Is now a bad time..

Slattsy

To buy a car?

Will the value drop much come the new year?

ShadowHearth

OP, buying has no bad time, it is always bad time. It's not an investment, it's an luxury item ( in Ireland it can be an important luxury item die to **** public transport ).
If you can afford to buy it now, go for it, if you can't, then save up money.

The only thing that might have good/bad time of buying are convertibles. They are cheaper on winter/autumn seasons, but even them it's not that noticeable and you will still pay big price for a decent car no matter season.

Slattsy

Thanks.

Say a 2008 BMW 320 coupe value 18k ish as we speak.

If I waited till January is there savings to be had.

antodeco

Slattsy wrote: »

Thanks.

Say a 2008 BMW 320 coupe value 18k ish as we speak.

If I waited till January is there savings to be had.

In the wonderful world of reg snobbery, you are going from a 4 year car to a 5 year, so the price should reflect that of a 5 year car! If you can hold off, then you should!

Slattsy

antodeco wrote: »

In the wonderful world of reg snobbery, you are going from a 4 year car to a 5 year, so the price should reflect that of a 5 year car! If you can hold off, then you should!

I was thinking that.
Will dealers be a bit more flexible with the price with this in mind though, as they will clearly realise that with the turn of the year if the car is not sold they will need to reduce the asking price anyway...

MuppetCheck

This time of the year prices are usually being adjusted downwards in preparation for the new year. The price won't automatically drop come 1st Jan. There should be scope to bargain something off, especially if it is a petrol.

Slattsy

It's a petrol alright.

How much should I push for on a price drop?

MuppetCheck

Slattsy wrote: »

It's a petrol alright.

How much should I push for on a price drop?

Depends entirely on the car.

Is it in stock a long time?
Has it been already reduced?
Is the price comparable to other similar models?
Does the car have a desirable spec compared to others?
Is the mileage extremely low or high?

Bearcat

Historically I have pounced on cash deals closer to Xmas. You'd be surprised what people will take as Xmas approaches to shift stuff. Yes cold and clinical but that's business and works both ways.

MidlandsM

ShadowHearth wrote: »

OP, buying has no bad time, it is always bad time. It's not an investment, it's an luxury item ( in Ireland it can be an important luxury item die to **** public transport ).

is the public transport better in your country? Why is ours sh!t?

Slattsy

Bearcat wrote: »

Historically I have pounced on cash deals closer to Xmas. You'd be surprised what people will take as Xmas approaches to shift stuff. Yes cold and clinical but that's business and works both ways.

I like cold and clinical.
It makes sense though. Lads looking for their Christmas bonus.

Wexfordian

MidlandsM wrote: »

is the public transport better in your country? Why is ours sh!t?

Because we are an extremely rural country with a very low population. But people still expect that we can sustain the same infrastructure with circa 50 people per KM as the likes of the UK with 250 without raising taxes. Dublins public transport is pretty reasonable on the other hand, except perhaps for a decent airport link.

Slattsy

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Depends entirely on the car.

Is it in stock a long time?
Has it been already reduced?
Is the price comparable to other similar models?
Does the car have a desirable spec compared to others?
Is the mileage extremely low or high?

I'll do a bit of a thorough researching as there is one or 2 cars I particularly like.

CJhaughey

MidlandsM wrote: »

is the public transport better in your country? Why is ours sh!t?

Ours is shíte, you can't say otherwise.
Try getting a bus from a main city to a country location.
I did once and it took me the best part of a day to get to my destination by bus.
The same journey takes 1hr40 mins by car.
There is very little investment in public transport here and the PTB want it to run at a profit which further disincentivises use.
Anyway this should be in Infrastructure not here.

ShadowHearth

MidlandsM wrote: »

is the public transport better in your country? Why is ours sh!t?

Ireland is my home now as much as yours. If you are offended by that, then tough ****, go read a book or something.
I never had a habit of " oh in my country things are a lot better then here", people who know me here can confirm that. They will even confirm my words on the country I came from " it's a shiet hole, and even of it will burn to the ground I won't give a flying feck about it".

So back on my statement: " public transport is shiet in here". The only place it is decent - Dublin. The rest of the country - shiet, with shiet souce on a side. Even trains here are madness. I was quoted 170eu for ticket from cork to Belfast and back!!! It costed me half that in my thirsty 400hp gasguzzler.

R.O.R

Don't buy a 2008 320i, please. It will break your heart.

Every single petrol BMW we had on fleet with the effecient dynamics start/stop stuff has given us terrible trouble. The coils will go and there is no permanent fix. Even though we know what's wrong with them it's still €150 for BMW to diagnose. They'll replace 1 or multiple coils or injectors but the problem still keeps coming back.

This is not based on 1 or 2 cars, this is from a fairly large sample group and it's happened to ALL of them.

Slattsy

R.O.R wrote: »

Don't buy a 2008 320i, please. It will break your heart.

Every single petrol BMW we had on fleet with the effecient dynamics start/stop stuff has given us terrible trouble. The coils will go and there is no permanent fix. Even though we know what's wrong with them it's still €150 for BMW to diagnose. They'll replace 1 or multiple coils or injectors but the problem still keeps coming back.

This is not based on 1 or 2 cars, this is from a fairly large sample group and it's happened to ALL of them.

Just that year and model?

R.O.R

Slattsy wrote: »

Just that year and model?

Anything from around September 2007 onwards has the ED stuff (Start/Stop is the easiest way to spot this)

Vehicles affected that we've has issues with are:
316i
318i
320i
523i

I believe it effects everything up to and including the 335i / 530i, but we haven't had any of those on fleet to confirm.

Stopped ordering BMW petrols after July 08 so no idea whether after that is an issue, but I suspect it is.

Slattsy

R.O.R wrote: »

Anything from around September 2007 onwards has the ED stuff (Start/Stop is the easiest way to spot this)

Vehicles affected that we've has issues with are:
316i
318i
320i
523i

I believe it effects everything up to and including the 335i / 530i, but we haven't had any of those on fleet to confirm.

Stopped ordering BMW petrols after July 08 so no idea whether after that is an issue, but I suspect it is.

Hmmmm.
So basically stay away from petrol bmws?

Yakuza

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I was quoted 170eu for ticket from cork to Belfast and back!!! It costed me half that in my thirsty 400hp gasguzzler.

Is that even possible without going through Dublin (i.e. 4 trains there and back with a change of *station*, not just platform)? I'm genuinely curious!!

To answer the OP, I'd say that come the end of November, any dealer not factoring in something based on the fact the year is almost up into the price is going to have that car in stock until next year at least (unless the car is a minter or rare and desirable!)

rocky

Slattsy wrote: »

Hmmmm.
So basically stay away from petrol bmws?

For 08+, yes.

And diesels too if you believe in the timing chain issue...

ShadowHearth

Yakuza wrote: »

Is that even possible without going through Dublin (i.e. 4 trains there and back with a change of *station*, not just platform)? I'm genuinely curious!!

To answer the OP, I'd say that come the end of November, any dealer not factoring in something based on the fact the year is almost up into the price is going to have that car in stock until next year at least (unless the car is a minter or rare and desirable!)

That was the only option. I needed to switch trains twice I think and it did had to go through Dublin. I am prety sure flight from cork to Belfast would have been Easyer, quicker and cheaper.

bazz26

OP, if looking for an E92 320i take what R.O.R has said into account but also consider this. Pre 2008 cars cost €660 to tax at present but the car can be bought for a fraction of what a lower tax 2008 model costs to buy. The savings on the purchase price would normally buy you alot of tax.

But this year it is going to be difficult to gage what will happen as the Government decide to play around with the motor tax and VRT rates which will have a knock on effect on new and used car prices after December's budget. Motor tax is going up on post 2007 cars so a car like a 2008 320i could fall in value further after the budget.

Slattsy

The tax issue isn't such a big deal to me.

The big issue is that it seems the 320 coupe simply isn't worth getting due to a common vault that seems inevitable to happen at some point, maybe even more than once.
Is this really true? For such a big manufacturer it seems almost disgraceful.

Idbatterim

op link to the car, I assume you are looking at 08 due to the tax?

pred racer

R.O.R wrote: »

Don't buy a 2008 320i, please. It will break your heart.

Every single petrol BMW we had on fleet with the effecient dynamics start/stop stuff has given us terrible trouble. The coils will go and there is no permanent fix. Even though we know what's wrong with them it's still €150 for BMW to diagnose. They'll replace 1 or multiple coils or injectors but the problem still keeps coming back.

This is not based on 1 or 2 cars, this is from a fairly large sample group and it's happened to ALL of them.

Can you turn off the effecient dynamics? And does it make any difference, just curious?

Slattsy

Idbatterim wrote: »

op link to the car, I assume you are looking at 08 due to the tax?

link to what car?

Well originally hoping to get a 2009 but may not have the budget for it.
The plan is to have the car for about 4 or 5 years so i wanted to get a new a model as possible.

bazz26

pred racer wrote: »

Can you turn off the effecient dynamics? And does it make any difference, just curious?

You can switch off the start/stop system which is part of ED but other features of the system are incorporated into the running of the engine, etc. It is mainly the fuel injectors that give problems.

Slattsy

I read online that BMW issued new coils as part of some enhancement package this year.

Is this true?

And if so....

And has it solved the problem?

bazz26

Check with R.O.R as I think some of his cars have gone through numerous sets of coils which hasn't resolved the issue.

Slattsy

Im clutching at straws here Bazz, had my heart set on this car for a few months now

And i dont do the miles to warrant a diesel.

bazz26

Slattsy wrote: »

Im clutching at straws here Bazz, had my heart set on this car for a few months now

And i dont do the miles to warrant a diesel.

My not just drop back a year and get one of the non ED models?

Slattsy

Could be too old....
Are all the 2007 range non ED ? Or just some ?

bazz26

Slattsy wrote: »

Could be too old....
Are all the 2007 range non ED ? Or just some ?

Early models, the switch over happened around September 2007 on the E92.

Slattsy

bazz26 wrote: »

Early models, the switch over happened around September 2007 on the E92.

I will have a look, certainly.
Thanks for taking taking the time to respond, I appreciate it.

I only do about 12k a year roughly so i cant get a diesel.

Can i ask :
I see a few Audi Audi A4 petrol's online, well priced too. Any thoughts on these ?

bazz26

This 2008 looks like a pre ED model as it doesn't have the start/stop disable button below the stereo. Nice colour but asking price is high:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/BMW/3-Series/320i-M/30913492550765880/

Or a 2007:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/BMW/3-Series/320-I/30913497091829010/

Well unless it is the 4wd Quottro version then you would be disappointed with the way the A4 drives and handles compared to the BMW. Also most of the newer shape A4 petrols available are the lower powered 1.8 litre models.

How about a petrol new shape Honda Accord?


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Honda/Accord/2.0-I/201234209706184/

Slattsy

I just realised that they are only a 1.8 after i posted, jeez thats disappointing.
I drove the diesel once or twice and found it lovely. Pity.
Do not like the Honda. Im ridiculously fussy

I've looked at a few 2007 320 coupe's and some nice one's out there, and reasonably priced too.
This one i like :
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/3-Series/320-I-E9/201226208824165/advert?channel=CARS

What the best way of knowing if a model is pre- ED ??

bazz26

318i and 320i are both 2.0 litre, the 320i is just a bit more powerful than the 318i.

Slattsy

Cheers, you're a good man.

CiniO

antodeco wrote: »

In the wonderful world of reg snobbery, you are going from a 4 year car to a 5 year, so the price should reflect that of a 5 year car! If you can hold off, then you should!

But wonderful world of reg snobbery exists only Ireland and UK.
While in other places, where reg number doesn't show vehicles age, car will go from 4 years old to 5 years old in 1st January anyway, and this affects price the same as here or even more.

Do you think, that in countries where year is not displayed on reg no, people don't care about car age when buying, just because their neighbour won't be able to see if it's 01 mondeo or 07 mondeo as they look the same??? No - it doesn't work like that. It works the way, that your neighbour comes next day after you buy a car, and discretly between chat-chat he will ask pointing at car what year is it. Then other neighbours will know few hours later



PS - I know mondeo 01 and 07 don't look exactly the same, but surely some people wouldn't notice the difference:D

Fizman

In regards the A4, would you consider importing a '08 2.0 TFSi from the UK? There are some beauties on Autotrader.

You'd get one in for 17-18k I reckon. That engine is actually remarkably efficient for what it gives you. 211hp and combined cycle of 42 mpg. Granted you'd actually get in the high 30's, but still!

R.O.R

Slattsy wrote: »

I read online that BMW issued new coils as part of some enhancement package this year.

Is this true?

And if so....

And has it solved the problem?

I think we just sold the last 2 Petrol BMW's on the fleet, but I know one of the guys in service was having fierce arguments earlier in the year with BMW about the coils - again.

Don't think it's been solved, but I wouldn't be 100% on that.

My Father in Law (08 320i) has the Start/Stop turned off but his is still chugging a bit and the EML light is on. Effects performance a little, but he's only doing about 3k a year now so is driving around the problem.

Easiest way to tell the ED models is the start/stop disable button, but they also have Silver Tail pipes whereas the non ED models have black tail pipes (I think).

Slattsy

Fizman wrote: »

In regards the A4, would you consider importing a '08 2.0 TFSi from the UK? There are some beauties on Autotrader.

You'd get one in for 17-18k I reckon. That engine is actually remarkably efficient for what it gives you. 211hp and combined cycle of 42 mpg. Granted you'd actually get in the high 30's, but still!

Including vrt?
Seriously interested alright. Will have a wee look around. And try find someone reputable to source it, that's the tricky part.

Slattsy

R.O.R wrote: »

I think we just sold the last 2 Petrol BMW's on the fleet, but I know one of the guys in service was having fierce arguments earlier in the year with BMW about the coils - again.

Don't think it's been solved, but I wouldn't be 100% on that.

My Father in Law (08 320i) has the Start/Stop turned off but his is still chugging a bit and the EML light is on. Effects performance a little, but he's only doing about 3k a year now so is driving around the problem.

Easiest way to tell the ED models is the start/stop disable button, but they also have Silver Tail pipes whereas the non ED models have black tail pipes (I think).

So it's basically just a shocking engine bmw have put into their cars. Why hasn't there been coverage of this on a larger scale if the problem is affecting every car, that's what I don't understand.

If I do end up going the bmw route might have to go 2007 non ed.

Thanks.