Thinking of selling the S3 for a BMW

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S3_Jack

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As above really,thinking of selling the S3 and going for diesel power !!! I have been looking around for a BMW 330 d sport,has anyone got any experience on these or am I better going for an Audi TDI,any thoughts appreciated..
Cheers
 
I ve driven a petrol 330CI wasnt as quick as the S3 so dont expect to be quicker although i imagine touque levels will be massive.
 
I find that strange, the 330 is quicker on paper and in my experience, on the open road too.

I ran A4's before switching to an E46. I've always hated the BMW image, in fact I still do, but if you can look past that then you'll enjoy the E46 a whole lot. Incidentally in my experience the Audi forums are *generally* friendlier.

Anyway..I've had 4 or 5 Coupe's now, convertibles, M3's etc - I'm definitely hooked although still very much an Audi nut (S5 looks nice!). Take a test drive and see what you think.
 
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Jack i used to have a 02 330d sport manual and for the last few weeks i have been considering buying another as i thought it was a excellent carhece my signature. Only this time a 03 onwards 6 speed manual touring. 03 onwards have 204bhp the older ones only had 184bhp still a fast car.

Never had any problems with my old one but i only had it a year. Managed about 35mpg around town and 40+ on the motorway.




You wont regret it:icon_thumright:
 
I've tried a remapped 330d and they are smooth and rapid, holds the roads well too, power delivery isn't as push in the seat as a remapped S3, but in the right hands, I'm sure one would be hard to shake off on a twisty road.
 
mwstewart said:
I find that strange, the 330 is quicker on paper and in my experience, on the open road too.

I ran A4's before switching to an E46. I've always hated the BMW image, in fact I still do, but if you can look past that then you'll enjoy the E46 a whole lot. Incidentally in my experience the Audi forums are *generally* friendlier.

Anyway..I've had 4 or 5 Coupe's now, convertibles, M3's etc - I'm definitely hooked although still very much an Audi nut (S5 looks nice!). Take a test drive and see what you think.
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which paper did you read that on?

S3 : 225 bhp an weighs 1375KGs
330CI : 231bhp an weighs 1500kgs
330D : 204bhp an weighs 1500kgs (newer one)

Do the maths on that an its in the s3's favour, not by much though.
 
Thanks for the replys guys,scib4,that black BMW you had is very tidy,are you quite clued up on them,what are the things to look for,any advice will be appreciated.
 
Audi, Audi, Audi, Audi, but hey what do I know.

But on a serious point get the BMW remapped.
 
nky_84 said:
which paper did you read that on?

S3 : 225 bhp an weighs 1375KGs
330CI : 231bhp an weighs 1500kgs
330D : 204bhp an weighs 1500kgs (newer one)

Do the maths on that an its in the s3's favour, not by much though.
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1375 vs 1470 Power to weight is 10bhp up in the S3's favour but the BMW has 10 lb ft/tonne up.Depending where you go for figures it's either S3 0.1 sec faster to 60 or reverse for the E46!

BMW are well known for conservative power figures - the 3.0 is extremely tractable once on the go, it's definitely quicker on the road after driving 225 TT's and BAM S3's.
 
You could be right, its mighty close. S3 should have it if all 3 remapped?

330 wont get much gains, derv will become a beast an probably scare a few mapped s3's.

A mate of mine got humped off a 535D in his 172 (193bhp which just beats my standard s3) , think it must of been remapped though.

As for the 330D, very nice all rounder, just got to see past that BM image, its a bit more grown up than an s3 too imo.
 
mwstewart said:
Nice wheels, are they genuine CH's ?
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They are mate, but they where not on for long as they came of a M3 so the rears where to wide, would rub on the arch if corning hard and some weight in the back. This time i would try and find 4 front csl's wheels and fit them.

Jack i bought mine from BMW at the time and it was only 2 years old so had warranty and everything else. But again never had any problems with mine. The only thing i would say is that BMW changed all there warranty structuring meaning a years warranty went from something like £500 to about £750, can't really remember the figures now but a Porsche warranty was/is better value. Plus on top of that you now had a £100 excess for every claim you made! Also M cars have a £250 excess for every claim.

If i buy another i will have it chipped, never chipped my old one as it annoyed me it would only bring the figures up to around the same as a 03

Jack IMO buy a manual:icon_thumright:

Mike
 
also take into account the S3 probably has more transmission loss. When i drove the BMW it just felt like i was waiting for something like a turbo to kick in obviously this wasnt gonna happen but it just didnt seem that quick.
 
I have test drove quite a few S3's recently and ive been playing in my mates 330 ci and it has made my mind up im getting a 330 ci.
Although it will be a bit slower than a remapped S3 it is quicker than the standard S3's ive driven,and the noise they make is fantastic.
A remap should see around 250bhp so some rwd antics will be for me.:)
The 330d (204) can be remapped to 245 bhp and 510 NM.Now im sure that will scare a few S3 drivers.
 
Dunno how anybody can think an S3 is quicker once on the move than a 330d - its just not, not really even close until you're at silly speeds.

If you're buying the 330d dont get an auto - my old man had a 530d manual and it was awesome, now has an auto and its quick but doesnt feel anything like the same
 
I liked the BMW's when I was choosing between my A3 and a 318 and it was a close call but the fact I saw 3 series everywhere and now everyone seems to have one I love the new Alfas as they are such head turners, I love the 159 I think it is, would love one for my next car, just worried about the reliability!! (It is FIAT owned afterall hah)
 
get the beemer, if its the E46 make sure its a coupe, with the m sport body kit etc
 
Doesnt matter to me its not as rare as an S3,the way it drives makes up for that.
The brakes are better in the BM too.
Hopefully i will have mine tomorrow.
 
nky_84 said:
A mate of mine got humped off a 535D in his 172 (193bhp which just beats my standard s3) , think it must of been remapped though.
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Those 535d's have 286 bhp as standard, so I'm not surprised he got a hard time!

I owned an E46 320d for just over 2 years and 100,000 miles, and it was one of the best cars I've ever owned. The BMW warranty was brilliant too and the customer service second to none, putting Audi to shame. I drove quite a few 330d's over that time lent to me as courtesy cars/extended test drives etc, and the extra grunt of the 330d made a good car even better.

I'd have another one tomorrow, although I do enjoy fiddling with my A3 too these days!!

The only thing I would say, is that the E46 shape is looking a little dated, but that doesn't mean it's not a great car.
 
Tooks said:
The only thing I would say, is that the E46 shape is looking a little dated, but that doesn't mean it's not a great car.
Click to expand...
I think it looks great for nearly a 10 year old design.
 
Tooks said:
The only thing I would say, is that the E46 shape is looking a little dated, but that doesn't mean it's not a great car.
Click to expand...

post facelift coupe and cab still look great to me and IMO the interior is much nicer than the current car
 
The post facelift E46 has aged less so, I agree, but when I used to take my pre-facelift E46 in for servicing I noticed the little styling details on the facelift which, in my opinion, dated my car a little.

That's all I'm saying, I agree that for a 10 year old design it's looking alright, but I would go for the facelift E46 just because it looks a bit fresher. As I said, it doesn't make it a bad car, far from it.

Probably the last of the decent looking 3 series for a while!

Having said that, a few of the new shape sport models are starting to look 'right'.
 
The BMW 330ci is not quicker than a standard Audi S3 on paper or in real life, they are infact the same 0-60 (6.4) and the BMW tops out at around 130mph. Two friends of of mine both have BMW 330ci's and i also took out a 330ci and an M3 for test drive before getting the S3 neither 330ci's are anywhere near as quick as my re-mapped S3. I'd agree in that the BMW's are a much more refined car but performance wise the M3 is the only one to have if thats what your after.... The M3 is pant wettingly fast :jump: on a side note my mate has an E30 BMW M3 track day car which would definitley give my S3 a run for its money....Also another thing to remember is that the Audi will hold its value far better than the BMW.... Happy hunting fella :icon_thumright:
 
I think you will find the 330ci has a limited top speed of 155mph not 130mph.
A standard S3 is nowhere near as good as a standard 330ci to drive imo.
 
james0808 said:
I think you will find the 330ci has a limited top speed of 155mph not 130mph.
A standard S3 is nowhere near as good as a standard 330ci to drive imo.
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I think your find its limited to 130mph and de-restricted its 155mph....

and yes your right in that a BMW is a much more refined drive than a standard S3 but it wont touch a re-mapped S3 for performance.... a re-mapped BMW 330ci will give a re-mapped S3 a run for its money but its still not quite....
 
jojo said:
I've had 140(km ok) in a 330ci coupe auto, and it was still going! Where did the 130 limit come from?
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140km (86.99mph) still quite a way off 130mph there so yes i bet it was still going some.... :icon_thumright:
 
Dubplate said:
but performance wise the M3 is the only one to have if thats what your after....
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Thats like saying if performance is what your after why buy an S3 and chip it when an RS4 is the only way to go.
 
I think your find its limited to 130mph and de-restricted its 155mph....
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why would bmw limit it 130mph when the agreed limit with german companys is 155mph?
 
james0808 said:
Thats like saying if performance is what your after why buy an S3 and chip it when an RS4 is the only way to go.
Click to expand...

well for starters S3 and RS4 are two totally different models and two hugely different prices. An E46 BMW M3 and E46 330ci are more compariable on prices give or take £10'000 rather than £20'000 difference with the Audis.....:icon_thumright:
 
mk1chopper said:
why would bmw limit it 130mph when the agreed limit with german companys is 155mph?
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not too sure give them a call :icon_thumright:
 
mk1chopper said:
why would bmw limit it 130mph when the agreed limit with german companys is 155mph?
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that is a strange one, seems to be correct though.

On a different note, I would love a Z3 M coupe mmmmmmmmmm, they are tasty
 
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rodenal said:
If you're buying the 330d dont get an auto - my old man had a 530d manual and it was awesome, now has an auto and its quick but doesnt feel anything like the same
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manual all the way:icon_thumright: ...auto and sequential gear boxs lose far to many valuable seconds.....:whip:
 
nky_84 said:
that is a strange one, seems to be correct though.

On a different note, I would love a Z3 M coupe mmmmmmmmmm, they are tasty
Click to expand...

indeed very :hubbahubba: cars.....
 
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