[Mikedav]

Im starting to think it can sort of work with decent wheels and colour....

http://sankeys.demon.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1476&stc=1

http://sankeys.demon.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1478&stc=1

http://sankeys.demon.co.uk/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1479&stc=1

 

[damianmkv]

I like it - although agreed, its pretty colour and alloy dependant. Much prettier in the flesh although the rear is abit "WTF am I gonna do now ?" from the designers point of view. Looks abit cheap Jap from behind ( oo-er )

 

[Matteeboy]

No, no and no.

Far too Chav.

Seen too many of these new shape 3 series with tiny wheels and they look daft.

Those alloys are the right size but look like naff BBS jobs.

How about some CSL alloys?

 

[NikB]

It is not even remotely chav. Please use the word chav in its correct
context, it certainly doesn't apply to a brand new 3 series beemer. I
for one like those and if they do a decent sport kit and a 335D I will
be buying one without a doubt.

 

[Matteeboy]

Whether you like it or not, it's still a car plastered in daft stickers with a naff bodykit.

New or not, BMWs are often bought by well off Chavs just like Scoobies and Evos.

My R32 had a whiff of Chav about it but I liked it so didn't care.

I think I was supposed to bow down and reel at the magnificence of the 335d.

It'll be great as long as it's not got some cack bodykit and alloys on it.

 

[sonnys_sdi]

There some nice e90's mate, but I would say that because the BMW is
such a nice car and my fathers had nearly every single one so they've
grown on me just a little, but surely theres some better looking e90's
like these ones..

there you go mate, personally I would go for some hartge rims and kit but I am biased as my fathers 7 is hartge kitted.

Sonny

 

[Matteeboy]

Now that's more like it - The Hartge ones look great.

About 109101100 times better than the top photos.

 

[NikB]

Whether you like it or not, it's still a car plastered in daft stickers with a naff bodykit.

New or not, BMWs are often bought by well off Chavs just like Scoobies and Evos.

My R32 had a whiff of Chav about it but I liked it so didn't care.

I think I was supposed to bow down and reel at the magnificence of the 335d.

It'll be great as long as it's not got some cack bodykit and alloys on it.

Lol, you quite clearly have no idea what a chav really is.

 

[Matteeboy]

Judging by your highly defensive reaction Nik, I'd say someone just like you.

 

[sonnys_sdi]

Mate you need to chill out. Its just a nice car not a chav-mobile.

 

[Matteeboy]

Perhaps it's a much needed reaction to arrogant high and mighty brand slaves who think buying a certain car elevates them to some kind of superior level.

90% of BMWs are bought for status reasons not because they are good cars.

How dare I call a BMW Chav eh?

Well I think a lot of them are and no matter how expensive the bodykit, if it looks Chav, it is.

M bodykits on small engined BMWs - Chav.

Body styling on the M3 and M3 CSL - Very non Chav.

Every time I see yet another muppet in a BMW thinking they'v really cracked it, I laugh.

I look at cars themselves, not the brand - I may get a Beemer one day but not until I can comfortably afford a real one, not some tarted up repmobile.

 

[sonnys_sdi]

Mate I strongly disagree with you, My dad's had his 740i V8 sport now
for 10 years and not one thing has ever gone wrong with it since day
one. So in my eyes its a superb car in reliabilty. Also just because a
small engined BMW has a M body kit on it, how is that chav?? Its an OEM
kit supplied from BMW thats like calling me a chav just because I have
a anni kit on a none anni car.

 

[matt747]

I'm not a fan of any of the Bangle creations; if ever a manufacturer has repeatedly launched ugly cars then BMW.. please step forward. Compared to the 7/5/z4/1 series the 3 is not too bad but imo it is no great looker. Sad thing is people will still buy one for the badge; but as mentioned on Top Gear last night there is no exclusivity anymore.

The chav issue could be debated at length; imo a car gets a chav image if you see chavs driving them and I've seen loads of chavs driving 316/318s with silly bodykits/exhausts hence I have to agree that some BMWs have become chav cars.

As for BMW reliability, well I can comment on 3 cars I know of; my 2001 325i made 8 garage visits in 12 months, a mate's 2001 330i has been to the garage 4 times in 15 months and another mate's 2001 M5 is worst of the lot. It's been back to the supplying dealer 4 times in 7 months(and they still haven't sorted a problem affecting it's power delivery).

 

[NikB]

I'm not arrogant, high and mighty nor a brand slave. I just don't see
how a BMW which is a quality motor can be branded chav. I think you
misunderstand what a chav is, my reaction was not defensive merely
pointing out that you are calling the wrong things chav.

Chav is burberry, cheap bling rings etc, not high quality german engineering.

 

[Mikedav]

90% of BMWs are bought for status reasons not because they are good cars.

And 74% of stastistics are made up on the spot. What utter
bollocks. Some people seem to think BMW drivers are bred in a
lab or something. Its a bloody car. Most BMW drives don't give a to$$
what you think; they bought BMWs because they like BMWs. How is this
any different to a Mercedes, Audi or, heaven forbid, Golf R32? Some
owners are knobs, some aren't - just like all cars.

I look at cars themselves, not the brand - I may get a Beemer
one day but not until I can comfortably afford a real one, not some
tarted up repmobile.

Not everyone considers outright performance paramount. Many people
would be quite happy with the performance of a 320i and decide to fit
bigger wheels. Personally, I would want a
performance oriented version; but that
doesn't mean the guy who bought a 318i is automatically a prat. Admitedly its highly possible, but not automatic.

 

[sonnys_sdi]

As for BMW reliability, well I can comment on 3 cars I know of; my 2001
325i made 8 garage visits in 12 months, a mate's 2001 330i has been to
the garage 4 times in 15 months and another mate's 2001 M5 is
worst of the lot. It's been back to the supplying dealer 4 times in 7
months(and they still haven't sorted a problem affecting it's power
delivery).

Unlucky mate. AFAIK all my fathers BMW's are and have been in tip top
condition, inc. his current 330ci, I mean his engine on his 740i
Sport is so clean, when you start the car up and leave it at tick-over
for a few mins on either side where the exhausts are you can see
droplets of water coming from the tips and leaving a little puddle of
water for a 10yr old car it's astonishing in my eyes.

Sonny

 

[Mikedav]

As for BMW reliability, well I can comment on 3 cars I know of;

Unlucky mate. AFAIK all my fathers BMW's are and have been in tip top
condition,

Same here, its down to your own experinces I think. 1986 728i, 1989
520i, 1996 325i, 2000 528i, 2002 530i Sport (47k in a year)...all had
zero problems except for a faulty ABS light on the last one.Friend has
a 1998 740i with 227k on the clock thats never skipped a beat. By
comparison, every Merc Ive come across has been a completel
bloody nightmare start to finish - your personal experiences with a
brand can put you off for life

 

[sonnys_sdi]

As for BMW reliability, well I can comment on 3 cars I know of;

Unlucky mate. AFAIK all my fathers BMW's are and have been in tip top
condition,

Same here, its down to your own experinces I think. 1986 728i, 1989
520i, 1996 325i, 2000 528i, 2002 530i Sport (47k in a year)...all had
zero problems except for a faulty ABS light on the last one.Friend has
a 1998 740i with 227k on the clock thats never skipped a beat. By
comparison, every Merc Ive come across has been a completel
bloody nightmare start to finish - your personal experiences with a
brand can put you off for life

Totally agree about the mercs mate, my uncles got the S600 the new
shape and I sat in it and when I went to tilt the chair back a bit the
button fell off. I was in stitches when this happened because it was a
brand new car and bits were falling off it already. Blimey your friends
clocked some milage on his 7 my fathers 7 is 1995 and done 81k only.
That shows how good the V8 is then. [y]

Sonny

 

[miniOneD]

Forget the badge, I have owned 4 VWs and all were wannabe BMW 3 series
imitators! But when I used to drive my brothers E46 330d, it was always
the car that had 'perfectly executed' the components (rain sensor,
wipers, smooth indicator stalk, soft amber down lighter). It was a well
put together machine. The plastics, the feel, the steering, the
speed. Well to this day the 3 series has been a bench mark, and
no other car has touched it.

 

[Matteeboy]

Sonny - The 740i is very much a "proper" BMW and I like them a lot.

MiniOneD - Errrrrm, that's complete boll*cks and proof of brand stupidity. So your Mini is better than a Phaeton/Touraeg/R32 is it?

Also Nik the "precision German engineering" bit - Sounds like you may have seen one too many BMW ads. Yes they are well made in general but stacks of Minis hav been duds (as in unreliable, not bad cars) as have 3 series and the X3.

The gap between German and other coutries used to be vast but check out JD Power - If you want precision engineering today, you need to buy Japanese.