little'un

iTrader: (9)

Any feedback on this model either petrol or diesel please



L'u

LG John

I've always been impressed with the 3.0 in BMW's 3-series from a performance point of view. In a top end gasto-blast with a 330 cab recently I could only crawl past very, very slowly in the s2000

little'un

iTrader: (9)

how much of a let down would it be to get back into a N/A car?

The Zohan

Track day organised by a client at Rockingham Raceway last year.
I drove one around a track for two sessions of 12 laps or so, i think it had the sports/Mtech suspension and was very, very impressed with the handling and performance of the Petrol, never driven the diesel but a few on here have them and seem very pleased. Then drove the M3 whicha as quicker but did not feel much quicker, cannot remember the laptimes.

I would have one anly i do not find the 3 series has a lot of room for two adults and two kids.

Build quality was great

LG John

I got used to going back to n/a quite quickly. I miss the big shove sometimes but I still have the perfomance and I get to enjoy constant, non-stop push all the way to the redline, etc, etc.

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

I think I may get one of these (allways fancied one)

I had an e46 323i and that was quite a nice car, quite nippy for something I didn't even think would pull the skin of a rice pudding.

I pleaded with my mate to buy one when he was looking at e46's but he ended up with a 318i

I actually prefer the look of the saloons, I'd like one in the dark metallic grey with a set of CSL wheels on.

SJJ84

I brought one in September, a very nice car for the money. Reasonably quick but not earth shattering. Has electric everything, running costs aren't too bad either. The diesels are meant to be really good as well, if not better, but they are slightly more costly as you can't get them as old.

billythekid

Driving one at the moment while my car is in the body shop. Its a 330iMsport. Driven it a few times in the last few years as its my parents car and I borrow it now and then when I need too. My feelings are:

Brilliant engine, loads of low down torque and no real flat spots, over 4000rpm its very strong and sounds nice too. Gearbox (auto) is nice, smooth and in sport mode I think it revs an extra 500rpm befor up changes. It is anoying sometimes as it wont let you change down even though you would be no where near the limiter, presume this is to preserve the clutch. Speaking of the drive train, they all have an open diff, so you will easily spin the inside wheel up, which for me is very anoying. (Does not do it with the DSC on though). The build is nice, the car I am driving is almost 5 years old but only has the odd rattle or squeak. Doors still sound nice when you slam them shut, leather has worn ok - car has only done 20k miles though. Handling, its not bad. I dont throw it around as its not my car, but on the occasions I have pushed it hard you do tend to get quite a bit of U/S. If you turn the DSC off (hold down DSC for 5 seconds) then you can provoke it but as I said above, lack of LSD can take the fun out of it. Realiability seems good, although its only done a few miles. Only other niggle is the pedal box, it seems off set to the right, which makes me feel a bit twisted when driving.

AudiLover

Dont buy one till the new 3 series coupe is out.

mxo

My last car was a 330Ci sport auto and I have to say that I wasn't that impressed by the ownership experience.

My main problem was one of reliability. The engine management warning light kept coming on resulting in the car switching itself into "get home" mode. The dealer was happy to try to fix the problem but in the end it felt like they were just randomly switching out parts but they never fixed it fully. I also had an electrical glitch which resulted in the light flicking off and on when going over a hard bump in the road.

The other niggle was that the ride quality wasn't that good on anything other than smooth roads, which I don't seem to have a lot off round this way. Ride on my 05 wrx is a fair bit easier to live with.

On the plus side the engine is great and the car is by no means slow. Leather interior is a must as I found it much better than the cloth on my mates 325Ci.


Mike

big MO

Ditto a lot of the above remarks. I had a 330ci vert for a year until October last year. Slammed her low on 19s.Ride got harsh after the mods. Put a CAI into the engine and boy did she roar. Pick up was good too. Miss her now. Quality car and a bling bang in Oriental Blue and chrome.

turboman786

Ive currently got a 330ci sport convertible, its asuperb car in almost every respect...the only 'fault' i find is that it is heavy on fuel round town, manages about 18mpg....which is pretty poor, but the engine sounds lovely, pulls well, and the handling etc is excellent.

misty

I,ve just got rid of a 330i. Just too smooth for their own good.......
dave:-)