Soldato
- Joined
- 14 Jul 2005
- Posts
- 17,613
- Location
- Bristol
Right as most of you know, I've been looking for the a car for the past 6 months, trying to work out what car would be best for me, and again, as a lot of you know, I decided on a BMW e36 328i. It fits the bill for what I want really, is comfy for long journeys, is fun in the twisties, has plenty of power, has room for modifications (both cosmetic and performance) and is generally a huge upgrade from anything I've had before.
It took me ages to find cars, despite everyone on the e36 forums (and indeed these) saying that there are loads of them about at all price ranges, there really aren't. I was looking to spend around £1500 on the car, but was happy to go higher for the right car.
I found a decent saloon in Cambridge, which sold just as I turned up, and I also found a very decent condition, speced and priced coupé near Guildford, but that sold before I cold view it.
After those two cars I'd decided fully on a coupé, and then realised they are few and far between for unmolested examples below £2500, that being said, I found a car in Coventry that didn't have all the options I was after, but was completely stock and very nicely priced.
-westy- and I viewed it a couple of weeks ago and it had a slipping clutch which wasn't good, but everything else appeared to be fine. We (mostly -westy-
) haggled with the seller about the clutch and basically said we'd take it for £500 below asking with it as-is, although it's quite dangerous to drive the way it is, or they could fit a new clutch and we'd take it at asking. The guy really didn't like the idea of knocking down the price, especially that much, and so he agreed to do the clutch.
Fast forward to Thursday this week and we picked it up, and then the stone made a pretty pattern in the windscreen on the way back. Which is being sorted at some point this morning.
Now then, more about the car. I picked it up for £1100 and it's a 1995 e36 328i on an N plate in Montreal/Monaco Blue. It does not have leather or AC (fail I know), but both of these shouldn't cost too much to sort (if I buy the parts and fit them myself). This may seem stupid to most people (Fox etc.) but the way I see it is this...spend £1100 on the car, £100-£200 on leather, £300 on AC bits and the car is exactly how I want it, for ~£1600. Now when looking for cars I'd need £2000+ to get a car in this condition with leather and AC, so I've made a saving. I'm also not sure I do need or want AC, it was more, if the car has it that's great, else, I've not had it, it's not a big deal I can live without it.
It has a couple of spots of rust on the arches, but they'll be sorted soon.
It has style 42s on at the moment, and is also tangoed, currently I'm in two minds about detangoing it, but I probably will.
Now the part everyone wants and is skipping straight to...
It took me ages to find cars, despite everyone on the e36 forums (and indeed these) saying that there are loads of them about at all price ranges, there really aren't. I was looking to spend around £1500 on the car, but was happy to go higher for the right car.
I found a decent saloon in Cambridge, which sold just as I turned up, and I also found a very decent condition, speced and priced coupé near Guildford, but that sold before I cold view it.
After those two cars I'd decided fully on a coupé, and then realised they are few and far between for unmolested examples below £2500, that being said, I found a car in Coventry that didn't have all the options I was after, but was completely stock and very nicely priced.
-westy- and I viewed it a couple of weeks ago and it had a slipping clutch which wasn't good, but everything else appeared to be fine. We (mostly -westy-
) haggled with the seller about the clutch and basically said we'd take it for £500 below asking with it as-is, although it's quite dangerous to drive the way it is, or they could fit a new clutch and we'd take it at asking. The guy really didn't like the idea of knocking down the price, especially that much, and so he agreed to do the clutch.Fast forward to Thursday this week and we picked it up, and then the stone made a pretty pattern in the windscreen on the way back. Which is being sorted at some point this morning.
Now then, more about the car. I picked it up for £1100 and it's a 1995 e36 328i on an N plate in Montreal/Monaco Blue. It does not have leather or AC (fail I know), but both of these shouldn't cost too much to sort (if I buy the parts and fit them myself). This may seem stupid to most people (Fox etc.) but the way I see it is this...spend £1100 on the car, £100-£200 on leather, £300 on AC bits and the car is exactly how I want it, for ~£1600. Now when looking for cars I'd need £2000+ to get a car in this condition with leather and AC, so I've made a saving. I'm also not sure I do need or want AC, it was more, if the car has it that's great, else, I've not had it, it's not a big deal I can live without it.
It has a couple of spots of rust on the arches, but they'll be sorted soon.
It has style 42s on at the moment, and is also tangoed, currently I'm in two minds about detangoing it, but I probably will.
Now the part everyone wants and is skipping straight to...
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