Critique a car someone wants me to look at (3 series Beemer init)

I know what he is saying, he would rather be noticed. Thing is you want to be noticed for the right reason.
Anyway, why worry about what the general public think, they are general public for a reason
 
Everyone looked at you because it was noisy? Crap reason to want to be looked at.

Not on a bike it's not. It was sexy and red and fast (looked fast standing still) and noisy. Noisy in a good way - it was the standard can. But it clearly meant business.

It was also uncomfortable and less maneuverable in traffic than the Fazer with it's wide bars and upright seating... But the Fazer was too good and too common, I always wanted something else. Not something better, because honestly I don't think there's that many bikes that are better, just something different.

Same problem, imo, applies to BMWs. Fox sees where I'm coming from. I'm not saying they're bad, in fact I'm saying the opposite, they're almost too good. Once all the proletariat get their hands on them they lose some of their appeal.

Anyway I didn't intend to derail the thread and I apologise for it, it's not helping the OP to go over this any more :)
 
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Yeah, but you said people only look because of it's noise. Which the general public probably think is annoying :p
 
The more I look at the car, the more I like it actually. I think perhaps with some OEM wheels (MV1s perhaps?) it would be more appealing to me. You can certainly see why the sport is more desirable. The seats, styling additions and suspension really make a big difference to the car.

What are the main differences between the sport and the SE?
 
Yeah, but you said people only look because of it's noise. Which the general public probably think is annoying :p

It wasn't just the noise, that was part of it, but it's a good looking bike.

Get yourself a handsome looking motorcycle and you'll understand. People look at you, and it's gratifying. It's all very shallow, but it's definitely true. Rumbling through the town centre on a red Italian V-twin superbike is a pleasant experience! :D
 
It's all very shallow, but it's definitely true

Absolutely. People will probably think you are a snob for saying that, but I doubt there is a single person on this forum who wouldnt get a buzz out of somebody looking at his car or bike and giving a thumbs up, or walking over in a petrol station and saying 'Wow, is that an XYZ? Nice mate!'.

A car is a very personal choice and as humans we thrive on other peoples acceptance of our personal choices. It shapes most of what we do, though most people will never admit this.
 
It wasn't just the noise, that was part of it, but it's a good looking bike.

Get yourself a handsome looking motorcycle and you'll understand. People look at you, and it's gratifying. It's all very shallow, but it's definitely true. Rumbling through the town centre on a red Italian V-twin superbike is a pleasant experience! :D

I don't disagree, it's great to know people like what you have, but how many people actually take notice beyond 'what's that noise?' and how many is it just your mind wanting to think people are going 'wow'?
 
I don't disagree, it's great to know people like what you have, but how many people actually take notice beyond 'what's that noise?' and how many is it just your mind wanting to think people are going 'wow'?

Loads! Until you've ridden a bike you won't really get it. Loads of people who don't ride bikes secretly or not so secretly want one, and you can spot them when you're riding.

Bikes are amazing and attract a lot of looks, either out of admiration, lust, or jealousy. And that's not me showing off, people just like them. Especially sportsbikes that are V-twins. They sound unusual and fantastic, and they mostly look amazing too.

My Z750 was loud and looked cool. People would turn and have a proper look.

The Fazer had an Akropovic on it, so sounded great, but people barely batted an eye. If they did turn to look, they'd soon decide they shouldn't have bothered. It was sort of handsome, I suppose, but in an understated, plain way.

The RSV had the stock exhaust on it for most of the time I had it. Once people saw it they would just plain old stare at it. It was absolutely beautiful. It was a staggeringly gorgeous piece of Italian engineering.

When it had the race pipe on it, it lasted about four days of me being embarrassed because I'd try to filter and people would **** theirselves as I approached and every time I went past a copper (which was about twice) I was mortally afraid of being pulled over. Way too loud. As standard though it just sounded really really very nice indeed without being offensive.
 
Just a comparison with my preferred choice, an Alfa GT, the 3 series just looks rather bland unfortunately.

And yet the Alfa GT is, in anything other than looks, a pretty awful car.

That said, if you dont really want a 3 Series, it would seem foolish to take an older one on.
 
I think awful might be a little harsh but I'll concede it's not as well spec'd as the 3 series, the ride is quite a bit 'firmer' and reliability won't be as good....actually when you put it like that, you might be right. :(
 
I think awful might be a little harsh but I'll concede it's not as well spec'd as the 3 series, the ride is quite a bit 'firmer' and reliability won't be as good....actually when you put it like that, you might be right. :(

It's not just about the spec, or the ride quality. The whole drive is marred by an underwhelmingly poor platform, dull driving feedback, and a chassis that instills understeer into every corner. Couple that with the typical Alfa reliability, the poor quality interior (although good looking), and the lackluster engine, and it becomes a package that really does only appeal to the sense of sight.
 
Isnt it funny how you spend your late teens and early 20's wishing you could afford to get insured on a perfomance car then when you finally can you're taking aboard your parents advice on a boredom box diesel, if I was going to look at that i'd be feeling depressed rather than excited, why not spend similar money on something with a little more go that will be fun to drive rather than a sensible boring car.

Unless of course thats you're after because you are settling down and so on, I just got the impression that because your parents are involved the likely is that you are single
 
Isnt it funny how you spend your late teens and early 20's wishing you could afford to get insured on a perfomance car then when you finally can you're taking aboard your parents advice on a boredom box diesel, if I was going to look at that i'd be feeling depressed rather than excited, why not spend similar money on something with a little more go that will be fun to drive rather than a sensible boring car.

Unless of course thats you're after because you are settling down and so on, I just got the impression that because your parents are involved the likely is that you are single

It's a choice of mine to have a more grown up car. I drive a 205 GTi at the moment which is just about the complete oposite of what I'm looking at right now. 20k a year is not the kind of milage I want to be doing in a DC2 or 182 Clio and that's why I'm looking at something more economical, comfortable and with more toys.
 
In that case then its perfect for what you want, being subjective it would drive me insane with boredom but if thats what you want then its all good in the motors section hood
 
Looks on the face value like a good straight forward car to me. The mileage appears low. If you carry out a vehicle (HPI) check to validate some of the history at least should give peace of mind.

You could find cheaper, but then you don't know when that will happen. As I say though, a decent enough deal on face value.
 
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