New Car: BMW E46 330Ci

Had heated seats on my ST220, don't have them on my E39 and TBH I did miss them during the winter months. Its a nice luxury to have but hardly an essential. Mrs Gunnz was never that impressed by the heated seats anyway.

Lovely example btw. Awesome ride for a 19 yr old. :)
 
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Too powerful a car for a 19 year old IMHO

I'm inclined to agree with this statement. I had a manual 330i at 22 and that felt about the right age to equip myself with such weaponry.

At 19 I had 68bhp at my disposal and drove like a hoon. This wouldn't have been any different if it was a 330i, but the ramifications would have been.
 
I'm inclined to agree with this statement. I had a manual 330i at 22 and that felt about the right age to equip myself with such weaponry.

At 19 I had 68bhp at my disposal and drove like a hoon. This wouldn't have been any different if it was a 330i, but the ramifications would have been.
Do you think you'd have been more likely to lose a 330i than a 68bhp car?
 
First off, PMKeates was being tongue in cheek, as he had a 330i at 19. ;)

I had a remapped to 265BHP Leon Cupra R at 19 and still drove it like a loon.
 
Even with DSC off, the E46 (and E36 for that matter) platforms are that progressive and communicative, you can get them balls out sideways (not saying you should on a public road however), and still reign them back in.

My 330d: Get in, engine on, DSC off, drive.
 
Do you think you'd have been more likely to lose a 330i than a 68bhp car?

I'd like to think that I wouldn't have but I feel the chances would have been greater.

First off, PMKeates was being tongue in cheek, as he had a 330i at 19. ;)

I had a remapped to 265BHP Leon Cupra R at 19 and still drove it like a loon.

Ah!

Yours must have been a little pricey on insurance though?!
 
Even with DSC off, the E46 (and E36 for that matter) platforms are that progressive and communicative, you can get them balls out sideways (not saying you should on a public road however), and still reign them back in.

My 330d: Get in, engine on, DSC off, drive.

supra:

- get in
- engine on
- try not to die/crash
- fail
- cry
- buy a hybrid
 
I'd like to think that I wouldn't have but I feel the chances would have been greater.



Ah!

Yours must have been a little pricey on insurance though?!

I've never paid more than £900 for insurance on anything other than my first year of driving at 17 with a nasty piece of 1997 Vauxhall Corsa!

Although I have just realised I was 20 when I got the Cupra R, not 19.
 
I'd like to think that I wouldn't have but I feel the chances would have been greater.
Probably hardly any different, if at all. As para said, the car is very easy to drive quickly, very forgiving, and with the driver aids on is going to do everything it can to deal with hamfistedness.
 
I've never paid more than £900 for insurance on anything other than my first year of driving at 17 with a nasty piece of 1997 Vauxhall Corsa!

That's not bad going - most I chucked at insurance was my first year, I shelled out £1,200 for a 1990 Micra, I think that was the MA10S engine with a killer 52bhp.

Probably hardly any different, if at all. As para said, the car is very easy to drive quickly, very forgiving, and with the driver aids on is going to do everything it can to deal with hamfistedness.

Yeah thinking back the car is forgiving - having little to compare it to performance wise it's not immediately evident to me.
 
Where the power makes the difference and would have been highly likely to land me in a hedge at 19 is the fact that it's easy to get up to really, really innapropriate speeds for the next corner if you have poor judgement (which is likely). Safety systems can only do so much.

I still managed to find a tree in a 115bhp car mind you and the e46 does have some excellent restraint systems - the terrible tyres that are currently on this want to kill me every day it rains and the car just sorts it out.
 
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