[CajunBMW]

The most important thing is to enjoy your car.

[Cherry2.0]

Enjoy the car you have. Remember, there will always be the faster, better model out there. 320 >328>335> m3, etc.

[Mr Podman]

I remember a business trip to Germany in the late 1990's when I rented a BMW 318.
I loved the way that car performed on Germany's freeways.

I wouldn't have changed a thing.




podman

[Skyhigh]

There are 2 sides to every coin.

First side: A car improvement (of any kind) is not measured against what other cars there are on the market, but against the car itself as a baseline! It is not the point that there are (much) more powerful vehicles out there, especially since there are also (much) less powerful vehicles! And why would the same logic not apply to a 340i or M3? There are of course M6, M8, Porsches and Ferraris and you name it, all of which are way more powerful. There will ALWAYS be something more ... That in isolation should not stop you!

Flip side: There is no point to try to make a 320i behave like a 340i. It will not happen. The question then becomes - do 10 or 20% power increase mean enough for you to jeoperdise the reliability and value of your vehicle, especially if that's your one and only, and not just a garage experiment? My conclusion has always been that it is just not worth it. To me. You should find your answer...
I have therefore always focused more on practical/aesthetical upgrades, such as nav-system, audio upgrades, sound-proofing, light packages, etc., etc., which are worth a lot to me, but don't jeoperdise the vehicle reliability and value in a negative way.

[BigJack75]

I hate when people say "invest". Buying or spending money on a car is never an investment. So now that I got that out of the way, yes, the 320 is pretty much a ford with a bmw logo. I would not buy one. I would not mod one. I always like to buy a decent trim level near the top so I hopefully won't want to mod. This has not worked out so well. I still waste money on pointless mods but you know what? I enjoy it!!! Do what you want and F*CK what others think!!! Just be ready for ridicule when you post pics online of your 320 M conversion with the giant wing and flame throwing tips!!!

[BigJack75]

Originally Posted by Mr Podman

I remember a business trip to Germany in the late 1990's when I rented a BMW 318.
I loved the way that car performed on Germany's freeways.

I wouldn't have changed a thing.

podman

Hahahaha I briefly owned an old 318 when I was in Germany with the military. This was the early 90's. It was a piece of shit. It got me around but was slow and crappy. It was like owning a ford escort!!!!

[Skyhigh]

@jack10525
So how is that different from modding a 435i for example? Think 650i owners wouldn't laugh down on you, with your 2 missing cylinders?
There is always something superior!

320i is the dream of most 316d owners!

[7iM3less]

Originally Posted by Wolfus Aurelius

Remember, too, that to non-enthusiasts, a BMW is a BMW is a BMW. The naming scheme won't mean much to them (I didn't get the naming scheme for MBs until I started studying the vehicles). So the "320" won't mean much compared to a "328." The BMW badge will be the big thing. The non-enthusiasts all think BMWs are $80K cars, so yours will shine anyway.

If impressing other people isn't important to you (and let's face it: You can't bring the car into the bar with you to impress the girls), the build quality and the sheer fun of driving it will impress you every time you push the Start button and shift the car into D.

Added to say: If you saved money on the payment, that will please you too, every time you gas up or have service done on the 320i. Yours has the M-Sport package? I suspect you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of your car!

Agree with this - bottom line.

[Steakpizza]

Yeah it mostly comes down to how you enjoy the car. I have a Stage 1 320i and have fun. I drive my friends modded civic once and had fun. I wasn’t a car guy before I got my 320i, but now I know so much more about what’s in my engine. Of course if you are a performance head and that’s what you want, I would recommend a 335. But for me who uses my 320i to get around , it’s been nothing but fun. Next week I’m going Stage 2 then I’m calling it as far as performance mods. Enjoy your car.

[skw]

It all comes down to what you want out of it and how you plan to use it. I factory ordered my 320i because that's what I wanted at the time. I started first looking for an F10 and once I test drove a 320 w/ 6MT, I enjoyed it. Ordered it w/ 6MT, rwd, sport pkg, lighting pkg, premium pkg, & cold weather pkg. Only performance mod was a BMS stage 1. The 320 was fun, light, and even though the 335 had more power, to me it always felt nose heavy. The 320 was just enough as a for a daily driver. So do what you want and don't worry about what anyone else says or thinks.

[Mr Podman]

Originally Posted by jack10525

Hahahaha I briefly owned an old 318 when I was in Germany with the military. This was the early 90's. It was a piece of shit. It got me around but was slow and crappy. It was like owning a ford escort!!!!

The trick is, do your homework to avoid buying a clapped out rental fleet reject.
People like me have the pleasure of abusing them before you buy them.






podman

[brianpalvarez]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

Stage 2 - yes
I wanted Low miles, no accidents, no payments.

How do you like stage 2? How much HP did you obtain? I have been looking into this, but not sure to how much power I would get.

[brianpalvarez]

Originally Posted by chenry

Congrats on the car! I like the 320i, that said I didn't think MSport was an option on the 320 in the US, am I wrong?

It came with an M sport package, (steering wheel, suspension, wheels, seats, and side-skirts).

[Mr Podman]

Remember our roots.

podman

[Derek Mc]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

@jack10525


320i is the dream of most 316d owners!

The OP's point, well, this is not a conversation you would have in the UK as the 320d (and with the 318d) was the go-to model outselling all of the others combined until the emissions scandal and the UK government new policy.
Now I am told the 318i/320i/420i are the models of preference (I went 420i GC personally)

In the US there is and will always be the displacement argument for badge cred, where it is very quickly diminishing in the UK as the shell shocked "climate emergency" brigade try to shame us out of diesel into electrics,,,,,

[Derek Mc]

Originally Posted by Mr Podman

Remember our roots.

podman

And what utterly beautiful roots they are too, the 2002Ti and the e3 3.0Si were the two cars I fell in love with that made me a Beemerkopf today.

[tex2670]

Originally Posted by chenry

I didn't think MSport was an option on the 320 in the US, am I wrong?

Correct. 320 has a "Sport Pkg" available in the US; no M-Sport (but Sport Pkg on the 320 does have an M-Sport style steering wheel).

[natesi]

Originally Posted by jack10525

So now that I got that out of the way, yes, the 320 is pretty much a ford with a bmw logo.

Despite the low output of the 320i, it is still a 3 series -- with all the same suspension components and geometry options available to the 330i and 340i (minus the adjustable dampers, of course). I can't think of a Ford sedan that is RWD (with AWD available), that has near 50/50 weight distribution, a 4cyl engine placed behind the front shock towers, fantastic sport seats, a ZF 8-speed transmission (currently the standard against which all other automatics are judged by), or the handling dynamics of a 3 series with the 704 suspension. Heck, even the standard suspension gets better the harder you beat on it -- whereas most FWD cars start falling to pieces at 7, or 8, 10ths.

The 320i obviously isn't a speed daemon, by any means, but it's something you can drive comfortably every day, and is gong to handle just like a 3 series, with relatively high handling limits -- not handle like a Ford.

[BigJack75]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

@jack10525
So how is that different from modding a 435i for example? Think 650i owners wouldn't laugh down on you, with your 2 missing cylinders?
There is always something superior!

320i is the dream of most 316d owners!

Nope. 650 owners don't mod or visit forums.

[Gamb1t]

BMW 3-series are not investments.... So do most cars.
I don't care about the 320i not because of the miata-like up. But more so with the base trim levels. Each time I see a halogen BMW I cringe.
I think if you have a manual 320i, it might more fun than it's higher hp automatic brethrens.

[natesi]

So, if we're talking about "cheap looking" stuff....:

I don't mind seeing halogen headlights, so much. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I've had some cars with good halogens -- and honestly, I think the warm hue is better for visibility -- especially on fresh blacktop at night -- compared to the cooler-colored LEDs. Plus, LEDs are too bright for oncoming traffic. And yes, my car has the LEDs -- that's just the way it came. I just feel sorry for anyone on the receiving-end of them.

What makes me cringe is the small and cheap looking screen -- in any F30 -- for anyone that didn't get navigation. It just looks hideous and makes the interior feel like it belongs in super-budget economy car, rather than a BMW. Not to sound like a snob, but for the price we pay, you would think they wouldn't cheap-out so much. It's just kind of the principal of it.

The other thing is the flat-bottom (non "sport") / luxury seats. They look disgusting -- like they literally start making my stomach turn. The sport seats are one of the best things about the 3 series -- it seems like a crime that BMW would put flabby-ass, flat-bottom, "chairs" in this car. I don't know if I've ever seen a modern car, with bucket seats, that have such flat seat-bottoms. Toyota Camrys have more bolstering! It's so sad.

3rd on my list isn't something you can see, so much, but something I noticed while car shopping: When I was thinking about buying used, a couple years ago, I noticed there were a lot of 2015, and older, 3 series that didn't even have back-up cameras. Yet they would have the m-sport package, or the lighting package, or whatever. But no fucking back up camera. I'm like, "WTF?!?!" Mind. Blown. This is another example of BMW cheeping the fuck out, and penny-pinching on basic-ass safety shit, when backup cameras (and even blind-spot monitoring) were becoming standard equipment on most other cars.

[bimmer456]

You mentioned this is all you could afford. Low mileage 328 and 335 can be had for less actually are you buying new? There are cosmetic mods and bolt on tunes that can give you a little more power than stock so you chose wisely by going with a bmw if you want a mod friendly car.