Faults:

Had a lot of work to the suspension recently. Acceptable at the mileage. The car was already 10 years old when I bought it and already had a few expensive repairs (the usual common diesel engine trouble), but nothing too serious. I keep it serviced on time and it has not let me down so far. Interior is wearing very well for a car that is now 14 years old. Exterior is also looking good, but there is very small rust patches starting here and there. Again, nothing out of the ordinary for an older car.

General Comments:

Growing up I had always liked BMW's saloons and coupes, so when the 1 series came out I never thought much about it, I thought it just looked like another boring hatchback car that you see everywhere. In all fairness it is a quality car once you own and drive one.

Be under no illusion however, they can still be expensive to run for a smaller family car in regards to repairs. Compared to my previous boring but good to drive and reliable Ford Focus, the car is a bit more exciting, but not by much. I love the handling and the interior just has such a nice quality feel. This 118d has a 2.0 turbo diesel engine that is fast and economical. Can still easily achieve around 60 mpg, excellent for a 2008 car.

SE model is pretty basic, but the car still has all electrics and air con. Quiet and smooth to drive around town and on motorways also.

In silver, which is a very common color, the car looks like any other hatchback on the road, in my opinion that is its only let down, it is not the most exciting car to look at. If BMW styled it a bit better I think they would have the perfect family car that would appeal to all buyers, but it is just too boring looking. Not ugly, just bland.

Overall the car is better than I expected, but don't expect anything too exciting, unless you go for the faster versions.

Faults:

Nothing apart from wear and tear items.

General Comments:

I bought this car as a cheaper to run replacement for my previous 335i DCT cabrio.

It hasn't disappointed, it is a nice little car to drive; it is quite quick and easily does 50mpg plus. The ride is a bit firm, but it is on 18" wheels and runflats. The tyres will be replaced with non runflats in the new year as past experience says that they give a vast improvement.

One minor niggle is that the build quality of the interior is noticeably worse than BMW's of old such as the E46. It is however still acceptable and nothing has fallen off. One thing I will say though is that if you buy one, change the oil every 8000 miles, and don't rely on the BMW long life oil services. The longer intervals increase the risk of turbo and cam chain problems.

Faults:

So far nothing, isn't it fantastic.

General Comments:

Great car to drive, good performance and handling. You feel the advantage of the rear wheel drive. However, not good for space. If you really need space for passengers and luggage, then think of another car.

BMW have reputation for being expensive to run, but not this one; it is not more than a Ford Focus or Astra etc.

Faults:

ABS sensors.

Bulbs.

Clutch and flywheel.

Occupancy sensor.

Seatbelt module.

General Comments:

Great handling car, goes well, but like all BMWs, heavier on fuel than other manufacturers, be it diesel or petrol.

Mechanically it feels solid as expected.

Unfortunately let down by all the electronic crap and sensors that seem to fail regularly, meaning expensive diagnostics and aggro to fix a light telling you a tyre has slightly less air in it than another tyre. Now warning lights are an MoT failure, so unfortunately the car has to go.