Don
My auto e34 v8 3.0 was getting me 16mpg over a whole tank sometimes 
Not really ideal, but great fun!
Not really ideal, but great fun!
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1997 540i touring for... £1690?
- Thread starter ramirez
- Start date
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
It doesnt work like that though, does it?
You buy it.
Radiator goes. £300. Not really worth selling it for that surely? So you pay. Then it needs a couple of tyres. £200. Then a MAF goes a month later. £200.
Suddenly youve already spent £700 on it. Then the rear air suspension fails. £600 or whatetever. Ebay? Or do you pay it as youve already put money into it? etc etc
I expect he'll be along in due course!
Well yes, here I am ...however I'm not going to write an essay on why it's probably a bad idea. I think you probably already know why. Fox's last post is exactly why ...because at this point, unless the gearbox goes boom you're not really likely to get into the sort of bills that will make you want to break the car ...but they will be big enough to cause pain when there have been a few of them before Christmas. The car almost certainly wont work out being as cheap to run as you might hope, from maintenance point of view. Unless the previous owner has replaced every seal, bush, plastic and rubber thing under the bonnet and on the underside of the car in the last couple of years or so ...there are likely to be many bills coming up, as Fox said though, in isolation none of them will likely be big enough to warrant running for the hills, add them together however and you've just spend what the car cost you.
This one is so cheap though, especially for an estate that it might be worth a punt ...after all, you don't have a lot to lose and you would probably get most of your money back from breaking it and this point if you have the time and can be bothered.
I wouldn't buy it though.
Get a W124 merc estate, the final word in bomb proof, that car wont let you down.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201040369924762/
Long after that BMW is dead that Merc will still be plodding on
Want one of those. Find me a red one with black leather and I'd swap the accord in a heartbeat
Get a W124 merc estate, the final word in bomb proof, that car wont let you down.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201040369924762/
Long after that BMW is dead that Merc will still be plodding on
Spot on, had a couple of W124's, great cars. Far better at this money than a ropey BMW.
Well I ended up looking a bit smaller and got a 1998 Honda Civic VTI aerodeck, 1 owner from new with full service history. 111,000 miles on it.
£1000, 10 month MOT.
It'll do - its not a bad car at all, and should be pretty reliable.
I might look at BMW estates in a couple of years.
£1000, 10 month MOT.
It'll do - its not a bad car at all, and should be pretty reliable.
I might look at BMW estates in a couple of years.
Permabanned
Cant fall off with that for a grand can you.
Caporegime
At least it will be reliable rather than a potential liability.
Out of interest, did you go see the e34?
I couldn't get hold of the guy sadly. As soon as I saw the Civic I thought, hmmm, thats probably a better buy overall.
I'm sure I could shift it this time next year for a grand again.