It’s crazy how most old gen1 1 series are just run about diesels, however if you find a good Msport that’s been well cared for you realise how well the thing handles. It’s the last of the small RWD BMW’s. The 130i Msport is a gem that never really got the recognition that it deserved.
I've got one of these 3.0 petrol auto, electric seats, mint 78k miles. Remapped to 283bhp and got rid of horrid run flats has made it the car should have always been. Detachable tow bar for bike rack and has made it pretty practical. Was thinking of selling it but just such a good car. 👍
Nice looking example. Only bad thing is the steering wheel upholster is an aftermaket that looks awful, other than that, its looking really nice. Good review
Had the exact same spec in the coupe. Had halo front lights though which made the front pop even more. Gutted i got rid. But not great when you have a baby haha.
Great vid. I had a bmw 1 series convertible and it was a joy to drive. I brought it because I previously wanted bmw e46 convertible and I felt the one series convertible was quite similar in size and shape just more upto date
@@itsjoel Just checking. Maybe I'm projecting what I want to do. My Z4 was totaled, and I started searching for either a 07-08 Z4-M or a 08-12 M3 hard-top convertible. But I ended up with a 07 MBZ SL550. I kick myself every day that I wasn't patient enough to wait for an opening for the cars I wanted.
I have one, the temperature gauge apparently isn't required as the engine management system handles the temperature and will let you know if you need to switch the engine off. Mine is a 2012 120d and I've had it for donkeys and it's been all over Europe and the UK. It has different headlights and tail lights to your dad's car but the colour is Space Grey and is an M sport which looks identical. Great little car, my wife has an Audi A3 convertible new shape (the one with the boot), sadly BMW and Audi have already discontinued this type of car, apparently just as with the Audi TT there is nowhere to put the batteries. Look out for the SUV Audi TT which is said to be at the design stage, bit like the EV version of the Ford Mustang, oh dear.....
It's a niche car, for many not quite big enough to be their only car, but then not as special as a Z4 for a weekend car. For someone that doesn't need lots of space and rarely carries more than one passenger, it seems difficult to beat for the price. Although, the later LCI's have help their value pretty well.
Having had a few 330i's with this engine I would say the power upgrade is worth it. Also had a 330i tuned up to 300hp quite easily. I can't remember the exact process as it a long time ago but the engine went on to 150k without any problems other than usual BMW ones. The upgrade to 260 from 218 isn't that noticeable but the upgrade to 300 from 218 is pretty good.
I’m looking into this presently. I have the 325i e92 with the N53 3.0L. Stock is 218bhp, add the three stage intake manifold it goes up to circa 265bhp, add an exhaust and tune can take it to around 300bhp. N/A six cylinder with the manual box 👌🏼
@@itsjoel These engines can easily take 300. The thing to watch out for (mapped or not) is the accessories like water pump and starter go bad between 100k and 120k. I'd get everything attached to the engine done at the same time when it needs it or you will have to pay for several tow jobs in a row in my experience.
“Quite easily” might be a slight exaggeration. I have maybe seen only one N52B30 make 300hp and that had some good intake modifications (on top of the 3-stage intake manifold) and had more aggresive rocker arms in the engine. The engine block can handle 300hp quite easily but actually getting 300hp out of it is a great challenge. Anyone saying they got a N52B30 with 300hp would need to show me a dyno sheet before I would take that statement to be true.
Funny seeing this pop up, it's my car haha. I adore it, that N52 is beautiful and driving with the roof down is glorious. Mine has the rare spec of idrive, red leather, and the ski hatch which I use all the time. It's one of my favourite car designs of all time, especially with a soft top it gives me classic muscle car vibes. IMO pre facelift is nicer as the screen folds away and the mirrors are much thinner and sleeker
Re: steering, it's awful, it's dead dead. It is not communicative at all, it has zero feedback, it's way too light, but at least it's quite sharp. Maybe compared to modern dead cars the steering is fine but a lot of older hydraulic cars are in a different world for steering feel. The one mod I'd want to make is the hydraulic rack from the 1M
Re Traction control kicking in - Take it to Birds BMW to sort it out - Quaife LSD and or Suspension tweaks - turns it from one whell drive to 2 wheel drive as they put it 😂 Tyre's many owners go on size up (width wise) from 215 >225 at front and 245>255 at rear.
So, your dad is a vicar. That explains a lot. Let me guess: he taught you about the power of prayer, but forgot to advise you not to rely on it when buying cars 😬
My guess would be that your father's engine is the N53, which is the 3 litre successor to the N52B25 and N52B30. The N53 in 25i trim can be tuned to make 30i power. I own a N52B25 which also makes 218 horsepower, but that's actually a 2.5 litre. I can't make a 30i out of that engine. :) The N52 is port injected and the N53 has direct injection. Same power in 25i trim, but a little more torque.
I had an N52 2.5 and it drank a litre of oil every 400 miles. Tried everything to fix it, turns out to be a design flaw in the piston rings. On the N53 the "2.5" 3.0 version has different manifold but the throttle never opens fully! A rechip cures this so is a must have.
Joel’s dad, thank you for creating Joel. He’s a hero
Sure it wasn't a hard task...well, it probably was hard lol
It’s crazy how most old gen1 1 series are just run about diesels, however if you find a good Msport that’s been well cared for you realise how well the thing handles. It’s the last of the small RWD BMW’s. The 130i Msport is a gem that never really got the recognition that it deserved.
That is a really professional, honest review, and I enjoyed it. Thank you.
Thanks so much for watching.
I've got one of these 3.0 petrol auto, electric seats, mint 78k miles. Remapped to 283bhp and got rid of horrid run flats has made it the car should have always been. Detachable tow bar for bike rack and has made it pretty practical. Was thinking of selling it but just such a good car. 👍
Yeah, there's not much more that can do all of the above for similar money.
Great to see your dads car back again Joel! 😁
Nice review Joel. The idrive system looks the same as in my 2018 mini
First wash before review it ;)! Nice to see your dads car back on the Chanel.
You wouldn’t believe it, I did take it to be washed before filming this, then got home and couldn’t believe the wheels…
“It’s quite small, it’s very thin, it’s very short, and it’s very well proportioned”😳🙃 2:37
Joel just gets better and better.
Nice looking example. Only bad thing is the steering wheel upholster is an aftermaket that looks awful, other than that, its looking really nice. Good review
Had the exact same spec in the coupe. Had halo front lights though which made the front pop even more. Gutted i got rid. But not great when you have a baby haha.
Loved it, cars are my thing.
They look nice and sound nice.
That’s my favourite about them.
Great vid. I had a bmw 1 series convertible and it was a joy to drive. I brought it because I previously wanted bmw e46 convertible and I felt the one series convertible was quite similar in size and shape just more upto date
Thanks for watching!
Love it, great cars, and most likely won’t depreciate too much. Bravo!!
I have the same car, love it apart from fact, you can either have the arm rest down or use the cupholder....
That's true, and with the idrive controller, it means there is only 1 cupholder
Isn't the water temperature on the right hand side of the rev counter, built in to the rev counter gauge?
Only for the 135i model I believe
Joel, have you given any thought about going back to the Z4, except this time with the M-Class variant? Or heck, why not the hard-top convertible M3?
I'm sure it won't be long until i'm back in a BMW of some kind!
@@itsjoel Just checking. Maybe I'm projecting what I want to do. My Z4 was totaled, and I started searching for either a 07-08 Z4-M or a 08-12 M3 hard-top convertible. But I ended up with a 07 MBZ SL550. I kick myself every day that I wasn't patient enough to wait for an opening for the cars I wanted.
4 Seats!! Fun for the whole family! :o
It's a Z4 more or less 😁. Back to the roots! I still own my Z4 for sunny days btw.
Yes, and I very much enjoyed it!
I have one, the temperature gauge apparently isn't required as the engine management system handles the temperature and will let you know if you need to switch the engine off. Mine is a 2012 120d and I've had it for donkeys and it's been all over Europe and the UK. It has different headlights and tail lights to your dad's car but the colour is Space Grey and is an M sport which looks identical. Great little car, my wife has an Audi A3 convertible new shape (the one with the boot), sadly BMW and Audi have already discontinued this type of car, apparently just as with the Audi TT there is nowhere to put the batteries. Look out for the SUV Audi TT which is said to be at the design stage, bit like the EV version of the Ford Mustang, oh dear.....
Yeah will be interesting to see how they can carry on creating these types of cars in an EV world
It's a niche car, for many not quite big enough to be their only car, but then not as special as a Z4 for a weekend car. For someone that doesn't need lots of space and rarely carries more than one passenger, it seems difficult to beat for the price. Although, the later LCI's have help their value pretty well.
Having had a few 330i's with this engine I would say the power upgrade is worth it. Also had a 330i tuned up to 300hp quite easily. I can't remember the exact process as it a long time ago but the engine went on to 150k without any problems other than usual BMW ones. The upgrade to 260 from 218 isn't that noticeable but the upgrade to 300 from 218 is pretty good.
I’m looking into this presently. I have the 325i e92 with the N53 3.0L. Stock is 218bhp, add the three stage intake manifold it goes up to circa 265bhp, add an exhaust and tune can take it to around 300bhp. N/A six cylinder with the manual box 👌🏼
I ADORED my 330i with the N52!
I think my dad has been considering whether to have his remapped for quite a while
@@itsjoel These engines can easily take 300. The thing to watch out for (mapped or not) is the accessories like water pump and starter go bad between 100k and 120k. I'd get everything attached to the engine done at the same time when it needs it or you will have to pay for several tow jobs in a row in my experience.
“Quite easily” might be a slight exaggeration. I have maybe seen only one N52B30 make 300hp and that had some good intake modifications (on top of the 3-stage intake manifold) and had more aggresive rocker arms in the engine. The engine block can handle 300hp quite easily but actually getting 300hp out of it is a great challenge. Anyone saying they got a N52B30 with 300hp would need to show me a dyno sheet before I would take that statement to be true.
Funny seeing this pop up, it's my car haha. I adore it, that N52 is beautiful and driving with the roof down is glorious. Mine has the rare spec of idrive, red leather, and the ski hatch which I use all the time.
It's one of my favourite car designs of all time, especially with a soft top it gives me classic muscle car vibes.
IMO pre facelift is nicer as the screen folds away and the mirrors are much thinner and sleeker
PS, I can get 37mpg, roof down, 70mph, averaged over a two way journey to eliminate altitude change
also, the seats do have 2 more adjustments, there's a tilt control to get a nice deep angle you can sink into, and the thigh extension
Re: back seats. I've done 6 hour drives to Scotland with 4 tall adults and the roof up and a boot full of luggage for a holiday
Re: steering, it's awful, it's dead dead. It is not communicative at all, it has zero feedback, it's way too light, but at least it's quite sharp. Maybe compared to modern dead cars the steering is fine but a lot of older hydraulic cars are in a different world for steering feel. The one mod I'd want to make is the hydraulic rack from the 1M
Re Traction control kicking in - Take it to Birds BMW to sort it out - Quaife LSD and or Suspension tweaks - turns it from one whell drive to 2 wheel drive as they put it 😂
Tyre's many owners go on size up (width wise) from 215 >225 at front and 245>255 at rear.
You risked overfilling the burger here, but you got away with it. Nice review
Never see the hype with these brutally honest videos UA-camrs do 😂
Confused the hell out of me with the different steering wheels at different parts of the vlog. I wasn’t imagining it was I?
No, I used some old shots of the wheel when it had a different trim. Sorry about that, but well spotted!
So, your dad is a vicar. That explains a lot. Let me guess: he taught you about the power of prayer, but forgot to advise you not to rely on it when buying cars 😬
My guess would be that your father's engine is the N53, which is the 3 litre successor to the N52B25 and N52B30. The N53 in 25i trim can be tuned to make 30i power. I own a N52B25 which also makes 218 horsepower, but that's actually a 2.5 litre. I can't make a 30i out of that engine. :) The N52 is port injected and the N53 has direct injection. Same power in 25i trim, but a little more torque.
I had an N52 2.5 and it drank a litre of oil every 400 miles. Tried everything to fix it, turns out to be a design flaw in the piston rings. On the N53 the "2.5" 3.0 version has different manifold but the throttle never opens fully! A rechip cures this so is a must have.
Agreed. I have the N53 in my E92 325i.
The title isn't baity enough. Add turbo, mega and ultra to it.
Xenons are the only option you need
Just not a fan of the " banana " shape sill covers.
Big fan of the colour combo.
the colour combo is a winner
Not a patch on new 1 series f40