Lots of cars are awful value for money, my point is that you cannot expect people not to question the purchase. (...) The ONLY reason the BMW was mentioned is that it is another (superior, or at least my opinion & from a technical pov) barge for the same kind of money available domestically.
I find it extremely difficult to judge value for money any more. And what genuinely worries me, is that I was always into cars, and I would like to think I knew a lot about market - I always knew rough market value of makes, if not values down to particular models. And then suddenly I found myself walking next to car dealer 100 yards from my place, the guy was always outrageously expensive and I find 52 plate Merc C series for £5999, 03 plate 3 series for £4499. Leon of the same age for £4799. 51 plate mini for £6500. And I don't get the mechanism. At what point did Seat become more desirable than 3 series in town where track suits sell better than milk? At what point did Mini gain more prestige with Lithuanian drug dealers than black Merc to fetch higher price than prestige makes?
At least with with £4000 worth of Japanese sleeper he buys into steady market. Five years ago 10-12 year old pristine low mileage Hilux Surf would cost you anywhere between £3500 and £5000, today 10-12 year old pristine low mileage surf costs the same. It's a market that doesn't get saturated, doesn't depreciate with economic climate. If there are no buyers, sellers just don't import more. And a market of people who want just that - in this particular case - japanese sleeper. And they will pay £4000 not to have 7 series. Or £2000 maxima (which btw, doesn't really translate into alternative - it might look the same to bystander, but it's like 4Runner to Japanese Hilux, like Galant to Japanese Legnum, Legacy Estate to Japanese H6, kind of like Mondeo Verona to someone looking for ST300.
Fox said:
Oh come off it, who else were you possibly refering to with a £7000 'ingalactic mileage' Beemer
Especially after your first post was full of 5 Series when the thread mentioned the 7
I don't know why you insist it's about you. I always thought of you as sharpish young man. Yes, you have a bit of a Simon Cowell stance about you, and because of a lot of posters jump on your back you sometimes have short fuse and most peculiar outbursts of paranoia (like that moment when you stopped in the middle of thread in HJ forum to yell that you are being stocked, remember?), but you know your thing or two, for someone of your age and you are often humble enough to admit errors in your ways, although it has to be said, generally, your advice is actually solid. Personally, my experience also tells me you would probably make a great journalist or columnist, and you are highly quotable when you have your moments.
That aside, for no fault of your own, you do seem to attract undivided attention of Brigade of annoying kids that follow you around from car to car, which can make threads in Motors section somewhat monotonic, destructive and more often than not - very boring to anyone who has no invested interest in becoming M stickered, debadged four pot owner.
As much as I enjoy my musings that quite possibly, you and your car are, without intent or comission, partially responsible for every sale of intergalactic 5 series between Brixton and Plymouth, and perhaps every ebay "M" sport kit glued to old beemers between Leicester and Mile End, it's the Brigade I poke at. That's my rolleye target. Not you. You, I like. And enjoy crossing pens with. When you are reasonable. Most of the time.
It's the Brigade that I don't like. That and the little minions that try to help at all cost:
minion said:
I think von (oh no I didn't use a zero) is missing the point.
Yes Fox I have just said exactly what you did, but he seems to ignore the main points in your posts and just try to argue with you for no reason.
Here's a fiver. Can you bring Fox large Starbucks late while we sit and talk here.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
The rear end light, light clusters etc are a carbon copy. Why a "20bhp turbo" ? Arent they like 70bhp or something ?