your golf gti is probably very desirable but like Bazz says I would hold off for m sport spec. A lot more desirable in the trade and a better buy.

Wildly Boaring

carsfan2 wrote: »

Used car values appear to have improved since lockdown possibly due to fewer U.K. imports and lack of new car availability as well as ever increasing New car prices.
Anecdotally garages are extremely busy and looking for good trade ins. Your golf gti is probably very desirable but like Bazz says I would hold off for m sport spec. A lot more desirable in the trade and a better buy.

Ha

I'm looking at the minute.
Just commented today that serious value again in UK.
Irish dealers hiking prices due to covid??

I'm fine, I've a brother over there that can buy for me.

blingrhino

Colm Quinn yesterday looking for 60k for a 201 pre reg 520d m-sport yesterday with no miles.
My friend just brought in on wednesday same car but an x drive landed including flight ,ferry etc for 50k .

Dealers here have plenty of room for haggling on these pre reg and to make your trade in values look good.

As the volatile sterling rate continues seems if you can sell your own car privately its the way to go to save 0000`s

F34

I’ve a g20 330i and had a 330e as a loan car yesterday while it was cool to drive around in electric mode I thinks it’s a novelty that would wear off very quickly for me. The 30i in sport mode seemed to be a far different animal and a hell of a lot more fun.

If you’re going for a 30i CIP msport plus package is a must for the limited slip and most importantly adaptive suspension or it’s a very very harsh ride. Technology and visibility are the packs I’d go for in that order. The comfort and premium while nice to have don’t make a huge difference to the car.

On mine I have:

Visibility,
Technology,
Premium,
Comfort and
Msport plus package

Driving assistant professional and,
Parking assistant plus

If you’ve any questions please feel free to massage me.

CIP4

CIP4 wrote: »

...............

So I would worry a combination of it not being an M Sport and BMW residuals also I would really want to be buying it to keep it for 3 years at least as selling it after 1-2 years I would absolutely lose my shirt on it mores than anything I have ever bought as a 330i will have a limited market also. ................

Keeping it 3 years you are still looking at €8k/annum ish in depreciation. ....... even if it's an M Sport.