Ideas please - £2k limit, what shall I buy? Other than an e36?

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Scania

Scania

Scania

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I've decided to ditch any plans that I had to spend a "decent" chunk of cash on a "new" car as ,frankly, who knows what the future holds in this wonderful economic climate we have, about 15months ago I spent £1k on my current Mondeo TD which has worked out well for cheap reliable motoring.

Trouble is, the Mondey needs a few quid spending on it and frankly, I can't bring myself to spend say £600 on a car thats probably worth no more than £500.

Another issue with the Mondeo is I have always hated it with a passion - after an e38 7 Series, it was never going to light my fire in any way other than cost.

So its going and I want a replacement.

I'm setting a limit of £2k although less would be nice as I'd rather hang onto my cash atm as a friends experiences has recently shown me -

He was on the verge of buying a Porsche (!) just prior to this credit crunch, thankfully for him, he did not and has been ,pretty much, living off the Porsche fund due to his work drying up! :eek:

From what I hear on the grapevine, plus the comments of Drivers in Trucknet's "OUT OF WORK club" thread, I'm a bit wary of spending too much and then regretting it in the generally quiet summer months.....

My head says Mondeo again, my heart however tells me that £2k should easily bag me something far nicer such as a late e36 323i or 328i ?

There seems to be plenty of e39's at this price also, but, I'd rather have a 323 than say a 523 & pretty much have the same view comparing a 328 to say a 528 - If I really need to get an e39 fix, I just borrow my Dads! :D

I have always been a fan of the e36 (I ran a '92 318i for 50k) but tbh felt I'd bought the wrong kind of BMW i.e. not a 6-pot.

I'm open to other suggestions though, 50 odd mile radius of ST7 postcode ideally, point me down a route that I had not considered please!


RWD would be a preference and probably a manual. :)

Cheers. :)
 
In the vane of a 328i, only thing I can think of is the Nissan 200SX or non-turbo 3.0 Toyota Supra.
 
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To be honest for £2k its going to be pretty grotty and ancient. I'd swallow your pride and get a better Mondeo, should get a tidy Mk3 for the money.
 
2 grand and RWD? You could get a 3 litre Volvo 760/960 for that money. Something like this, though obviously you'll want to hang around for a manual one.
 
Lum said:
2 grand and RWD? You could get a 3 litre Volvo 760/960 for that money. Something like this, though obviously you'll want to hang around for a manual one.
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He drives trucks for a living, so then he gets home after a long days raping and thinks "hey, I'll pop to my local for a pie and a pint" and then he hops into another swedish truck.

Nice! It's a one way trip to suicide.

Stick with the BMW's.
 
"k the mondy is chucking a few bills at me, so maybe i should replace it with a 10-15 yr old beamer on grotty mileage"

I just don't know how wise this is tbh.
 
paradigm said:
Just get the e36... you know you want to ;)
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http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...icleYearOfManufacture=1998&vehicleRegLetter=R
This one is not helping matters..... :D

81,000 miles, Boston green, light grey leather interior, FBMWSH, Mot Jul 09, front centre arm rest, climate control, on board computer, P/A/S, R/C/L, E/W, A/C, JVC audio with 12 CD changer, absolutley prestine condition, you wont find one in this condition! No timewasters or canvassers. £1,200 NO OFFERS.
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- The "Features" tab says 1796 cc though, its a typo so I'm not sure if thats a 318 or 328...

Sone said:
mint e34, nicer drive than e39 imho but relly showing there age now.

Although for some reason i like http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/msn/CARS_popup.jsp?modelexact=1&partner=msn&lid=search_used_cars_full&make=BMW&model=7+SERIES&variant=&keywords=&min_pr=75&max_pr=&mileage=&agerange=&photo=1&postcode=st7+1nx&miles=60&max_records=50&source=0&sort=3&ukcarsearch_full=FIND+IT+NOW%21&start=2&distance=42&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200908329066069
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I am trying my hardest not to get another 7 although for the budget, theres little to better it in terms of car for cash! :D - You still got your e34 for sale Sone?

[TW]Fox;13574935 said:
To be honest for £2k its going to be pretty grotty and ancient. I'd swallow your pride and get a better Mondeo, should get a tidy Mk3 for the money.
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I hear what your saying, trouble is, I'm back with a car that does not "do it" for me.... head says yes, heart thinks otherwise.....

Defcon5 said:
What does the mondy actually need doing?
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2 Droplinks, Clutch, Wheel Bearings, Exhaust, engine mount, rear brakes, bit of welding on the chassis, leaking headgasket and glowplugs (again!) and flashing oil pressure light on tickover - need I go on?

bobert50 said:
"k the mondy is chucking a few bills at me, so maybe i should replace it with a 10-15 yr old beamer on grotty mileage"

I just don't know how wise this is tbh.
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I swapped my 1995 69k Escort for a 1992 318i with 125k on the clock, the BMW was better in every respect despite the extra years & miles, was initially thinking of an e46 but can't honestly see me finding one worth the bother for the budget.

Thanks for the replys chaps, some ideas there certainly. :)
 
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[TW]Fox;13574935 said:
To be honest for £2k its going to be pretty grotty and ancient. I'd swallow your pride and get a better Mondeo, should get a tidy Mk3 for the money.
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I agree with Fox, just checked autortrader and there are quite a few around this price range with decent spec and mileage (if thats a concern). Big improvement over your current mk2 IMO.
 
£2000, i'd have the E36 too (or E46 if you can find a credible one). You were on the money right from the start. :)

Mondeo's are cheap yes, but for very good reason. Only makes sense if the car really does have to be run on the tightest shoestring ever.
 
Given he sold his E38 (which are worth peanuts) and moved to a mondy once already, unless the E36s are bulletproof, he may find himself in the same situation again.

If it was me fella, I would get another E38 and stop eating but hey best of luck :)
 
I'm in exactly the same predicament. I have under £2k to spend and was originally looking for a Mondeo for < £1k. I know that whatever car I find at this budget won't set the world alight, but I need something reliable and reasonable to maintain.

Hadn't really considered an old BMW but there look to be some good buys around.
 
Just out of interest, what has moved on a lot in 10 years with regards to a MK3 Mondeo to an E36 BMW?
 
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