what do you think of this 3 series

BassHead said:
The difference price wise between my 1 series and the 3 series isn't much anyway. plenty with my spec going for around 15k the 3 series is 17k not 20k.

Money aside what are peoples thought's on the f30 in general?
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If it's only going to cost a few grand on top of what your 1 series is worth I don't see anything wrong with switching to the 3 series if you really like the car.

I really like the F30 and think it's a big improvement over the E90, cosmetically at least. Personally for myself I wouldn't want one below the 328i performance though.. But with your annual mileage diesel is the best option.
 
almoststew1990 said:
Now we've covered the money side of it, I'm 24 and I've been looking at both Alfas/Octavia VRSs /z4s but also 3 and 5 series because like you I would like something a bit different to the usual fast cars that 24 year olds drive(albeit a very different price range!).

However ironically a saloon 318d just screams "no interest in cars!" and is probably the blandest car available in the opinion of car guys. However, people who aren't particularly into cars will think you're doing well and if you're not interested in cars then who cars what 'cars guys' think to be honest!

My current 'classy' car of choice is this. The colour! The wheels!
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520d would be my choice if i was in your position, i think it looks fantastic and looks a bit more flashy than the 3 series. 30k is a lot of miles to do in a year and the 5 series is a big comfortable car good for long distance driving.

Nothing wrong with that 3 series either it's a solid car but like others have said it doesn't really appeal very much to them. I think if u like the car and are comfortable to spend £20k on it then why not? It's your money after all.
 
[TW]Fox;26019467 said:
Very, very, very hard to manage that. Never managed it myself. Dealer I bought my 335i from thought a 2 mile test drive was acceptable.
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When you say you never managed it yourself, do you mean it never occurred to you that you could at the time? Or simply that you did think of this at the time and was unsuccessful in obtaining an extended demo for some reason?

I think the power belongs a buyer so I see no reason why not really. Most dealers that I know of would cater to that without issue.
 
Fido McNasty said:
When you say you never managed it yourself, do you mean it never occurred to you that you could at the time? Or simply that you did think of this at the time and was unsuccessful in obtaining an extended demo for some reason?

I think the power belongs a buyer so I see no reason why not really. Most dealers that I know of would cater to that without issue.
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What dealers are they then.

As it says you are in staffordshire, I wouldn't mind test driving a BMW for the weekend.
 
A friend of mine took hold of an X3 for the weekend last weekend. If warranted I can try to find out which dealer it was from?
 
There is a lot of negativity in this thread about what a 24 year old should be spending his own money on?

The 3 series is a nice enough car. Nice compromise between space and economy. I had a 3 series before my current 5, and it was great, but the second kid coming, and the wifes love of massive prams, meant I upgraded to the 5.

The 318d engine will be fine for you, I'm sure. But the 320d will be the easier sell a few years down the line, and a little nicer for you while your driving it. Plus the little bit of extra power over your 1 series will make up for the heavier car, so it'll be a nicer swap.

Get what you want though. Of course. I get that you want a nice, new car. I am the same. I could have bought a very nice 6 year old DB9 for the cost of my new 5 series, but it isn't the same car at all. Anyone telling you you could have had some M car or RS or something obviously just doesn't get the feeling of having a newer car in the drive / garage. Sure, you could get a 7 year old RS4 for the same money, but will cost a lot more to maintain, and has no piece of mind warranty. And will always be a car 6 years older than a 2012 3 series.
 
Myself and a friend took ownership of a nearly new Z4 for the day at Shrewsbury a couple of years ago. Basically a demo car leased by one of their employees. We gave that back to them quite a bit lighter on fuel; tbh they didn't even have a copy of our licenses etc, although they did glance at them.
He did go on to buy a new one, but he'd already made up his mind before the extended test drive, so nice though it was it didn't really affect anything..
 
Fido McNasty said:
When you say you never managed it yourself, do you mean it never occurred to you that you could at the time? Or simply that you did think of this at the time and was unsuccessful in obtaining an extended demo for some reason?
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Thinking about it I've never actually asked for a long test drive.
 
Fair comment.

I just feel that dealers frequently overpower people and would be customers usually assume that a test is going to be a five minute drive or an hour perhaps. This in my opinion is a common preconceived idea of how it works, and for some maybe that is ok and it is enough.

I'm not saying we're anything special but the dealer wants you to spend your money with them. And you want to be fully informed, and nothing speaks like first hand experience. Good and bad experiences can manifest properly through a 12 or 24 hour test that even a one hour drive is far less likely to reveal.

Horses for courses but if you feel you should have a longer time with the vehicle, then simply ask for it and by all means explain your need to fully experience what a car has to offer, and your family (if you feel it applies) could do with a taste too.

Blag it by all means, whatever, but I would not relish squandering 10k or more away on any road car (new or used) I've only spent half an hour driving along a predetermined route, half of which was spent maybe even sitting in a traffic jam whilst the salesman watches the clock and witters on about warranties, run flats etc.
 
Had I had a 335i test drive for the weekend I would likely never have bought it, the short test drives were always dominated by the feeling of power etc which made me think it was the right car for me.
 
xs2man said:
There is a lot of negativity in this thread about what a 24 year old should be spending his own money on?
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I find it particular strange. im 24 and have an f30 and half of my friends around the same age have a 3 or 1 series BMW. If anything its the most common car i know of amongst 24 year olds :/
 
NathWraith said:
I didn't assume anything, if your location is incorrect then you should change it.

As making comments like "dealers around here" doesn't really have any weight when the location is wrong!
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If you could lose the apparent attitude I might feel a little more inclined to indulge you. No offence ;)
 
xs2man said:
There is a lot of negativity in this thread about what a 24 year old should be spending his own money on?
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He came on here looking for advice about cars. What are we meant to say "yeah mate, spend £17,000 at 24 years old and buy a 318 diesel"? I'm not sure about you but i don't buy into this whole "do what you want, it's your money" crap (unless he hadn't asked for advice about it in the first place).

He has been advised by the majority not to spend £17000 on a 318d. There are definitely reasons to spend £17,000 at the age of 24 on a car, some of which are outlined below:

- You have absolutely loads of money
- You are buying something special
- You have everything else you want in life already (ie. big house, wife, kids etc)
- Someone is buying you the car and will not give the cash instead.

Now, I am definitely making some assumptions, but i am going to assume the OP does not have absolutely loads of money (not many do!), he certainly isn't looking to buy something special, he probably doesn't have everything he wants in life at 24 and he has made no indication someone else is buying him the car.

I also don't understand why people who don't care about cars seem to be the ones who spend the most on them. It's the equivalent of someone who doesn't really care/know anything about computers and just wants to surf the web, buying a £4000 i7 with a GTX whatever in it (see, i don't know/care much about latest hardware anymore which is why i'm still using a Core2Quad, with DDR2 and a midrange GFX card!).

I appreciate it is obviously the OP's money, but the overwhelmingly smart thing to do would be to not spend that kind of money. Please, for the love of God, save it for something like a mortgage (i know this first hand!). Have both, buy a decent car for £7k and then have £10k in the bank ready for when you want to buy a house!

Who says you can't have your cake and eat it?! ;)
 
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Just because he's not "into" cars in that he doesn't want something fast, doesn't mean he's not "into" cars as much as he wants something nice. And knows what something nice is.

I have a mate, a few years younger than me, and all he buys are new Mercs. He's not "into" cars. The one he had was a poverty spec C200 petrol. Once I got onto him, he at least went for the diesel, but with a nicer spec. But he is looking at another Merc just now. And is thinking of a CLA.

He doesn't care about how fast the car is, and doesn't particularly care how economical it is either. All he cares about is it's new, so has warranty, and is a nice place to sit. And the badge on the front / back.

You're also assuming that the OP actually has £17k for a car. Maybe he only has the budget to allow him payments on a £17k car. So getting a £7k car might not be affordable to him (maybe that £7k is sitting offsetting his mortgage for example), so there is no guarantee that he will have £10k to bank for getting the cheaper car.

Anyway, there are a lot of assumptions made there. The OP asked about buying a 318d, not whether it was the right thing to do, or if he could afford it. Maybe, to the OP, a 318d is a special car anyway. Just because it's not to you, or me, doesn't mean it's not to him.

I say, if that's what you want, go for it. But the 320d would be the better car all round IMO.
 
OP should buy a 318d. It's a great car. And everyone loves it. Stick M badges on it to annoy BMW everything must be OEM anoraks.
 
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