Where would you go next...

430d is going fine. It's not getting a huge amount of use these days though due to wfh.

That's a fairly nice car alright. Wouldn't be gone on the black wheels myself but they sort of fit in with the rest of the black exterior pro bits I guess. Video had a asking price of 69k and advert has it down to 59k now. Not the worst price given there were a few 2019 recently advertising mid 40s. Being realistic, its hard to know if spending that sort of money on a petrol car like that is prudent unfortunately going forward.

Maybe it’s the light but the oxide grey looks suspiciously like the metallic beige retirees spec for their E class and the red interior doesn’t look to match it well at all 😳

is the 330i still a straight 6?

Ah Jaysus really

hardly the enthusiasts choice then? Nice spec and all but feck that

Id have said 80k but nowadays probably more.

The 330i is the enthusiasts choice in a world of plug in cars hybrid and full electric.

It is reckoned by many to be the sweet spot in the 3 series range.

it’s got enough power to make it quick enough and handling is considered to be excellent as it’s well balanced as no batteries or heavy six pot engine.

Fuel economy is good and road tax reasonable in Ireland.

I know a 7 Series depreciates at a much higher rate than a 5 Series but they also cost more brand new.

This fairly basic 2021 745e is asking 90k which might give you a small idea all the same: https://www.carsireland.ie/2913507

Or this higher spec one from a BMW dealer for 96k: https://www.carsireland.ie/3053163

The 330i is only 1525 kilos and has rear wheel drive. Yes it's lost two cylinders but it's still the same weight more or less as an e46 or e90 330i, that's no mean achievement considering its about 7-8 inches longer than those cars. The 340i is much heavier (though still way lighter than an i4) and only has xDrive.

Not saying the 340i is a bad car or anything like that but can definitely see the appeal of the 330i for anyone who likes driving and handling. Much cheaper to buy and obviously cheaper to tax, too.

I would definitely love to try both of them and see what they're like.

Have to disagree with your point Cyrus. You can be an enthusiast and be conscious of costs. We all have different income levels and circumstances, you have to cut your cloth accordingly. Ireland is a tough country to be a car enthusiast financially, we're penalised once we start moving into more interesting stuff.

I'm an enthusiast and I take tax into account. €600-750 is pretty much my threshold. I could pay more but I don't want to. There are plenty of fun cars in the market at and under that tax threshold.

Fuel economy is not so much an issue for me these days as my milage has dropped dramatically, however in the past it was a factor, as I could do 30-40k KMs per year easily.

Being an enthusiast doesn't mean you have to be blind to costs, for me and I'm sure many people, it's about finding a balance between enjoyment and responsible/manageable spend.

They are a golf enthusiast for sure, they don’t have a 6cyl option though, the trend tends to be or tended to be that people went from fast vws to faster 6cyl BMWs or to Porsches of some sort .

the reality is the best BMWs have never been the 4 cylinder ones and now just because they are ice they are the enthusiast choice. I don’t buy it.

the r32 came in between but I know what you mean, but as I said an r doesn’t tend to be the end destination in the journey.

an enthusiast will more likely buy a used what they want than a new something else . I still can’t see a 4 pot 330 being sought after in 5 years time by enthusiasts but I may well be wrong.

Jesus just when I thought new BMWs couldn't get any more fugly.

A rendering of the new 7 Series:

Honestly dose the BMW CEO come into every new model design meeting now and say:

Official teaser:

Following on from our previous discussion about what would appeal to an enthusiast, I think it is safe to say that car definitely is one for the enthusiast!

Your average punter wouldn't know what an Alpina model is. I think BMW actually bought them out last week so they will be a sub brand.

I am not sure I like the quad exhausts or the wood interior myself but I imagine it is a cracking car to drive.