On the hunt for a new car

Moeks

Moeks

Moeks

Soldato
Joined
24 Feb 2003
Posts
8,693
Firstly, I apologise for the wall of text, I have broken it up to make reading it easier, but this can't really be a short post, as I need to get in the details.

Ok so I am planning to get out of the ruinously expensive and ill conceived Hire Purchase Agreement that I have my current 2004 E46 BMW 330CI on. I can settle the agreement for about what the car is worth, just about anyway, then I intend to sell it.

As coincidence would have it, yesterday, the dealership I bought it from sent me a postcard saying they want my used BMW to replenish their used stock. So I will of course see what they will give me for it, although I suspect being a BMW main dealer, it probably wont be as much as I would like. I'll find out anyway. I'd rather lose £500 and offload it to them than put up with a load of time wasting tyre kickers coming around for a private sale, obviously there is a limit to what I will take on the chin though, for the sake of convenience.

So I want to get rid of the 330CI and get something else, this time around there will be no finance, I am going to buy the car outright and I am looking to spend less than the 330CI is worth, which is about £10.5k ish.

I'm not really looking to spend more than £6k-£7k to be honest, but that isn't set in stone. I do not do a lot of mileage anymore, about 6-7k miles a year really.

I want something with back doors this time, I would also prefer a manual rather than an auto, and I am not interested if it's got a 4-cylinder engine, I also do not want a diesel. Basically I am looking at petrol V/l6s.

I have been looking out for an E39 530i sport and even the 540i sport for a while, but really I'm not seeing anything, which is quite want I want. I did look at a couple but they were both rather tatty to be honest, which was disappointing. The vast majority are automatic, which I specifically do not want this time around. Basically I am struggling to find want I want from BMW, it does exist, within my price range, but, they just aren't for sale, either that or they are in Northern Scotland or Southern Cornwall, and I'm not travelling that far for a 5 series. I am even prepared to stretch the budget a bit for the 'right' 5.

So I started thinking of some other possible options, I want a decent sized car, with back doors, I want a 6-cylinder petrol engine, and I want it to have 'some' sporting flavour to it. I don't mean like an M5 exactly, basically about as much as a 5 series sport has.

This lead me back to a car I 'used' to be quite a fan of, in passing at least, although I have never driven one and really do not know much about them. The (brace yourselves) MG ZT 190. There are quite a few around, especially in the Midlands, (I only live 2 miles from Longbride though) and I always thought they looked great, and I still do, purposeful but not over the top, basically I really do like the styling of them.

Now I know the Rover 75 and by extension the MG ZT were fundamentally good cars, unlike the rest of the stone age rubbish that came out of Longbridge this century. So it's quite appealing, on the whole. Ok so it’s not rear wheel drive, but I can live with that, especially at the price. They seem to offer very good value for money now, basically a lot of metal for the money.

So is there anything specific I should know about when looking at them? (bear in mind I haven't been to see one yet, I may hate the drive :p) I do seem to recall that they use a belt driven engine, thus that needs to have been changed on pretty well any example you could buy now. So give me your thoughts and any advice that people with experience might have to offer please :)

Another car I am toying with the idea of is the Volvo S60 T5, although I don't know, there is a little voice inside me saying, don't do it, you can't drive a Volvo at 25. Still, I have always liked the car in passing, it looks nice enough, the interior seems nice and the T5 has quite a reputation for being a bit of a wolf in (old mans) sheep’s clothing.

Then there is the usual Audi option, but I've driven various Audis before, several times, and really I think they are quite boring and uninvolving compared to my BMW. Lovely interiors though.

And finally the only other thing I could think of was the Mondeo ST220, good ones don't seem all that plentiful although they are there. They are also quite a bit more expensive than the MG or the Volvo and indeed the old 5 series, for what they are anyway.

I don't like Mercedes very much, so lets not go there.

Jaguars I can afford aren't particularly appealing to me either.

There is the 330I I guess, although finding Sport versions of those with manual gear boxes isn't so easy either it would seem. I would like something a little different though. Even if I end up back in a 3 series BMW before the year is out. At least buying outright I can basically change my car anytime I like, I'm not tied into any agreements. So this isn't meant to be a long term prospect exactly.

So let me have your wisdom! and advice. Thanks in advance.

Oh one thing I forgot to really mention was, consider this car more of an inbetween until I find the E39 5 series I have always wanted. I am confident that I will one day, so if it comes up in 6 months I will jump on it if it's all right. I want my E46 gone soon really, and it doesn't look like I can find a really good 5 at the moment.
 
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You mention manual gearboxes, finding a 540i with a manual box is going to be near on impossible. Is this a requirement set in stone?
 
I would go for the Volvo over the MG! Nevermind that people perceive it as an old man's car, it's a very good car so ignore the clichés in favour of your satisfaction. Buying a car built by a company that has gone bust would seem wrong to me.
 
Because as you say Jez, 540i manuals are almost impossible to find. I think saying that must be a manual is really only going to mean I miss out on some good cars. I know the 530i's are around with that spec, it's just a matter of them showing up for sale and then spotting it. Believe me, I would much rather have the 540i as a manual too. I just realise it's an extremely tall order. Besides, if I had a V8 to play with, I may not care so much for a while :p

As for MG being a defunct manufacturer, well yes, but so what? ...looking around I have seen what look (so far as I can see on the internet at least) like nice examples for around £4k ...that's not a lot of money for that much car. And I really do like the styling, more than I do the Volvo, although from looking at pictures the Volvo has a nicer interior. I don't really see that MG/Rover being bust is a particularly good reason to pass up on some good cars at very good prices.
 
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Robbie G said:
I would go for the Volvo over the MG! Nevermind that people perceive it as an old man's car, it's a very good car so ignore the clichés in favour of your satisfaction. Buying a car built by a company that has gone bust would seem wrong to me.
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If BMW went under tomorrow, would that make every BMW made crap? Course it wouldn't. I'd have the MG over the Volvo any day but given the choice I would have neither. I'd do the clever thing and get a nice E39 530i. Going from a 330ci to a Volvo or a MG would be a disappointment.
 
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Robbie G said:
I would go for the Volvo over the MG! Nevermind that people perceive it as an old man's car, it's a very good car so ignore the clichés in favour of your satisfaction. Buying a car built by a company that has gone bust would seem wrong to me.
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I admit I havnt read wha you said, but Iam thiking about getting a s40 t4 or c70 t5 (or atleast a 2.0T GT), and Iam only turning 21 in May. I'm not exactly sure how these cars are, but hoping for the usual Volvo reliabilty, and truth be told, I would sort of be playing on the old man image of things.
 
Janesy B said:
If BMW went under tomorrow, would that make every BMW made crap?.
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You have to remember than MG and Rover depends on availability of parts to which patents and licenses are currently held (in large percentage) by very expansive, aggressive and large Chinese company, that is not coming back to Longfield, bar minimum contractually necessary presence, no matter how optimistic government is about it. They are sure as hell not going to be building cars in most expensive country to do so. It would make no sense. It would be like them trying to grow rice in Swiss Alps or attempt to import cheap workforce from Norway. And when that contractual obligation is over I doubt they will let anyone make bits and bobs for, what is essentially, their cars now.

For all intents and purposes, investing sum of money larger than £1000 in anything with MG or Rover badge is like buying Dongfeng sports car or Zhongxing motorcycle. Just let the label rest in peace.
 
Eriedor said:
Why so set against a 4/5 cylinder engine?
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What would you rather have pulling a medium/large saloon?

4 Cyl engines are for hatchbacks and family cars.

v0n said:
You have to remember than MG and Rover depends on availability of parts to which patents and licenses are currently in large percentage held by Chinese company, that is not coming back to Longfield, bar minimum contractually necessary presence, no matter how optimistic government is about it. They are sure as hell not going to be building cars in most expensive country to do so. It would make no sense. It would be like them trying to grow rice in Swiss Alps or attempt to import cheap workforce from Norway. And when that contractual obligation is over I doubt they will let anyone make bits and bobs for, what is essentially, their cars now.

For all intents and purposes, investing sum of money larger than £1000 in anything with MG or Rover badge is like buying Dongfeng sports car or Zhongxing motorcycle. Just let the label rest in peace.
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I'm sorry but that's not true, the parts are available. If I can get parts for a car that ended production in the 60's I can guarantee that finding parts for the ZT will not be that difficult.

In regards to the badge, it saddens me greatly to see that the MG badge is being applied to all manor of crap by the Chinese. The MG marque has been treated utter disregard by the new owners.
 
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Yep, that's it exactly. I can count the 4 cylinder engines I have heard that I can genuinly say I like the sound of on the figers of one hand also. Noise is important, 4 pots just don't do it for me.

I believe the Volvo S60 T5 I mentioned is 5 cylinder though, so that could be the exception. I do not know what that will be like in terms of refinement and sound though.
 
I've only been a passenger in a 6+ cylinder car so can't comment with that much authority on the subject but I really couldn't feel it was that much different to a 4/5 cylinder.

I just think writing off cars with <6 cylinders is unnecesarily narrowing your choice.
 
I have a l6 right now, I have had plenty of cars with 4 cylinder engines before, I'm not going back there.

Besides how am I limiting myself? ...I can't think of any car with a 4 cylinder engine that I would rather have than some of what I have listed.
 
Eriedor said:
I've only been a passenger in a 6+ cylinder car so can't comment with that much authority on the subject but I really couldn't feel it was that much different to a 4/5 cylinder.
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Drive one.

I just think writing off cars with <6 cylinders is unnecesarily narrowing your choice.
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No, it isnt. Besides, engines with 4 cylinders dont tend to be found in cars comparable to the sort of car the OP is after :)
 
OP; Given that you do not really mind whether it is an automatic or a manual, in your shoes for this budget i would be looking at 540i Sport's. You have enough money for a good one, and its an excellent combination of the 5-series' excellent dynamics compromised only slightly by the additional weight and steering setup, but more than offset by the torquey V8 which provides excellent punch on the straights. The 540i's usually come fairly well appointed, too.

Failing that you cant really go wrong with a 530i Sport which will be cheaper to run, but you should halve the budget really as spending £7k on one is a little much.
 
Yea, well £7k was the top end really, I can afford to run it ok, I'm not too worried about that. I would certainly rather spend less. I doubt the 540i costs much more than the 330Ci or the 530i to be honest. I struggle to get over 25mpg as it is ...so bring it on I say :p
 
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