Thinking of getting BMW 320i

[cooldude1234]

I was thinking which one to get between Upcoming Honda Civic 2.0 vs the current BMW 320iSince the new 320i is coming out so they are now doing sales for the current 320iThere are few questions I would like to know...1. How is the FC?2. Roughly how much is the service cost?3. Spare parts very expensive?4. How the warranty for spare parts and mileage count?Thanks!!Would love to hear more about too Thanks!

 

[tIANcI]

Which 320i la?

If E90:

1. FC is pretty good for a car with its weight. If driven conservatively on highway can be as low as 7 litres/100 km
2. How much per service depends on what you do and where. If its new you got BSRI, free service. If not oil change is about RM600+ at dealership
3. Spare parts very cheap compared to those for space shuttle

 

[cooldude1234]

Thank you for your reply.

May I know are there any concerns that I need to take notice?
Do you think I should go for the upcoming 320i (new model of e90) instead for the current1?

Hmm..

 

[cooldude1234]

btw I hear some people saying that BMW only lasts for few years then problem start to arise because it is electronic based system. So if anything goes wrong then it will costs very very serious damage.

Today the salesman told me "Afraid what, by the time 3 years like that you already want to change new car"
I was like -.-" Damn..

 

[tIANcI]

Cooldude ... It seems to be true. Not just electronics but also mechanical. Many who are rich get rid of the Beemer in 3-4 years. E90 or F30 depends on you. The E90 got discounts now. The F30 320i no idea what it will be like yet.

If money is an issue for maintenance then think again. For me I feel that the E90 320i does not give that much value for money. You are paying about 240k ... If you want the brand and be seen to own a BMW then go for it. I would say the 325 gives much more value or money. It's about 265k now after discount and you will enjoy the engine and the handling. If you can squeeze the extra money then go for it.

If you are really worried about repair costs of a car then safer to stick with a Honda Accord. Get the 2.4 and sound proof her, about 3k for a good job. Add a great set of shocks, say about 8k and you are rocking.

 

[hky]

bro tIANcI, no matter how much $$$ you dump into an Accord, driving response like that of a go-kart, yet its still no where near like driving a rear wheel drive BMW. Been there done that.

 

[tIANcI]

HKY ... Yup never the same for sure. That is a fact. What I am saying is the value for money issue. My one week with the standard 320i made me feel that. Now with the discounted prices the 325 is very good value for money. Maybe in a months time it may drop to around 250k level. Lagi Best!

 

[kayzhen911]

this DUDE is definitely in the wrong forum.
enough said, how can anyone compare Civic & BMW 320i ???

 

[tIANcI]

this DUDE is definitely in the wrong forum.
enough said, how can anyone compare Civic & BMW 320i ???

kayzhen ... is he really in the WRONG forum? What is wrong for him to ask what he asked? He is NOT comparing a Civic v a BMW 320i. Read properly la. He says he is thinking BETWEEN a Civic and a 320i AND he wants to know more about the 320i. Read first la ... cannot jump to conclusion so fast.

 

[Ecc0]

btw I hear some people saying that BMW only lasts for few years then problem start to arise because it is electronic based system. So if anything goes wrong then it will costs very very serious damage.

Today the salesman told me "Afraid what, by the time 3 years like that you already want to change new car"
I was like -.-" Damn..

.. i mean....WHAT ??!! ... did they put water inside engine instead of oil so such problems arrise ?? None of my Z's (driving 4th one), and i mean NONE, ever ever ever had any problem at all..nothing..just pressure sensor once in 4 years (common thing) and thats all.. who ever told you this, either slamming that car once a day with a hammer or using water instead of oil .. other than that i just have to say LOL and that such salesman is a major joker..

 

[zeedo]

Anyway, go for 325i E90 with the huge discount.....the difference in maintenance is negligible compared to E90 320i...

 

[tIANcI]

.. other than that i just have to say LOL and that such salesman is a major joker..

I think the SA meant that most people change it in 3-4 years and not because the car wilk kantoi after 3-4 years. My bank officer told me the same. The stats are change every 3-4 years la.

 

[cooldude1234]

Thanks for everyone reply especially @tIANcI that gave a lot useful information
What I afraid the most are the electronics and mechanical :/
In this case if nothing goes wrong like that SA said
do you guys think it will be good for at least a 4 to 5 years?

Arrgh...

Thanks AgaiN!

 

[cooldude1234]

I just came across this website while searching for some reviews,

http://www.caradvice.com.au/22748/2009-bmw-320i-review-and-road-test/

After reading the comments quite upset me :/
Anyone would like to comment about it?
Thx

 

[tIANcI]

Well cared, properly maintained a car will serve you well. As for the so called expensive parts, well, it's a luxury car, it will be more expensive than say an Accord. That is how it works. I have seen some lovely E36 and E46 on the road. Looks almost like brand new. So that means the cars do last.

Regarding the review:

Heavy steering - not that heavy la, you will love it when driving hard. One thing you will note that after turning on slow speeds, it does not turn back on its own like Japanese cars. No big deal.

Hard ride - 320i ride is not that bad, seriously. Very acceptable for me. Soft enough to soak up the lousy roads we have and much firmer than Japanese cars. For me I find the 320i shocks to be a little too soft for my liking. So it's not as bad as the review makes it sound.

The engine - not smooth compared with the BMW inline 6 but it's not like a Perodua ok. There are other Japanese cars that are smoother, like say the Nissan Teana but I would say the 320i is not rougher than a 2.4 Accord.

Gearbox - its true with more torque it would be smoother in the changes but that is relative, smoother with more torque but does not mean its like a Proton. It's not as smooth as say a VW's DSG but smooth enough.

Like what's been said before, test it for yourself ... No point asking so much in forums, best to experience it yourself. Many reviews are subjective. If you want a Beemer, make sure you got cash when troubles crop up and also to do some preventive maintenance. That comes with the turf be is a Beemer or VW or Audi or even a Merc.

 

[docrayboy]

I just came across this website while searching for some reviews,

http://www.caradvice.com.au/22748/2009-bmw-320i-review-and-road-test/

After reading the comments quite upset me :/
Anyone would like to comment about it?
Thx

The 320i E90 is a very good car in terms of handling-it has the legendary E90 3 series chassis after all! The 4 cylinder N/A engine does have enough grunt, IMHO. So, there will be a lot of times, you will need to have monk-like patience and not just go for it when you have that urge to overtake/speed up from stand still etc.
If you are looking at the E90 cars, get the 325i or the 320d. And, if you then put in a chip (Vector or DTUK) into your 320d, you will have the time of your life! Eyeballs-out type of time of your life!
And remember, all the outgoing E90 320d come with M Sports specs-lowered, sportier suspensions and most have iDrives.
Live the BMW JOY!

 

[Orion]

I used to drive a Civic 2.0 for 4 years and I just changed to 320i M Sport about a month ago.

The only reason I changed :

1. Gooooood discount - RM40K+ down from original list price.
2. Comes with 5 years or 100,000 kms BS+RI i.e. don't need to even pay for oil change and servicing etc.

If the conditions were any different I wouldn't have gone for the 320i

FC ? - Civic is definately better, why? Because Civic is 200 kgs lighter than the 320i. I got RM0.14 to RM0.16 per km for Civic. For the E90, it is RM0.17 to RM0.19 per km so far. No a big difference there, my average monthly mileage is about 2,000 so that adds up to RM60 additional, no big deal. [ Secret : Company pays for my petrol! ]

Driving experience and NVH ? No comparison whatsover. The E90 win hands down. Who cares what other car can overtake you or pick up faster than yours? A souped up Kancil can do that easily. But hey, I'm the one IN the UDM enjoying life and the music! And at that speed, the Kancil fler can't even hear himself talking.

As for the Civic, you will need to spend some $$$ to reduce the cabin noise levels - especially the top, really bad when it rains, the sound is like a zinc roof. Road noise is also bad, especially when you drive on cement roads stretches on the North South Expressway. Somewhat depends on the tyres you use - Goodyear Asym 2 seems to do better but it is a soft compound tyre and will wear out rather quickly, that translates to additional $$$.

Handling - the E90 does much better and feels much more stable taking turns at high speeds [ > 120 km/h] . The Civic 2.0 comes with 17in 205mm wide tyres but the E90 M Sports comes with 17 in 225mm front and 255mm rear tyres, solid stuff. Even with run flats tyres, the cabin noise levels is much much much better the Civic.

Price - the list price of the 320i M Sport is DOUBLE that of the Civic. But hey, IT IS A BMW! It was the good discount that made the difference for me PLUS the 5 year BS+RI gave the the peace of mind [to some extent] on the "total cost of ownership" part.

Maintenance - in my 4 years ownership the servicing chanrges and 2 complete set of new tyre changes added up to RM7,500. That does NOT include the petrol of course. My little Civic served me well, I did 120,000 kms with it but it is not without problems. As I have written in other threads in this forum, the brakes gave me a lot of problems in the first 3 months of ownership. Can't say much for the E90 in this area since it is barely 1 month ... we shall see.