BMW 530i Sport or Ford Mondeo ST220?

mrk1@1 said:
Hey buddy, yea, depends on your mileage and the car (previous history), if you only do 10k per year then your alright. Don't forget though your circumstances may change and end up like me doing 20-30k per year. You don't have to live far from work to end up doing that combined with private mileage.
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This is an important point.

No matter how confident I was in a car if I bought a 100k or 150k car within 4 years it would be a 200k or 250k car and that would worry me a bit. On the other hand a 100k car which will be a 140k car in 4 years time shouldn't matter in the slightest.

As for which one... well I LOVE the ST220 but stand it infront of me next to a 530i Sport and I really couldn't say which one I'd go for. I like them both in completely different ways.

I must say though, park the ST220 next to 330i Sport and the decision would swing much easier in the direction of the BMW.
 
mrk1@1 said:
People can get offy with you, very offy. I mean considering where I work the starting salary is high and everyone is an experienced consultant, senior/managing consultant or Manager/Director in my office. The main problem is jelousy. I mean take the average mid high level collegue who is married with two kids, wife doesn't work much and his salary is although high doesnt really go that far by the time you have paid for everything so without the disposable income so the bog standard family hatch/mpv is the only option.

This may or may not be a problem for you specially considering you are the year out student.
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I dont see this being a problem here. I've gone from being a student with a 330d and an MG ZT to a Student on placement driving my ZT everday.

I have a better car than most of the people in my team, but there's no issues here. What size company are you looking at in terms of people numbers?

And tbh Mark, A Volvo hardly breads class snobbery anymore than a Saab might. The BMW will be more so, but sod it. You've saved up, its not like its brand new, once people know how it was such good VFM they won't even care.....thats if they even do in the first place!

Not an issue.

JonRohan said:
I don't know about that

http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=Ford+Fiesta+Zetec+S&word2=BMW+530i+Sport

:p
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I see your rubbish fight and raise you a.....

Next Fight Wins All match!! :o
 
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mrk makes some good points that you have to consider.

I don't know what your placement will be like, but I think you can expect some resentment just for being a student coming in irregardless of what you drive. However, if you turn up in a M5 lookielkey you can expect that in spades. If you then try and justify it to your workmates as your main interest/no other outgoing etc/it was only 8k they won't believe you.

You may have it better than this, but worth considering.
 
flat-6 said:
mrk makes some good points that you have to consider.

I don't know what your placement will be like, but I think you can expect some resentment just for being a student coming in irregardless of what you drive. However, if you turn up in a M5 lookielkey you can expect that in spades. If you then try and justify it to your workmates as your main interest/no other outgoing etc/it was only 8k they won't believe you.

You may have it better than this, but worth considering.
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Won't the same thing equally apply if I turn up in a car which only last week Clarkson told 6 million people was a great way to spend £24k?
 
WHAT!? I really cant believe some peoples totally inappropriate non issue points regarding this!

You're going to let some people, who you only have to see for a year, decide if you drive a Mondeo or a BMW!? Get real, thats like asking a load of people on a forum for their advice!!! :o

Stuff them, Its you who is going to be working there, not your car. Any impression should be based on your ability to do your job, and not what car you drive.

If they have a problem with you driving a BMW then tuff!

This isn't a personal comment to you Fox, its my view on anything like this.

You've worked hard for this car, and saved hard. Surely if you want to drive a BMW to work, so be it. Worst that could happen is that they might think its your dads car!! ;)

And agreed, its not going to matter if its a 2002 E39 that cost you £8k or a MY06 Ford Focus costing double!

I use my car for work matters. I'm hardly going to have a meeting with the MOD and turn up in a Nova!
 
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Oracle said:
You're going to let some people, who you only have to see for a year, decide if you drive a Mondeo or a BMW!? Get real, thats like asking a load of people on a forum for their advice!!! :o
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Of course not - I'm just interested in peoples opinions.

From my first post:

So, which one do I want? Well, it's a VERY hard decision and I've not TOTALLY made my mind up but I'd be suprised if it wasnt the 530i.
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But.. which would YOU chose, and why?
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Just thought I'd add a bit of discussion to my little mini-review and find out what you guys would go for, thats all. At the end of the day I will buy the car *I* want - now, peoples opinions may or may not influence me becuase they may make me consider things I'd not before - but it will be purely my decision.
 
[TW]Fox said:
Won't the same thing equally apply if I turn up in a car which only last week Clarkson told 6 million people was a great way to spend £24k?
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Yes. Get a £250 private plate on it for extra effect.
 
Just to add another note about bmw parts costing much.

Just went out to find the oil inspection light on :p and I need a new cat and front wheel bearing. from the mot advisory

looking over the service history its only ever had 1 other major thing go wrong and that was a hole in the exhaust so for my 8 year old e39 they do last for ages and i see no reason foxes cant last 5 years.

Cat including installation is only costing me 200 and the bearing 55 quid
 
BMW. I personally like the 3 series, but that's me.

Fox, what placement have you secured?

I'll also be in a similar position when I start my placement next year. Wouldn't mind a 330D :)
 
triggerthat said:
Fox, what placement have you secured?
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Going to be entering the rivetingly exciting world of finance :D

I'll also be in a similar position when I start my placement next year. Wouldn't mind a 330D :)
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I did all the sums and figured 330d and 530d wasn't dooable :(

Might be different for you with a years more depreciation for them.
 
what if ... in a year of two u get a job with a company car? or a car allowance. happened to my mate, and they ddint want him to keep his old car, so he had to sell it and they will pay for a new car for him (17k budget must be new>6 months old)

i personally wouldnt be worried about upsetting management by having a nice car tbh, unless they are deadheads, in which case i would deffo reconsider working there!
 
BMW, simply because its RWD. the cars are both good at what they do, both look good, both have fantastic engines and you'll prob be happy with either of them.

The only real "defining" thing I can think of the two is the drivetrain - as soon as you start modding for more power then FWD will become an issue, its the reason I didn't bother modding the prelude for more power.

I know a decently set up car you will have great difference in working out what wheels are doing the work - but its time to move on from the mondeo :)
 
Hate said:
I know a decently set up car you will have great difference in working out what wheels are doing the work
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Lots of people say this but I've never driven a car in which this is the case - with the traction control off, you can always feel the car pulling and the front wheels trying to break grip when accelerating out of a bend, as you'd expect it to. Can you suggest a FWD which drives like a RWD car so I can go and drive one? ;)
 
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