what BMW convertible is this and is it suitable for first car?

Pate

Pate

Pate

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I'm 22 and getting my license in the next few weeks. I'm in Sussex and the weather is beautiful, and I'm also travelling hopefully through Europe this summer so thought about a convertible.

Obviously being young and a new driver I don't want something powerful that is going to kill me (not to mention the insurance wouldnt allow it in the first place!), and is cheap to run.

Is this possible? My budget is around 2000 max for the car and around 1500 for insurance with a few hundred left aside for work.

What BMW is this btw, I saw it vaguely in town the other day and really liked the look of it (old though it may be).

Sorry for dire photo.

NRh5c.jpg
 
Convertibles are doable for a first car. For £2000 I'd be tempted to look into an MX5 convertible rather than a BMW convertible.

They're both entirely different cars but the MX5 does fit the bill.
 
I wasn't set on a BMW convertible, I was just curious as to the model.

The MX5 does look an interesting car indeed! Is it reliable? Two seats is a bit offputting but not the end of the world.
 
Thats an E30 3 Series. They are very old and cost a lot of time, effort and money to keep going. Give it a miss.

The MX5 is reliable and fun.
 
Ah, what a shame. :(

Oh well.


Would you have any recommendations for any cars with more than two seats, or is nothing in my budget/realistic insurance available?
 
I don't really care what it is really as long as it dosen't cost (taking into account sheer bad luck) an arm and a leg. I'm at university (well will be retaking my final year), and currently have two jobs (9am-5pm, 11pm-3am) for the next month or so to raise the cash on top of cash I already have saved). So basically, it's my first car, I can't expect the world, though I appreciate I don't want to fall into any traps!

Thanks.
 
Ricochet J said:
If you don't care and want more seats then just buy an Escort convertible and keep the extra cash for when things go wrong.
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My dad had one of these about a decade ago, it was a horrible red colour and was disgusting inside, but the summer we had it for was great fun. Roof down, standing on the back seats hanging on to the roll bar was wicked :p
 
Wouldn't dismiss the E30 cab idea just yet. Providing you can find a good and cheap mechanic parts are cheap & plentiful, they're easy to work on if you wanted to give DIY a go and they are pretty reliable as 20 year old cars go.
 
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Joshy said:
Wouldn't dismiss the E30 cab idea just yet. Providing you can find a good and cheap mechanic parts are cheap & plentiful, they're easy to work on if you wanted to give DIY a good and they are pretty reliable as 20 year old cars go.
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They rust incredibly badly and are ****, avoid. :o :D

In seriousness. About the only ones that are cheap are the Baurs because they are fake convertibles and nobody wants them and then the rest are cheap because they are rust buckets/about to die/have died. The only E30s worth buying if you know little about cars are the expensive ones (£3k+) to be honest.
 
InvaderGIR said:
They rust incredibly badly and are ****, avoid. :o :D

In seriousness. About the only ones that are cheap are the Baurs because they are fake convertibles and nobody wants them and then the rest are cheap because they are rust buckets/about to die/have died. The only E30s worth buying if you know little about cars are the expensive ones (£3k+) to be honest.
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The £3k thing might stand for desirable models but 318 Cabs are pretty low down on the E30 food chain.

Take this which sounds like it would have been ideal for the OP and would have been within budget with a bit of a haggle:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3825707.htm

Would have probably been up for twice that if it was a 325i.
 
What engine options did the 306 ragtop come with is it only th 1.8 petrol ?

Guess the missing structural integrity wouldnt allow for the torque of a screw modded 1.9td
 
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