1day Acuvue me a car for £6k ish

Scania · 18 Mar 2006 at 19:31

e39 520i 2.2

e46 320i

Piggymon · 18 Mar 2006 at 19:31

[TW]Fox said:
Imagine how you will feel with a decent barge then!

Sit down and do your sums though. Make sure you realise that it won't neccesarily be as hassle free and cheap to own as, say, your Civic Sport was

Will still be cheaper than Dexy

[TW]Fox · 18 Mar 2006 at 19:32

Piggymon said:
Will still be cheaper than Dexy

If my 5 is as cheap to run as my Mums FTO I will be overjoyed

The_Dark_Side · 18 Mar 2006 at 20:32

[TW]Fox said:
The BMW 5 Series was 'What Car' Executive car of the year in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

out of curiosity what won from 2003 onwards?

[TW]Fox · 18 Mar 2006 at 20:34

The_Dark_Side said:
out of curiosity what won from 2003 onwards?

Off the top of my head, 03 was the new E Class, 04 was the E60 5 Series, not sure about 05.

Piggymon · 20 Mar 2006 at 12:32

Phoned up about that black one yesterday but it was in with BMW being serviced and apparantly there were 4/5 people in the Q before me

Had another looksie and have seen this one ..

http://tinyurl.com/s44aa

Hopefully going to test drive tomorrow night

el_dazza · 20 Mar 2006 at 12:37

We've had a 1999 reg 1.8 Passat for nearly 3 years now, paid £6k for it back then, and in the last 6 months we've had so many problems with it it's unreal. Nearly 2 grand spent on repairs since august, it's getting silly now, and we're thinking of getting rid of it. Yes, its roomy, and comfy, but i've got no idea what its like to drive

Just a word of warning

Freefaller · 20 Mar 2006 at 13:27

You an Jim are growing up!! How boring

Will you both need booster seats though?

The 520 is a good choice IMO.

Piggymon · 20 Mar 2006 at 13:36

Growing up ? us ??!

Yeah right

Can be sensible from time to time but most of the time we act like 2 kids

Kingy · 20 Mar 2006 at 13:41

The headlights on the 5 Piggy posted look different to Fox's Dad's?

Could it be that one of the last pre-facelift models made it over to an X plate?

Also, a 2.5 second drop in 0-60 times with just 20bhp extra doesn't sound quite right?

[TW]Fox · 20 Mar 2006 at 13:47

Kingy said:
The headlights on the 5 Piggy posted look different to Fox's Dad's?

Could it be that one of the last pre-facelift models made it over to an X plate?

Yup, the last prefacelift models are X reg. That is a prefacelift car which presumably has the poorer 2.0 engine. I would not buy it for that reason, but you may like it when you drive it I guess

Kingy · 20 Mar 2006 at 14:00

[TW]Fox said:
Yup, the last prefacelift models are X reg. That is a prefacelift car which presumably has the poorer 2.0 engine. I would not buy it for that reason, but you may like it when you drive it I guess

Ah yes, I suppose if I'd have engaged brain, I'd have realised that 'face-lifted in October 2000' would mean that there would be X reg pre-facelifts in existance.

bam0 · 20 Mar 2006 at 14:23

If you are considering a Passat and doing lots of motorway driving you'd be a lot better off looking at a TDi 130 (SE or Sport) than a 1.8T.
For about 6k you'll easily get an 02 model (face lift passat aka B5.5) with all the features in the 5s so far mentioned.
Chip it for more power easily and still get fantastic mpg.

[TW]Fox · 20 Mar 2006 at 14:32

Jagen said:
For about 6k you'll easily get an 02 model (face lift passat aka B5.5) with all the features in the 5s so far mentioned

Except the prestige, exceptional build quality, RWD and excellent driving experience, obviously.

bam0 · 20 Mar 2006 at 15:00

[TW]Fox said:
Except the prestige, exceptional build quality, RWD and excellent driving experience, obviously.

Prestige, blah

I couldn't care much for the badge on the front, you've seen the car I drive right now.
I've owned a passat, i've been in a 5 series, in terms of the parts you interact with I don't think there is really that much in it in build quality.
RWD you have me on, if it's a feature you look for you're screwed with the passat. If when you're cruising the miles up and down the motorway you couldn't really give a monkeys which wheels are driving you..it's just fine

Driving experience is what you make of it, despite everything you say about the 5, and the end of the day it's just another barge, not a sports car (and the sport model passats do have a better suspension setup).

I know you heart 5s, and you know I like Passats, but I honestly think a well specced B5.5 is a reasonable competitor to a 520.

D4VE · 20 Mar 2006 at 15:12

Just keep about £5,000 in the bank incase the worst happens.

Nice cars though.

Dave85 · 20 Mar 2006 at 15:52

They are not as expensive to fix and I OWN a e39 520 Piggy you would not regret buyin either prefacelift or facelift as they are both fanrastic cars.

Cost peanuts to fix tbh if you dont take it to a dealer, as I have a had a few things done its not as expensive as everyone says.

I had my battery go on fire and the loom had to be replaced along with a rear wheel speed sensor auto electrics place charges me 150 including a new battery and speed sensor as it only took an hour to fix.

Fantastic buy and the 2litre is not as slow as people make out, but 0-60 wont matter if you are doing motorway journeys.

So go for the 5 series its the best car for your money. any questions about it am open so dont be shy

D4VE · 20 Mar 2006 at 16:28

What about the auto box, that'll cost a fortune if it goes?

[TW]Fox · 20 Mar 2006 at 16:28

Jagen said:
I know you heart 5s, and you know I like Passats, but I honestly think a well specced B5.5 is a reasonable competitor to a 520.

Sorry, but it just isn't. The 5 is in another league. It's several classes above the Passat. The Passat might just scrape by as an Audi A4 alternative - just - but 5 Series? Don't be daft.

[DOD]Asprilla · 20 Mar 2006 at 16:46

I never have understood why everyone gets sucked in my the BMW marketing of "The Ultimate Driving Machine".

They are good cars, but they are not all conquering by any stretch of the imagination, at least not in my opinion.