Ideas for a cheaper car

[TW]Fox;16180846 said:
The last LSD on a non M powered BMW was on the 1996 328i Sport. From this point onwards BMW claim that ASC and then DSC takes the place of an LSD.

We obviously know they are wrong but hey, thats the way it is.
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For notmal spirited driving and not attempting to be a drift god, then DSC does provide an adequate replacement for the (utterly shoddy lockup ratio) BMW LSD.

However we all know that DSC off, and a decent LSD fitted will give better road holding and poise.

As for the LCR suggestion, I'd just say NO to that. They aren't cheap to run, maintain, and are all also at that age/milage where things are going wrong in a costly manner.
 
MikeHiow said:
I was aware that it was present on the 328 sport, hence hoping it would be there on the E46 330.
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It was only there for the first year of production on 328i Sports, most do not have it.

Its a shame, that really lets the car down for me, the prospect of going back to RWD again was quite a factor in contemplating the 330, but it seems pointless on an open diff.
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Even without an LSD it's still miles better traction wise than a Ford Focus.

Still think you should buy a travelcot and some nappies though ;)
 
ST200?

Old, Cheap, Quite Quick, Plenty of money in the bank?

edit. Sorry didnt notice you shrugged off the ST220. What about Octavia vRS?
 
I have all our baby needs taken car of, thanks :)

I'm heavily swaying towards the 330, even budgeting £1k towards getting it up together (That is parts only, I don't pay for labour :) ) - it leaves me loads of spare cash, a car that is almost as quick as the ST, and just as respectable.

this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, but its going to take some effort to get over the typical BMW mileage.

So who can tell me more about the 330? :)
 
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Theres more to a car than its engine, and I'm fairly sure the drivetrain components have not 'just been run in' at 100k ;)
 
I only mentioned that thread because there seemed to be loads of facts about the petrol which were good enough to change his mind!
 
MikeHiow said:
a car that is almost as quick as the ST, and just as respectable.
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I'm fairly sure a 330 is quicker than an ST?

EDIT: ahh it seems the 330 has a quicker 0-60 and top speed, but the Focus has a better midrange.

MikeHiow said:
this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, but its going to take some effort to get over the typical BMW mileage.
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I bet you £1,000,000 that the "NEW TYRES!!!" that have been put on there will be Linglong, Wangkang, Chingwing or something.

MikeHiow said:
So who can tell me more about the 330? :)
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Window regulators often go in the front windows - characterised by them rattling, the glass falling out of place and the window going up slowly

Speakers at the front can rattle and break very easily.

Rear springs snap often

Front suspension bushes will need doing at that kind of mileage

But when buying these cars, the most important thing is that you get a good one to start with. I'd hazard a guess that 85% of the 330's out there have been owned by idiots, driven unsympathetically, had budget services using budget parts and oil and have incomplete or rubbish service history in some way.

Trust me, you'll know exactly what i'm talking about when you call up a couple of sellers and you get the standard "Alwite m8, yeh dis car is so quik m8, yeh it's got a bit of service innit, but y'know beemers go forevs they dun they!?" response.
 
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I'm talking about a mapped ST, which is quicker than the 330.

As for tyres, if they are terrible, I have at least budgeted around £1k to getting it sorted.

I do hope I won't get a response like that, I'd only really be looking at purchasing from a dealer, where I'll have some comeback if it explodes after five minutes, unless of course the right one came up privately.
 
another promising one, perhaps a little over budget, and silver wouldn't be my first choice (That would be Imola Red) - but I have been craving an easier colour to keep clean than black :)

this, too - but black is a pita :( Does look pretty though
 
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MikeHiow said:
... this is just an idea I'm toying with after seeing the potential right house come up, it may not happen, and it certainly won't if I cannot find a car I'm happy with that meets the requirements, ...
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Am i the only one that read that as "Getting the right replacement car is more important than getting the right house." ? :confused:
 
Just saying, it's worth considering - buying a property is a big purchase, if you arent willing to sacrifice some areas then it's going to take you longer than it could otherwise. If you're happy with that then that's fine, just worth thinking about
 
You are mistaking me here, you are acting as if I'm struggling to buy this house, this is not the case - I can have the house and the car I want, if I can limit myself to around £6-7k on the car.

The toying aspect comes from the idea that the house might not be what we want, and holding out might be a better idea, not that it really matters, seeing as I asked for ideas on cars, not financial advice ;)
 
Gaygle said:
Rubbish. A "pretty much perfect" 330 is a rare thing these days and definitely worth more than £2.5k. However "perfect" is a subjective term, and i suspect your friend's definition of "perfect" is a far cry from others definition, hence why he's having trouble selling it, even at a low price.

If it's pretty much perfect, with 107k, FSH, in Sport guise, it's worth nearer to £7k.
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Well here's a link to the advert:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...arch/true/radius/10/postcode/bn16je?logcode=p

I've seen it in the flesh, looked pretty good to me, no parking dings and interior was clean and well looked after. Obviously its a SE, but what else am I missing that can make it half the value of other models?
 
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