My new 123d M Sport 3 Door

[Ecurie Ecosse]

Hi guys

My new 123d M Sport 3 door was delivered yesterday, as a company car replacement for my 147 GTA.

First impressions are that I love it, and you should try one out if you are considering a similar car.

[Petrolhead747]

Nice car. I wouldnt swap a GTA for one though!

[jp19]

map it

[jimmyjam]

Petrolhead747 said:

Nice car. I wouldnt swap a GTA for one though!

+1

[arryb]

jimmyjam said:

Petrolhead747 said:

Nice car. I wouldnt swap a GTA for one though!

+1

I don't think many people would, but as the OP said, it's a replacement company car (new rules) so for a company hack, that's about as good as it gets I reckon. Good choice OP

[Funk]

Petrolhead747 said:

Nice car. I wouldnt swap a GTA for one though!

If it's a company car, he's being spanked on tax for a GTA. I'm in a similar position with my Focus ST (although the cost implications are slightly different) and had to acquiesce to the dirty pump.

Well, if you're going to go diesel, you might as well get a good one, and the 123d's surprisingly quick - almost as quick as a standard Focus ST in fact, with 60 in 6.9. Slightly down on bhp (204 plays 222) but up on torque (295lb/ft plays 236lb/ft). The biggest thing I'm going to miss about the ST is the sound and I'd guess Ecurie probably feels the same after his Alfa..

[RsSpyder]

Nice car, im looking to get the 118 petrol in september.

[northandy]

Nice, nice spec too

[Slagathore]

Looks lovely!!

Read some really good write ups on that engine aswell!

[BlueCello]

Very nice

Do they do a 123d Convertible?

[Ecurie Ecosse]

Many thanks for the kind words, guys. I'm really enjoying the car - no noticable lag and free revving.

And they do make a 123d convertible

[AB]

Lovely - I don't see how people can call them ugly, i think they are a really nice looking car.

Congrats mate, a really good colour for it too.

[flattotheboards]

I really like these 3 door 1 series M Sports, I think that they look quite nice. The lesser models dont though. Out of interest what would the list price be including all of the extras fitted?

[Ecurie Ecosse]

The list price of mine was around £29k, with metallic paint, leather, 18 inch wheels, xenons, headlight washers, cruise, Professional CD and hi fi speakers.

Ex demo and nearly new cars are quite a bit cheaper.

There is a good car configurator on www.bmw.co.uk - so many options to choose from!

[Chr1sch]

Very nice, i am in the market for a new co car but unfortunately your scheme must be better than mine!!

The tax on them is good too, although saying that i was surprised to discover that an ST is only 38 pounds more than my 2.0tdci focus?!

[vz-r_dave]

Ecurie Ecosse said:

The list price of mine was around £29k, with metallic paint, leather, 18 inch wheels, xenons, headlight washers, cruise, Professional CD and hi fi speakers.

Ex demo and nearly new cars are quite a bit cheaper.

There is a good car configurator on www.bmw.co.uk - so many options to choose from!

oh my word 30k for a 1 series is just barmy imo. as a company car tho its better then a passator a3

[flattotheboards]

£29k!! . However as a company car its a great choice. What other cars did you have to choose from?

[Ecurie Ecosse]

flattotheboards said:

£29k!! . However as a company car its a great choice. What other cars did you have to choose from?

Cheers! The list price is very high, but my monthly payments are quite reasonable. For example, the total cost (including tax) is about the same as a Civic Type R GT with no options!

I had a wide choice, and my short list consisted of:

- Clio 197 - a great car, but I need to keep it for 4 years and I have a feeling I may have outgrown it;

- Civic Type R - Not bad, but quite expensive due to tax.

- Audi S3 - again, a good car, but around £250 a month more than the 123d due to tax and other costs.

- RS Megane - rules out by SWMBO

- Passat Highline Estate - I really considered this, as I had one for a while as a courtesy car. A great overall package, but I felt like I wasn't quite old enough for it.

- Golf GTI - Nice, but I ruled it out as the mark 6 is about to come out.

- Scirroco - nice, but as a package I preferred the 123d (RWD and faster)

- BMW 320d M Sport - Nice, but not as fast as the 123d

[xj6executive]

Nice looking car, I should imagine its just a tad more economical than a 147 GTA too

[Ecurie Ecosse]

xj6executive said:

Nice looking car, I should imagine its just a tad more economical than a 147 GTA too

Thanks! It's just a bit more economical! Even although it's brand new and I have been hooning around in it it's sitting at 39.8mpg average - that's almost exactly double the GTA's average. They are meant to get better over time too.