Opinion on 51 reg coupe 325 ci sport

[GTE TURBZ]

Today i went and test drive a bmw 325 ci sport coupe 2 door black, looks the absolute b*llocks with the 18" mv wheels. I went down in my GTE, as soon as i pulled in the sales guys like i want that, then showed me another nova he had in the back, looked like it had been sitting there for years. But i weren't there for that.

Anyway moving on, i saw the bm, the guy was giving all the chat like it was mint one owner etc, all looked quite dodgy to me, the seats were in bad shape dust everywhere, had body work done to it, few dents and crack, the price with 112k £6.5k was abit suspect too. But i was only there for one thing, the test drive.

Maybe it was a poor example, but i couldn't believe how disappointed i was with the outcome. With all due respect didnt really take it on the motorway or anything just through some country roads.

Dropped down and nailed it in 2nd, it was a slug. The GTE in comparison was far more exciting, in two minds now if i want a bmw.

That was a 325 ci, the one i was looking to get is the 320 ci which now seems will be an even bigger disappointment.

Anyone on here beg to differ?

[Mike]

Dropped down and nailed it in 2nd, it was a slug. The GTE in comparison was far more exciting, in two minds now if i want a bmw.

Bear in mind these BMW's weight near on 2 tonne, where as a Nova doesnt :thumb: there not built nor designed to be ragged about. There all about cruising along in peace and quite without the dashboard sqeaking its face off.

[Stuart]

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/BMW+3+SERIES/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-17-22-59-231-240-4294967201-4294967202/advert.action?R=200830314999039&distance=28&postcode=CM23+4DB&channel=CARS&make=BMW&model=3+SERIES&min_pr=4000&max_pr=8000&max_mileage=

bear in mind when looking at post March 2001 cars (01/51 onwards) the road tax will be ghey bands etc. Look on the parkers website as its pretty damn good for that info

[white2lSR]

Bear in mind these BMW's weight near on 2 tonne, where as a Nova doesnt :thumb: there not built nor designed to be ragged about. There all about cruising along in peace and quite without the dashboard sqeaking its face off.

id have to disagree with that. a friend of mine had a 325 coupe and it was a force to be reconed with. it handled like it was on rails and the torque was sensational,it would pull the same in any gear from anwhere in the rev range.

All in all a very cheap reliable perfamence car!

[Nick J]

Well Ive probably driven hundreds of these... A 325ci sport SHOULD be an entertaining quick drive by no means should they resemble a slug! stay well away Id say.

[Mike]

id have to disagree with that. a friend of mine had a 325 coupe and it was a force to be reconed with. it handled like it was on rails and the torque was sensational,it would pull the same in any gear from anwhere in the rev range.

All in all a very cheap reliable perfamence car!

M3's 5's have loads of hp and torque, but there not designed to be ragged about!!

I ocassionaly pimp around an E36 328 coupe, a little over 200bhp, yes it funking flies along, but BMW's were never designed to be thrashed around. Big & powerful they maybe, but costly when they break ;) *cought* vanos *cought* lol

[white2lSR]

M3's 5's have loads of hp and torque, but there not designed to be ragged about!!

I ocassionaly pimp around an E36 328 coupe, a little over 200bhp, yes it funking flies along, but BMW's were never designed to be thrashed around. Big & powerful they maybe, but costly when they break ;) *cought* vanos *cought* lol

Agreed:roll:

i run a e46 4 pot it has the power of a sausage lol

if a lovely car, but it did go wrong and it did cost a fortune to fix. that was just the once, its done 150K now and never skips a beat

[Ben]

lmao you mean you admit to buying a 4 cylinder BMW? lmao

[white2lSR]

its ok as a daily driver. good MPG and only £200 a year fully comp.

i couldnt afford to run a 6 pot! ive got the nova for weekends

[Ben]

TBH i like the E46 a lot, will be getting the M3 when i get my payrise in the next few months.

[lee 16v]

my old 325i sport was fast but it dont feel as fast as a small car, the power is alot smother to start with. and as the bmw is better made you cant tell your going as fast. if the one you drove is as slow as you say, its prob got something wrong with it. and with bmws the gears might not be the same from car to car, you can get a 325i sport and a 325i and the gear box isnt the same and depending on what year the dif might not be the same. im talking about a E30 but the E36 is the same with the 328i and the 328i sport so im guessing its the sme with the E46.

i also wouldnt say a bmw costs anymore to fix that any other car of the same class and year. my old E30 cost less for brakes and stuff (other than the extra leads and plugs) than my old cav gsi. the oly thing wth bmw there RWD so more to brake. the amount of diff and prop probs people have with the older ones. its a pain in the ****.

if your getting a bmw pay good money and get a nice one or it will cost you more in the end. but that goes for any car really

[7ova]

i've had a few bm's a e36 318, e46 325 ci and a e46 320 ci sport

and the e46 320 ci sport (manual) 04 plate was the best by far
i dont know if it was that the 325 was auto triptronic
and the 320 was manual
but the 320 ci was quicker,

im sorry to say i sold it about nine months ago :cry:

[Nobby]

i raced a bmw 328 at santa pod at the retro show in my xe gave my nova a good race didnt beat me but not that far back was quite surprised as it was a wagon aswell!!

[L33 LEG]

when i first drove my e36 325i, i went from a gsi (so similar to you), and it felt proper slow for the first day but then as you get used to the car and how to drive it, u realise how much the car pulls. its such a smoother ride and now, it feels alot quicker than the old nova.

the one you test drove probably was a dog by the sounds of it, but imo a 10min test drive isnt enough to see how great these cars are. i havnt regretted it one bit, even when my rear diff broke just 5 weeks later lol

[Matt GTE]

when i first drove my e36 325i, i went from a gsi (so similar to you), and it felt proper slow for the first day but then as you get used to the car and how to drive it, u realise how much the car pulls. its such a smoother ride and now, it feels alot quicker than the old nova.

the one you test drove probably was a dog by the sounds of it, but imo a 10min test drive isnt enough to see how great these cars are. i havnt regretted it one bit, even when my rear diff broke just 5 weeks later lol
I'd agree with that having gone from a Vectra GSi to an E36 328i 3 weeks ago. At first it didn't feel that quick but I'm getting used to it now and it is actually quite lively, the smooth delivery and quietness hides it.

[GTE TURBZ]

Yeah think i just have to accept that its a different type of vehicle, i did read however that the 320 ci (2.2l) is the best engine to get out and up to the 2.5L range.

As said before this one might have just been a poor example, but i have yet to test drive more to get a better gauge. The trouble with getting a BMW coupe is they come in big blocks and to get any serious power/fun, i recon you need atleast a 2.8. The later ones i.e. 2003 onward have the diesel option which is more costly. Its either that or an old shape TT, with i think come better choice engines (i.e with turbo)

[DaveyLC]

As above I'd go for a W/X reg and save on the tax and price..

Get an early E46 320td coupe.. :)

[7ova]

allso if you can afford it try to get the sport model,
you get a lot of extra kit for your money.
you will buy a se model and wished you had the
sport and start buying the extra parts.

my last bmw 320 ci sport was a 2.2
great engine :thumb:

[Novasport]

320Cd or 330Cd M Sport all the way, had one a couple of years ago as a company car and I loved it.
I have a choice of most 1 or 3 series but I prefer the diesels, I'm running a 120d at the minute and its geat fun to drive.

[GTE TURBZ]

Didnt think you could get a diesel in the early coupes especially a sport. Ive driven a 320d 07 plate 170 hp standard and its quick, would ideally be far better than a big lump petrol and more fun.

[lee 16v]

one over thing you need to watch is the vanos (dont know if thats the right spelling) but i know it goes tits up on the E46 and costs a lot to get done. i dont know the ins and outs about it, but something you should find out about. and the earlyer E46 and a block that went wrong. so the changed it in the later ones, something else to look out for.

and they did do diesels in the early bmws even in the E30