€21k to spend am i missing something

Cyrus

ive sold the 323ci and saved a few quid, instead of borrowing im sticking to a budget of 21k as im buying an apartment and stuff!

anyway, for the money and for my requirements as follows:

bodyshape - dont mind, pref not a 2 seater but not a major issue, not really into verts
doors - dont mind
comfort - important, leather seats, aircon, build quality important
performance - circa 200bhp, engine size not an issue

i cant see past either a 01 3 series of some description or 5 series. i went to see a lovely 530 sport yesterday but they werent budging much on the price, the asking price is within budget but imo wasnt good value ( i will sell whatver i buy within 12-14mths) i may still go for this if they move.

however if they dont im looking for alternatives within the island of ireland, havent really got the time to goto the uk (could go north tho) and i cant think of any car that offers the sport looks, interior quality and power of a decent bmw, am i missing something?

pred racer

I'd be looking at an Audi A6 if I had that type of cash to spend.

Cyrus

over a 3 or 5 series (probably a 2.5 or 3litre)??

any links to the type of a6 you mean

yayamark

take the time out to go to the north or overseas. you will be shocked when u see the price(even after the vrt is added) and the spec for the price u pay compared to the price here

quarryman

I agree, if buying a BMW go to the UK, choice and value for money is a whole lot better.

I know this is dumb question for you (you like to change cars) but why did you sell the 323i? Seemed a lovely car.

Cyrus

i put 12,000 miles on it and sold it for a little less than i paid, just made sense, plus i get something else

bmws arent wonderful value in the uk, vrt sees to that, spec and range is better tho

ninty9er

Thisdrrooool!!

A bit sportier and rarer then the saloon

havent driven one of these..... YET but i believe they're right fun. and it'd save a few quid on juice and tax too


some people would say boring not sure myslef

Cyrus

not a lexus fan, mini not my bag nor is the s60 not 'sporty' enough cheers tho

eljono

It's great that you aren't worried about engine size. There are a lot of nice cars out there going relatively cheap because of their high cc
2001 S3?
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=496312

S-Type, personally I'd prefer it to a similar spec 5 series.
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=664799

Mean looking XJ. The mesh grille from the XJR would set it off perfectly I think. I love the wheels too.
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=632030

Range Rover. Wouldn't be something I'd go for but interesting all the same. I'd say the fuel bills would be heart-attack inducing though. 4.6 Auto

Eccentric but beautiful Benz. Here more as eye candy than a serious proposition.
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=503221

Nice CLK320
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=625466

Ok, if it was my money, this is what I'd buy. I've had my eye on it for a while. I know it doesn't really match your criteria though but worth a peek.
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=623491

Although this Legacy is very nice too
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=663840

Nice C70 but I don't think it would meet the magic 200
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=605551

S60 T5, different wheels would make a huge difference visually
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=479273

Cyrus

some food for thought there

altho im 26 so i think the jags are abit grown up! that impreza looks mean, but not what im after

clk320 maybe, not in silver tho and would need amg kit i reckon!

eljono

Ya, I'm 25 and I get what you're saying. I still love the XJ though. I love subtle aggression in cars. Of course the Impreza is the antithesis of this but I drove one for close to a week about 18 months ago and since then I've been lovestruck (they say love is blind). Still in college though so not in a position to get one but a year or two down the road and fingers crossed, she will be mine. Either that or a Boxster!
By the way have you driven an S60 T5? The old lad used to have an 850 T5 and it was a rocket. It was quite nose heavy but it could still hustle. I remember one sunny day in particular when a 00 528i got put under a lot of pressure on a winding road. He now has an S60 2.0t and while it's down on power, dynamically it's miles ahead. Very comfortable too with a great interior. Worth a look I think.

or an S60R if you could track one down, 300bhp, 4 wheel drive... mmmm

bazz26

Cyrus wrote:

some food for thought there

altho im 26 so i think the jags are abit grown up! that impreza looks mean, but not what im after

clk320 maybe, not in silver tho and would need amg kit i reckon!

Given up on the Mazda RX-8 idea? They seem to tick most of the boxes.

commited

Audis are apparently amazing value in the UK, as vrt isnt too bad on them.

Buy a 130bhp TDI A4, I know a chap who sells a kit to bring that to 250bhp for £1800, and you still get 50mpg!

Cyrus

bazz26 wrote:

Given up on the Mazda RX-8 idea? They seem to tick most of the boxes.

they do, little more expensive than 21k and ive decided not to borrow this time

Cyrus

commited wrote:

Audis are apparently amazing value in the UK, as vrt isnt too bad on them.

Buy a 130bhp TDI A4, I know a chap who sells a kit to bring that to 250bhp for £1800, and you still get 50mpg!

hate diesels, altho id imagine a 250bhp a4 is a quick machine, is there a high perf clutch with that kit!

bazz26

Cyrus wrote:

they do, little more expensive than 21k and ive decided not to borrow this time

With a bit of good haggling you might be able to get this one not too far from your budget:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=572208

bazz26

Or this one which is a year younger, the colour is an acquired taste but I like it:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=637516

Cyrus

bazz26 wrote:

With a bit of good haggling you might be able to get this one not too far from your budget:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=572208

maybe, hadnt seen that one! id rather a 231 but beggars cant be choosers i suppose!!! might take a look at that

Praetorian

The Rx8 is a joy to drive (230 bhp version) and does get peoples attention. You really have to mind the engine from an oil point of view, topping up monthly.

Spitfire666

Id be looking at the Audi's aswell. id much prefer one over a bmw. and great prices up north.

Mc-BigE

have a look at the BMW 525d Sport Touring on this Uk website.

ticks all my boxes, mileage is high ,but if its well looked after, might be ok, but do you like estates?

http://www.sportivacars.co.uk/

The Clown Man

I was in a very similar situation recently and I went and bought myself a 02 530d sport. Has every extra under the sun, automatic (which you really need for the diesel), and it is a pure pleasure to drive.

Don't be put off by the fact that it is a diesel, the torque and the 194bhp give it more kick than you would expect. 0-60 isn't what you would get in a petrol but a 40-60 or 60-80 overtake is where the car shines.

I so far have not got the average consumption below 29mpg no matter how hard i drive it and it is a fantastically well built car.

I kinda had my heart set on a 3 series before a friend convinced me to consider a 5 series sport. Haven't looked back since.


(Also, a set of nice 18" wheels transforms the look of the car. The standard 17" ones really do the car no justice.)

/2c

69sparkie69

hi..
i just bought myself a S 60 d5,2.3lt,185bhp,auto, 04, SE 04 reg,1 owner, with 66k miles on it ..full service history, leather, air con, cruise control, brilliant sound system, heated seats..etc..etc.. all for £8k Sterling..pay that robbing vrt of €6300. (how do single EU market.)..all for under €20k.. but the best thing is the fuel economy..of 45 miles/gallon upwards..the best i got out of it is 64miles/gallon.. and loads of power..very comfortable car,with great seats and lumber support..way more room than the 3 series/a4/or c class.. very underrated car..pure solid on the road, and distinctive looking..

neacy69

a nice very well loaded 530d
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=669437
miles are a bit high but it has a full FSH. This is defo an import...automatic though.

galwaytt

I'm shopping for a sporty car too............I like that blue RX. Don't want a manual, though.........

No, cured of BeeEmms, btdt.........TT ? A colleague here just brought back a 270bhp one............crumbs and it's only a 1.8, remember......

That 530, btw, out accelerates a Boxster in the 40-70 range iirc.....:D

Cyrus

neacy69 wrote:

a nice very well loaded 530d
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=669437
miles are a bit high but it has a full FSH. This is defo an import...automatic though.

non sport tho and been to the moon and back!

commited

Cyrus wrote:

hate diesels, altho id imagine a 250bhp a4 is a quick machine, is there a high perf clutch with that kit!

I'm not a fan of diesels either, but I was in a golf with this kit and I would have bought it there and then if he was selling.

I dunno if the clutch is changed or not, but the golf had no problems and it had done 20k with this kit (100k total)

Spitfire666

galwaytt wrote:

I'm shopping for a sporty car too............I like that blue RX. Don't want a manual, though.........

No, cured of BeeEmms, btdt.........TT ? A colleague here just brought back a 270bhp one............crumbs and it's only a 1.8, remember......

That 530, btw, out accelerates a Boxster in the 40-70 range iirc.....:D

You might like the 300zx twin turbo auto.
http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.donnlee.com/zx/images/cf_3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.donnlee.com/zx/&h=600&w=800&sz=121&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=doYb2XG1kmqNgM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3D300zx%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den
That one happens to be a manual though.

heres an auto :http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carid=678762

Mc-BigE

Cyrus wrote:

ive sold the 323ci and saved a few quid, instead of borrowing im sticking to a budget of 21k as im buying an apartment and stuff!

anyway, for the money and for my requirements as follows:

bodyshape - dont mind, pref not a 2 seater but not a major issue, not really into verts
doors - dont mind
comfort - important, leather seats, aircon, build quality important
performance - circa 200bhp, engine size not an issue

i cant see past either a 01 3 series of some description or 5 series. i went to see a lovely 530 sport yesterday but they werent budging much on the price, the asking price is within budget but imo wasnt good value ( i will sell whatver i buy within 12-14mths) i may still go for this if they move.

however if they dont im looking for alternatives within the island of ireland, havent really got the time to goto the uk (could go north tho) and i cant think of any car that offers the sport looks, interior quality and power of a decent bmw, am i missing something?

Ok, you don't like diesels, so what about a 4 door saloon 4WD car that's looks
"normal" to the untrained eye, but is as fast as an M3?

have a look at the spec on this, all for under 21K euro incl vrt.

265BHP, 2.7 twin turbo, average of 25MPG, 999euro road tax a year.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/163872.htm

IrishRover

What about this Mitsubishi Galant 2.5 V6 24v located in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire. A lot less than your budget, and maybe a bit of an unusual suggestion. Maybe worth pondering over though, could be food for thought...

122’000 miles
Full Service History
2 Previous Owners
Full Leather Interior
Wood Trim
Digital Climate Control to within 0.5deg
Eco Air Conditioning
Full Electric Seat Adjustment
Heated Front Seats
Electric Front and Rear Windows
Front and Rear Demisters
Cruise Control

MOT Oct 2007 TAX May 2007

Very Comfortable, Very Reliable, Great Engine
Very Well Maintained

2nd Cambelt change at 120k, New brakes all round,
Full Service late 2006, Denso Iridium spark plugs come with the car to be fitted.

Asking price is £2350 ono

Contact Ben on 07792 655682



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Mr Magnolia

I'd be looking at a nice Honda or perhaps a M-tech 5 series as discussed, maybe the 530d.

commited wrote:

Buy a 130bhp TDI A4, I know a chap who sells a kit to bring that to 250bhp for £1800, and you still get 50mpg!

Can you provide details on that Kit? I can't see how you could bring a diesel engine from 130bhp to250bhp. Maybe you meant from 130bhp to 150bhp???

An ecu re-map (the best option as regards diesel power gains) will bring you, at best gains of around 30% in a turbo diesel so where's the extra ~80bhp coming from. Sorry about the off-topic ramble but if the OP is basing his purchase on this info it should be backed up. Thanks.