are these cars any good.Daughter fancies one,which engine is recommended either diesel or petrol not fussed

123d would be OK but a 135i would be better

i have tested the 123d msport and it was great a really great engine

In laws had a 120D sport - very nice to drive and very well built (the electrically adjusting sports seats are awesome - you can adjust the side supports )

All I would say is the rear seats were difficult to get in/out of because the openings are a funny shape. OK once in there though.

The most pointless car ever IMO. The cost of a mondeo, the size of a Focus and the interior (and boot) space of a fiesta. All of which are decent cars.

The 130 or 135 straight six which ever it is is the only sensible option. The biggest engine in the smallest chassis. Even then you're better off with an M3.

Tell her to get BMW tatooed on her forehead if she likes the brand that much. A second hand 3 series is better for the money or something else from almost anyone.

great to drive and personally I like the looks too (excepting the feckin' hideous saloon and convertibles). You will not get a weeks shopping in the boot though or any reasonable size adults in the back seats.

great cars, i may be wrong in saying but i think all of the engines are the same litreage but with different inlets and mapping. can look sweet with little small cheap mods

I've got a 123D MSport and it's a nice car. Mines a company one and quite good tax-wise as the CO2 is only 138. I wouldn't buy a new one as the list price on mine with metallic, heated seats, stereo upgrade, bluetooth, factory detachable towbar etc is more than £27k, The boot isn't as bad as made out above (about the same size as the Golf).
The one issue that I've had recently is that I went over a sticky out kerb and tw*tted one of the plastic jacking point which ripped off and rammed itself back into the bottom of the plastic sill. Result = one new sill (painted), new n/s undertray, lots of plastic clips and a new jacking point!! £££ Why they have these jacking points, I don't know. There is no jack as they are on run-flats!!

I've got a 3 series but to be honest if I didn't have kids it'd be the 1 series for me. They handle well and there's plenty of room in the front, it's just the rear room that lets it down.

BMW engines are the best out there. Look at any equivalent engine from merc or audi and it's both less powerful AND less efficient. I can't argue with that!

i quite liked the interior of the 1 series when i had the oppotunity to drive one, plenty of room up front for me, but as already mentioned the interior space in the rear is none existant. the boot isn't the biggest either. i think the styling is nice from the outside as well, the only thing that puts me off buying one is the price and the servicing costs.

i would rather spend the money of a golf gti or similar

Bmw ride quality is shocking in comparison to Audi / vw etc
the 1 series is a tad expensive for what it is - get a mini cooper instead !

I kind of disagree with the last statement about ride quality. I owned a 2002 3 series a short while ago and my g/f owns a 2003 A3 sport on 15's. Her car is fine over large bumps etc but really jarring on smaller ones where as my 3 series was on 18's and ironed out the bumps really well but still was as solid as a rock. Just my opinion though.

My brother in law has a 116i with sport pack interior and suspension. I hate it with a passion!!!
I really wanted to like it, being a RWD fan, but it just did nothing for me.
The seats are incredibly uncomfortable, the ride quality is very poor and it's slow....
I'd have an A3 for the same money any day.