hybrid 1043 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 Hey guys, Been giving serious consideration to getting into a 120i Motorsport. Ideally looking at 08-09. Any experiences people can share ? good / bad / otherwise ? This will be for the Wife and I as a 'daily'. Looking also for reliability. I'm not too fussed about lots of power, more interested in fuel economy at this point in time. I still have the e30 for hooning so can get the weekend fix with that. cheers Josh Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 have you driven one.You will almost certainly like the steering brakes and agility.They are relatively small inside length wise(hatch)I have done about 30 or 40 thousand in mine now,no issues.Love the diesel, wish for a petrol every now and then.I am lucky and have a manual tho Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 Yep very fuel efficient. Has moderate power, not heaps but enough to get you along. Motorsport 1 series are a hell of a lot better looking than the non M/S. Super stiff suspension being quite a light car but handles well! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 Are the 120d models the better option given their sizable torque output? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 Better performing obviously but depends if you're after a diesel or not. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BMWTouring 20 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 they have the usual N4x series oil leaks, but apart from that they are good. I'd get a diesel personally, much better power and better economy obviously. M sport looks much nicer but alot of imports have M sport suspension which is so hard it can make you feel ill on a bad road.... i've driven tons and tons of 1 series for work and thats my findings anyway. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 the run flats make the ride harshon my 2005 any way.If you can find a 120 deisel they are about 120 kw and massive tourque i did a quick search for the tourque figures but this sums it up We were unaware that the diminutive diesel had a respectable 161 horsepower and an astonishing 251 pound-feet of torque. This, consequently, is more than can be mustered by the 2.0-liter gasoline engine (147 horsepower, 147 pound-feet of torque) in the 120i. It took about 30 seconds of driving time to realize that the 2.0-liter diesel in the 1-series is actually a performance option. This 2.0-liter feels about 50 percent larger than the numbers infer as it pulls defiantly all the way to the power peak at 4000 rpm. There's little reason to press on beyond four grand as the thrust tapers off precipitously. At lower revolutions, and after a moment of turbo lag, a party fueled by 251 pound-feet of torque suddenly breaks out at 2000 rpm. The torque hits hard and arrives suddenly, like a phone tossed to you by a disgruntled Russell Crowe. The narrow 205/55R-16 Michelin tires don't have a chance of reining in the bum's rush, and they end up screeching until the traction control dials back the throttle. Acceleration to 60 takes 7.1 seconds, with the quarter-mile arriving in 15.6 seconds at 89 mph. The 5-to-60-mph time takes a bit longer, 8.4 seconds, as the rolling start doesn't allow the car to be brake-torqued (in which, from a stop, one's left foot holds the brake firmly as the right increases throttle), which effectively eliminates turbo lag. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted February 17, 2013 cheers for the comments. Havent driven one yet no. Yeah, would love to stretch to a diesel but they seem to demanding about another 10k for the similar ks / age car. Living in Auckland is a funny thing, basically you live most of your time in traffic so you don't get to do a lot of testing the throttle more testing the brake. Will look up the nxx oil leak thing. Im sure it cant be worse than the m62 gaskets haha. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greg111 13 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 cheers for the comments. Havent driven one yet no. Yeah, would love to stretch to a diesel but they seem to demanding about another 10k for the similar ks / age car. Living in Auckland is a funny thing, basically you live most of your time in traffic so you don't get to do a lot of testing the throttle more testing the brake. Will look up the nxx oil leak thing. Im sure it cant be worse than the m62 gaskets haha. The oil leaks are on par with M62, rocker cover, vacum pump, sump, oil filter housing etc, the pcv valve and hoses block up causing an increase in pressure inside the engine thus.....oil leaks, replace everything oil gaskety and you'll have trouble free, leak free motoring.All easy stuff to replace also. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nath 134 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 Years ago mum had an auto 120i, yip the only problem was mystery fluid leak onto exhaust which BMW at the time were stumped by. Handled really well and used piss all petrol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zara 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 Bit of a left field answer here, but are you considering anything non-BMW? Economy + reliability seems to be easier found in other marques. IMO BMW hasn't really made a good hatch until the M135i. I find the 1 series' ride to be too harsh for daily in Auckland traffic without any perks to offset it (such as superb handling or power). What's your budget? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Apex 693 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 Have only driven the 130i and 123d and both were quite nice, had that typical BMW feel and were familiar. As a daily driver I would be tempted to buy something else that was brand new or ex demo instead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 Budget is about 20-30k max I'm not really interested in anything japanese. Theyre just not good enough and are always at least 5 years behind the mark. I have been looking at the Audi and Golfs but for the same years the interiors seem to not really hit the mark till the latest gen cars which are sitting about 5-10 too high for budget and to me interior design is a big + I wanted to stay RWD, as i've done my younger years in FWD and AWD and they're just not for me. I'm not so worried about the harsh ride thing, I have spent the last 10 years with either motorsport suspension and/or modified coil over suspension and the wife also. Cool guys thanks for the feedback. Always great to hear a good spread of people. If anyone has any more feel free to post it up! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted February 18, 2013 Nothing much to add but if you're not fussed about power then why not 116 or 118 auto petrol? If you want some power the a 120d would be the way to go albeit price.. You can find some cheapies around 20k or even less for the 116/118 petrol ones in a 2007 ish.. Just seems a bit of a waste when u can buy like a 325 wagon for not much more if u were to spend 30k on a 2009 model Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hi-Tek 3 Report post Posted February 19, 2013 Josh, this thread my help http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....c=41645&hl= It's one I started when I was looking for a 1 series. They all ended up being too small when taking a baby into account. We were then looking at an E90 320i wagon but finally decided the VW Golf Sportwagon was a better option and bought that. If you're factoring a baby into the equation then I'd not overlook a wagon as the 5 door hatchbacks are far too small. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hybrid 1043 Report post Posted February 19, 2013 Cheers Ollie. One I was looking at a baby in the back seat with restraint system. Looked ok for space without too many issues I sat in one in the weekend front and back and didnt have to move the seats, so they actually have enough space for us (just). The e90's in my price range are getting a bit old unfortunately. Really keen on 08-09 when we buy as it will last a 3-5years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nath 134 Report post Posted February 19, 2013 Aaaactually upon reading a comment later than my last, a memory stirs of the 120i not being a practical car to 'zip' around in as you sort of wear it to an extent, with small glass areas and generally bad vision. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted February 20, 2013 Bit of a left field answer here, but are you considering anything non-BMW? Economy + reliability seems to be easier found in other marques. IMO BMW hasn't really made a good hatch until the M135i. I find the 1 series' ride to be too harsh for daily in Auckland traffic without any perks to offset it (such as superb handling or power). What's your budget? They handle very well,have very nice steering and sharp brakes.A 135 in Auckland traffic would be about as good as a 120 i am pickin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldtimer 14 Report post Posted February 21, 2013 Bit of a left field answer here, but are you considering anything non-BMW? Economy + reliability seems to be easier found in other marques. IMO BMW hasn't really made a good hatch until the M135i. I find the 1 series' ride to be too harsh for daily in Auckland traffic without any perks to offset it (such as superb handling or power). What's your budget? What a load of bollocks ! The 130i was a great little car, many rating it the best handling BMW at the time, surpassing even the E46 M3. More recently the 123d has been lauded as a viable alternative to the Golf GTI. The 1-series hatches with their hydraulic power steering are great little cars. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
