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BMW M2 vs M3: Which Is Better Value as a Used Buy in the UK?

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  Photo by Zuka Zurabishvili on Unsplash Both the F87 M2 and F80 M3 use the same S55 engine. Both are rear-wheel drive, manual or DCT, and built on the same generation of BMW M architecture. On paper, they are closer than their price difference suggests. In practice, they are quite different cars to own, insure, maintain, and live with day to day — and for most UK buyers working within a budget, those differences matter more than the spec sheet. This guide cuts through the noise. We're comparing the F87 M2 and F80 M3 as used buys in the current UK market — engine differences, running costs, parts availability, insurance, and which one makes more sense depending on what you actually want from it. The Engines: N55, S55 — What's the Difference? F87 M2 standard — the N55 The standard F87 M2 (2016–2018) uses the N55, a 3.0-litre single twin-scroll turbo straight-six producing 370bhp. The N55 is not an M-developed engine. It is the same unit used in the standard 335i, 435i, and X5 35...
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What Are Common BMW B38 Engine Problems? The 3-Cylinder Turbo Explained

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Image: BMW B38A15A Complete Engine with just 24K miles for sale at MT Auto Parts for £1,429.99 Three cylinders in a BMW. It still surprises people who haven't followed the brand's engine development over the past decade. The B38 is BMW's 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine — a unit that, on paper, sounds like an unlikely fit for a brand that built its reputation on silky inline-sixes and high-revving four-cylinders. In practice, the B38 is a considerably more capable and more interesting engine than its cylinder count suggests. It is part of BMW's B-series modular engine family and shares significant architecture with the four-cylinder B48 and six-cylinder B58, the same bore diameter, the same engineering philosophy, and many of the same BMW engine parts . But it is not without its problems. This guide covers what the B38 is, which cars it powers, what goes wrong, and how the reliability picture looks in the real world. What Is the BMW B38 Engine? The B3...
Location: United Kingdom
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What Are Common BMW N20 Engine Problems?

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  Photo by Sevak Khachatoorian on Unsplash The BMW N20 engine has a complicated legacy. Introduced in 2011 as a replacement for the naturally aspirated N52 six-cylinder, the N20 was BMW's first turbocharged four-cylinder in the modern era — a 2.0-litre unit designed to deliver six-cylinder performance with four-cylinder economy. In terms of outright capability, it largely delivered on that promise. In terms of long-term reliability, it developed a reputation that is difficult to ignore. If you own an N20-powered BMW or are considering buying one, this guide covers everything you need to know: what goes wrong, when it goes wrong, how serious each fault is, and what the repair costs look like in the UK. What Is the BMW N20 Engine? The N20 is a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four petrol engine fitted across a wide range of BMW models from 2011 to approximately 2017, when it was progressively replaced by the B48. The N20B20A is the primary variant — the code you'll see in parts cata...
Location: United Kingdom
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