New member and eventually new E89 owner.
- Thread starter mattm
- Start date
Not all 326Ms break. My car is now 9 years old, has original 326s (and Bridgestone RFTs) and all four wheels are absolutely fine and have never cracked or been repaired. They are 19" and were a cost option on the M-sport.mattm said:
Also don't discount the 18i, it the same car as the 20i just with 25 less bhp from the factory and a different stick-on side badge. For £299 a plug and play remap will make any N20 the same power as the 28i (or slightly more). Because the 18i was the 'entry level', they are less to buy used, so represent better VFM to the equivalent 20i or 28i.
HTH
Hi Matt, I've had 326ms on mine for 7 years without issue. 296s are prone to cracks I've looked at other Bmw 19" alloys and found that quite a few suffer the same. I had the same problem with Jag alloys, wheel repair specialist told me all large alloys can suffer due to the conditions of our roads. I've just had a 22" Rangerover Overfinch alloy repaired, you can't buy a single replacement wheel - £8k to replace the set!
Thanks again for the info,
I wont ignore 326's (which is good since most models seem to have them) I do intend to replace the RFT's with normal tyres in any case.
Thanks for the info on the 18i that will help widen my search.
Seems like it would make sense to buy a 18i or 20i and remap it to a 28i. I do intend to get the BMW insured warranty though so will have to see if a remap is a no go.
I wont ignore 326's (which is good since most models seem to have them) I do intend to replace the RFT's with normal tyres in any case.
Thanks for the info on the 18i that will help widen my search.
Seems like it would make sense to buy a 18i or 20i and remap it to a 28i. I do intend to get the BMW insured warranty though so will have to see if a remap is a no go.
Hello Matt and welcome - I wanted the face-lift E89 model or LCI as referred to from BMW and ended up in a 2013 Sapphire Black model with 325's. The car was great and the performance was fine for me. The only issue was the sound - I came to the car having previously owned a 23i and multiple six cylinder E85’s & Z3's. I just couldn't get used to the sound of the N20 - appreciate it's personal preference but for me it has to be an inline 6 engine to appreciate the full experience of top down motoring.
So now I'm moving back to a 2010 23i model which has the 2.5l N52 engine - soon as I drove it I knew that it was the right choice for me. As suggested definitely worth driving the different models if you can to see which you prefer but appreciate that may be a challenge where you are.
Think Estoril Blue is a great colour choice by the way and just a shame it wasn't available on the 23i and 30i cars.
Most importantly enjoy the search - if you buy wisely and subsequently change your mind you shouldn't be losing to much if any money if you sell to get in to a other model
So now I'm moving back to a 2010 23i model which has the 2.5l N52 engine - soon as I drove it I knew that it was the right choice for me. As suggested definitely worth driving the different models if you can to see which you prefer but appreciate that may be a challenge where you are.
Think Estoril Blue is a great colour choice by the way and just a shame it wasn't available on the 23i and 30i cars.
Most importantly enjoy the search - if you buy wisely and subsequently change your mind you shouldn't be losing to much if any money if you sell to get in to a other model
mattm said:
Hi Matt, unfortunately those two things don’t go hand in hand, remapped\ = no BMW warranty for pretty much everything
If you don't get a remap for warranty purposes, then I would discount the 18i. In standard guise the engine is awful, as it is strangled to keep the output down and is not good to drive. Mine felt like a restricted motorbike, just as it started to get 'on song' everything stopped. Completely different once 'released', though.mattm said:
The 28i would be good, as full power and warranty friendly. Unfortunately they command a premium over the other N20s. With your budget, you should easily get a good one, though.
when did the 3.0 6's stop then, at lci? that would be my choice too with a tidy budget, I guess that would rule out Estorils also tho although there is the deep sea blue of course which is miles better
mr.tourette said:when did the 3.0 6's stop then, at lci? that would be my choice too with a tidy budget, I guess that would rule out Estorils also tho although there is the deep sea blue of course which is miles better
23i /30i production ceased August 2011..LCI was September 2012 on
B21 said:mr.tourette said:when did the 3.0 6's stop then, at lci? that would be my choice too with a tidy budget, I guess that would rule out Estorils also tho although there is the deep sea blue of course which is miles better
23i /30i production ceased August 2011..LCI was September 2012 on
Didn’t lci production start in September 2013? :?
Rob
Gwest44 said:Hello Matt and welcome - I wanted the face-lift E89 model or LCI as referred to from BMW and ended up in a 2013 Sapphire Black model with 325's. The car was great and the performance was fine for me. The only issue was the sound - I came to the car having previously owned a 23i and multiple six cylinder E85’s & Z3's. I just couldn't get used to the sound of the N20 - appreciate it's personal preference but for me it has to be an inline 6 engine to appreciate the full experience of top down motoring.
So now I'm moving back to a 2010 23i model which has the 2.5l N52 engine - soon as I drove it I knew that it was the right choice for me. As suggested definitely worth driving the different models if you can to see which you prefer but appreciate that may be a challenge where you are.
Think Estoril Blue is a great colour choice by the way and just a shame it wasn't available on the 23i and 30i cars.
Most importantly enjoy the search - if you buy wisely and subsequently change your mind you shouldn't be losing to much if any money if you sell to get in to a other model
Great advice there, thank you.
Pondrew said:If you don't get a remap for warranty purposes, then I would discount the 18i. In standard guise the engine is awful, as it is strangled to keep the output down and is not good to drive. Mine felt like a restricted motorbike, just as it started to get 'on song' everything stopped. Completely different once 'released', though.mattm said:
The 28i would be good, as full power and warranty friendly. Unfortunately they command a premium over the other N20s. With your budget, you should easily get a good one, though.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the 18i. Without doubt I'm going to have to try to drive a 4pot and a 6pot to make sure I make an informed decision.
