E85 to E89 ?

M

MT94

Member
 London
Hi everyone I have come to that time in my ownership where it is almost a year and I want to change my car again I have a dilemma I have a E85 2.2 SE to be specific I have two ideas in mind one choice is a F30 3 series and one is a E89 I am 24 and fear that ill look a bit silly in a F30 that could be considered a family car, I also don't have endless money my budget would be around £12,000 I will also be tempted by a auto due to my commute mostly consisting of sitting in traffic crawling along at 20mph (London traffic) does anyone have one or both of these cars and can give an opinion on what both are like to drive I like the uniqueness of my E85 as there aren't many around compared to F30s but I also miss not having the back seats which are handy when needed but I also like the "sports car" feel of my Z4 unfortunately money limitations stop me from being able to keep my Z4 and buy a second car so I need to make my mind up and thought id ask on here as I have been given really helpful advice on here.
Cheers Matt.
 
I have looked at Audis but I do like BMWs and have heard bad things about Audi reliability with their cars and I need this as a daily so need to be able to rely on it
Matt
 
E89? Might upset some people on here but it's never been a favourite of mine and I'd never consider buying one. It's just so ugly looking.

Audi? Never heard of any problems that are any more or less than you'd get with BMW's with the volume of cars sold.

Fiesta ST?
Focus ST?
Vauxhall whatever it might be recent sporty type model?
 
skelters said:
E89? Might upset some people on here but it's never been a favourite of mine and I'd never consider buying one. It's just so ugly looking.

Audi? Never heard of any problems that are any more or less than you'd get with BMW's with the volume of cars sold.

Fiesta ST?
Focus ST?
Vauxhall whatever it might be recent sporty type model?
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You’re entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is :poke:
Rob
 
What about a 1 series coupe? There’s pretty good space for 2 in the back, and the rear seats fold down so you can slide a bike in if you need to. The 135i should give you the sports car feel you desire, and whilst it’s not the sleekest coupe, iit quite distinctive and you won’t look like a sales rep as you would do in the 3 series :) Also the 125i has 218hp and will get you to 60 on 6.5 seconds.
 
Thanks for the advice I am thinking about getting something more sporty for another year or two before I go for something sensible, would an auto feel slow compared to the manual I am used to as I am fed up with the constant gear changing and clutch riding that I have to do every evening coming home from work and I would like to stick to BMW as I like their cars more than other brands just a personal choice.
Matt.
 
Hi Matt, know the feeling of being torn about practicality vs unique/sportiness, make no mistake you will be absolutely invisible in an f30, which does have its benefits but if it bothers you then don’t do it. E89s are lovely, would be all over a 35i/is if it wasn’t for Irish import tax rules. Don’t worry about autos, modern autos are quicker than manuals and a joy to use, gone are the days of the old slushboxes. The 6 Speed ZF Auto in a 2007 335i I owned was absolutely excellent. Definitely do test drive a few cars though and see if it’s your cup of tea.

1 series is a great compromise, maybe even a 135i convertible to get the best of both worlds?
 
I do like the idea of an e89 20i more and more. The fact you can map it up to 28i guise relatively cheaply makes it seem a fair bit of car for the money.
 
Peter-E36 said:
make no mistake you will be absolutely invisible in an f30, which does have its benefits but if it bothers you then don’t do it.
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Quite like the sound of being incognito. But I personally prefer the e92 3 series.

1 series coupe (dislike the hatch) would be a great compromise all round in my opinion as well :)
 
Smartbear said:
skelters said:
E89? Might upset some people on here but it's never been a favourite of mine and I'd never consider buying one. It's just so ugly looking.

Audi? Never heard of any problems that are any more or less than you'd get with BMW's with the volume of cars sold.

Fiesta ST?
Focus ST?
Vauxhall whatever it might be recent sporty type model?
Click to expand...

You’re entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is :poke:
Rob
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I find it funny as when they are parked next to each other they are really quite alike.
Just look at group photos on here that has an E89 in amongst the E85s, they blend in and don't stand out, sometimes you have to look twice to spot them.
 
I had a Melbourne Red 2.3 M sport E89 auto a few years ago and absolutely loved it. Over the years I have had lots of cars but this one was one of my favourites. We have a 330d x drive which drives very well with plenty of power and reasonable economy and a E85 2.2. Only you can determine your priorities but unless you absolutely need the extra space I would choose the E89. Good luck with your search whatever you decide on.
 
Darkangelv2 said:
I do like the idea of an e89 20i more and more. The fact you can map it up to 28i guise relatively cheaply makes it seem a fair bit of car for the money.
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The 28i produces around 240ish bhp, the 20i can map to a higher level than that :thumbsup:
Rob
 
Smartbear said:
Darkangelv2 said:
I do like the idea of an e89 20i more and more. The fact you can map it up to 28i guise relatively cheaply makes it seem a fair bit of car for the money.
Click to expand...

The 28i produces around 240ish bhp, the 20i can map to a higher level than that :thumbsup:
Rob
Click to expand...

Even better!! :evil: :evil:
 
MT94 said:
Thanks for the advice I am thinking about getting something more sporty for another year or two before I go for something sensible, would an auto feel slow compared to the manual I am used to as I am fed up with the constant gear changing and clutch riding that I have to do every evening coming home from work and I would like to stick to BMW as I like their cars more than other brands just a personal choice.
Matt.
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As people have said, the auto on a 1 series coupe would be pretty good, although not as fast as a manual as it’s an older style auto, in the real world you wouldn’t notice. A 125i would also come well under budget which has got to be a good thing. I use to have a 123d which is the twin turbo diesel 4 pot. They are great to drive and in M spec have fantastic seats (half leather). I wouldn’t go for the diesel because of timing chain issue which cause catastrophic and very expensive failure.
 
Thanks for all your replies it’s given me some great cars to think about buying I’m a few months away from buying anything yet as I need just a little bit more saving all the more time to go test drive a few cars although I love my Zed I am leaning towards something with 4 seats the 1 series and the 335i are cars I need to look into if only the 2 series had been a little cheaper I wouldn’t even be asking the question I’d be in a 2 series coupe already.
Thanks again for all the suggestions.
Matt.
 
BMW does those 48 hour test drives for the (Mini) Clubman or something? Maybe you can wrangle something like that to fully test it out? This is normally my biggest problem, a test drive isn't normally long enough to get a real feel for a car.
 
kis said:
BMW does those 48 hour test drives for the (Mini) Clubman or something? Maybe you can wrangle something like that to fully test it out? This is normally my biggest problem, a test drive isn't normally long enough to get a real feel for a car.
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That’s why I always test drive 3!

2 decent ones which I’m not really interested in first and then my favourite one last. If I like the car I’ll buy, if not I’ll look into something else.
 
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