Alphamail Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Nice pics Dave. Can't log on to galleries to create my own. I know. I'll draw it, that would be easier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hopsta Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Nice pics Dave. Can't log on to galleries to create my own. I know. I'll draw it, that would be easier! [/ QUOTE ] You don't log into the gallery, that's reserved for the Gallery Stig :secert:, instructions can be found here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair_A3 Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 James im sure running her right from the start would be fine. My current and previous A3 and my caterham were ex demos, im sure they were ragged from day one. Especially the caterham Although since then i have totally overhauled the engine with high performance parts and forged pistons and polished ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Thanks for the advice DD. I'll give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Alastair, I'm sure you are right, I've started to do things by the book which is worrying! Your Caterham sounds terrific, great car strategy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 I can't believe it but I've done it. It's in gallery two of the 1 series section, five shots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallachie Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] I can't believe it but I've done it. It's in gallery two of the 1 series section, five shots. [/ QUOTE ] Lovely car mate, now get drifting around those greasy roundabouts!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Thanks Mills, don't worry, I will. Even my girlfriend loves it and she's a 330 convertible owner/snob . Trouble is, she wants to borrow it and I know I can say goodbye to those immaculate rims if I allow her to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveknott Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 James, that is one sweet looking car! Makes me jealous just looking at it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair_A3 Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Alastair, I'm sure you are right, I've started to do things by the book which is worrying! Your Caterham sounds terrific, great car strategy. [/ QUOTE ] Thanks James i'll PM you some pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Dave, go get one quickly, it'll be bedded in by Spring, I mean the car of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Great stuff Alastair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair_A3 Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Great stuff Alastair [/ QUOTE ] You have a PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabus Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Don't get me wrong - lovely car an' all that. I've had several M3's culminating with an M3 CSL so I do love my BMW's and rear-wheel drive. That said - if I had the choice between the 130 and R32 I'd still take the R32 (have had extended test drives in both) 130 is cramped, not especially fast and over-priced. Just my opinion of course! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 One man's meat is another man's poison. I've done the same, ie test driven both, I preferred the 130, I agree with EVO mag, it just takes the biscuit. It may not be expecially fast, depends what you are comparing it with, if it's the R32, again I refer to EVO (Dec issue road test), the r32 is quicker up to 60-70 then the 130 really kicks in and dusts it. The way I drive there'd be even less in it between them, I leave the tenths of seconds to the pro's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveknott Posted January 30, 2006 Report Share Posted January 30, 2006 The only reason that R32 is quicker than the 130i to 60 is due to superior 4WD traction. The engine in the 130 is superior - and, as the EVO test proved, delivers far closer to its quoted power output than the R32's..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphamail Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 [ QUOTE ] The only reason that R32 is quicker than the 130i to 60 is due to superior 4WD traction. The engine in the 130 is superior - and, as the EVO test proved, delivers far closer to its quoted power output than the R32's..... [/ QUOTE ] Agreed Dave. I drove down to Worthing on the A24 on Sunday, still sticking to my pedantic 4,500 rpm, I just can't stop smiling, it's just so much fun. I did have the back end out a few times, but at no stage did I feel that the car would do something without prior warning, it felt very controllable. Maybe if I was on a track day it would become frustrating and I would possibly yearn for LSD, but for general road work it just brings back the feeling of fun that I remember so well before driver controls were introduced. The chasis is blissful. 25o miles to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin275 Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 I’m very late coming in on this, but anyway….! You might think I’m a little biased because I’ve recently bought my wife a 130i M Sport, but it was chosen after a lot of thought and a number of test drives and for all the right reasons (imo of course!) Now, if I can go back to Top Gear and Clarkson for a second… I like Clarkson, he’s a great entertainer (imho), but I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him when it comes to car reviews! As pointed out earlier in the thread, the Golf is a little more spacious inside than the 130, but he definitely didn’t have the seat in the Golf set for him when he sat in the back. The boot in both cars are very similar as far as I could tell. (the R32 has a smaller boot than the GTI because of the 4WD system). I watched a re-run of that episode recently and when he finished the segment on the track he said the BMW was a better car to drive, but it then became rubbish because of the price and the space. Now we know the space thing isn’t exactly true and the price argument is hogwash as well. The R32 he tested was more expensive than he said and when you compare them like for like, they are pretty much the same price. I can’t remember the exact spec of the R32, but apart from having Xenons, it isn’t as well equipped at the 130 M Sport. You can also get a discount on the 130, which makes it cheaper than the R32. VW stealers are charging a premium for ex demo cars, which is absolutely rediculous, we paid just over £4k less than list for our 3 month old / 3,000 mile 130 M Sport with leather and a few other goodies. That’s almost Golf GTI money. As for the Golf GTI, I drove one and it’s a really good car, but it doesn’t have anything like the special feel of the 130. The handling balance wasn’t to my taste and when it comes to engines, there really is no comparison. My wife thinks the Golf feels like an MPV inside and looks boring from the outside, even in R32 trim. I wouldn’t go that far, but I don’t like the grill and wheels on the R32. I’m still not a fan of the more basic 1 series, particularly in light colours, but a Le Mans Blue 130 M Sport looks the absolute dogs imo. If you’d asked me 6 months ago, I would have said that I couldn’t see myself owning a BMW, I was much more an Audi man. But having tried an A3 3.2 and 2.0T, there was no way I was going to buy one, they felt like a nose heavy executive car in comparison. We bought the BMW because it was the car we liked the best, despite (rather than because of) the badge on the front. I hope that all makes sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin275 Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 I forgot to mention the ride! I’m really happy with the ride, I was amazed when I first drove it because, based on what I’ve read, I was expecting a harsh ride. That really wasn’t the case, yes it is firm, but 99% of the time it isn’t harsh at all. I think the make of tyre has an awful lot to do with it, but it hardly rode any firmer than the 120D SE on standard suspension and 17” wheels that I borrowed for the day. So, if you’re looking at a 1 series, make sure it has Goodyear NCT Run Flats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted May 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Well you'll get no argument from me. I think the 130i M Sport is an excellent hot hatch, although it's perhaps a tad unfair to compare it to a Golf GTi because the latter simply can't get near it for power and pace. Looks are of course very personal things, but I happen to think the car has a lovely aggressive stance to it, suits the clothes it wears and is actually somewhat understated when compared to a GTi or an R32 - which is odd when you think that's a value that both of the other cars might tend to win on against most others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveknott Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Well, mine is feeling better and better as the miles go on. Past 4000rpm, the engine just screams. It draws a lot of attention from onlookers when you gun it, as the exhaust sounds awesome from outside the car......it certainly sounds great when you're on a charge with all the windows down! Personally, I think its a £22k bargain!! (if you know where to look) and from the time I spent on the airfield recently, it munches through 130 mph like it wasn't even there! 155mph is within easy reach (where legal of course) GTI owners who've become disillusioned with VW build quality and customer service know where to look.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin275 Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 MrMe - I agreed with your review, I just think that the 130 has been unfairly criticised both on here and by certain people in the press. I’m not sure that I am being unfair comparing the 130 to a Golf GTI, because they were both on my shortlist and were both a very similar price. The Gold needed a few extras to take it up to the spec of our 130, which took the list price to £24,045 and I would have added Xenons to that if I was buying new (which our 130 doesn’t have), which took the price to £24,770. That’s £1,000 more than we paid for our car, so it does compare. OK, our was 3 months old, but the dealer did offer us a brand new 130 with metallic paint and leather for under £26k. Out of interested, an R32 with our spec would cost you £27,845…… If you’re prepared to forego leather on the 130 (which I wouldn’t recommend as it makes a big difference to the feel of the car inside), then, as Driftgod points out, a £22k 130 is a possibility and a bit of a (relative!) bargain. I’m very impressed with how well it pulls from very low revs and smoothly and quickly pulls through the rest of the rev range. It is deceptively quick, sometimes you only really realise how quick it is when you see how quickly other cars are going backwards! It’s interesting to see some of the cars people have traded in for their 130. If you look on the 1 series forum, these range from an E61 545i, to an E46 M3 and even an M5. They all love their 130. I’m also surprised at how much positive reaction the car gets and how little hassle it gets from other road users. I know of someone with a Focus ST who is totally fed up at being raced and cut up by other drivers all the time. Contrary to what I was expecting, we are let out of junctions and people move over on the motorway! I’ve had people come over to me in car parks and give me the thumbs up on the motorway, so not everyone thinks it’s overpriced and ugly…!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted May 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 [ QUOTE ] If you look on the 1 series forum, these range from an E61 545i, to an E46 M3 and even an M5. They all love their 130. [/ QUOTE ] Well I have to say that whilst I was very impressed with the 130i, and I can't speak about the 545i, that two cars I would never put it in the same bracket as, performance wise, are the E46 M3 and the E60 M5. I think that's people getting a little over ambitious in terms of the E46 M3 and living on another planet in respect of the E60 M5. Pull onto a dual carriage with a decent stretch of road ahead of you and both of the above mentioned cars would destroy a 130i. Indeed the M5 would have disappeared from view very quickly indeed. On twisty roads, the 130i would give an E46 M3 a real battle, no doubt about it. However, in a straight line the E46 M3 would demonstrate exactly why it's engine has won so many awards. I felt the 130i was a very impressive performer and I did draw certain comparisons to the E46 M3. However, they were perhaps more akin to it's rocket powered roller skate characteristics than it's straight line punching power (which I don't deny is still good). The only reason I can see people moving to them from the cars mentioned is because of a change of driving needs - and perhaps a want of a more country lane fun-machine than an all round powerhouse. On the basis that the 130i, E46 M3 and E60 M5 are all RWD cars with similarly mounted engines and almost the same traction systems you can fairly easily apply basic mathematics to proving the point. That would be my favoured bhp per ton quote which equates as follows: E46 M3 - 218 bhp p/t E60 M5 - 277 bhp p/t 130i M - 182 bhp p/t So that's 20% more power in the M3 and a whopping 52% more power in the M5! That said, it's an unfair comparison because they're different breeds of car and it puts the 130i M on a pedestal where it is destined for a painful fall from - which it certainly doesn't deserve. It's a fantastic little car IMO and very harshly criticised by many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin275 Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 The M5 was the previous V8 model, not the E60. You’re obviously right about the difference in power and a change in circumstance or requirements that would make these people buy a 130. However, my point was that they have owned that level of car and are still very happy with their 130, I wasn;t suggesting that the 130 was a match in any way for an M3 or M5. I doubt the same would be said if they’d bought an A3 or Golf. IIRC the M5 guy made the change to reduce his running costs, the M3 man wanted something less ‘obvious’ and less of a target and the 545 guy just wanted to have some fun! The M3 is undoubtedly quicker, but the biggest difference would be at illegal speeds, apparently they are fantastic on the Autobahn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted May 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 I'd like to bet the M5 owner that bought the 130i was Matt from BM3W? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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