|
I have a 328i -- and one day the dealership gave me a 320i with the M-sport package, as a loaner. Boy was this thing beat to shit.
BUT... I actually thought it was a LOT of fun. Way more fun than my 328i x-drive with the standard suspension.
And even though the 320i was down on power, part of the fun-factor was flooring the shit out of it -- even if I wasn't going that fast. The manual seats also seemed to go lower than the power seats in my car, which was awesome too.
So, yeah, I think they are worth owning -- especially as a used-car purchase. But at the same time, the power difference between the 320i and the 328i is quite significant -- more than I was expecting. But, as other's have said, a simple tune can cure most of that.
Where the 320i probably doesn't make sense is if you start doing all kinds of upgrades -- because then you would be better off just getting the 328i. So, I'd say, do the tune and call it a day.
The only other disadvantage of the 320i is that BMW goes to extra-lengths to make the interiors look cheaper. So, the steering wheel might be missing the silver trim piece, the trim in the middle of the dash isn't as fancy, and of course the screen for the base stereo looks utterly terrible -- stuff like that.
But that's cosmetic.
|