05 peugeot 407 or 01 3 series BMW?

sandt

Hi,

Basically i have a pretty small budget of around €3500 and have these 2 cars in mind, i can get a 2005 peugeot 407 1.8l petrol, 88000kms with 2 years NCT off a mate for this kind of money.
Like this: http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2029673


but i prefer the look of the bmw, either 320d or a 318 coupe if i can get one.
Like this: http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2045600

i wont be doing big milage (under 15k a year) but i need a reliable car and something with pretty good fuel economy. i know the peugeot will go down a lot in value, but as i intend on keeping it for a few years i dont mind too much. the peugeot i looked at has all the toys - sensor lights/wipers, dual climate dontrol, ew em etc but i know most bmws around that age are pretty well spec'd too. although if i do go for car around that age (01 / 02) it will have to be tested every year whereas id have a few years with the peugeot.

any ideas / suggestions on these two?


thanks to any replies.

dharn

that bmw is way overpriced

Row

dharn wrote: »

that bmw is way overpriced

So is the 407 the fact its a petrol and its the very basic model 407.
Something like this is pretty good value and its got a higher spec...:)
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2141246

sandt

dharn wrote: »

that bmw is way overpriced

im not saying THAT exact bmw just something like it but closer to the 3000 / 3500 mark.

Row wrote: »

So is the 407 the fact its a petrol and its the very basic model 407.
Something like this is pretty good value and its got a higher spec...:)
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2141246

Is that your own car??

basically i just want to find out what people think, would i be better off going for a newer 'poorer' car or an older 'better' make of car.

thanks

Anan1

Both of those cars look rough enough to me. I'd sooner a 407 to an E46 myself, though others may think differently.

Daegerty

I wouldn't be so keen on buying a 407 meself, because I know someone who got one... 25,000 miles and it's given a fair bit of trouble

colm_mcm

Mods feel free to delete if appropriate, but a friend is getting a jeep and selling on his 04 Avensis 1.8 Luna saloon. 82k miles, he'll take around 3k for it. New tyres etc, not burning oil.
Personally I think it would be a better option than the other 2 given that if the OPs budget is relatively small then the maintainance on suspension etc on an E46 may be a shock.
The only way I'd get a 407 is if it was overloaded with kit, and at that it'd be a push as I've never found them that nice to drive.
Avensis is "boring" fair enough, but the "excitement" a 407 or E46 are likely to offer, I could live without.

Row

sandt wrote: »

Is that your own car??

No....:)...I have a 1.6hdi....tbh i have'nt a clue who owns it but it seems good value..;)

cadaliac

colm_mcm wrote: »

Mods feel free to delete if appropriate, but a friend is getting a jeep and selling on his 04 Avensis 1.8 Luna saloon. 82k miles, he'll take around 3k for it. New tyres etc, not burning oil.
Personally I think it would be a better option than the other 2 given that if the OPs budget is relatively small then the maintainance on suspension etc on an E46 may be a shock.
The only way I'd get a 407 is if it was overloaded with kit, and at that it'd be a push as I've never found them that nice to drive.
Avensis is "boring" fair enough, but the "excitement" a 407 or E46 are likely to offer, I could live without.

To be fair, an Avensis is pretty much bullet proof as regards reliability but the 407 isn't a bad car to drive. OK, its not the class leader it's predecessor the 406 was but it's better than an Avensis.
The BMW is good but quite a bit smaller than a 407. Personally I am not a fan of the BMW E46 (or older).

sandt

colm_mcm wrote: »

Mods feel free to delete if appropriate, but a friend is getting a jeep and selling on his 04 Avensis 1.8 Luna saloon. 82k miles, he'll take around 3k for it. New tyres etc, not burning oil.
Personally I think it would be a better option than the other 2 given that if the OPs budget is relatively small then the maintainance on suspension etc on an E46 may be a shock.
The only way I'd get a 407 is if it was overloaded with kit, and at that it'd be a push as I've never found them that nice to drive.
Avensis is "boring" fair enough, but the "excitement" a 407 or E46 are likely to offer, I could live without.

thanks for the offer but i dont really like the look of the avensis (either the older model or newer one)

im not a huge fan of peugeots although i did have a 307 1.9 diesel for a couple of years and had no problems with it at all and it was very economical (700miles / tank) i would worry about the build quality and that a 1.8 petrol wouldnt be anywhere near as economical.

i really like the look of the e46 (even though 'there everywhere') but it seems any type of repair work is gonna cost alot of money!