Help find a car v2 :)

carvegio

carvegio

carvegio

Associate
Joined
23 Jun 2004
Posts
1,098
Location
London
Hi guys,

Would really appreciate some help in looking for a car. I currently don't own one but need one for around 5k miles a year.

I posted once before but never did buy a 50k car :) - I tried a few of the suggestions out - but to be honest when it came down to the reality of it I just couldn't make sense of it when standing in front of the cars - I guess it came down to not being an enthusiast and being a little naive.

I have a budget of between 10 to 15k and would prefer not to spend any more unless it really seems to warrant it - which from looking at similar posts on the forum it never quite does.

I have looked into the 3 series BMW, Mercedes C Class and Audi A4.

From initial research the BMW 3 series seems to be the overall winner in reviews when considering all things - the car has also grown on me a bit in terms of looks. I think I prefer the C class the most from the outside but it seems that inside and on performance it falls short to the BMW 3 series?

I guess I wanted a few pointers on which 3 series etc.

I have mainly driven manuals and would probably prefer to stick to a manual - it also seems for low mileage that a petrol might be better than diesel.

I quite want one as new / low mileage as possible (under 20k miles?) - but from looking at posts it might not matter as these cars can do high mileage easily and you can get the warranty at a reasonable price sub 60k miles.

Would something like the 320i/d (ed?) be the best for everything mentioned above? If you need more information before you can say just let me know.

Thanks!
 
[TW]Fox;23985303 said:
Seriously? After the last thread you want us to fall for round 2?
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Round 1 was set up to be genuine (not trolling!) and round 2 is even more genuine as in I need the car soonish (6 weeks?) - I linked the first post and I am first to admit the faults and naivety.

I have been doing my own research but there is a lot out there and hard to nail down specifics like which engines are better / more reliable / what running costs are etc.

Would appreciate where to start looking if you have a few mins and understand why you are not willing to put detailed time in.
 
Also posting as I didn't want to make a mistake - and swallowing my pride in the process.

I looked at the Passat and nearly all comments seemed to suggest the 3 series was a better car in nearly all aspects - including value?
 
From a bit more research it seems a diesel wouldn't make a lot of sense at that low mileage and petrol would be a better option.

I am leaning towards the 320i - although a lot of past comments don't seem to recommend this and lean more towards the 325/328/330i - is there any reason why that is the case?

It seems the other cars offer the same running costs but higher performance? Is that right or have I misunderstood something?

Lastly, what should I be watching out for or considering what looking for a 320i. I can find a few good examples 320i-1 and 320i-2. But what I can't figure out is if that is too much money for this car and I should ideally be buying the same model but with higher mileage?

Is there anything else I should be taking into account?

I am not sure what kinds of replies might follow - if any - but would appreciate any help/comments/suggestions etc.
 
Feeding a troll but, if you only do 5k miles a year, then just spend like 4k on a run around, and put the 11k change towards something you'll use more.
 
MooMoo444 said:
Feeding a troll but, if you only do 5k miles a year, then just spend like 4k on a run around, and put the 11k change towards something you'll use more.
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Maybe this thread is more similar to the last than I thought - maybe I haven't thought about things properly.

But my thinking is that yes I don't drive often but I have always wanted a nice car. I am not a hardcore car enthusiast but I do appreciate nice cars and want some performance also (which on further reading may mean the 320i isn't the right choice and might be better to go with a 330i or not bother?).

But then the way everyone here is making it sound is that in order to sensibly own a car like discussed above, you need the following:

1. High enough mileage to justify it.
2. Have a enough money to not take out stupid financing arrangements.
3. Be an enthusiast i.e. really appreciate the engineering, power, handing etc

I think I agree that ideally you want to be able to tick off all of those to really justify it - otherwise you are probably in the badge / pretentiousness category - which I know I fall into partially - but then again so do a large percentage of buyers of these cars!

Is it really that ridiculous what I have posted!? I can't see why - I know there will be depreciation but it does not seem that significant given my mileage and requirements.
 
You can get plenty nice cars without spending 10-15k, that's what a lot of people are mocking you for. It's a huge amount to spend on something you rarely use. If your budget can cover that easily, then it's completely your choice.

Just seems impractical. Similar to buying a house but only living in it for one month of the year, with the remainder being vacant.
 
MooMoo444 said:
You can get plenty nice cars without spending 10-15k, that's what a lot of people are mocking you for. It's a huge amount to spend on something you rarely use. If your budget can cover that easily, then it's completely your choice.

Just seems impractical. Similar to buying a house but only living in it for one month of the year, with the remainder being vacant.
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Fair points I can understand where you are coming from - I also don't want to waste money for the fun of it - regardless of affordability. I will still be in the car 2-3 times a week minimum which is why I wanted something nice.

What would you suggest - what am I over looking in that case?

I did also consider other cars under 10k but I couldn't find anything that really sparked my interest - but I didn't look at the whole spectrum.

But would still appreciate any comments on the cars I posted above i.e. even given the low mileage are they good examples to go for, or given the models better to get higher mileage / older ones as that makes more sense etc.
 
You dont do many miles get a 330i or even a 335i and see if you enjoy having the extra power.

Its not going to cost you much more to run then a 320i as you do so few miles.
 
Dr House said:
You dont do many miles get a 330i or even a 335i and see if you enjoy having the extra power.

Its not going to cost you much more to run then a 320i as you do so few miles.
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But he will end up in an older car for his money, nothing in his posts suggests he wants a fast car so why take the compromise no age in order to get one?
 
[TW]Fox;23988370 said:
But he will end up in an older car for his money, nothing in his posts suggests he wants a fast car so why take the compromise no age in order to get one?
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Well the guy has never owned a car with over 150 bhp so I thought it may not be a bad idea to try and buy something with a little power and see if he enjoys it. His 15k will get a low milage 06/07 car
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...ds/335i/postcode/cr42hn/radius/1501?logcode=p

Just a suggestion really.
 
Thanks for the suggestion - but ideally looking for a saloon and not a couple. Also, would prefer manual to automatic.

Did anyone have any thoughts on the 320i and the links I posted before?
 
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