Trading down BMW E46?

FortyMedals

Hey all, i don't have much car experience, im currently driving a BMW 318i 2001, 1.9 Petrol, but as im only 21 my insurance is 1200 for the year, and as a lot of you know the car is not the best for petrol as it tends to drain a lot :P, also the tax is a killer at 190 every 3 months and like 700 for the year, Im really debating if i should sell it or not, i adore it so much but im able to afford it, just barely, i have looked at other cars and i seem to like the 1.6 Vectras and a few Ford Mondeos around the year 2003, but should i just stick with the car i have now ? lot of people don't really like them but my insurance would drop as well as my tax, any opinions would be greatly appreciated. if i was to sell the bmw and have a few euro to spend i would be looking to buy for around 1600 - 2000.

colm_mcm

Mondeos are 1.8 minimum. Suck it up. Put away €60 every month in a drawer for tax so you're not paying it in one lump every 3 months.

FortyMedals

colm_mcm wrote: »

Mondeos are 1.8 minimum. Suck it up. Put away €60 every month in a drawer for tax so you're not paying it in one lump every 3 months.

Thanks to the mod that created this as a new topic, should have done it myself, i apologise!


I know the car is really worth keeping, its just with petrol and all that its a small bit expensive, Car is also going to lose its value pretty soon due to everyone wanting a smaller engine, deep down i want to keep it though, runs so smooth and its very comfortable, not only that but i just put about 700 euro into it as it was needed so its in top nick and will pass its NCT next Weds, Ill keep it for now anyway and see, as i said i was still debating it

Thanks for the Quick answer anyway! just wanted someone's opinion

Cee-Jay-Cee

Being really honest your car is worth very little, maybe €1500 if your lucky. No one really wants them, they're sore on fuel (as you already know) and they're quite slow. If you really like the car and it's going well then just keep it and get your money's worth out of it. A 1.6 vectra will be near enough as hard on fuel and they're pretty crap car in comparison. Keep your Beemer.

FortyMedals

CJC999 wrote: »

Being really honest your car is worth very little, maybe €1500 if your lucky. No one really wants them, they're sore on fuel (as you already know) and they're quite slow. If you really like the car and it's going well then just keep it and get your money's worth out of it. A 1.6 Vectra will be near enough as hard on fuel and they're pretty crap car in comparison. Keep your Beemer.

Indeed, if i was to sell it i would have been trying to get 1500 exactly
thats a perfect response thanks for that i appreciate it, Due to the Vectra been only a 1.6 and if i was to get one a year or 2 higher i would have a better insurance quote, but i was also just informed that the Vectra i liked was a Sri and it was a 2.0 so that is no longer an option :mad:

MSVforever

how much petrol does your e46 318 use in town? Thinking of trading in my 2001 civic 1.4 as I need something more comfortable for my back.

by the way I wouldnt get a Mondeo if you are worried about fuel, I had a 2.0 engine which averaged around 18-22 mpg in town (Dublin). Great car otherwise,

FortyMedals

MSVforever wrote: »

how much petrol does your e46 318 use in town? Thinking of trading in my 2001 civic 1.4 as I need something more comfortable for my back.

by the way I wouldnt get a Mondeo if you are worried about fuel, I had a 2.0 engine which averaged around 18-22 mpg in town (Dublin). Great car otherwise,

Well the good thing about them is the comfort they give ,MPG in town would be about the same as the Mondeo, I get about 40 - 45 MPG on the Motorways and when in town on a good day if you take your time you could get an average of 20 - 25,i stay away from town when i can though, i got a few things done to my car and the MPG seems to be a lot better, its when your accelerating kills the car, getting to 50kmh would drain a bit of petrol after that it seems fine,
i decided that i will keep it, it is worth it in the end, i spend about 20 - 30 euro a week on petrol which isnt to bad, if you test drive one you will fall in love with it straight away!

Idbatterim

The 1.9's are reliable engines, the 2L from 2002 on, are better on fuel and have an extra 25bhp, they are also a much lighter drive and more pleasant drive...