E92 Alternative

sleepysniper

Whats a good alternative to the BMW E92?

Something RWD with a nice spec. E92 sounds like it fits the bill but is out of budget.

Diesel or Petrol; don't mind.

Post 08 ideally for tax reasons.

No need for 4 doors.

Don't need blistering pace, I've the GSXR for that...

Budget - 8218;¬8000 max (could trade in a rough MK4 Golf with that)

grogi

Mercedes W204, Lexus IS250?! A bit older Jag XK8/XKR?

sleepysniper

grogi wrote: »

Mercedes W204, Lexus IS250?! A bit older Jag XK8/XKR?

Thanks for the suggestions but they're a bit astronomical on the tax side of things...

bazz26

Petrol E92 here within budget:


https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2008-bmw-3-series-coupe-automatic/16210779

commited

The UK is worth a trip for an e92, specifically the 325i which is a great compromise between power and tax:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201707197536848
€570 tax. These are effectively a detuned 330i without DISA so remap to 260bhp. Decent economy and smooth 6 cylinder.

I'd avoid the 2.0 diesel of this era as they're prone to fairly big problems.

325d is also worth a look but out of budget.

If you're willing to look at pre-08, you can save a lot on purchase price by going for an 07 325i:
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/06-bmw-325i/16064465
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-3-series-coupe-325i-e92/15815202
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-325i-e92-2007-90k-miles/15310626

I'm personally a fan of this approach and don't mind the tax as depreciation is negligible but I accept a lot of people don't subscribe to the same theory!

sleepysniper

commited wrote:

If you're willing to look at pre-08, you can save a lot on purchase price by going for an 07 325i:

Blimey, they are a lot cheaper than I imagined. Not sure I could stomach the €1k annual tax though. Had a look the UK autotrader at the 325i, very nice but still pricey in M-Sport guise. Plus the VRT. Those 325i post 08 are few and far between here on Irish soil it seems. An abundance of 320d's though.

commited

sleepysniper wrote: »

Blimey, they are a lot cheaper than I imagined. Not sure I could stomach the €1k annual tax though. Had a look the UK autotrader at the 325i, very nice but still pricey in M-Sport guise. Plus the VRT. Those 325i post 08 are few and far between here on Irish soil it seems. An abundance of 320d's though.

Stick the €3-4k saved on purchase towards the €500 difference in tax and it'll be well covered

bazz26

You can either pay more for a car with cheaper tax or drop back a year and pay less for a car with higher tax. Generally the higher the motor tax, the lower the asking price.