Beemers

Ahbengdriver · January 27, 2006

pardon my sua-ku ness...but what is all these E thing, and what the diff is E49 and E90 [confused]

Astrid · January 27, 2006

Left rear brake light have blown about 4 times duringthe 4 years I've owned it.

An interesting point you made there.

As an unqualified comparison, my IS200 is now 3-years old, clocking 82,000 km so far and I have not had the need to replace any of the bulbs yet!

What you mentioned about your E46 318i is no different to my (then) German-made VW Vento. Squeaks and rattles appeared immediately upon delivery. Power windows kept on failing one after another. Screeching air-cond noises.

I am now 'unmiffed' about German quality.

Moreover, what with the recent spate of German-branded cars coming out of Africa, Spain and elsewhere.

Astrid · January 27, 2006

[reply]Lower end BMW are made in South Africa but I know that the 320 are still made in Germany.

[reply]

Huh? [confused]

The E46 320i (6 cylinder) was already made in Africa back then (except for the very first few batches that came from Germany).

Current E90 320i is no doubt of African origin.

Ghostrider · January 28, 2006

Those denotes the model number.

E30, E36, E46, E90 = various stages of the 3 series.

E30 begin the older series....E36 are the model that TP was using....E46 are the previous model...E90 is the current model that PML is selling off their showroom.

Black320 · January 28, 2006

320i is actually a 4 cylinder 150 bhp. It is actually base on the old 318 series, which imho is not too bad. [sweatdrop]

RadX · January 28, 2006

Your 320i should be a 6 cylinder what....2.2L have around 170bhp not 150bhp. 150bhp are the figs for the 2.0L engine. (the old 2.0L 6 cylinder)

325i should be doing around 194+ bhp and not 200bhp. Torque for the 2.5L is around 245Nm.

Enjoy your new ride...and welcome to the Roundel club !!

Now get your figs to type out...

www.bmw-sg.com/forums

and welcome to the family !!

bro the E90 320 Valvetronic is 4-pot le.....

RadX · January 28, 2006

eh bro OT...u goin Sepang...need a Walkie? Can pass u mine...and If I goin, I lompang u?

Eh...I place a booking for the walkie liao !!

Sorry but if no one put my aeroplane...my cab ride is full liao. Got some guys coming along...sorry !!

U going too for Feb ?

no worries...not sure if going ma...anyway passed walkie to Subzero al

enjoy urself

RadX · January 28, 2006

Left rear brake light have blown about 4 times duringthe 4 years I've owned it.

An interesting point you made there.

As an unqualified comparison, my IS200 is now 3-years old, clocking 82,000 km so far and I have not had the need to replace any of the bulbs yet!

What you mentioned about your E46 318i is no different to my (then) German-made VW Vento. Squeaks and rattles appeared immediately upon delivery. Power windows kept on failing one after another. Screeching air-cond noises.

I am now 'unmiffed' about German quality.

Moreover, what with the recent spate of German-branded cars coming out of Africa, Spain and elsewhere.

Point to note, my E39, the bullet-proof models, made late 2002/early 2001, has been flawless since Day 1. Nothing needing changing...Truly a gem

Guess, it is owners luck ha

Ghostrider · January 28, 2006

Ya...but he mentioned E46 mah...

Didn't realised that the new E90 have actually taken a step back...

Astrid · January 28, 2006

Those denotes the model number.

E30, E36, E46, E90 = various stages of the 3 series.

E30 begin the older series....E36 are the model that TP was using....E46 are the previous model...E90 is the current model that PML is selling off their showroom.

Err... for the 3-ers, I think the model sequence was as follows:

E21 [:)] , E36, E46, E90.

Am not sure about the E30, but could have been the first 5-series.

Astrid · January 28, 2006

Perhaps the "Non bullet proofness" of BMW became more apparent to the general motoring public and enthusiasts alike, coincidentally or otherwise, with the introduction of the African-made E46? [:)]

I believe there may be some truth in that.

Ahbengdriver · January 29, 2006

errrhhh.....went around CNY visiting and saw several parked BMWs.....in comparison to the 320i which I booked, they looked much better [:p]

Now I am itching with the thought of whether I should request PML if I could change my order from the 320i AA edition which does not include a few features, and 'upgrade' to either:

1. the standard 320i - which has the rain sensors, anti glare rear mirrors, and also a few other things which the AA cheaper edition doesnt come with [blush]

2. the 523i AA edition which is a larger car. not sure what specs it has over the 320i AA and what its does not have compared to the standard 523i

3. the 325i - this is the most costly or the 3 options if I 'upgrade' [flowerface] . it has almost everything the 330i has except a smaller power at 218bhp.

Confused .....how neh [hur] ???

W210k · January 30, 2006

If you really must have a "Made In Germany" car, then get the 523i. No 2 ways about it, since the 3-Series are all made in Africa.

In the 523i, you'd get a plusher, more comfortable ride but will lose out on handling (since it is a larger car, with a longer wheelbase, compared to the 3-er).

The E90 325i's power and accelerator response will be the best amongst the 3 models you had mentioned. Definitely more satisfying to drive than the 320i.

I'd avoid the E90 320i if I were you. The only 4-cylinder variant in BMW's current model range, it gave a number of engine / ECU related problems, based on what I read in the Singapore and UK BMW forums. A lot of these may be attributed to the Valvetronic setup ... somehow its now pairing up very well with the 2L variants.

You just need to go to the ST adverts or PML Used Cars advert and you will see a large number of E90 320i for sale ... a lot of them only 6-months old (i.e. Jun/Jul 2005 registration)!!! Something is not right, right?

BMW actually pulled out the E60 520i completely from their lineup in early 2005, due to engine-transmission issues that were not resolvable. Many 520i owners all over the world (SG included) who had this problem later sold their cars. That model is now fast disappearing from the face of this earth. I don't think BMW saw any light out of the tunnel for this one.

p.s. But if you are really leaning for a 320i, then perhaps a good-condition E46 320i might do the trick. As you know, this earlier variant came with BMW's venerable 2.2L 6 cylinder engine, which is a different animal totally from the current E90 320i.

Ahbengdriver · January 30, 2006

It seems that many of you brothers out there have personal bad experiences with the previous model of 318i[4 cylinder engine] and the previous 520i[no longer offered]. I realised these are the entry-level models which means they have the smallest/least powerful engine. is it the reason that these engines are underpowered and therefore not powerful enough to move the car weight, so over time they wear down and cause problems.

Specifically, since I ve booked the new 320i[also 4 cylinder] , what is actually the problem with the 4 cylinder? I hope some of you out there who really give me an accurate responses[by the way thanks to all responses so far], as I may still have some time to amend my car order.

In the meantime, having heard all the valuable feedback from brothers here, I am seriously considering calling PML[which reopens on friday] to change my order. Which would you guys suggest.....the 523i AA edition now going at $161k or the 325i standard version at $173k?????

Slee · January 30, 2006

Agree with W210K there ... it think the quality of a Beemer comes only with the 5-series and for the 3-series, the 325 and 330.

[flowerface]

Chickenbackside · January 30, 2006

Actually there's nothing really wrong with the 4-cylinder engines, it's just that the 6-cylinder engines are much much better. BMW is renowned for their straight 6's, it's their forte, so why buy something that's their weak point?

It's like going to a famous noodle restauant and ordering their rice dish, which EVERYONE knows is no where near as good as their noodles. But with a BMW, there's also the "snob" factor. A lot of people I've talked to say things like "No money don't buy BM lah. Buy 4-cylinder one cos cheap cheap so can say I drive BM".

When I was looking to buy my 3'er, my mechanic already told me, don't buy 4-cylinder one. At least must get 320 (E46). I knew that there would be a big difference between the 2 since I drove a car with big V6 when I was living abroad, but my thinking was in Singapore, need so much power meh? Then I went to test drive many 3 series. Both 318 and 320, and once I touched the 6-cylinder, there is no way I'd wanna buy a 4 if I can afford. It's not about outright power, it's about the delivery, the sound, the smoothness, gracefulness...

Another thing to consider is the mod-friendliness of the 6-cylinder. The sky's the limit for the M54 engine. Anything you want, for any budget. As for the 4-cylinder, there are much much lesser things available for it.

My friend just bought a new E90 320 and he asked to drive my car (E46 320) for a comparison. After 5 minutes, he's started cursing, saying he regret not driving my car before buying his car.

So my advise is, go and test drive all first! Then you will know exactly what you're getting yourself into and what you're missing.