Thanks for the PMs, and huge thanks to @[HealyC] who fitted us in on very short notice to do a pre-purchase inspection on a 116i for a friend of mine.

Drove a few 1 series the last 2 days looking for the right one for him, and this was by far the best driving one, it's incredible just how different supposedly identical cars can be! Anyway, been driving it around a lot since he's not insured to drive it, and have to say I can't believe how lovely they are to drive! It's exactly how I thought it'd be like, it's obviously not gonna win any drag races but it genuinely feels like a go-kart, really tight on the road while also retaining comfort, with a nicely weighted perfect ratio steering, and I love the gearing! - it makes the absolute most of the engine and masks the fact that it's only a modest 115bhp 1.6, it pulls nicely through the gears, and consistenty continued to pull up to motorway speeds all in all a very quirky little car! Have to say I really wouldn't mind a nicely specced M-Spor 3 door one as a run around for a while! Although I haven't seen a single M-Sport in Ireland so far..