Where would you go next...

Sexual Chocolate

Isn't this belong to someone on here ?

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/26137432

carsfan2

Sexual Chocolate wrote: »

Isn't this belong to someone on here ?

https://www.donedeal.ie/view/26137432

Think so. Metzgermeister?

bazz26

I went from a 530d to a 430d recently.

My experience so far. The 530d was definitely more refined and comfortable, from inside you only heard a low hum from the engine and very little road or tyre noise at all. It is just built for laps of the autobahns and you really didn't realize you were travelling well above the speed limit until you actually looked at the speedometer. However it is a barge on the narrow or twisty roads and felt it was out of place there. The 5 Series really feels more like a smaller 7 Series than a bigger 3 Series. The 430d cabin is less refined (the frameless doors don't help) with less insulation and a good bit more road/tyre noise than I was previously used to. The engine sounds more diesel from inside than it did in the 5 and you are more aware of what speed you are doing than in the 5. On the plus side, compared to the 5 it has a much sharper drive, it's quicker due to having less weight, the steering is much more responsive and it entices you to push it further in and out of corners. The 4 suspension is definitely stiffer too but not unbearable on bad roads, the adaptive dampers really help.

Heres Johnny

This thread tends to be the latest and greatest but it did start with a bmw e46. All the recent talk about the newer cars being a bit dull and the awful depreciation got me thinking again about spending my money on a weekend car instead of upgrading my 14 A6 to a newer 5 series or newer A6 paying about 15 to 20k to do so. I think I will always have a car in this class as I really think you can't beat them for style comfort and all round ability. But apart from fancy electronics in the cabin and underneath the skin are they really getting any better?

Got me thinking about a cheap and cheerful e46 cabriolet, such as the one linked below. How strict are insurance companies on the age for classic insurance? I have the contacts through work to get a quote and I'll follow up Monday. I can handle the 1000 tax. It would probably be 6 months tax really so not prohibitive.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-325i-m-sport-convertible/24639279

Then a bit of browsing led me to something a bit more special. Merc SL. Good bit dearer in every aspect, tax included but again if its a 6 month thing probably not end of the world. Think it's an absolute beauty. At 9 grand and if kept in good nick unlikely to drop much below that, again coming in at less than a couple of years depreciation on a newer big saloon.

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-sl350/25533421?campaign=3

My A6 has only 55k miles on it and fiance has a golf so we are sorted for every day cars. My mileage is small enough, both cars are fully paid for and I have no fuel costs as I have a diesel card in work.

There's plenty of guys in this thread into same cars as I am and would like some feedback whether I'm mad, a bit odd or whether it's something they'd consider themselves. I have secure storage for a second car out of the elements. This isn't a notion I have just come up with, I'd say its a recurring idea over last 7 or 8 years. No interest in the likes of an mx5 while I agree they would be great fun I like the bigger cars.

BMW more practical, cheaper and I do like them, I would get a 325i rather than a 318i or a 320i.

Merc SL , know nothing about them but always liked them (who wouldn't?)

Last pertinent point is that I have a cousin who owns an independent BMW garage and he does all my work for me, I do some accounting work for him and financial advice so my servicing is covered really just pay for parts so no real worries about maintenance.

vintagevrs

Yep, I agree with you.

Put money into something you'll enjoy....or you can change and swap about. You could buy a weekend car that disappointed you or gives bother, sell it. It'll cost very little in comparison.

The new stuff doesn't interest me anymore. I have a 141 3 series and have zero interest at the minute in moving in the g series as I don't think it does anything better. The extra tech to me is unnecessary.

The E46 ages well as it's the last gen before idrive. An e92 without idrive is a good example too, but as soon as stuff gets a screen it out dates very quickly.

If I was you I wouldn't buy an auto E46. Try an mx5 or go for an early 90s or 80s BMW.

If I was fortunate enough to be able to justify a 2nd car a 318is E30 would be it.

Heres Johnny

vintagevrs wrote: »

Yep, I agree with you.

Put money into something you'll enjoy....or you can change and swap about. You could buy a weekend car that disappointed you or gives bother, sell it. It'll cost very little in comparison.

The new stuff doesn't interest me anymore. I have a 141 3 series and have zero interest at the minute in moving in the g series as I don't think it does anything better. The extra tech to me is unnecessary.

The E46 ages well as it's the last gen before idrive. An e92 without idrive is a good example too, but as soon as stuff gets a screen it out dates very quickly.

If I was you I wouldn't buy an auto E46. Try an mx5 or go for an early 90s or 80s BMW.

If I was fortunate enough to be able to justify a 2nd car a 318is E30 would be it.

I'll compromise with you... Manual e46 or e36. Probably e46.
The one I linked was just an example. Don't think I'd pay have to pay that much for a decent one either.
Current car is an auto so happy to have a manual.I had both actually in my 20s. I'm 38 now, might be an early mid life crisis. But its been an idea for best part of my 30s to have a 2nd car.
Wouldn't go back as far as bmw e30 myself but I get where you're coming from.
The Merc SL might be a stretch and a risk to be honest and might get expensive. But it would be special.

James Bond Junior

Heres Johnny wrote: »

I'll compromise with you... Manual e46 or e36. Probably e46.
The one I linked was just an example. Don't think I'd pay have to pay that much for a decent one either.
Current car is an auto so happy to have a manual.I had both actually in my 20s. I'm 38 now, might be an early mid life crisis. But its been an idea for best part of my 30s to have a 2nd car.
Wouldn't go back as far as bmw e30 myself but I get where you're coming from.
The Merc SL might be a stretch and a risk to be honest and might get expensive. But it would be special.

I've a manual E36. I enjoy it but be prepared for constant and unending money being spent. There's always something needing doing. If you have storage and space to work on it then it's a great hobby. Mine is in storage as I'm out of Ireland but I plan on throwing a load of money at it to totally upgrade the suspension in the next year or so.

vintagevrs

I'm aware everyone projects there own experiences, which is what I'm about to do. But I'd question you on why not an E30.

If it's a weekend car it's more special (imo) and doesn't need to be as comfortable or as reliable. In my experience the E30 was far far more reliable than the E46 I had, both 6 cylinder petrols. I learnt a lot owning the E30, from adjusting valves, full servicing, fuel pumps, diffs, suspension etc. Maybe I was unlucky with the 46.

Or buy an mx5, but I have zero experience of those.

James Bond Junior

vintagevrs wrote: »

I'm aware everyone projects there own experiences, which is what I'm about to do. But I'd question you on why not an E30.

If it's a weekend car it's more special (imo) and doesn't need to be as comfortable or as reliable. In my experience the E30 was far far more reliable than the E46 I had, both 6 cylinder petrols. I learnt a lot owning the E30, from adjusting valves, full servicing, fuel pumps, diffs, suspension etc. Maybe I was unlucky with the 46.

Or buy an mx5, but I have zero experience of those.

I think the difference between your experience and mine is you have a very nice garage to work in, with space and a large driveway. Mine is perfectly sized to store the car but has zero workspace and our house is a 3 bed in a city so I've not much space to even work on the drive.

I bought it in 2017 and spent 2018 and 2019 saving up for engagement/wedding as well having bought/renovated a house so the car fund was shoestring like. If you can afford to throw hundreds here and there at a project car without worrying about it then go for it. I spent winter when it was off the road buying bits and bobs and have a load of spare and new parts in boxes ready for fitting.

Heres Johnny

vintagevrs wrote: »

I'm aware everyone projects there own experiences, which is what I'm about to do. But I'd question you on why not an E30.

If it's a weekend car it's more special (imo) and doesn't need to be as comfortable or as reliable. In my experience the E30 was far far more reliable than the E46 I had, both 6 cylinder petrols. I learnt a lot owning the E30, from adjusting valves, full servicing, fuel pumps, diffs, suspension etc. Maybe I was unlucky with the 46.

Or buy an mx5, but I have zero experience of those.

To be honest it's probably 2 things... Going back to where my motoring started with e36/46 (after the obligatory driving of small 1 litre cars to get started I bought a 318is e36 at aged 22) and looks... Subjective but I prefer the e36 to the e30 and also prefer the e46 to the e36. Note its convertibles I'm looking for and the experience they bring rather than outright fun and handling that I'm sure an e30 brings. Also e30 were out in the 80s up to 1990 as far as I remember, a rare sight in my youth and I was 8 when they finished so was just never a car I remember or aspired to own. Only car I remember drooling over back then was an Audi quattro.

vintagevrs

All makes sense, hence me saying everyone projects their own experiences, which I'm guilty of doing.

If it's open top motoring, the e46 makes much more sense. You prob get quite a lot of car for the money in the E46 cab compared with an mx5 as mx5 prices can be strong for what they are.


JbJ. Yeah ideally a place to do bits and pieces is needed, esp with weather here. I'd love a lift that could keep the car up out of the road in storage as well as obviously make maintenance easier. Garage is now full of plastic tractors and the like, not much room for anything interesting at the minute!

James Bond Junior

vintagevrs wrote: »

All makes sense, hence me saying everyone projects their own experiences, which I'm guilty of doing.

If it's open top motoring, the e46 makes much more sense. You prob get quite a lot of car for the money in the E46 cab compared with an mx5 as mx5 prices can be strong for what they are.


JbJ. Yeah ideally a place to do bits and pieces is needed, esp with weather here. I'd love a lift that could keep the car up out of the road in storage as well as obviously make maintenance easier. Garage is now full of plastic tractors and the like, not much room for anything interesting at the minute!

We are in the Middle East saving for the house with a garage and space. Family business supply lifts so hopefully I'll be able to get one installed, a scissor lift would be ideal.

mickdw

The SL mercedes is a funny one. They are all in the max tax bracket so my thinking is anything less than a 500 is pointless.
Lovely cars though in right colour. R129 SL stunning too in right spec and condition.

Heres Johnny

Heres Johnny wrote: »

......
My A6 has only 55k miles on it and fiance has a golf so we are sorted for every day cars. My mileage is small enough, both cars are fully paid for and I have no fuel costs as I have a diesel card in work.

......

I dunno about a 3rd car if it's appeal is it's a softtop.
Trade the golf for a boxster ?:pac:

blingrhino

And another seperate insurance policy ,will they take into account your first car or will you be starting from scratch ?imagine it wont be straightforward to get a decent quote on anything like an SL.

Heres Johnny

blingrhino wrote: »

And another seperate insurance policy ,will they take into account your first car or will you be starting from scratch ?imagine it wont be straightforward to get a decent quote on anything like an SL.

It would have to be classic policy in restricted miles. No way am I going with a new insurance policy

carsfan2

I’ve often thought about a weekend car that would be something fun and sporty but it’s been vetoed by the wife. Doesn’t want a third car sitting on the drive, more road tax and insurance as well as repair bills. Her argument is buy the daily driver you want that covers all the bases.

vintagevrs

Classic insurance and either vintage tax or only tax it during summer help against those arguments.

It's difficult to get a daily that gives that fizz. Even a very special daily loses some of that by virtue of you driving it regularly.

ordinaryfella

vintagevrs wrote: »

Yep, I agree with you.
The E46 ages well as it's the last gen before idrive. An e92 without idrive is a good example too, but as soon as stuff gets a screen it out dates very quickly.

I agree the e92 iDrive is quite dated looking, but it still offers some handy features vs a non iDrive. The parking sensors I find are great and it's handy enough for the radio. I'd rather one with it than without it. The GPS tho.....

blingrhino

Heres Johnny wrote: »

It would have to be classic policy in restricted miles. No way am I going with a new insurance policy

Is classic not 20 years or older ?

Heres Johnny

blingrhino wrote: »

Is classic not 20 years or older ?

I'm reading different things. 15 mentioned in some places but I'm not sure. These cars are close to 20 anyway.

traco

Pretty sure you won't get classic insurance unless its 20 years old or more. Autoline did 15 but stopped it a little while back and is 20 on now for any new policies.

My 2003 is on classic with them but I have had that with them for about 6 years. Two years ago I tried to add a 2002 car and they wouldn't so I started a new daily policy. Its more expensive but I can commute in it and have no mileage limitations. My classic policy excludes commuting and is limited mileage.

Tax - just do the 3 or 6 month options but DO NOT forget to declare the car off the road BEFORE the tax expires. If the tax expires you will need to tax it again to declare it off the road. Stupid system.

My advice - push the boat out and get something that is truly different to your daily, that's what I've done and hope over time to add more daft stuff to the weekend fleet.

Top Dog

traco wrote: »

Pretty sure you won't get classic insurance unless its 20 years old or more. Autoline did 15 but stopped it a little while back and is 20 on now for any new policies.

My 2003 is on classic with them but I have had that with them for about 6 years. Two years ago I tried to add a 2002 car and they wouldn't so I started a new daily policy. Its more expensive but I can commute in it and have no mileage limitations. My classic policy excludes commuting and is limited mileage.

Tax - just do the 3 or 6 month options but DO NOT forget to declare the car off the road BEFORE the tax expires. If the tax expires you will need to tax it again to declare it off the road. Stupid system.

My advice - push the boat out and get something that is truly different to your daily, that's what I've done and hope over time to add more daft stuff to the weekend fleet.

Is that normal policy? I was always under the impression that you could drive wherever and whenever you wanted once it wasn't for reward and stayed under the mileage allowance?

traco

A classic policy has restrictions. Some are so restricted its only for shows and events. Many want to know that are a member of a car club also. As I said mine excludes commuting to work and has a 3k mile annual usage. You can pay more for more annual miles if needed. The other car is on a second daily policy so I can use it for commuting but not business (sales rep travel) or reward.

It hurt at the start but if you a history with one of the big guys and are a bit older they will probably give you some sort of discount on the second policy. You won't be treated as a new driver but you also won't start with a 75% discount. I'll be coming into year 3 on it next year and it will drop again. It does have the advantage that I could run any modern performance car as a weekend car down the line. Plus when you build up to the full NCD you can shop around.

Leonard Hofstadter

Heres Johnny wrote: »

I'll compromise with you... Manual e46 or e36. Probably e46.
The one I linked was just an example. Don't think I'd pay have to pay that much for a decent one either.
Current car is an auto so happy to have a manual.I had both actually in my 20s. I'm 38 now, might be an early mid life crisis. But its been an idea for best part of my 30s to have a 2nd car.
Wouldn't go back as far as bmw e30 myself but I get where you're coming from.
The Merc SL might be a stretch and a risk to be honest and might get expensive. But it would be special.

Don't even dream of buying an automatic E46. Whatever about modern BMWs with their superb ZF 8 speed automatic, it really is a different era in the E46. While the automatic is perfectly smooth, it's much slower and the gearbox is completely unsuited to the car's sporting character. There are many question marks around their reliability, too.

What JBJ said about being prepared for constant money spending for an E36 is just as true for the E46, at least in my experience. The six cylinder petrols are bulletproof and the manuals are indestructible, but if you want them running right (and you will, because they're fantastic driver's cars) be prepared to whip out the chequebook on an almost constant basis, the suspension is a real weakness in the E46 and I've replaced the same suspension bits twice in the four years I've had the car. It's also leaked oil a few times but petrol BMWs of this era do that a lot, its not expensive to fix.

In saying that, my one has only gone wrong once this year and because I want to keep it in tip top condition, I've spent a fair chunk of money on it that I wouldn't with other cars, such as re-trimming the steering wheel, changing the gearbox oil, ceramic coating, Bilstein shocks all round, and more besides - all of which make the car that bit more enjoyable to look at, use and drive.

It is a fantastic driver's car, with superb engines - even the 320i got a straight six, naturally aspirated for a superior exhaust note for extra goodness (although for a NA engine, the throttle response in an E46 is poor) and the steering is such a treat compared to modern cars, it's obviously hydraulic with the level of communication it provides the driver. The chassis is superb, it's quite comfortable even with sports suspension and the handling does justice to the 'Ultimate Driving Machine' slogan. They don't make cars like E36s and E46s anymore - and more's the pity.

Heres Johnny

Leonard Hofstadter wrote: »

Don't even dream of buying an automatic E46. Whatever about modern BMWs with their superb ZF 8 speed automatic, it really is a different era in the E46. While the automatic is perfectly smooth, it's much slower and completely unsuited the box is to the car's sporting character. There are many question marks around their reliability, too.

What JBJ said about being prepared for constant money spending for an E36 is just as true for the E46, at least in my experience. The six cylinder petrols are bulletproof and the manuals are indestructible, but if you want them running right (and you will, because they're fantastic driver's cars) be prepared to whip out the chequebook on an almost constant basis, the suspension is a real weakness in the E46 and I've replaced suspension bits twice in the four years I've had the car. It's also leaked oil a few times but petrol BMWs of this era do that a lot, its not expensive to fix.

In saying that, my one has only gone wrong once this year and because I want to keep it in tip top condition, I've spent a fair chunk of money on it that I wouldn't with other cars, such as re-trimming the steering wheel, changing the gearbox oil, ceramic coating, Bilstein shocks all round, and more beside - all of which make the car that bit more enjoyable to look at, use and drive.

They don't make cars like E36s and E46s anymore - and more's the pity.

I had an auto 318i e46 and it was a bit slow alright. But it was the 118bhp pre facelift one. I'd be looking at a 325ci or, at a, stretch, a 330ci. I'd probably get a manual. They were 192bhp and 231bhp, I had both engines in an e39.

bazz26

This is quick:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkD1SOGRyzk

The soft tops are scuttle boxes though aren't they? They handle nothing like the rest of the range.

drunkmonkey

Augeo wrote: »

The soft tops are scuttle boxes though aren't they? They handle nothing like the rest of the range.

I've had an e36 and e46 convertible, tbh can't remember the e36 much as it's so long ago but I'd no issues with the e46 it was good to drive especially for a diesel convertible, it had the factory msport suspension.

Leonard Hofstadter

The Verts have a different subframe to the rest of the range, so they shouldn't suffer from that problem either (though I have heard of stories of the M3 still having the problem, then again for the rest of the range it was really only the M3 that had the problem, along with early pre-facelift six cylinder models).