whitleylad said:
i have around 6k for a motor. My old car Golf GTI mk3 is totally clapped out so it time for a change.
Im 31 and have around 6 years NCB.
Ive been looking at the bmw compacts and vauxhall astras.
Are the beemer compacts good motors? If i did get one with say 70,000 ish on the clock could i expect it to last me say 5 years? I do roughly 10k a year.
Would this be a good car for 6k ish or would you opt for something different?
Not too sure about vauxhall astras either as ive only ever had a fiesta and a golf.
Not looking for a big car and 3 doors is all i need.
Open to suggestions really.
thanks
Not sure which generation of Compacts you're referring to, but I had an E36 Compact for about 2 years and absolutely loved it. In fact, reading this thread, gets me a bit misty eyed
From memory it was a 96 or 97 model, using the same engine from the 318is coupe with about 140bhp. Fairly quick, rather that overly fast but certainly not overpowered for the rest of the car.
Compared to a similar Astra or Golf 3, you'll find it lightyears better to drive. The steering's so much sharper and you can aim the car much more precisely. Unlike the Astra or Golf where when you turn in, the car takes a fraction of second before it turns in, the BMW just dives in immediately. It feels a lot more 'darty'. There's also a purity to the steering which you simply don't find in front wheel hatches like the Golf, Astra etc. And all the controls have a nice oily smoothness to them with everthing - steering, clutch, brakes, gearbox - all working together with fluid precision.
People talk about it having the rear suspension from the previous E30 generation of cars but in everyday driving it's not really a big deal. If you go round a greasy roundabout, and plant the throttle, you'll swing the back out pretty easily even with 140bhp. I think my model came with fairly skinny tyres. Not sure whether the other models in the range have a different wheel / tyre combination. The back of the car is also slightly more bouncy going over speed hump or hitting potholes and doesn't feel quite as well planted as a 318is Coupe, again probably to do with the suspension but like I said it's not really a huge deal unless you're into making a lot of high speed manouvres.
Downsides? Well, the car feels slightly tinny and rather insubstantial. The doors seem quite thin and the interior plastics are more Kia than Golf 4, though I think they revamped the interior at some point. The big thing to look out for with these cars is its mechanical condition. The reason I say this is that I replaced it with the similarish 318is Coupe and the difference in the types of cars out there were extraodinary. I remember driving one 318is Coupe that had done about 70k and the car was practically falling apart with clonks and thumps coming from all sorts of places, rust in the boot, engine bay etc. Another car I drove, which had obviously been properly looked after, was competely different to drive. It felt tight and precise rather than soggy.
Obviously if you're looking at E46 Compacts, they're a lot better cars and the driving weaknesses above don't really apply. Not quite sure they're as much 'fun' though. Guess it depends on what you're after. If I were you, I'd make sure you drive a mint condition Compact from that generation and use it as baseline to compare other Compacts. But its an original used car buy. Fun to drive but make sure you get one in good condition and fully stamped, otherwise you'll regret it.
![[DOD]Asprilla](/styles/overclockers/avatars/8.png){kind=avatar}
