Which car would you chose?

BigT · 17 Feb 2006 at 14:43

PsiFox said:
What about the "if you can afford to buy 2, then you can afford the expense of running 1"

I've often heard that quoted and unless you're in supercar territory I don't buy it personally, unless you're talking over the entire lifetime of the car. I spent £18,000 on my 330Ci (is that the same engine/electronics as a 530?) three years ago. How much has it cost me since?

About £5,000 in petrol for the 30,000 miles I've done
£1,500 on insurance
£720 in tax
£800 in tyres
£450 in servicing and MOT
£400 in repair bills for stuff that went wrong (ECU chip and some bushes)

I'm sure I've missed a few minor bits out but that's not even half of the cost of the car and you're going to incurr at least 50% of my numbers on *any* car over the same period of time doing the same mileage. I'm sure Fox, like most people, already has these ongoing costs budgeted for before taking into account how much he can afford to spend on a motor.

DRZ · 17 Feb 2006 at 15:22

For hooning about in and having fun, the ST220 has to be the most realistic option for you. The Scoob just has too much potential to cost you every penny you have.

The BMW is a bit more elegant than the ST220 and realistically, from talking to you for many an hour you arent the type of guy that likes to give it some serious welly about the place. This makes the BMW the best choice for you IMO....

Zip · 17 Feb 2006 at 15:27

The order i would choose would be this.

1) 2000-2002 BMW 528i/530i Sport - 192/231bhp, 0-60 6.7 seconds, £7000-£10000
2) 2000 Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000, 211bhp, 0-60 6.0
3) 2002 Ford Mondeo 3.0 V6 ST220 - 222bhp, 0-60 6.9 seconds, £9000-£10000
4) 2000 Ford Mondeo 2.5 V6 ST200 - 202bhp, 0-60 7 seconds, £4500-£5500

Would it be possible to save up for an M3

Fusion · 17 Feb 2006 at 15:33

If you're absolutely sure you can run the 5 (not implying they're ultra expensive, I have no idea how much they'd precisely cost, but can only imagine that they have the potential to leave your pockets light), then there's no contest. I personally would consider an ST220, but for you, the Beemer is a must

As you've said before, it's quite literally a false economy to go for a diesel as they're more expensive to buy and more expensive to fix when they go wrong. Isn't the 528i restricted to 193bhp? In which case you could probably tinker, and free up some more horses, possibly landing more bang for your buck.

Nozzer · 17 Feb 2006 at 16:01

PsiFox said:
What about the "if you can afford to buy 2, then you can afford the expense of running 1"

Usually a myth which is bought up any time something nobody knows much about comes up

.

EddScott · 17 Feb 2006 at 16:33

PsiFox said:
What about the "if you can afford to buy 2, then you can afford the expense of running 1"

Actually chaps, this isn't far off the mark with some cars. If you consider that some Subaru Imprezas can be had for 5K if not less but lets stick with 5K. What happens if you have serious engine and transmission failure? Theres a good 5K to put that right.

It might not suit all cars but I must say it does seem to fit most sub 5K cars with a little bit more than the basic engine and 2 wheels receipe.

Granted fox is looking at 10K so if he can afford to buy one and half cars, he can buy one in the first place.

5 all the way IMHO.

Jez · 17 Feb 2006 at 16:41

EddScott said:
Actually chaps, this isn't far off the mark with some cars. If you consider that some Subaru Imprezas can be had for 5K if not less but lets stick with 5K. What happens if you have serious engine and transmission failure? Theres a good 5K to put that right.

.

Think of cars like a 740i E38, a decent looking lovely BMW with a great engine which can be bought for as little as £2500 for an OK one. I phoned my local BMW dealer about a gearbox replacement after hearing that high milage ones have a tendancy to go, £5000 just for the box and fitting.

Gotta be very careful with these bargain barges

BigT · 17 Feb 2006 at 16:53

EddScott said:
It might not suit all cars but I must say it does seem to fit most sub 5K cars with a little bit more than the basic engine and 2 wheels receipe.

That's a good point. If you're spending the least amount possible on any model of car then it may well apply. i.e. oldest model of a particular generation.

And if you're into £1000 car territory then tax and fuel alone will ensure you spend double!

Jez said:
Think of cars like a 740i E38, a decent looking lovely BMW with a great engine which can be bought for as little as £2500 for an OK one. I phoned my local BMW dealer about a gearbox replacement after hearing that high milage ones have a tendancy to go, £5000 just for the box and fitting.

Can you really get a decent one for that money? And would you go to a main dealer for that sort of work if you're only paying £2,500 for the car in the first place. I don't think I would. However, I do agree with you that an old, "bargain" barge is not very good sense economically but I'm not sure Fox's choice of E39 would class as a bargain barge.

Jez · 17 Feb 2006 at 16:56

I would still be very worried about the automatic E39's, he will be looking at high milage for the budget as he wants one of a good specification. I doubt the E39 autoboxes are much different in price to the E38's, seeing as the engines are the same.

A lot of that £5000 was the actual part cost too, so you are stumped unless you manage to find a recon one or something.

jamoor · 17 Feb 2006 at 18:13

basically dont get a bmw unless you have loads of cash to put it right

Ev0 · 17 Feb 2006 at 18:18

If you're gonna be keeping it a while then I'd say a 5 over the scooby, although I'd still buy a cheap scooby, run it fo ra year or so then get a 5

NickXX · 17 Feb 2006 at 19:42

jamoor said:
basically dont get a bmw unless you have loads of cash to put it right

Don't think that's really true. It's not going to be an old BMW, it won't be a diesel, so there shouldn't be too much that will go wrong. Being a BMW e39, it's highly likely to have been looked after properly too. An aftermarket warrantee will also take the sting out of repairs. Does anyone have servicing costs of the ST220?

Think about it though, he could have the ST220, but then he could also have the real thing, the 530i for the same money.

Also, I feel it is important to stress that the ST220 is likely to lose much more of its value in depreciation over there period of ownership. So even if he did have to throw a grand or two maintaining the BMW, it won't have the same depreciation kick.

jamrowls · 17 Feb 2006 at 19:51

ST200 without a doubt!

jamoor · 17 Feb 2006 at 20:15

NickXX said:
Don't think that's really true. It's not going to be an old BMW, it won't be a diesel, so there shouldn't be too much that will go wrong. Being a BMW e39, it's highly likely to have been looked after properly too. An aftermarket warrantee will also take the sting out of repairs. Does anyone have servicing costs of the ST220?

Think about it though, he could have the ST220, but then he could also have the real thing, the 530i for the same money.

Also, I feel it is important to stress that the ST220 is likely to lose much more of its value in depreciation over there period of ownership. So even if he did have to throw a grand or two maintaining the BMW, it won't have the same depreciation kick.

My mondeo ghia x cost 130 at the last service, so I dont think the st220 will be much more. Also an oil + filter change (which I do every 6k) costs me 20 quid at the dealer.

Not bad imo.

blueboy2001 · 17 Feb 2006 at 20:20

Ford price their servicing by model, so an ST220 costs much the same as the other Mondeo's. I paid £115 for a 12 month service this week, a major service is about £140 every 3 years. The 225/40/18 tyres will cost more than the servicing bills.

I'm not sure that the ST220 will depreciate any worse than the BMW, I would imagine the market for used 5 series dwindles as they get older, whereas a hot Ford will always find a home with an enthusiast buyer regardless of age - ST200's are worth a lot more than a "normal" model of the same age.

[TW]Fox · 17 Feb 2006 at 20:30

I'm not even remotely concerned about depreciation.

cymatty · 17 Feb 2006 at 20:32

Fox you have test drove the 5 series so you have an idea what that is like, i think the best thing to do would be to test drive the others and narrow down the list.

rG-tom · 17 Feb 2006 at 20:58

it'd be between the st220 and the 5 for me, probably be a 5 though. ST220 might be faster, but it's still FWD, and still a ford. Top of the range or not it's still a ford inside, where as the BMW is a top class german with a fantastic interior and really nice ride. This is coming from someone who personally loves the st220 too

Tom

GSXRMovistar · 17 Feb 2006 at 21:08

So come to any decisions yet?

[TW]Fox · 17 Feb 2006 at 21:11

GSXRMovistar said:
So come to any decisions yet?

Pffft hell no probably won't make a decision until the day I buy something. I've got lots to think about though.

Saw a 51 plate prefacelift 330Ci today though with the facelift Sport front bumper, got me thinking