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-   -   Crossing the thin redline into madness. Meet Red, my old new BMW 328i (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/204534-crossing-thin-redline-into-madness-meet-red-my-old-new-bmw-328i-3.html)

Congratulations on the new purchase.
This seems to be a thread which was written by the heart, a really great read and great pictures there.
I just have 2 questions for you
1. How practical is it coming from a jetta?
2. Most people pointed out this 2.0 petrol to be unrefined.
But u mentioned refinement as a plus over the jetta. How
would u compare it to the famed 1.8tsi in terms of
refinement?

Thank you for thanking me, and for your wishes! I took my own sweet time composing my thoughts, so I'm glad it paid off.

Thanks Panda. You were always my favorite of all the Dreamworks characters. Dream it. Do it. I believe a great pre-owned BMW will be yours some day, soon.

Thank you, and apologies. I tried to keep bombastic words to a minimum, but I really do struggle with doing that, particularly when writing prose.

That's too true. As far as I can recall, all the Jetta guys I interacted with on here switched to BMW. It really is the only upgrade from a driving perspective. Speaks poorly of our available options though, doesn't it?

That's what I was going for! Good to know I kinda nailed it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I do like 5 Stars. They are the best of all the Cadbury chocolates, except Bournville, maybe.

Thank you so much, I'm pleased my senile mind has brought you some joy.

Yes! I couldn't get myself to recite a laundry list of features, this had to be done my way, with heart. Glad you see it that way!

Thank you, Khan saab. Appreciate it.

Do it. Do it now, or the ghosts of Bangles past will come and haunt your dreams.

Thanks a ton, GTO. I agree wholly, this is one ride I won't find wanting for thrills.

It's the sensible route to take, car prices are becoming stratospheric, and for the same price as this, I would have got a Creta or Elantra or so. Going for this is a no-brainer. Matter of fact, a friend of mine who only ever buys cars brand new got inspired a bit and picked up a 2017 CLA run barely 7000 kms for just about 19 lakhs. Incredible deal, that. How do you look past that kind of value? Of course, Kanye helped push me in the right direction lol:

Absolutely no problem in mentioning that, I paid about 18 lakhs for it. It genuinely never struck me that its price would be something people would ask me about, and I realized how wrong I was after a few PM's and whatsapp messages.

Rest assured I'll be there at one of our mega meets sooner or later, no way I'm gonna miss a chance to take her out on the highway or meet fellow car nuts.

Aasu aa gaye. I finally made it! Look mama, I'm on the the home page of Team BHP (cue dancing banana emoji)

Thank you Arty. I hope you enjoyed reading through it as much as I enjoyed writing it. My buddy Assad clicked some amazing pics, and I can't thank him enough for it.

Zero issues with sharing money matters on here, don't get why there should be a shroud of secrecy surrounding it. I paid about 18 lakhs for it. The insurance was expiring, but no service was required for a few months at least, and it had virgin-esque Pirelli's on it. So it made a lot of sense if you ask me.

I agree wholly. I think in our market, BMW's represent the only true upgrade from a Jetta (sedan to sedan) since Audi's engine options are a bit woeful (except for the pointy end of the 1 crore spectrum), and Merc's are beautiful, but not quite for me. Yet. Abhi toh main jawaan hu.

Cook that pulao, stir that pot. I saw great E classes for 25 lakhs (!!!) and that much or a little more could net you a great 530d, which is an amazing car. One doesn't need much more than that, but then we always want more, more, more. I honestly didn't have the budget for the 5, hence the 3 came home. And I'm loving every bit of it.

You guessed right. What is life, if not lived?

The Jetta is absolutely more practical, it's not even close. It's got better space at the back, the fuel bills are a heck of a lot less, the maintenance and insurance is less and the boot space is a heck of a lot more! I think it's a wonderfully balanced car, has something for everyone, the boy racer, the overgrown man child, the business going exec and more. Let's just say the Jetta appeals more to the head, the 3 more to the heart.

I have no experience of the 1.8 TSI, so let me compare it to my beloved Jetta.

When people speak of the lack of refinement in this particular N20 engine, I believe they're referring to the gruffness of its engine and exhaust note. Let's be honest, it's not going to win any singing competitions. It sounds alright in stock mode, and even now, after doing up the exhaust, I only really like it in Sports mode. It's gravelly in Comfort mode and surprisingly boomy in Eco Pro mode.

However, when I speak of it being more refined than the Jetta, I speak of the entire package. It's more silent than the Jetta, has sound insulation that's a little better than the Jetta and it has great ride quality, that too on 18 inch wheels. The interiors are far better than the Jetta due to the few feel-good bits like the red trim, sports seats and heads up display and it's just a much nicer place to be. It's absolutely more refined than the Jetta. The Jetta's diesel motor might have been working away just out of sight, but you could hear it a bit, feel it a bit. It's not so in the N20. This motor's lack of refinement is in its aural appeal, which many (I think rightly) feel it lacks ever since they lopped off 2 cylinders to make it a 4 cylinder engine. That's where the bone of contention is. Not in the overall package, which is far and away better than the Jetta.

I hope I managed to make a bit of sense by way of reply, and that I cleared things up a bit for you!

Thank you, Monsieur Bond. And thank you for appreciate my cunning linguistics. I'm glad to have made you smile, we don't do it often enough.

That is very, very high praise indeed, thank you. It is not the first time I have been told this. Methinks I should get off my lazy ass and make a move on.

Congratulations on your new love. Looks sizzling in Red.
Your writing skills is awesome. It brought smile on my face umpteen times. You should consider writing a novel. It would be a certain hit.

Congrats buddy! Many may have a better car still... but what a review! Finished it in one go and your emotions resonate as I am too on the lookout for a mile muncher, albeit for a slightly different usage!

Had a quick speed glance - what an amazing post and congratulations on your acquisition. I absolutely loved your style of writing. Can't possibly savour this read on a weekday - this is going to be a slow and easy read for me on a weekend with a hot cuppa.

Beautiful pictures too - need to make friends with your official photographer too!! :p

Read & Re-read - Car, though every bit beautiful & sensuous yet, pales in comparison to your writing skills.

Entertaining, Informative, Emotive & what not; like many said, you must try your hand at writing; you can be the Mr. Funnybones author clap:

Congratulations on your old new car!

But, what really impressed was your take on English - this ownership piece is a treatise and made me quickly go through your earlier posts.

Brilliantly written and eerily similar to Sam Kapasi's.

Danke,
Sayak

Congratulations on the buy !!
This was an amazing review, Enjoyed reading it till the end. I'd like to hear how the exhaust sounds with the valves setup.

I also enjoy the pops & bangs when needed whereas for everyday use the closed valves are necessary. Wish you thousands of fun filled miles with your new old 328i. Cheers !!

Karan,

Congratulations on getting the 328i. She sure looks brilliant and I just love the colour (why will I not, Im a Ferrari person :D) Time to catch up wot? It's been a while isnt it?

Loved reading every bit of it, really enjoy your style. Chalo ab milte hai soon

That's sounds to be a very nice deal. I am a pre-owned guy myself and have always dreamt of buying one of the big Germans. Would happily pay in these ranges for my next upgrade from my Vento TSI. With the way prices are currently, don't see a worthy new car to upgrade to in the 20L range.

Congrats on your new acquisition. The pictures look gorgeous.

Thanks buddy. It's so important to have an emotional connect to your car, else it's just a collection of rubber, metal, plastic et al. All the luck in your hunt for a new steed, may she be utterly awesome.

Thanks Axe! Don't forget to add some cinnamon to that cuppa chai. If cinnamon and chai is even your cup of tea, I dunno. Take my advice with a pinch of salt. Or cinnamon. Whatever.

Aye, they are. Assad Dadan's his name, and he's a stunning food photographer. Glad he chose to be my shutterbug.

Thanks a lot saar.

But there's already one Mr. Funnybones, and he's too busy endorsing god knows how many brands. Can't I just be me?

Thanks Sayak. Thanks for the kind words sir, and the high praise in drawing parallels with Sam Kapasi. He really was something else around these parts.

Thank you! I'm figuring out how to try and capture the audio properly, will absolutely put something up once I figure things out.

Exactly! Not enough pops and bags for now, but I do intend to get a catless downpipe and tune things so that it's more "burbly". But no fire from the exhaust please, that's so not my taste.

Hola! Absolutely is time to catch up, been way too long. must catch up soon. And thanks!

I agree, enthusiasts have very few options in the 20 lakh range for an upgrade. All the sporty cars are out of reach for most, leaving us to pick off deals like this. For every Abarth Punto, Tiago JTP, and Polo GT TSI there's a ton of dross. It's quite depressing really. Good luck in your hunt for The One.

Thanks deepfreak!

Wow!!! Great write-up, fantastic pictures, and a powerful turbo petrol car. :thumbs up All the line items checked for a perfect ownership review. :)

Wish you many happy miles with this!

Congrats and superb review man. Hold on to the car for as long as you can, they are a rare breed in today's world.

Wanted a suggestion from you regarding the location of the best dealer/garage for third party servicing and aftermarket parts for BMWs in Mumbai area. I want to get some things changed on my 9 yr old E90 330i like corona rings, wheels, etc.

Thank you, Biraj. I'm not sure I've hit perfection with this, but glad you feel otherwise.

Thanks buddy. You can bet your last rupee I'm hanging on to this for quite some time.

The 330i is such a sweet car, glad they're still around. I've only just begun exploring the aftermarket BMW scene in Mumbai, and beyond. Let me explore a bit further before I offer up an answer.