320d - Potentially expensive failure

Advantages: Preformance, Economy, choice of trim, extras
Disadvantages: reliability - Expensive turbo failure, Rear Seat Space, Boot Space

...This is my first BMW, and I am sorry to say my last. The 320d has a reputation for turbo failure, which I believe applies only to pre July 2003 models. This failure can happen at any time regardless of service history and so cannot be predicted or circumvented and is a widely publicised failure amongst 320d owners on the internet!. The cost of repairing this vary between £2000 - £3000 and is not something which I would expect from a name like BMW. Other drawbacks include driver comfort, which is virtually non existant, after 15 mins in the drivers seat you rapidly experience another feature of the 320D - namely BMW "Numb Bum", which I must admit was not publicised in the brochure. The driving position is also somewhat strange. Both rear seat and boot space are limited and certainly not inline with the size of vehicle, and all BMW...

jamesey 30.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320d

Nikon D90 - My Next 'Last' Camera

Advantages: Movies, LiveView, 12.3 mpixels, build quality, excellent lens range
Disadvantages: Still quite bulky for casual use. Expensive if that's all you want it for

...There?s been a legion of digital cameras that have passed through my hands since they started to become a serious contender for 35mm?s domination of the amateur market. Going from memory, they?ve included Philips, Casio, Canon, Nikon and errr?..Nikon. Of course the last one, my first DSLR, a Nikon D70 was going to be the last; but then we all say that don?t we, lads? What I really meant was ?the last for quite a while?. LOOKS LIKE THE ?QUITE A WHILE? HAS EXPIRED Then my daughter started making noises about a night-school class in photography, where the minimum kit requirement just so happened to be a DSLR, and I got to thinking about letting her have the D70 for a ?song?, whilst good ol? Dad treats himself to the later and much higher-specified D90. Since I bought the D70 four or five years back, things have moved on apace...

BNibbles 04.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Nikon D90

New facelifted 320D 1998cc 2002 model

Advantages: Performance, MPG, Quailty
Disadvantages: Rear cabin space, Small boot

...I ordered a 320D SE 1998cc 2002 model from my local BMW dealer in October 2001 for delivery in December 2001. I was impressed with the dealer (Dick Lovett), as the sales guy was not at all pushy but allowed me to take my time looking over the car and responded well to questions I raised. The first test drive I had was with the sales guy and lasted around 40 minutes, he then arranged for me to have the car for the whole day that weekend. This whole day test drive was excellent and really let me get know the car without any sales person around, and after that I was hooked and continue to purchase the car. The list of options available is huge and it took some time to decide what I wanted. This new car was to replace my company Astra and I purchased it myself using my companies opt out option. The car was ordered for December as my...

focus328 06.03.2002 · Read review
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Review of BMW 320d

The Canon EOS 450D

Advantages: high quality images, great design, rugged yet light, good value, quick
Disadvantages: auto modes can be dodgy in extreme lighting, only one control wheel, bad live view

...Canon has for a long time been renowned for its high quality cameras with superb image quality and good value for money. The Canon EOS 450D is no exception: rugged build, high quality images from Canon's renowned CMOS sensor, and good battery life and usability all contribute to the making of an excellent entry lever DSLR camera. In terms of picture quality, I feel Canon is unrivalled, and the 450D upholds this reputation. The 12.2MP and CMOS sensor produce excellent results in all light conditions. In bright light, the Canon has no issues sensoring quickly and almost always producing a result in auto and manual modes. The meter is swift and reliable, producing results that are frequently bettered by knowledge of the manual mode and histogram, but nevertheless excellent. The images from low light situations are also very good...

tobymather 30.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Canon EOS 450D

My experience of the Nikon D90 as an amateur photographer.

Advantages: Excellent picture quality, lots of useful features, well designed controls, great kit lens
Disadvantages: More expensive than some other DSLRs, quite big and heavy, limited movie mode

... How I made my choice I recently bought the D90 to upgrade from my Olympus 560UZ bridge camera, so this is my first foray into DSLR photography. Most people starting in DSLR photography will opt for the cheaper D40, or the D60, D70 and D80. I am not particularly rich, and in the end chose the D90 because I didn't want to grow out of the smaller DSLR and have to buy a new body quickly. I have found that the prices of Nikon DSLRs haven't decreased significantly over the last 3 years, so I decided (maybe wrongly) that this option would save me money in the long run. I found that it is very important to go into a shop and hold the camera in your hands before making a choice. All the photography shop assistants said that the Canon series was just as good as the Nikons, but I discounted them because I didn't get on with the feel...

potoroo99 15.09.2009 (22.09.2009) · Read review
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530D. A joy to own.

Advantages: Power, luxury and ecomomy.
Disadvantages: Cost, especially when you start adding options.

...Having previously owned the fabulous BMW 3ltr engine in an E46 330D, i decided to upgrade to the 530D with a larger boot space. Best descision i have made for a long time. The car oozes luxury! Excellent ride, awesome power delivery through the automatic gearbox and a shape that just grows on you as time goes by. Economy on this vehicle depends on the position of your right foot. Expect 35-38 for normal driving, 37-41 on the motorway. Not bad for a large engine pushing out over 230bhp. The Automatic gearbox, with sport mode, makes seamless changes and adapts to your driving style. A joy to use. It may appear a little sparse inside, but has everything you need is too hand. All layed out in a neat and tidy fashion. The dash layout is totally "uncluttered". The seating is very comfortable, both front and rear. Go for the electrically...

stebbo55 06.12.2007 · Read review
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Review of BMW 530d

Renault Clio dCi Dynamique!!

Advantages: Very Economical and stylish
Disadvantages: None

...Wow!! What a excellent little car !? I have just passed my driving test, so after many months? if not years of scrimping and scraping so that I could save up for a car I went out and bought the first car that I like the look of. And I choose this beauty! (I know that was foolish as I should have done my research but that gut instinct was correct and I'm pleased with my choice.) The car I choose was a Renault Clio Dynamique (100) 1.5 dCi Its features: Standard Renault alloy wheels Remote central locking Powered steering Air bags ABS brakes Along with the standard spec of a Renault Clio but ? what sets the Dynamique version apart from others is its sports styling; It has 15-inch alloy wheels, a rear spoiler, front foglamps and sports seats. Automatic headlamps and rain-sensing wipers as standard...

beastlyalways 04.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Renault Clio 1.5 dCi

Canon EOS 450D - Superb!

Advantages: Extremely easy to use, fantastic picture quality, long battery life.
Disadvantages: I haven't found any!

...Introduction I bought the Canon EOS 450D a couple of months ago as my first SLR - and i can honestly say its an absolute pleasure to use. For someone like me who is a total novice in photography terms (but very willing to learn!) this camera is superb. Ease of use My friend and I researched SLR cameras for hours to try to find a camera for me. I can only be described as a beginner but I wanted to take the plunge and do some 'real' photography. The EOS 450D seemed to have everything I was looking for - and it is everything I was looking for. It is a very light, yet sturdy camera that fits comfortably in my hands. The large LCD screen is very sharp which is especially useful when you are trying to change settings, and i was surprised by how quickly i learned what all of the buttons did and also how quickly i was able to take a half decent...

island78 14.06.2009 · Read review
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The EOS 40D Excellent picture quality

Advantages: Excellent picture quality, low noise, now down in price.
Disadvantages: None

...Introduction After several years of using bridge cameras and the like, I thought it was time to move up to a DSLR, after using canon cameras for most of the time in the past, I looked at what was on offer from them, at first I considered the EOS 400 but I decided to go for the newly released and better spec EOS 40D instead, I have used Canon 35mm Film SLR cameras in the past, so I thought I knew what I was in for, but the modern DSLR's are a different beast altogether, and I was pleasantly surprised at what this camera was capable of, it is light years away from my original Zenith camera, and even way ahead of my first Canon SLR which was an advanced and well specified camera in its time. The Canon EOS 40D was first announced in the autumn of 2007, this camera has improved on an already impressive line of EOS cameras, ranging...

Markh5682 08.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Canon EOS 40D

The Canon EOS 50D superb image quality.

Advantages: Superb image quality, well built, High resolution, low noise, Excellent spec.
Disadvantages: Only minor gripes, no CF card included, large and heavy compared to some.

...The Canon EOS 50D This review is based on my own reviews of this camera elsewhere (Amazon) and has been edited for the pupose of posting on here, I hope you will find it useful. I bought this camera almost as soon as it was released, so I have had plenty of time to get used to it, and test it fully before writing this review. Overview The first thing you notice is that this is not a small lightweight camera, but is a solid well built camera designed for serious use, yet despite it's size and weight it is still easy to hold and is comfortable to use, for those of you that have used the EOS 40D it has the same body shell as that, and has the advantage of using the same accessories as the EOS 40D as well. The menu's are well laid out and easy to use making this camera easy to set up and use, the large...

Markh5682 03.03.2009 (28.03.2009) · Read review
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Review of Canon EOS 50D