Why buy something u wont use?

Leeroy Jenkins · 22 Sep 2011 at 06:20

Why do people buy 330's or 530's when u cant use them for there true performance my dad drives a 320d and a 523i he's clocked both of them and often when we are driving he's usually overtaking 530's that are in the slow lane etc.

i just dont understand why people waste money on cars that they will never really appreciate, and it's pointless buying them anyway cos if ur caught doing over 90 chances are u run a risk of losing the licence. a 2 litre is more than enough for the uk and ireland since the cops are so strict with driving.

the 320d is a fantastic car btw it's a 02 and he got 240kmh on the autostrada with 4 adults in it one of the smoothest cars to drive aswell. now even though u think 320d cant do 240 which is 150mph i seen the needle at 240 when he was flooring it, is it possible it reads 240kmh but it's actually not doing it instead it's doing like 210?

Kingy · 22 Sep 2011 at 06:33

There's more to driving than top speed. Generally speaking more power = greater acceleration, which is both more fun and makes for faster/safer overtaking.

Then there's the power delivery and the noise side of things. The 6cyl versions will sound better and deliver the power more smoothly.

The 320d is a nice car, so enjoy it for what it is instead of trying to convince yourself that the better versions aren't actually better.

Drive both back to back and you'll see...

Leeroy Jenkins · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:00

I'm not saying that the 2 litres ar better I'm just saying why spend an extra 10k on an engine that u will never use? I see most of them 3 litres in the slow lane driven like it's a fiat 1.2

Kenai · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:05

Just because you have a big engine doesn't mean you need to drive everywhere trying to attain the speed of light.

Sitting at 70mph on the motorway and sitting at 90mph on the motorway will only really end up in minutes worth of difference to a journey time, so perhaps these people use their big engines elsewhere and just chill out on the motorway, rather than caning it at 100mph in their tiny diesel like they have a point to prove.

paradigm · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:11

Firstly, there is no such thing as a slow lane, or the fast lane.

Secondly, as has already been pointed out, you DO use them, most of the time. Just because I wasn't sat in the outside lane doing 130MPH doesn't mean that I didn't use the smoother power delivery getting to the motorway, enjoyed the benefits of faster acceleration down the slip road, and greater acceleration should I feel the need to get past someone/get out of a potentially dangerous situation/have to get back up to motorway speeds after a section of roadworks etc.

There is far more to owning a decent power output engine than doing a ton on the motorway.

Oh, and just LOL at a 320d being one of the smoothest cars to drive. If you think that, then you'll never understand why a 330i or larger engined varieties are better.

flibbage0 · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:26

Why don't we all buy Kia piccanto's then :rolleyes:

realscot · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:38

This doesn't just apply to people with big engined bmw's. I had a customer in yesterday with a 54 plate corsa 1.3 cdti, it had just gone 12k miles, and he'd had it since new. With that low mileage he should have saved a few quid and bought the 1.0/1.2 petrol. I had another customer that had done less than 800 miles in 3 years in a new car, why have a car at all?? The depreciation could have paid for a taxi to cover all of those 800 miles and then some.

Dogbreath · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:39

lucarocks92 said:
Why do people buy 330's or 530's when u cant use them for there true performance my dad drives a 320d and a 523i he's clocked both of them

Why has he "clocked" his own cars? :confused:

robj20 · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:45

realscot said:
This doesn't just apply to people with big engined bmw's. I had a customer in yesterday with a 54 plate corsa 1.3 cdti, it had just gone 12k miles, and he'd had it since new. With that low mileage he should have saved a few quid and bought the 1.0/1.2 petrol. I had another customer that had done less than 800 miles in 3 years in a new car, why have a car at all?? The depreciation could have paid for a taxi to cover all of those 800 miles and then some.

Maybe he likes diesel, maybe he wants a car.
I only do around 4000 miles a year in mine, but i have fun almost everytime i go out in it. Never owned anything slow really, always had performance cars and i make good use of them.

Some people do believe diesel always offers better value than petrol though, my boss being one he drive less than a mile a day to work in it, and wont have it when i tell him it will cost him more than a petrol to run.

wez130 · 22 Sep 2011 at 07:51

Have you ever driven a 1.0 Corsa?

Really, go and try it, and see how rough it is, you'll soon change your mind.

As already stated, it's not about attaining top speed, it's getting there, it's safer to overtake in a car with a larger engine with more power, they are a lot smoother to drive, especially in anything over a V6/straight 6, you will not understand until you drive one. Motorway jaunts are a lot calmer and quieter as the engine is firing 6 times a rotation rather than 4, giving a much more comfy and smooth ride, (depending on suspension setup too i suppose). And finally, it's the noise!

Also, not many of us buy brand new cars so it's not actually £10k more expensive to buy a V6 / straight 6 over a 4 pot, maybe a grand or so. It's the only thing i miss about my BMW, the engine.

[TW]Fox · 22 Sep 2011 at 08:10

lucarocks92 said:
Why do people buy 330's or 530's when u cant use them for there true performance my dad drives a 320d and a 523i

Because the 320d is noisy and unrefined and the 523i is a pointless car offering the same fuel economy as a 530i but without any of the performance.

i just dont understand why people waste money on cars that they will never really appreciate,

The fact I do 70mph on the Motorway does not mean I do not appreciate my 530i.

MikeHiow · 22 Sep 2011 at 08:29

Crikey, he'd love me considering a 540 to pootle a few miles to work each day.

Having power even when pootling is about more than just going fast, it's about effortless driving.

Ezah · 22 Sep 2011 at 08:35

lucarocks92 said:
the 320d is a fantastic car btw it's a 02 and he got 240kmh on the autostrada with 4 adults in it one of the smoothest cars to drive aswell. now even though u think 320d cant do 240 which is 150mph i seen the needle at 240 when he was flooring it, is it possible it reads 240kmh but it's actually not doing it instead it's doing like 210?

Sounds rather irresponsible, and far from comfortable.
But try it in a 6/8/12 cylinder car and I guarantee you would be enjoying it far more. Those cars are not designed to maintain such speeds over distance and I guess it wouldn't last very long if you tried to.

Do I enjoy my 6.0 merc more than my old 2.0 merc more doing the same speed on the highway? hell yes!

Scrutinize · 22 Sep 2011 at 08:45

lucarocks92 said:
Why do people buy 330's or 530's when u cant use them for there true performance my dad drives a 320d and a 523i he's clocked both of them and often when we are driving he's usually overtaking 530's that are in the slow lane etc.

i just dont understand why people waste money on cars that they will never really appreciate, and it's pointless buying them anyway cos if ur caught doing over 90 chances are u run a risk of losing the licence. a 2 litre is more than enough for the uk and ireland since the cops are so strict with driving.

the 320d is a fantastic car btw it's a 02 and he got 240kmh on the autostrada with 4 adults in it one of the smoothest cars to drive aswell. now even though u think 320d cant do 240 which is 150mph i seen the needle at 240 when he was flooring it, is it possible it reads 240kmh but it's actually not doing it instead it's doing like 210?

you clearly don't understand cars or the benefits of lazy wafty in gear acceleration and general refinement provided by a higher capacity and performance engine, the man below does.

[TW]Fox;20124185 said:
Because the 320d is noisy and unrefined and the 523i is a pointless car offering the same fuel economy as a 530i but without any of the performance.

The fact I do 70mph on the Motorway does not mean I do not appreciate my 530i.

PMKeates · 22 Sep 2011 at 08:53

I can't imagine life without 700 Nm @ RPM = low.

ruffneck · 22 Sep 2011 at 08:54

lucarocks92 said:
the 320d is a fantastic car btw it's a 02 and he got 240kmh on the autostrada with 4 adults in it one of the smoothest cars to drive aswell. now even though u think 320d cant do 240 which is 150mph i seen the needle at 240 when he was flooring it, is it possible it reads 240kmh but it's actually not doing it instead it's doing like 210?

Ugh your dad sounds like one of the '2 litre DIESEL POWAH crew' as I like to call them that think they have the fastest/bestest car on the road and sit 2cm off your boot.

For reference, I drive a 330 and you don't have to do 155mph to enjoy it.

Six6siX · 22 Sep 2011 at 09:53

Dogbreath said:
Why has he "clocked" his own cars?

More to the point, what has clocking cars got to do with a discussion on engine size :confused:

Weird thread is weird. Smells like troll.

robj20 · 22 Sep 2011 at 09:59

I could never own a diesel, hate the way they drive, totally understand why people that like lazy driving have them but i prefer a more involved drive so high revs for me, and has to be petrol.

Gaijin · 22 Sep 2011 at 10:01

Weird thread is very weird. More often than not you'll see me wafting along at the speed limit in the inside lane. In fact pretty much with day to day driving I drive like a grandad.

Why do I want to smash it around on a boring straight road when I just need to get somewhere in no particularly hurry, whilst retaining some shred of the pitiful fuel economy I get?

Rilot · 22 Sep 2011 at 10:02

I think "clocked" in this sense means he's had it at the end of the speedometer rather than having rolled the milage back.