Hi all. I'm just about to pass my test at 23 (late starter I know) and was wondering if my ideas for a first car are all ok? I'm a little lost when it comes to cars!
I'm considering a car like this at the moment,
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201404063117093
I know it's impossible to say but will it last? Is it decent?
Also insurance wise, what could I be expecting? Just a rough range.
Thankss
(have removed your postcode from the link)
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 10 Apr 14 at 13:18
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I suspect insurance will make this a silly first car.
Shop on-line for prices and answer the questions as if you've just passed your test. Give you a far more accurate figure than anyone here could.
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Hmmm.. almost 200bhp and rear wheel drive as a first car!!
When you do pass your test phone for some insurance places for quotes before even bothering to look at cars. My insurance will not consider my newly passed daughter as a named driver on my Alfa policy at any price until she has driven for a couple more years.
Good luck with the test.
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Just entered a few details into a price comparison web site and at your age and driving experience i got a quote of £1821.Obviously this depends on where you live,job etc but to quite honest it isn't as dear as i thought it would be.
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>>I know it's impossible to say but will it last? Is it decent?
Looks it.
You are buying a rear wheel drive car and it is quite a lively one. So understand what it is and don't drive like an idiot. Also, it will be miserable on snow and a bit lively on wet and/or greasy roads.
Don't forget that you might buy it for £3,000 or whatever it was, but its a £30k car and will have £30k car type problems. Maintenance and repairs can hurt.
Also, whatever the official figures say, it'll drain your wallet via the petrol pump.
There are cheaper, easier to drive and more sensible cars, but so what. I guess you're single and have no commitments so what better time.
Was it me, and I could afford it at that age, I'd buy it.
however, you need to decide what you want out of a car. Could be some of;
Cheap
Poweful
Cool
Large
Small
Economical
etc etc etc.
Work that out and either the answer will be clear, or come back here and we'll tell you what you want help you decide.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 19 May 14 at 01:28
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>>Looks it.
How many owners has it had I wonder and "maintained to a high standard" what does that mean??
Caveat emptor!!!
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My son has a BMW 318i of the same age.
Expect biills of £900 for brakes, £150 each for tyres, failure of ignition coils...
As stated above they are not cheap to run.. Friend had one. It was undriveable in snow - literally. Just sat and spun its wheels - it was on summer tyres.
She was scared stiff of it and bought a Mini Cooper S instead...
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I had a 2001 318i automatic as my second car. I was fortunate get it from FiL with a full BM service history and four brand new tyres. I got rid before any large bills arrived, though I do recall recurring niggles with the cooling system and engine management light.
SWMBO drove it across Ireland over ungritted secondary roads including some rather steep hills in a mixture of snow and freezing slush without incident - but she's a skilled, sensible driver, not a beginner.
I do also recall hiring a 2005/6ish Focus 1.6 VVT while I owned the BM. Driving it from Edinburgh to Aberdeen and back, I was struck that it did everything the 318 did every bit as well, and at almost half the price.
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I had a 120d (albeit chipped). I shall offer this advice for free:
--- DO NOT TURN THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM OFF ---
That's it. The ESP won't stop you putting it through a hedge backwards since nothing can defeat the laws of physics, but it will avoid the situation where you boot it going onto a wet roundabout and suddenly discover that the exit you want is passing backwards past the driver's side of the car.
** Unless you're in an empty snow-covered car park or field, in which case knock yourself out.
*** But a BMW on summer tyres is so useless in the snow you'll be lucky to exceed 4mph. Seriously. I've never been in anything quite so terrible in snowy weather.
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I once had a big Lexus and in the snow it was equally as useless as any BMW.
As I gracefully slithered from side to side up the road, gently bouncing off alternate kerbs at an eye watering 1mph, I passed, by the skin of my teeth, a BMW coming the other way in similar fashion. He had his window open and a determined but slightly frantic look in his eyes.
"Morning Torvill", I sad, as our paths crossed, and quick witted as he was, he duly replied "Morning Dean".
Last edited by: Crankcase on Thu 10 Apr 14 at 16:31
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>> I once had a big Lexus and in the snow it was equally as useless
>> as any BMW.
>>
>> As I gracefully slithered from side to side up the road, gently bouncing off alternate
>> kerbs at an eye watering 1mph, I passed, by the skin of my teeth, a
>> BMW coming the other way in similar fashion. He had his window open and a
>> determined but slightly frantic look in his eyes.
>>
>> "Morning Torvill", I sad, as our paths crossed, and quick witted as he was, he
>> duly replied "Morning Dean".
>>
What a load of bolero
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Agreed. It's perfectly possible and easy to drive a RWD in snow if you are sensitive to its dynamics. In many ways I'd rather have a RWD in low grip conditions. With FWD in snow/ice you can find yourself heading straight for the very thing you are trying to avoid due to understeer whereas with RWD all that really happens is a bit of tail wagging which is nothing to stress about as it's easily caught and you are generally still able to steer away from the solid object or oncoming traffic you're trying to avoid.
Traction from rest takes a bit more care of course but once on the move give me wayward back wheels over plough on front ones any time.
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>> Agreed. It's perfectly possible and easy to drive a RWD in snow if you are
>> sensitive to its dynamics. In many ways I'd rather have a RWD in low grip
>> conditions. With FWD in snow/ice you can find yourself heading straight for the very thing
>> you are trying to avoid due to understeer whereas with RWD all that really happens
>> is a bit of tail wagging which is nothing to stress about as it's easily
>> caught and you are generally still able to steer away from the solid object or
>> oncoming traffic you're trying to avoid.
>>
>> Traction from rest takes a bit more care of course but once on the move
>> give me wayward back wheels over plough on front ones any time.
>>
Yeah, but the problem with a BMW on low profile wide tyres is that it'll never get moving in the first place.
Doesn't matter how skilled you are with the pedals, it's just absolutely useless.
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Ok, so why does my car with 265/35/18 rear tyres RWD and 200 bhp cope fine then? Magic or due care?
;-)
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>Ok, so why does my car with 265/35/18 rear tyres RWD and 200 bhp cope fine then? Magic or due care?
Carpet stuck under throttle pedal?
;-)
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You have a good memory ! But in a way that's about right.
My dad taught me to drive in a Scottish winter in his Volvo 240. I can hear him now telling me to imagine a glass of wine balanced on the bonnet. The objective was not to do anything which would cause the imaginary glass to topple and then drive how you like. It sort of works.
Seriously though I do think there's a lot of myth about RWD and winter conditions. It's not about being a highly skilled driver either, just a sensitive one. FWD and power steering have robbed modern cars of a lot of the feel for the road surface they used to have I think.
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>> Ok, so why does my car with 265/35/18 rear tyres RWD and 200 bhp cope fine then?
I would imagine the type of tyre matters greatly.
I've been in a 3-series sporting Bridgestones (245/40x18 or somesuch) with diddly squat ability to move off from compacted snow on the very gentlest incline, while my old 300ZX wearing 215/60x15 was easily pulling past VW Golfs stuck in snow 10 years ago - the ZX was wearing Goodyear Venturas which had a similar tread pattern to Rainexperts.
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Maybe so. They're Continental sport contacts for what it's worth. An interesting point though was made to me by my pal, the now British resident but Bavarian born test engineer neighbour who gets to take development Bentleys to their limits on frozen lakes etc.
He told me that he's far more interested in tread depth than compound. In other words he believes that a fresh set of summer tyres will outperform a worn set of winters even in severe conditions.
I wouldn't know, I'm just a bloke who drives about a bit.
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AWD:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfpr6vYZ_U0#aid=P-hayMvUyoo
(24 minutes of a bellend in a Foz)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 10 Apr 14 at 22:12
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>>(24 minutes of a bellend in a Foz)
Some driver! ... some car!!!
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>> I've been in a 3-series sporting Bridgestones (245/40x18 or somesuch) with diddly squat ability to...
Now that chimes with me oddly enough. I had occasion to drive both my E Class and my wife's Qashqai on pretty much the same 40 mile round trip one snowy day.
The journey involved a mixture of rural lanes, a bit of motorway and some fairly steep hills here and there.
It snowed most of the day and in the morning I used the Merc which coped fine but in the afternoon the Nissan was available so I took that to see if it would be better suited.
In truth, it was quite a lot worse at coping with the conditions. Understeered horribly and never felt planted.
But, here's the thing, it was on Bridgestone Duellers ( meant to be a bit rusty tufty ) and the Merc was on Contis.
Maybe your 'diagnosis' is right !
;-)
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Now that chimes with me oddly enough. I had occasion to drive both my E Class and my wife's Qashqai on pretty much the same 40 mile round trip one snowy day.
Are the sure the Cashcow was 4wd?. Unless top if the range it's fwd.
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Don't think I said it was 4wd did I ?
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Don't know, but my 5 series was merely bad on snow. The Mercedes was rubbish.
Coming out of our village with quite a strong camber, the Merc just used to slide into the kerb.
The Phaeton on the other hand was superb.
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p.s. although obviously the Phaeton was the only 4WD of the three.
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>> Ok, so why does my car with 265/35/18 rear tyres RWD and 200 bhp cope
>> fine then? Magic or due care?
>>
>> ;-)
>>
In snow my FWD 90bhp jap econobox would whip the ass off you in your 200 bhp RWD blinged up harlem hearse.
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I know.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 10 Apr 14 at 22:51
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Of course you do. Goes without saying.
;-)
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>> Friend had one. It was undriveable
>> in snow - literally. Just sat and spun its wheels - it was on summer
>> tyres.
My 320d coped just fine in the couple of dumps of snow we had in late winter 2012. 25 miles on mostly untreated roads on bog standard Michelins, with barely a sniff of wheelspin that I didn't provoke.
I'd just driven it 20 miles home in this. No issue whatsoever:
i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv196/DP_75/20130118_115026.jpg
Most BMWs I see struggling are through people mashing the throttle. Take care and they are fine.
And HUGE fun out of clear-sighted corners! :-)
Last edited by: DP on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 13:36
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I more or less agree with what NFM2R says. I had a slightly older 325 Touring and it was a brilliant car and over the 5 years I had it not hugely expensive to maintain.
Suspension bushes and lower control arms are a weakness so find out if these have been changed and you should expect 25-30 mpg depending on how you drive, so you will be a regular visitor at the petrol station. Check the history and also think about who is selling it and how they treated it and maintained it.
The 6 cylinder BMW engine is a classic and many of the niggles that occur at this age of car are fixable if you are remotely handy with plenty of guides on You Tube.
Possibly better as a second car but if you want it and can afford to run it why not.
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But something that won't bankrupt you when you crash it. You might be lucky but in general an old BMW like that is going to cost you £££ and I bit suspicious about the mileage. It is far too easy to clock back the mileage, make some fake history etc.
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I agree with the Rat. For a first car you need something knockabout. Don't be tempted by something shiny and blingy unless you need it to pull the birds ( or blokes ).
Put something like that Beemer into a gatepost and you'll be sobbing into your pillow all night. Spend £500 on something expendable with cheap insurance and parts and keep it until you've gained a couple of years experience. Westpig, on here, will stitch you up with something, I'm sure.
You know it makes sense !
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0141 number.
Buy a black BMW 3 series from a weegie?
Might as well buy a bag of magic beans too while you're at it ;-)
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If I were a newly qualified driver now, I'd maybe buy an old but cared for Grand Vitara 1.6 petrol convertible and stick a ski rack and bike rack on it.
Cheap as cold chips, quite good fun though and you can leave it in RWD until your bottle fails when you can snick it into AWD.
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Probably cheap to insure too. I always liked the push rod Fiestas as bangers, as they are chain driven and have iron heads so the head gaskets rarely tend to fail. Most of them will be rust buckets by now though.
Maybe I am just odd but never saw the point of having a flash motor would rather spend the money on enjoying life of course if I was doing lots of long journeys I would want something bigger and a bit more powerful but that doesn't always mean flash.
I also quite like the OP's confidence "I am soon to pass my test!" but maybe is already planning to bribe the examiner.
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Dear Mr Rattles
One can enjoy life by owning a 'flash' motor. It isn't either or. My ten year old Beemer is probably worth peanuts, depreciates shall we say £500 a year, does only 30 mpg, and, dare I say it, enhances my life. Today I only drove about 90 miles, but the roof was down, and on a few occasions I dropped it into a lower gear, floored it and enjoyed the sound and get up and go of quite a nice motor.
I think you would quite like a straight six and would enjoy driving a half decent RWD motor. Especially in winter on Michelin Alpins when most of the time you could get about and not worry too much about getting up, and down, hills safely.
Cheap to buy you know.
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But I can only afford one or the other, and as longs as my car is reliable and that is all I care about. I doubt I have much need for a straight six in Manchester traffic, and I don't really finding the 'art' of driving in itself a pleasure. That said I had an empty road to myself in a 40 limit today and it was great fun to leave it in second until it sounded like the pistons were going to go through the block! My car cost me a small fortune relative to my income but has been a great investment (although I might change my mind after the MOT!).
Maybe when I am older I will get a flash motor :). At the moment I can only afford one or the other.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Thu 10 Apr 14 at 23:32
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Totally agree with Runfer.
An old Vitara with ski and bike racks is just the job
If you live in Moutier and the heater works.
Annecy as well for that matter, although slightly down market on the drive of your maison avec lake frontage.
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Horace, the primary role of a 23yr old is not to make sense and be sensible. It is to have fun.
>>Put something like that Beemer into a gatepost and you'll be sobbing into your pillow all night
Regret something you do, not something you don't do. Don't buy it, and perhaps you'll always wish you had.
At 23 I'd rather have fun and plant it in a gate post then I would drive some boring old POS and earn the approval of old men.
I don't know if you lot were fun when you were 23, but now you're 9 million and 3 you're all stick-in-the-muds.
Buy the damn thing if you want it, might not be the financially most excellent decision ever, but it'll be loads of fun.
Once, [actually three times] I bought a Lancia Beta. What a silly, unreliable, rusty decision that was - but when they worked they were great and I loved them and forever remember them fondly. I will, until my dying day, remember blasting up the Woodcote Road in a 2.0HPE with Supertramp blasting my ears off; with the first sunroof I'd ever owned open and the first electric windows I'd owned all open - just because I could.
And ignore Rattle, he's even older than the rest of them. He was born old.
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>>blasting up the Woodcote Road in a 2.0HPE with Supertramp blasting my ears off
That's living alright!
>>And ignore Rattle, he's even older than the rest of them. He was born old.
Totally agree, sadly.
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I passed my test aged 18, just left school and in my first job. Car was a mini Clubman estate. Greenish, and bought from next door neighbour who worked in car sales at a VW garage ( I used to drool over stuff he brought home). It was a sensible purchase, but after 6 months I tired of it and bought a Marina TC Coupe. Shows how little I knew about cars!
I seemed to alternate every 4/6 months between sensible cars (fiat 124/8? And Volvo 240 estates) and not sensible cars (Capri 2.8, XR 4 x4). Lots count of the cars I had in the first 10 years of driving. Thank goodness I am now Capt Sensible.
Although I did look at a mint XKR the other day. Cheaper insurance being one of the advantages of being an old wonk.
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>>but after 6 months I tired of it and bought a Marina TC Coupe
Quite respectable really IMO - I'd rather restore one of those than that Granada or the Anglebox.
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>> >>but after 6 months I tired of it and bought a Marina TC Coupe
>>
>> Quite respectable really IMO - I'd rather restore one of those than that Granada
There are far too many heavy metals in that bore hole water of yours. Early onset Altzheimers for sure.
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>>There are far too many heavy metals in that bore hole water of yours
You're not wrong actually - Ar-senic, Copper, Lead, Nitrate, Nitrite, Iron, Manganese + various coliforms.
Tastes okay though.
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Funny you should mention Supertramp. John Helliwell lived just up the road from me until a few years ago. Still fairly local though. If you ever get chance go see his 'band' Creme Anglaise.
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They were on TOTP 1979 last night....catchy tunes.
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>>Funny you should mention Supertramp.............
I'm bit more of a Roger Hodgson fan myself, but since I don't know Creme Anglaise I'll go and try them out on YouTube right now.
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There goes another hour of my life, Youtube is my nightmare!!!
John Helliwell interview...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMoUTYRHJZk
Roger Hodgson interview...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrhhwG0xHA
Creme Anglais (rather good, actually)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAvIxJHySdo
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I loved the single 'Breakfast in America' when it came out, not least because as a young clarinet player I aspired to being able to play that solo. Still one of my favourite tracks, although I don't think I like any of their other stuff (that I've heard).
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>>
>> Regret something you do, not something you don't do. Don't buy it, and perhaps you'll
>> always wish you had.
>>
>> At 23 I'd rather have fun and plant it in a gate post then I
>> would drive some boring old POS and earn the approval of old men.
>>
>>
Aye.
When I was young and foolish (As opposed to being old and stupid) I passed on the chance to buy a Jensen Interceptor on the advice of a load of middle aged mortgage ridden Captain Sensibles I worked with. I have always regretted it, because any financial hit I might have had to take at the time would not have mattered a jot in anything but the very short term.
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>> When I was young and foolish (As opposed to being old and stupid) I passed
>> on the chance to buy a Jensen Interceptor on the advice of a load of
>> middle aged mortgage ridden Captain Sensibles I worked with. I have always regretted it,
Actually, that was probably the wisest move you ever made. Friend of mine didn't turn uo the chance to buy a Jensen Interceptor. He had it for 5 days before the brakes failed spectacularly (the bulkhead fractured - sorry the rust gave way - where the brake master cylinder was) with 4 of us in it and we sailed over a roundabout near Banstead at about 100 mph.
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When I was 21 in 1970, I was faced with the choice between a £20 Triumph T21 (350cc twin), or a £90 Thruxton Velocette (500cc single). The owner demonstrated the Velo by taking us through the village and up the hill at 70mph in 2nd gear; he throttled back at the top of the hill and, as the bike backfired like thunder, flames shot out of the carb, licking his thigh.
But I needed a reliable 'going to work' bike, so I chose the T21.
I've just sold the T21, in need of extensive renovation, for £600; it hadn't been ridden since 1975. I see that a Thruxton Velo has just sold for £24,995.
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>> Velo by taking us through the village and up the hill at 70mph in 2nd
>> gear; he throttled back at the top of the hill and, as the bike backfired
>> like thunder, flames shot out of the carb, licking his thigh.
>>
>> But I needed a reliable 'going to work' bike, so I chose the T21.
>>
>> I've just sold the T21, in need of extensive renovation, for £600; it hadn't been
>> ridden since 1975. I see that a Thruxton Velo has just sold for £24,995.
Yes very rare, most of them caught fire.
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>> blasting up the Woodcote
>> Road in a 2.0HPE with Supertramp blasting my ears off
The current local yobbo tends to do this in a FIAT Punto Sporting with some godawful overbassed house music or other pumping out. The knob.
Supertramp for me was over after the first album. That was truly great stuff.
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Ah but Al, you're down the posh Caversham Heights end, I was up the yokel Cane End & Checkendon end.
Different class of yob, don't ya know.
And the moment I was thinking of was actually blasting* past the Fox at Cane End in about 1980 listening to Breakfast in America.
[* a relative term from my younger days meaning more than 40mph! ]
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>> >> blasting up the Woodcote
>> >> Road in a 2.0HPE with Supertramp blasting my ears off
>>
>> The current local yobbo tends to do this in a FIAT Punto Sporting with some
>> godawful overbassed house music or other pumping out. The knob.
>>
>> Supertramp for me was over after the first album. That was truly great stuff.
Crime of the Century - every track a complete gem. Rubbish after that.
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This is the one I like:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertramp_(album)
Played it to death as a student.
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Crime of the Century - every track a complete gem. Rubbish after that.
So it is. I Pure Musicked it this morning and listened in the hotel gym and on the way home. (Been a funny week work- and travel-wise.) I was surprised how much of it I knew, but the multilayered production is great to listen to.
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At 23 I was driving a 1.6 Sierra (all of 70 bhp), having a baby in the back moderated my behaviour.
Great on snow, you could feel it losing traction and adjust or even take advantage of the loss of grip and slide it. One thing I miss with the front wheel drive cars practicality puts me in now.
Two cars before we had a Morris Minor on crossplies and it would slide in the dry.
If you want it get it but beware sooner or later you will relax and it will bite, if when it bites you hit someone else it will be very expensive and painful and maybe more. Maybe you should look for a 1.6 which would reduce the risk.
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A friend's dad had a 1.6 Sierra in the early 80s and carried a couple of bags of sand in the back whenever it was snowy for extra axle weight and presumably so he could put some under the tyres for traction in extremis.
Very good driver but borderline insane: he was/still is a collector and enthusiast of classic FIAT 500s.
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In looooose snow , wide profile tyres make Audis virtually undriveable - as bad as BMWs.
Round here - where normal winters can be harsh.. (think edge of Peak District) as opposed to the poncy South...4wd is useful in the country. In town it's a waste of time: you get stuck behind a bunch of people who cannot drive in snow and block the road.
4DW drivers tend to think they are invincible - and kill themselves on ice as the laws of physics prevail.
Last edited by: madf on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 12:00
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Yes, I remember a 6R4 driver forgetting the laws of physics and doing something like a 720 degree spin in the pouring rain.
Just before the event folk at Gurston Down Hillclimb had warned folk of the poor conditions and the need to be a bit circumspect. Event was promptly abandoned. I was entered in the 4/4 so a bit cross with the pilchard.
My times at Gurston were always good for the class as I'd sussed out how to drift round the hairpin and keep the engine on cam thus making the rest of the course a lot quicker.
Last edited by: Slidingpillar on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 13:15
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>> At 23 I was driving a 1.6 Sierra (all of 70 bhp), having a baby
>> in the back moderated my behaviour.
>>
>> Great on snow, you could feel it losing traction and adjust or even take advantage
>> of the loss of grip and slide it.
I had one too, although well pre-children.
Beautifully benign intro to RWD handling. Skinny 165 tyres and a gently tuned engine with a very flat torque curve gave no surprises anywhere. Progressive loss of grip unless you lifted when committed. Also 4 turn rack meant the opposite lock had to be very quick sometimes. :-)
75 bhp IIRC. Mine was a mk1 (on a Y plate) which were a hundred kilos or so lighter than the mk2's. Went OK for what it was. Mine also had the 5 speed box which was comparatively rare as it was a quite expensive option.
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At 22 I had a capri RS3100. Now THAT is an intro (no - lets say a slap in the mouth) into RWD handling (or lack of it)
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 14:10
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Is this thread about boring old pretentious rock albums or is it about blokes whose feet are so big and heavy that they can't drive rwd cars tidily on slippery roads?
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>>............. boring old pretentious.............
Ahem.
;-)
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>>I had a capri RS3100
Wish I'd had one of those.
I had the 2.0 JPS Special which was damned dangerous and a later 2.8i which handled much better.
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You'd probably hanker after this then: www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C482675
I must keep telling myself old cars are money pits.
old cars are money pits.
old cars are money pits.
old cars are money pits.
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Not so much.
Now this, on the other hand...........
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C479926
Me too..... ->
old cars are money pits.
old cars are money pits.
old cars are money pits.
Believe, believe, believe......
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Christ alive, I've always wanted one of those Lancias. Not in a position at the moment. I really must get a better job or come up with a brilliant business wheeze.
:-(
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>> You'd probably hanker after this then: www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C482675
There's a coincidence.....
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/151273642526?clk_rvr_id=618256392210
And only £400 difference in price?
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“This car has an incredible service history ..."
Wouldn't a credible service history be better?
Gorgeous looking car, though. Like Vić I've always admired the Beta coupé and the HPE - remarkably clean-cut shapes for their time. And that one does look as if it's been well loved.
But it's not for me. I doubt I'd fit in (was surprised yesterday how little space I had in a continental colleague's 407 estate.) And anyway, I've already picked the car I couldn't afford at the time: cherry red three-door Saab 900 Turbo for me, please. That probably wouldn't insist on a garage either.
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Oh no, now look what you've made me do:
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C301095#
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>>Oh no, now look what you've made me do:
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C301095#
Now that I DO like and, what's £6k .. you probably spend that on fine wine pa.
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£6k .. you probably spend that on fine wine pa.
Price of a night out, old chum. If only. But we're thinking the time may be coming to part with the S60 and a drive without a Swedish car on it is unthinkable. And they're not getting any younger or more abundant, so if I'm ever going to have one, sooner would be better than later.
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>> 75 bhp IIRC. Mine was a mk1 (on a Y plate) which were a hundred
>> kilos or so lighter than the mk2's. Went OK for what it was. Mine also
>> had the 5 speed box which was comparatively rare as it was a quite expensive
>> option.
>>
Also a Mk1, considered the 5 speed but IIRC they wanted about £400 for it and the car cost just over £4k so we did without. Used to park next to a 1.3 3 door in York (both commuting) when it was new - didn't realise how rare that one was at the time - reputed to have sold almost double figures, i.e. less than 10.
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I think:
1. Wait 12 months before you buy yourself something like that. Get some miles under your feet first. It's easier to crash a car than you think. And your insurance company will agree with me. Most fun I ever had in a car was in a Mk II Polo that was 20 years old with a 1.1(?) engine.
2. A BMW is an old man's car, you're 23.
3. £3,000 is a nasty amount of money to spend on a car like that. Spend £1,000 and then it doesn't matter if the engine blows up or if you hit a fence. £3,000 is a lot to lose (for most people).
4. Don't buy cars from Scotland; they rust owing to the quantity of snow on the road.
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I agree with Mapmaker, I think however we have all scared him off!
Now if you excuse, I need to go to the post office and get my pension. Anybody seen where I put my zimmer frame?
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>> 4. Don't buy cars from Scotland; they rust owing to the quantity of snow on the road.
5. Don't buy cars from England, they're always hashed up and worn out owing to the quantity of English on the roads.
;-)
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>>
>> >> 4. Don't buy cars from Scotland; they rust owing to the quantity of snow
>> on the road.
>>
>> 5. Don't buy cars from England, they're always hashed up and worn out owing to
>> the quantity of English exiled Jocks looking to better themselves on the roads.
>>
>> ;-)
>>
>>
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We just come down here to sleep with your women and they're grateful to have a chance to meet real men so it's a symbiotic relationship....
;-)
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Real men in skirts, at that.
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...and who can drive in a bit of snow without panicking ...
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You mean a Jock in a frock.
Pat
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Yay, She's not here for a few days and then comes straight back in with a home run!
Well done that girl / woman / lady / trucker
Last edited by: No FM2R on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 16:10
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As opposed to the English national costume which as far as can be told lies at Morris dancing outfits at one end and football shirts teamed with a beer gut and three quarter length trousers at the other.
Classy...
Don't get me started on the Welsh with their pointy hats and their penchant for special relationships with livestock and eating seaweed.
;-)
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>> As opposed to the English national costume which as far as can be told lies
>> at Morris dancing outfits at one end and football shirts teamed with a beer gut
>> and three quarter length trousers at the other.
>>
>> Classy...
Classy? CLASSY? from a Jock? The people who, to show their national heritage, are going to blow up blocks of flats as part of the opening ceremonies at the commonwealth games? The people with such class they have invented the munchy box?
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 16:42
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>> the Welsh with their pointy hats and their penchant for special relationships with livestock and eating seaweed.
That is outrageous. I don't like seaweed and I don't have a pointy hat.
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try the seaweed, buy a sheep.
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I've tried seaweed and I don't like the hats.
And *buy* a sheep? Bit excessive.
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>> And *buy* a sheep? Bit excessive.
Yes. There's something a bit sad about commercial sex. Go to parties and functions.
Dress well, groom yourself, learn some conversation, and who knows... the perfect woolly partner is out there somewhere.
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but some other welshman....... Taffy sloppy seconds?
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Sorry, spent too much time today with a bunch of weak kneed, no backbone, whinging lorry drivers who want me to fight their corner because they haven't the balls to fight it themselves.
Whatever happened to equality??
*rant over*....I think.
Pat
Last edited by: Pat on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 17:07
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Know what? We're at nigh on a hundred posts here and the OP hasn't come back. Can't think what could've put him off....
Maybe he failed....
;-)
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I thought it was a wind-up from the beginning. 23 years old, just pre-arranged to pass test, no driving record, in a 192bhp RWD. No chance. Mitty-land.
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Yep.
Just like me and the XKR
Only because it won't fit in the garage
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Or my intended MX5. Can get in. Can drive OK. Can't be sure I can get out again.
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>>Just like me and the XKR
Friend of mine bought one. Spent many many tedious (to me) months of research and looking. This extra, that mileage, that warranty etc. etc. Allegedly 3 different secondhand car salesmen committed suicide.
Eventually he bought a gorgeous one.
Never seen a bloke get so much joy out of a car, and its been 3 years now.
Go for it, and forget the garage. Just use it frequently instead.
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>> Go for it, and forget the garage. Just use it frequently instead.
You too have sound attitudes FMR, based on privileged access.
Sporting cars are best with roofs.
In Latin America, do people use those bonnet-top deflectors in the vain endeavour to keep the windscreen clear of splattered huge insects? Just wondered.
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>>In Latin America, do people use those bonnet-top deflectors in the vain endeavour to keep the windscreen clear of splattered huge insects?
No. Actually I have occasionally seen them in Mexico; in Tijuana and other close-border places. But pretty much not anywhere else.
However, we have a virtual army of people wishing to clean your windscreen for you at virtually every junction - they do a good job and the going rate is about 20p.
I know people in the UK get upset about junction sellers and service providers, I don't really understand why. It looks like damned hard work to me, and better they are doing that than stealing.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Fri 11 Apr 14 at 23:28
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But, but and but
The 330 is a bit of a Q car. Only 225 horses or so but sneaks under the radar and once on song goes like stink. Whereas the XKR is pretty much in your face, and having driven my pals 'cooking' bottom of the range SL 350 I prefer the build quality of the German.
Then again the S4 Avant, with sensible 3.0 V6, sneaks under the radar.. Quick ish for a 2.0 Tdi lookalike.
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I dunno LL, his XKR is just an absolute glory to waft around in, and sounds a joy when he presses the loud pedal.
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Simples
The XKR is good looking, sounds superb and has class. The 330 has none of those attributes.
I rest my case.
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You talkin to me? Who the.... Do you think you're talking to ?
It's not bad looking.
It has no class. Agreed
But at 5000+ rpm it does sound nice so I beg to differ on that score.
With apologies to Travis Bickle
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Class, yawn, er...
There are different sorts of class, and BMWs certainly have one or two of them.
If I had any money I'd be badgering Westpig to find me a nice clean 330d coupé.
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Methinks the OP lit the blue touch-paper and ran ;-)
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>> Methinks the OP lit the blue touch-paper and ran ;-)
>>
And very successfully as well :-)
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BMW - Advice for new Driver - Slidingpillar
