The 130i Is One Of The Best Used BMWs You Can Buy Right Now
Whenever I have an idle moment, I head over to the classifieds and have a jolly good browse. But recently, there’s been one car I look for first almost without fail: the E87 BMW 130i. I’ve been tempted by one of these for ages, because they tick a hell of a lot of boxes. Great engine? Check. Good chassis? Check. Great looks? Well, this one will divide opinion, but I reckon it’s a handsome devil.
The big draw, of course, is the 265bhp, ‘N52’ 3.0-litre straight-six. It’s the most powerful non-M N/A straight-six BMW ever built, and it’ll get you from 0-62mph in an impressive 5.5 seconds, and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph.
It’s one of the few rear-wheel drive hot hatches in existence, although there are a few handling upgrades I’d consider, namely a limited-slip differentially and perhaps new dampers.
The best part is they’re not all that expensive. The cheapest are currently hovering around £5000, and we found this tidy looking 2006 example for £7695. Sure, that’s E36 M3 money, but as we discovered recently, buying a car like that does have its pitfalls.. The 130i is a much less complex car, but is still bloody quick, so for this kind of money, we reckon it’s the used BMW to have.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
My dad got one, really nice car, good power and enjoyable to drive. I recommend !
6 in a row, rev and Go! Nice Car
#AlexLikesRust
What great engine?
The N52 is a horrible engine.
I’ve been basically been saying that for the past year and none of my friends listened 😂
I liked it so much I got one. Had to sell it due to work reasons, returned. And bought another. Supppp!
Get the manual though. The auto is much less enjoyable I heard..
Z4 3,0si.
If your legs are off centre from the rest of your body then you’ll be onto a winner.
Just spray it completely black and you have a poor man’s ‘squad’ mobile. You’ll be saying ‘eyy fam’ like a legend in no time!
The reason why Matt featured this BMW: He wants to keep his job