1 series coupe 120D M sport

[stevedavo86]

Hey guys

Looking for some advice on the above referenced car.

2011, Manual, 2.0L diesel, 56k on the clock....dealer looking for £8,800

Seems to be in good condition apart from a Couple of scuffs on the alloys and various stone chips on the bodywork. also a small pimple dent on the side of the car which the dealer claims will be sorted prior to sale.

Pics attached....has anyone owned one of these before?

 

[stevedavo86]

More pics..

 

[jabber]

I have owned a couple of 120d msport convertibles not quite the same I know but found them to be reasonably fun and the ecu can be remapped to increasse its performance significantly
The only downside was the rear seats not great for passengers but the coupe may be better

 

[jamie_z4]

my ex had a 118d m sport coupe.

couldnt really fault it, always thought it could have done with a bit more oomph, so the 120d should be more than adaquate.

They are a good all round motor, just be aware the timing chain tensioner will probably be an issue on that particuar car ( google N47 Timing chain tensioner)

 

[Lynchy]

Currently on our second 123d msport. A good car with good economy and performance. Ours eats up the miles on long distances. I don't know wether that is a good price or not but it doesn't have any goodies except the optional wheels. If it's the 120d msport you are after have a look around as I'm sure you'll get more for your money .

 

[mr wilks]

They are a good all round motor, just be aware the timing chain tensioner will probably be an issue on that particuar car ( google N47 Timing chain tensioner)

Good point J , we had a 120d but on my Indy advice bought a early pre DPF model as the chain / tensioners is a known weak spot & especially so if the car has only been covering town mileage where the DPF has not been burning off as intended this in turn leads to excessive heat & then chain stretch or tensioner troubles which are both a bitch to get to because they were designed "for life" & are at the back of the engine meaning high labour costs for a repair
Good oil regularly is vital so make sure its had all its services & ideally not on the max mileages which imo are way too infrequent at 15k/16k & look to change every 6-8k once bought .
A cheeky remap on them makes a pretty wick machine

 

[85genius]

When you test drive it listen to and feel for the clutch slipping as can be a problem with this model and possibly quite expensive to fix

 

[idej_z4]

When you test drive it listen to and feel for the clutch slipping as can be a problem with this model and possibly quite expensive to fix

I've owned the exact same model at about the same milage...a few months into ownership and I had to have the clutch and flywheel replaced - it was very expensive!

Also did the remap and the torque you get is well worth it. :evil: the remap also helps with with fuel economy as well. I could get more than 600 miles out of mine on long distance trips to London and back.

Bit of a harsh ride on the runflats, but other than that I loved the car, in fact, I'm considering get another as a second (but this time I would go for the 123D for the extra power).

I'd also say looking at the options you've got £8.8k is a little high.

 

[stevedavo86]

When you test drive it listen to and feel for the clutch slipping as can be a problem with this model and possibly quite expensive to fix

I've owned the exact same model at about the same milage...a few months into ownership and I had to have the clutch and flywheel replaced - it was very expensive!

Also did the remap and the torque you get is well worth it. :evil: the remap also helps with with fuel economy as well. I could get more than 600 miles out of mine on long distance trips to London and back.

Bit of a harsh ride on the runflats, but other than that I loved the car, in fact, I'm considering get another as a second (but this time I would go for the 123D for the extra power).

I'd also say looking at the options you've got £8.8k is a little high.

What sort of price do you think I should try negotiate? What are these additional options you speak of? Like I said there is a few blemishes with the car exterior which I was going to try use a bargaining point anyway

With regards to the clutch i am not 100% mechanically minded, when I take the car for a test drive what exactly am I looking for?

 

[stevedavo86]

Currently on our second 123d msport. A good car with good economy and performance. Ours eats up the miles on long distances. I don't know wether that is a good price or not but it doesn't have any goodies except the optional wheels. If it's the 120d msport you are after have a look around as I'm sure you'll get more for your money .

What are the 'additional goodies' you would normally expect to see? I note that within the spec it mentions something about some enhanced lighting package?

 

[idej_z4]

When you test drive it listen to and feel for the clutch slipping as can be a problem with this model and possibly quite expensive to fix

I've owned the exact same model at about the same milage...a few months into ownership and I had to have the clutch and flywheel replaced - it was very expensive!

Also did the remap and the torque you get is well worth it. :evil: the remap also helps with with fuel economy as well. I could get more than 600 miles out of mine on long distance trips to London and back.

Bit of a harsh ride on the runflats, but other than that I loved the car, in fact, I'm considering get another as a second (but this time I would go for the 123D for the extra power).

I'd also say looking at the options you've got £8.8k is a little high.

What sort of price do you think I should try negotiate? What are these additional options you speak of? Like I said there is a few blemishes with the car exterior which I was going to try use a bargaining point anyway

With regards to the clutch i am not 100% mechanically minded, when I take the car for a test drive what exactly am I looking for?

Mine had leather, heated seats, parking sensors front and back, storage pack, cruise control, angel eyes.

I sold mine for less than you're being offered it at and it was in mint condition (no marks anywhere or on alloys) with a few extras added by me (ZHP gear knob, silver pedals etc).

As far as the clutch goes...I started noticing a vibration in the gear stick and pedal. It was when this got bad I took it in.

 

[Lynchy]

We've got electric heated leather seats , sensors back and front, electric tilt slide sunroof . Auto with paddles . Puddle lights . On our last one we had all this plus a built in hard drive with sat nav and live traffic info . Cruise control as well .

 

[Mr Tidy]

Hi OP,

I had a 123d for 6 and a half years and 81K miles before I bought my first Z4. (A great car, but looking back I think a 120d may have been a better option as an all-rounder. I believe the 123d is lower geared to make it seem even more responsive, but it would have been better on the motorway with higher gearing).

However if you want a bit more grunt for the 120d I'm pretty sure there was a factory option of a 20bhp upgrade 120d which ought to offer the best of both worlds!

I bought my 123d as a pre-reg when I was doing business miles, and once I stopped doing that I started to go off it when the battery died at 4 and a half years (AGM-type so needs coding on the OBD so replacement cost £250), then the starter motor died at just over 6 years (replacement cost £600 at a main dealer). I put these 2 items down to the stop/start malarkey, so if you turn that off they should last much longer!

The final straw was all the N47 cam-chain horror stories I was reading (this was before BMW bit the bullet with the "Quality Enhancement" programme). From what I read it seemed earlier models sometimes needed a new crankshaft as well as all the cam-drive components, and mine was September 07 so I bailed out before it could happen!

Saying that I suspect there are millions of N47 engines that had no cam-chain problems, it's just if it does happen the cost is astronomical and it tends to get posted! You could always try to find out if it has had any work done and/or get a warranty for some peace of mind.

I can't really help with price - your best bet is probably to compare with whatever others that are on the market.

BTW I had to laugh at idej-jedi and Lynchey listing cruise as an extra - my E87 and both my E46s had it as standard! Like parking sensors and MFSW it's only an extra on the cheap-skate Z4. My E46 Sport even has a ZHP as standard!