Upgrade - need forum advice

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Hi All, after following MarkN's thread with a lot of interest, I am getting ichy feet with my current car. Due to changes in my family circumstance I have a few options regarding changing my 335i coupe. I would like a more comfortable, 5 door or estate. Needs to be a fast car with a good engine. I like BMW but am open to ideas. Want some fun so maybe a cheap track day car instead of changing.

1. Change the 335 for a e60 M5.
2. Buy a track day car like a vx220/ speedster or a Elise.
3. Change the wifes car (e90 316) for a 4x4 or estate.
4. Put my name down for the 2011 M5.

My head tells me to stay put with my car and wait till it owes me nothing but I am getting very bored ( or more to the point till I own the banks nothing). I have already hung on to it longer than any other car. Dont get me wrong the 335 is fantastic, but I need to do my bit to stimulate the economy

Borads advice greatly appreciated.

Rowley Birkin QC

Just please tell us that a "D" reg is not a prerequisite!

What's the budget?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

The reg matters not one bit (as long as its not on yellow plates). Budget is my own car + 20K. 2006 minimun year (if selling my own) older if getting a track car. No motor bikes as the missus would lop off my nads.

Biro

My instinct after reading your post there is "Get rid of that 316 off your yard". It doesn't belong anywhere. Then get yourself a VX220 turbo.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

If we get rid of the wifes car, need a 4x4 or estate for the dogs, automatic for her. The track car or m5 would be purely for me. The 316 is underpowered alright (it makes me sick infact) but it served its purpose very well for city traffic and shopping runs and costs sweet FA to run.

Rowley Birkin QC

That's what I was thinking, getting rid of the wifes car means diverting some of the budget away from something like the M5/VX220.

How often do you think you would get use from an exclusively trackday car?

Ferris

Just buy this for the 20k you plan on using to upgrade

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/853785.htm

Or even closer to a bike:

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/893901.htm

Biro

Kai Fresh Swinger wrote: »

If we get rid of the wifes car, need a 4x4 or estate for the dogs, automatic for her. The track car or m5 would be purely for me. The 316 is underpowered alright (it makes me sick infact) but it served its purpose very well for city traffic and shopping runs and costs sweet FA to run.

A 520d auto estate would be a better replacement! Cost less to run, won't be quite as painful to drive and be much more comfortable on long runs.
You could put your name down for a 2011 M5, but by then it'll probably cost you 100,000 to upgrade!
What are you drawn to? Would you take a track car to the track or just for a quick blast the odd weekend?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

2011 M5 would cost a lot, but gives me a lot of time to save up too. Sound very tastey too. The idea of a track car appeals, but would only be for the weekend and for odd track day. The 520d estate does sound good, the missus dislikes the look of estates but from a practical point of view would tick a lot of boxes.

I have nearly walked into a dealers to buy a 2006 M5 and had to stop myself saying that the new model would be out soon and I would kick myself (all the way to and from the petrol station).

The 316 although it has 4 doors has a small boot, no dog space and is soo slow overtaking there is no point, maybe best to change this?

TheBazman

I would get a second hand M5 - relatively speaking there are some good deals out there. The problem with the new F10 M5 is that you will go off your mind waiting - 2011 is a long time to wait. Also I would imagine that by then to buy a decently specced one you will be handing over 130k. If you did set you mind on this tho' maybe get a DMS upgrade on the 335i while you wait - it will break the boredom for a while

Funxy

Kai Fresh Swinger wrote: »

The idea of a track car appeals, but would only be for the weekend and for odd track day.

I would definitly recommend the track car option. If you got an elise/speedster though be prepared to want to drive it everywhere, not just at weekends and track days. They are surprisingly comfortable and utterly addictive. Once you own one you'll never look back

Ferris

if you found a dealer who had a 535d/A6 3ltr tdi avant and an elise/speedster/s2000 for sale you could do the mother of all deals