I think he was saying it'll cost twice what the OP's Focus would cost to maintain, per year, not that it'll need servicing twice per year.
Focus ish sized BMW 7k?
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I think he was saying it'll cost twice what the OP's Focus would cost to maintain, per year, not that it'll need servicing twice per year.
Hmmm I think I will have to re-evaluate save up more money and keep looking out for cars that catch my eye.
I did have a look on autotrader for Audi S3 Quattro but in my budget nothing really appealed. I think I should only upgrade based on speed and looks if I love the look of the new car and not just a side step to another equally bland looking car.. if that makes sense
I did have a look on autotrader for Audi S3 Quattro but in my budget nothing really appealed. I think I should only upgrade based on speed and looks if I love the look of the new car and not just a side step to another equally bland looking car.. if that makes sense
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Well, the engine comes straight out of a 3 series, so it's as reliable as they are. The springs and roof motors are the most common cause of complaint - you can sometimes get the former done as goodwill, the latter can be prevented through checking of the draining holes, and both are covered under any aftermarket warranty - something you'd be unwise not to have on a sports car anyway.
FAO OP: Z4s are not 'wildly' out of your price range. They start at 9k for an early model with heavy-ish miles, which is 2k above.
Wouldn't advise a Z4 - even if you stretched your budget to 9k, you'd be at the bottom of the Z4 market so it could be a bit of a minefield. Plus it would also mean that you'd have 2k less to spend on repairs/upkeep to keep it sweet.
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Scuzi has a fair list from his hard top, so there has to be more wrong than the roof mechanism.
I guess it's fair when there's a warranty, would the OP be looking at examples new enough? And isn't a reliable car better than a poor one with a good warranty?
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34 * 5 * 48 = 8,000ish.
But when I was doing 20 miles a day, I scored 15,000 a year. Probably due to running up to my Parents now and then on the weekends, which is quite a drive. Anyway, I added 10k for arguments sake to get an "at most" value.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
S3 quattro 'models'? There is only one - the S3. Two generations worth, only the 1996-2003 shape is in budget. An old car now, and pretty quick, and old + quick + audi = expensive to run. Probably not worth it unless you really want one..
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I meant aftermarket warranties outside of your typical 3 year period.
edit: and you can get warranties on them up to 10 years / 100k miles.
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I added what I did last year on top of my commuting.
but why? I could add mine.. Someone who does regular ring trips could add theirs. Why don't they? Because its pointless!
When buying a used BMW you spend less than your budget to leave spare cash for the inevitable bills (be it servicing, tyres breakdowns or otherwise) it throws at you, you dont stretch yourself.
With hindsight, a lot of those problems were down to poor dealer service and lack of knowledge from their technical staff rather than unreliability. The car did go back to the dealer more than 10 times in the first year I had it but it was all for the same problem which has materialised as a design flaw with no rectification.
The car has never broken down and even though I drive it like I stole it and really don't take as much care of it as I should, it never fails to perform.
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[TW]Fox;15071739 said:
I had one for a couple of years and found it noisy and uncomfortable (the offset on the pedals was terrible). It was fine for shourt journeys but I didn't like sitting it it for anything over two hours.
My Z4 has been one of my most reliable cars ever as well, 2 years of completely trouble free motoring so far.
[TW]Fox;15073302 said:
I never really understand this notion of buying under budget thereby saving money "for bills".
Money is something that most people receive on a monthly basis, they save up, they then have a budget for a car. They buy the car cleaning them out. But then next month or by the time it is likely to need any money spent on it they will now have more money due to having received more money and can absorb any bills as they go along..
This is because you have impeccable financial management skills and are not an average member of the public. Most of this country lives for payday. It is entirely possible your average person might blow all their cash on a BMW and wonder what to do when the radiator explodes because all their spare money is now tied up in the car and credit card bills.
Good cars cost more money to run, for everyday people it makes sense to have a reserve of cash to soak up the additional running costs. This is common sense. The average salary in this country is significantly under what you earn with your several properties, sideline used car business and IT sector day job.