BOG syndrome

Vast?

Have you really had any big bills from it? E46 330s are relatively trouble free.

Take in to account the purchase price of something new + potential money for fixing.

With second hand value of 2002 330s... it'll probably be better to run it in to the ground and only replace it when it starts throwing big bills at you.
 
Jono8 said:
I don't see how two cars will be any cheaper!!!??

It will be way more expensive!
Click to expand...

I didn't say it would be cheaper.

The Westfield is no good to commute in (although I use my electric bike for that anyhow) or taking the kids on holiday and the Mondeo is no good to go country lane hacking or do track days in. Two cars mean niether have to be a compromise.
 
I've been having thoughts about changing the ZS for something more comfortable later in the year, as all I do now is up and down the M1 between home and uni, and when I am at home I'm just taking the missus to work in rush hour traffic. The hard suspension and general lack of refinement isn't quite so bareable when I rarely touch a curvy road.
 
crinkleshoes said:
Vast?
Click to expand...

MPG in the 20s
£350 minimum for a decent set of new rear boots, and they dont last that long
1l/1000 miles of posh oil

all things i can happily afford to suck up, if i'm loving the ownership experience. the thing is, i'm not sure i am anymore. It's a lovely car, but it's become just "the car" to me, and a cheap-as-chips to run and fix mondeo is just as good at being "the car"

i no longer use the performance, and i dont care about the image
 
phil675 said:
I've been having thoughts about changing the ZS for something more comfortable later in the year, as all I do now is up and down the M1 between home and uni, and when I am at home I'm just taking the missus to work in rush hour traffic. The hard suspension and general lack of refinement isn't quite so bareable when I rarely touch a curvy road.
Click to expand...

I chopped mine in for a ZT, much better car.
 
I went the two car route. I didn't do it for cost savings though, just because commuting through London is vastly more pleasant in a big squashy auto than in a two seater sports car.

I haven't looked back in a year of doing it, but to make some savings I think you have to go to extremes of the spectrum for it to be worth it financially, and even then it'll be years before it pays off. Taxing, servicing, insuring and maintaining two cars buys you an awful lot of fuel. As an example, my second car adds:

£500 p.a. insurance
£1,000 p.a. servicing and keeping it on the road
£250ish p.a. tax

So for that £1,750 p.a. to be saved on fuel over the 10K miles I do would need to have a car about 36mpg better than the Z4M I think and that's excluding factoring in the intial purchase.

So if you wanted a super-efficient city car and a Corvette or something that might work, but failing that just settle into a Mondeo :)
 
Saytan said:
MPG in the 20s
£350 minimum for a decent set of new rear boots, and they dont last that long
1l/1000 miles of posh oil
Click to expand...
I wouldn't call that "vast"... but I'm splitting hairs :p


all things i can happily afford to suck up, if i'm loving the ownership experience. the thing is, i'm not sure i am anymore. It's a lovely car, but it's become just "the car" to me, and a cheap-as-chips to run and fix mondeo is just as good at being "the car"

i no longer use the performance, and i dont care about the image
Click to expand...

I can completely understand that... I was thinking E39 540 or E60 545... I ended up going for an E36 320d... quite the switch!

Don't "like" it... but it's a means to an end...
 
crinkleshoes said:
Take a look at Suzuki Swift - one of the (very few) FWD cars I would consider - well balanced to make it a fun and involving drive and not too slow thanks to power/weight yet good MPG.

Drove the 2012 model and really rather liked it... just the depreciation is horrific... so much so, there were a few Mercs that would have cost less on PCP :eek: Great buy second hand though :)
Click to expand...

Do actually really like the look of them on the outside but not mega keen on the dash on anything but the 2012 model which is far out of my price range atm. If depreciation is as bad as you say then maybe I can pick up a decent example in a few years for a reasonable price.

One of the new Fiesta special editions also take my fancy but am a couple years from being able to afford one of them also. In the meantime I'm thinking along the lines of a Fiesta ST. It wouldn't be to save money though as it would take at least 6 years to break even on a £4k Fiesta ST excluding unexpected repairs.

I'm just not having the fun in the ST220 I thought I would be. It's quick of course and refined but on the majority of my drives I cannot put the power to use and much less powerful cars can navigate the side-roads, tight bends and small roundabouts quicker than I can.

I'd be happy to give up *some* of that comfort/refinement for my 13 mile commute in return for something a bit more fun and which encourages you to press the noise making pedal rather than lazily waft around in 6-gear everywhere. I'll be hanging on to the ST220 either way though.
 
3 years and you'll get a low mileage example for ~£5-6k

or a mid-mileage one for £4-5k

I know what you mean - the 2012 model does seem quite a bit nicer inside. I haven't driven an older model, but have heard good things.

... the seats in the 2012 model were surprisingly comfy too
 
Last edited:
BigT said:
As an example, my second car adds:

£500 p.a. insurance
£1,000 p.a. servicing and keeping it on the road
£250ish p.a. tax
Click to expand...


What if you switched the cars around and treated your second car as your first? My ST220 would be my first as I can't think of a better 5-seater for the price and to add a small fun car it would cost:
  • £0 insurance or possibly some money off on a multi-car policy
  • A bit more tax each year (varies by car obviously)
  • The cost of an MOT
  • < £200 service each year
  • Tyre cost would be reduced if shifting more miles onto smaller rims.
  • Fuel saving of roughly £1,000/year based on 80%/20% usage split between 40mpg small car and 20mpg ST220 over 8,000 miles.
crinkleshoes said:
3 years and you'll get a low mileage example for ~£5-6k

or a mid-mileage one for £4-5k

I know what you mean - the 2012 model does seem quite a bit nicer inside. I haven't driven an older model, but have heard good things.

... the seats in the 2012 model were surprisingly comfy too
Click to expand...

That sounds pretty good to me. Did you see the concept-s they did?

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/motors...1/264919/suzuki_swift_concept_s_revealed.html
 
Last edited:
A few minor changes and I think it would look great:
  • Ford performance blue (or similar) or black paint
  • Chrome exterior inserts in place of the grey plastic ones
  • More discrete spoiler
 
It's happened to me, I was 30 when I got my diesel mile muncher and the Impreza sat unused for 6 weeks as there was little point using it.

It's being sold now and will just keep a company car going, although a new job does mean the new 328 could be on the cards ;)

Plus we run a second car for the wife anyway so the theory is I'll have the boring car and we can get something reasonably warm for her.

I'll likely only be in the office a couple of days a week tops so she uses the company car when I don't (at the moment that's 3 days a week) so whatever we get for the second car won't be too hammered by mileage.
 
Ev0 said:
It's happened to me, I was 30 when I got my diesel mile muncher and the Impreza sat unused for 6 weeks as there was little point using it.
Click to expand...

Lol, my wife said "can we start a family?", I replied "can I have a Westfield?"

The rest, as they say, is history ;-)
 
Luckily my other half would be fine with whatever I wanted.

Reality was at the time I started to do about 600 miles a week which was 2 tanks in the WRX plus the mileage racking up.

For the same money I was spending in fuel alone on the WRX I took a company car that I actually do like given it's pov spec diesel engine and plus fuel for the same monthly cost. And I don't have a penny to pay in other costs as it's all included.

Things are changing again though so will see what happens, this car has to go back regardless when I leave so we'll see ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom