BMW 1 series

[RobM]

Hi all, I'm not very car-minded but the time has come to change my car (stolen/recovered).

I'm thinking of a BMW 1 series, small enough, a bit whizzy, maybe lacking interior space (I haven't investigated yet).

Are these cars a good buy?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Ask Mrs Blue, she's like Jeremy Clarkson in a dress.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Hi all, I'm not very car-minded but the time has come to change my car (stolen/recovered).

I'm thinking of a BMW 1 series, small enough, a bit whizzy, maybe lacking interior space (I haven't investigated yet).

Are these cars a good buy?

No, simple really. Over priced and under whelming unless you pay for all the extras and upgrades - in which case you might as well have bought a different car.
Compare the 1 series to a Fiesta ST and the winner on value and performance is the Ford. How much for image?
Try an Alfa, these days they are good to drive, good prices and not so shabby on resale values as they were in the dark days.

 

[Mad Cyril]

No, simple really. Over priced and under whelming unless you pay for all the extras and upgrades - in which case you might as well have bought a different car.
Compare the 1 series to a Fiesta ST and the winner on value and performance is the Ford. How much for image?
Try an Alfa, these days they are good to drive, good prices and not so shabby on resale values as they were in the dark days.

Don't get it wet though.

 

[mrsblue]

Hi all, I'm not very car-minded but the time has come to change my car (stolen/recovered).

I'm thinking of a BMW 1 series, small enough, a bit whizzy, maybe lacking interior space (I haven't investigated yet).

Are these cars a good buy?

Bit of poo IMO ,the handling is all over the place and they are vastly overpriced when new.

If you want something quick and fairly cheap secondhand,try the Volvo top of the range 2 door ,has the focus ST engine ,quality build and second hand are cheap.

MK I love it.

 

[steveo]

New or used Rob?

 

[RobM]

New or used Rob?

Oh definitely used. I need the space in the boot for speakers etc. so if they don't fit, the car is not much use.

 

[londonblue]

Hi all, I'm not very car-minded but the time has come to change my car (stolen/recovered).

I'm thinking of a BMW 1 series, small enough, a bit whizzy, maybe lacking interior space (I haven't investigated yet).

Are these cars a good buy?

I have one. I love it. Great little car, although I went for the M Sport coupe rather than the sports hatch because I personally don't like the shape of the sports hatch. I don't know what the standard car is like, but the M Sport is seriously solid, and holds the road really well.

 

[Hotman]

someone did you the favour of stealing your old hairdresser car, and you're buying another sharon special?! :blush::blush:

 

[Ricey]

I was looking after one of the lads at works car it's a Hyundai i40. He bought it because he looked at the equivalent in BMW or Audi and for the money they were both very basic. This i40 had all the optional extras for the price of a basic model BMW or Audi. These days it's worth looking at some of the other brands like Kia, Hyundai, etc. They make very good cars and have all the extras for a more affordable price.

 

[RobM]

someone did you the favour of stealing your old hairdresser car, and you're buying another sharon special?! :blush::blush:

The car that was stolen was a Mercedes A class.

 

[Pubey]

I was looking after one of the lads at works car it's a Hyundai i40. He bought it because he looked at the equivalent in BMW or Audi and for the money they were both very basic. This i40 had all the optional extras for the price of a basic model BMW or Audi. These days it's worth looking at some of the other brands like Kia, Hyundai, etc. They make very good cars and have all the extras for a more affordable price.

My inlaws had a nearly-new Hyundai for 3 months before selling it and getting a VW. I think while they fill them with kit and they look excellent value for money, their engines are relatively underpowered, and a lot of the elements lack refinement (suspension, road noise etc), now for some people that's fine and so a Hyundai (or Skoda, for example) are terrific value for money. However, some people are willing to pay more.

My missus has a brand new Skoda Fabia and it's a superb car, well kitted out and excellent value for money, however my Golf (and the Polo we test drove drove) are just better in multiple ways, and so it depends on what's important and what your budget is.

Having said that, I've very tempted to maybe trade in the Golf next year for the new Skoda Kodiaq, which looks excellent on paper in terms of performance, price and style. Part of me doesn't want to be a single-brand household though!

Regarding the BMW 1-series, never really been a fan of the styling, and as Hitman says, they seem a bit girly.

 

[Ricey]

My inlaws had a nearly-new Hyundai for 3 months before selling it and getting a VW. I think while they fill them with kit and they look excellent value for money, their engines are relatively underpowered, and a lot of the elements lack refinement (suspension, road noise etc), now for some people that's fine and so a Hyundai (or Skoda, for example) are terrific value for money. However, some people are willing to pay more.

My missus has a brand new Skoda Fabia and it's a superb car, well kitted out and excellent value for money, however my Golf (and the Polo we test drove drove) are just better in multiple ways, and so it depends on what's important and what your budget is.

Having said that, I've very tempted to maybe trade in the Golf next year for the new Skoda Kodiaq, which looks excellent on paper in terms of performance, price and style. Part of me doesn't want to be a single-brand household though!

Regarding the BMW 1-series, never really been a fan of the styling, and as Hitman says, they seem a bit girly.

I would love the new Skoda Octavia VRS estate! Such a nice car and looks miles better than the Passat imo.

Don't know what was wrong with your inlaws Hyundai but the i40 was really good. Had a good engine with a bit of poke if required, minimal road noise when on a motorway, comfortable. I've had BMW's and Alfa's before and this was one of the best cars I've driven over a long journey. 2nd only to my Dad's Jag XF which is really comfortable and almost like you're being shauffeur driven everywhere.

 

[Pubey]

I would love the new Skoda Octavia VRS estate! Such a nice car and looks miles better than the Passat imo.

Don't know what was wrong with your inlaws Hyundai but the i40 was really good. Had a good engine with a bit of poke if required, minimal road noise when on a motorway, comfortable. I've had BMW's and Alfa's before and this was one of the best cars I've driven over a long journey. 2nd only to my Dad's Jag XF which is really comfortable and almost like you're being shauffeur driven everywhere.

My brother inlaw is a Skoda dealer (hence the VW/Skoda family!) and his regular car is an Octavia VRS estate which I borrowed while my Golf had a service - fantastic car and very quick

 

[londonblue]

My inlaws had a nearly-new Hyundai for 3 months before selling it and getting a VW. I think while they fill them with kit and they look excellent value for money, their engines are relatively underpowered, and a lot of the elements lack refinement (suspension, road noise etc), now for some people that's fine and so a Hyundai (or Skoda, for example) are terrific value for money. However, some people are willing to pay more.

I've made this point before on a thread a few years ago, but it's relevant again here. My wife has a Rav 4 and I have a BMW 1 series. Whilst it's true I paid extra for certain things that are standard on my wife's car, the quality of the BMW makes the extra money at least worth consideration.

Two examples are the heated seats and the cruise control. On my wife's car both are standard, but with the heated seats only a small section of the seat heats up, and my wife continually complains that it doesn't actually heat up where she would like it, i.e. the small of her back. With the BMW the entire seat warms up.

With the cruise control, on the Rav you turn it on, and then get the car going the speed you want, and then set the speed. Then you can take your foot off the pedal. However, if you were going downhill at the time, and didn't have your foot on the accelerator (or didn't have it down enough to maintain the same speed on the flat) then the car would eventually just slow down until it stops. The same would happen if you happened to have your foot on the brake when you set the speed. On the BMW it is far more intuitive. You get a digital readout, you set the speed you want (which by default is the speed the car is currently doing) and the car does the rest.

Trying to accelerate and decelerate with the cruise control on is also easier with the BMW. With the Rav you use the control to speed up (or slow down) but have to use the speedometer to judge the right speed, which isn't all that accurate because (inevitably) there's a delay between setting the speed and the car actually getting there. This means that you find yourself spending too much time looking at your speedo rather than out the window. Again, with the BMW you just set the speed on the digital display and let the car do the rest.

Now I know that these two extras won't be everyone's cup of tea, but they are just examples of how much better the extras are on a BMW than when standard on "lower end" cars.

All BMWs also have auto stop/start which means that when the car is stationary the engine cuts out to save fuel. I'm not sure how many of the low end cars have the same feature.

 

[Mr Plow]

Check out http://www.babybmw.net which has tons of info on the 1 series, I used it a lot when I ordered my 120D Sport for a company car last year. There isn't a great deal of room in the back but usually I'm the only one in it so it's not a problem.

You should be able to get some great deals on a slightly older 1 series as the current model refresh (known as LCI or Life Cycle Impulse) came out last year.

 

[Hotman]

The car that was stolen was a Mercedes A class.

Thanks for the confirmation! :happy:

 

[Floval Flyer]

Problem with Beemers is they are priced high when new and have strong residuals, meaning 2nd hand they aren't really value for money,

If you're going for a 2nd hand small car, then the previously mentioned Skoda Fabia is a good choice. VAG pedigree without paying for the badge (VW or Audi), also heard a lot of positives about SEAT, another VAG mark,

Also Toyota Auris, very good and reliable, and also Ford Fiesta. Common, yes but best B car on the road. Ive got a Fiesta ST3, bought it new - best small car ive ever owned.

Couple of blokes at work drive KIAs, nowt but trouble.. would avoid those.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

£300 ford transit,loads of space for your speakers and should if you are lucky get you from a to b,for cruise control just add a brick to the peddle and for heated seats just put deep heat on them.

 

[united we stand]

I've made this point before on a thread a few years ago, but it's relevant again here. My wife has a Rav 4 and I have a BMW 1 series. Whilst it's true I paid extra for certain things that are standard on my wife's car, the quality of the BMW makes the extra money at least worth consideration.

Two examples are the heated seats and the cruise control. On my wife's car both are standard, but with the heated seats only a small section of the seat heats up, and my wife continually complains that it doesn't actually heat up where she would like it, i.e. the small of her back. With the BMW the entire seat warms up.

With the cruise control, on the Rav you turn it on, and then get the car going the speed you want, and then set the speed. Then you can take your foot off the pedal. However, if you were going downhill at the time, and didn't have your foot on the accelerator (or didn't have it down enough to maintain the same speed on the flat) then the car would eventually just slow down until it stops. The same would happen if you happened to have your foot on the brake when you set the speed. On the BMW it is far more intuitive. You get a digital readout, you set the speed you want (which by default is the speed the car is currently doing) and the car does the rest.

Trying to accelerate and decelerate with the cruise control on is also easier with the BMW. With the Rav you use the control to speed up (or slow down) but have to use the speedometer to judge the right speed, which isn't all that accurate because (inevitably) there's a delay between setting the speed and the car actually getting there. This means that you find yourself spending too much time looking at your speedo rather than out the window. Again, with the BMW you just set the speed on the digital display and let the car do the rest.

Now I know that these two extras won't be everyone's cup of tea, but they are just examples of how much better the extras are on a BMW than when standard on "lower end" cars.

All BMWs also have auto stop/start which means that when the car is stationary the engine cuts out to save fuel. I'm not sure how many of the low end cars have the same feature.

another way of looking at this is the Rav4 is dumb - the BMW is 'normal' Whgat youa re describing is in no way unique to BMW or other expensive cars