Something to replace E90 330d

NewApproach

Hi all,

I've a 2006 BMW e90 330d M Sport. I like the power, refinement, looks. But fancy a change and need some suggestions!

Ideally I'd like something with a bit of power, either diesel or petrol as my mileage will be reducing soon due to change of job. Open to consider coupes as well as sport saloons or even hatchbacks. Doesn't need to be anything especially new, I don't mind something older once it is in good condition and has been well maintained.

In terms of budget, I'd be thinking anything up to €10k plus my own car (which I'd expect to be ~€8k).

Also another thing to consider is I'm 25 so it would need to be insurable.

Thanks

166man

Audi RS5/335i.

Left field choice would be something cool like a V8 MGZT....


Little less left field would that 550i for sale from Duffys....

http://www.joeduffy.ie/used-cars/8626/bmw-5-series/

Yeeeeeeeeeessss. 4.8 V8 5 Series. Take that home for €13kish and enjoy your two year warranty...!

NewApproach

166man wrote: »

Audi RS5/335i.

Left field choice would be something cool like a V8 MGZT....


Little less left field would that 550i for sale from Duffys....

http://www.joeduffy.ie/used-cars/8626/bmw-5-series/

Yeeeeeeeeeessss. 4.8 V8 5 Series. Take that home for €13kish and enjoy your two year warranty...!

Not sure RS5 would come within budget.

I had been considering the likes of 630i. Nice motors imo.

Matthewjohn

Porsche?
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/porsche/boxster/used-2006-porsche-boxster-2-7-man-dublin-fpa-146414243466935700

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/porsche/911/used-2000-porsche-911-carrera-4-3-dublin-fpa-713234327587410

NewApproach

Matthewjohn wrote: »

Porsche?
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/porsche/boxster/used-2006-porsche-boxster-2-7-man-dublin-fpa-146414243466935700

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/porsche/911/used-2000-porsche-911-carrera-4-3-dublin-fpa-713234327587410

Wouldn't drive a soft top if I was paid. Would a 911 be suitable as a daily? Interesting suggestion tho

Matthewjohn

Probably not. A more reasonable option?

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/audi/a4/used-2007-audi-a4-3-2-fsi-sport-l-dublin-fpa-157614291922807050

mickdw

NewApproach wrote: »

Hi all,

I've a 2006 BMW e90 330d M Sport. I like the power, refinement, looks. But fancy a change and need some suggestions!

Ideally I'd like something with a bit of power, either diesel or petrol as my mileage will be reducing soon due to change of job. Open to consider coupes as well as sport saloons or even hatchbacks. Doesn't need to be anything especially new, I don't mind something older once it is in good condition and has been well maintained.

In terms of budget, I'd be thinking anything up to €10k plus my own car (which I'd expect to be ~€8k).

Also another thing to consider is I'm 25 so it would need to be insurable.

Thanks

2008 lexus gs450h
power .... lots
Refinement.... lots
Looks .... reasonable but alittle old man style for 25 yo.
budget .... yes

Great mpg for the power it has. 5.5s to 100 kmh
and keeps going.

NewApproach

mickdw wrote: »

2008 lexus gs450h
power .... lots
Refinement.... lots
Looks .... reasonable but alittle old man style for 25 yo.
budget .... yes

Great mpg for the power it has. 5.5s to 100 kmh
and keeps going.

Hmmmm.... i was thinking I'd like my next car to be no bigger than my current one. But maybe black interior and exterior, together with dechrome the exterior and you could be onto something!

td2008

This for me , no question

http://www.bmwhaus.ie/forum/showthread.php?tid=5868

SpannerMonkey

+1 for lexus gs450h

340bhp 0-60 in 5.9 secs and only 750 to tax for the year

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs-450h-sport-hybrid/9353373?offset=1

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs-hybrid-450h-executive-m-c/9299332?offset=4

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/lexus/gs450h/used-2008-lexus-gs450h-hybrid-70-dublin-fpa-153514284087903200

mickdw

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

+1 for lexus gs450h

340bhp 0-60 in 5.9 secs and only 750 to tax for the year

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs-450h-sport-hybrid/9353373?offset=1

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/lexus-gs-hybrid-450h-executive-m-c/9299332?offset=4

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/lexus/gs450h/used-2008-lexus-gs450h-hybrid-70-dublin-fpa-153514284087903200

The only thing I'd say is that I was disappointed after trying one for a weekend.
The Manual mode is a joke so forget about ever using that which is fair enough given that the cvt does a fanatic job. Plus I found very little feel from the back end while steering was quite good. Not a car for going sideways.

NewApproach

What's the CVT like in practice? No gearbox would be strange, for all that the 330d I have is an auto I still love hearing the engine when accelerating etc.

mickdw

NewApproach wrote: »

What's the CVT like in practice? No gearbox would be strange, for all that the 330d I have is an auto I still love hearing the engine when accelerating etc.

Its pretty slick tbh. If you call for max acceleration, the revs are held at dedicated point and the speed just increases. Its quite strange but in this car, the ability to gain speed is stunning. In a straight line, you would probably beat everything up to an m5. The torque from standstill due to electric power is amazing too.
Very underrated car really.

People fitting stop start to noisy diesels should take one of these for a spin first then scrap the idea of putting stop start in a rough diesel.
This thing cuts in and out without being noticeable. Its whisper quite really. Around town it will drive along silently on electric power, go abit faster, and engine backs it up but you wouldn't hear it really.

NewApproach

Thanks Mick. I presume the battery would have a finite life though and be costly to replace? I'm seriously considering one they seem one slick package tbh. Obv would need to be test drove to see how I find the CVT etc

B00056718

NewApproach wrote: »

Thanks Mick. I presume the battery would have a finite life though and be costly to replace? I'm seriously considering one they seem one slick package tbh. Obv would need to be test drove to see how I find the CVT etc

This was my concern, so went for GS300 sport.

Kind of regret not going for GS450h though. You know. If you cheat your missus, do it with a devil.

Might try and upgrade at some stage.

mickdw

I think the hybrid bits have an 8 year warranty.
In general they are bullet proof and I wouldn't have any issue buying one privately without warranty tbh.
I feel after you drive the lexus, you might not be satisfied with it as Is not so much a drivers car.
that's why I didn't go with it but I still look at them given the value that's available now.

NewApproach

Yeah I'm going to drive one and reserve judgement until then. For all that I'm young and drive a fast sports saloon at the minute, I'm not necessarily after a pure 'drivers' car per se. For example I love wafting around in dad's Range Rover Vogue and that's far from a driver's car so hopefully I'll like it. I've one lined up to test drive on Monday but has 160k miles +

mickdw

NewApproach wrote: »

Yeah I'm going to drive one and reserve judgement until then. For all that I'm young and drive a fast sports saloon at the minute, I'm not necessarily after a pure 'drivers' car per se. For example I love wafting around in dad's Range Rover Vogue and that's far from a driver's car so hopefully I'll like it. I've one lined up to test drive on Monday but has 160k miles +

I'd spend a small bit more on a low mile one.

B00056718

mickdw wrote: »

I'd spend a small bit more on a low mile one.

My one has 192000 kilometers on the clock right now and besides sticky rear calipers there's nothing been wrong with it. Just passed its NCT.

I was very particular about the equipment, which limited my choice with the budget I had.

Mark Levinson sound is quite impressive. I was waiting for my wife one day so put on a movie. Picture is poor but the sound compensates for it.

Satnav is the least user friendly I have seen so far though.
Servicing it is much easier than a Fiat Punto. Everything is kept lean and simple. Including the software bit.

mickdw

It will be interesting to hear your opinion on interior as well. Alittle but too much toyota for me.
Stuff like the drivers seat only going so low and a bit dated in general.
Radar cruise is quite cool too. It was fitted to the one I tried and I believe is on most of them. Worked very well on motorway.

There was a facelift in 08 too. Very slight but worth looking out for. The most obvious change is around the 2 front lights lights beside the grill. New one has those lights hit against the grill while the old one has painted bumper all around those lights. Very small changes to bumpers and mirrors too.

B00056718

mickdw wrote: »

It will be interesting to hear your opinion on interior as well. Alittle but too much toyota for me.
Stuff like the drivers seat only going so low and a bit dated in general.
Radar cruise is quite cool too. It was fitted to the one I tried and I believe is on most of them. Worked very well on motorway.

There was a facelift in 08 too. Very slight but worth looking out for. The most obvious change is around the 2 front lights lights beside the grill. New one has those lights hit against the grill while the old one has painted bumper all around those lights. Very small changes to bumpers and mirrors too.

Agreed on the interior. It does remind of a Toyota. Japanese understanding about luxury is slightly different of Germans.
Still it is not a bad place to be after a hard day at work. Ergonomics are still quite good. Memory steering wheel gets in place much quicker than that of 7 series. Parking it is incredibly easy with both side mirrors tilting down in reverse, combined with front and rear sensors and the camera.
All three mirrors are anti dazzling + you can raise the blind. Seats are heated and ventilated etc.
Still. I used to be washing and waxing my Saab or E39 every weekend. For some reason, the Lexus is seen as just a brilliant work horse for me and gets a brush wash on a good day.
The gearbox is set that the engine stays under 2k revs in most driving conditions, so if you want any decent response, you need to floor it, or flick in to sport, when it becomes slight jerky.
I got in to it after 2.0 Alfa and was disappointed with the response.
Having said that in general, it's much easier on fuel than the Alfa was on the motorway, and when pushed gives decent pull. Also, I'm often asked if its a hybrid, as there are no signs of the engine working at the traffic lights. It's dead quiet inside and no vibrations whatsoever.

NewApproach

So I test drove the 450h...

First impressions were it was a very nice car. The seat was perfect, not too high and very comfortable. The dash was awfully plasticky and put me off a bit.

Then I drove it. It felt very detached. Feedback through the steering wheel felt non existent. It was clearly fast but you had to look at the dash to notice really, there was no sense of excitement at all. Nice car but not really for me.

I'm now considering increasing my budget and am looking at maybe ~2010 A5s, TTs etc.

I'm also starting to think that toys (leather, nav, phone, etc) and a refined, comfy drive are nearly more important to me than power... :eek:

(Clearly becoming an aul lad quickly!)

mickdw

NewApproach wrote: »

So I test drove the 450h...

First impressions were it was a very nice car. The seat was perfect, not too high and very comfortable. The dash was awfully plasticky and put me off a bit.

Then I drove it. It felt very detached. Feedback through the steering wheel felt non existent. It was clearly fast but you had to look at the dash to notice really, there was no sense of excitement at all. Nice car but not really for me.

I'm now considering increasing my budget and am looking at maybe ~2010 A5s, TTs etc.

I'm also starting to think that toys (leather, nav, phone, etc) and a refined, comfy drive are nearly more important to me than power... :eek:

(Clearly becoming an aul lad quickly!)

Thats a reasonable assessment of it tbh.
As I said previously, it would be lacking feel at the rear I felt that to consider going sideways for example would be near an impossibility.
I thought the steering was quite good tbh.
My current car is an A5. You might not like the steering there either!

NewApproach

mickdw wrote: »

Thats a reasonable assessment of it tbh.
As I said previously, it would be lacking feel at the rear I felt that to consider going sideways for example would be near an impossibility.
I thought the steering was quite good tbh.
My current car is an A5. You might not like the steering there either!

Tbh the more I think about it - if I were driving anything else at the minute I'd look at the type of car I currently have and think 'ah, perfect'!