classical, sporty, timeless

30 January 2008 - 02:00
By unknown

2005 BMW 120i

2005 BMW 120i

Price: R173000

Mileage: 82000 km

Colour: Silver

Motor plan: 3 year/ 100000km BMW Motorplan

Dealer: Auto Pedigree Fourways

Charl Wilken

The BMW 1-Series is without doubt a cute car, but when it comes to performance and drive quality, it is a serious contender in the hot hatch market. The 1-Series is also the only car in its class to drive through the rear wheels.

This results in a perfect car for the enthusiast. This car has done 82000km on the clock. This might sound like a lot of kilometres, but we can assure the buyer that it must have been driven by someone who cared a lot about the car. It has undergone a full vehicle check-up to see that it is in perfect condition for the next owner. It is a fresh design not only for BMW, but also in its segment. You can describe the lines as classical yet sporty and in a way, timeless. Our test model came with the sport package which also included a sport steering wheel. The exterior bears little if at all scratches and also has never been involved in an accident.

The paintwork resembles that of a new vehicle.

Being almost three years old, one can forgive the fact if there were little "usage" marks on the interior of the car. But the interior is in immaculate condition. The leather interior looks and feels great and the quality materials used in this car is typical of BMW, high quality. The 120i follows through with the simplicity design dashboards and control panels that you will find in all the latest BMW models.

All 1-series models are known for their solid-build quality.

It is what's going on underneath the bonnet that makes one enjoy the car. It uses a four cylinder 2,0-litre power plant to deliver power to the rear wheels. Power output for this jewel is 110kW and 200Nm. This gets transferred to the wheels via an amazing six-speed manual gearbox. The 120i is able to complete the 100kph sprint in less than nine seconds. Top speed is in the region of 200kmh. Standard equipment includes four airbags, ABS brakes with EBD, climate control, electric windows, power steering, multi-functional steering wheel and a front loading CD/MP3-player.