Motorway ability and fun?

[Chris71]

chrisw666 said:

MissChief said:

GTI-6 is a great car but the gearing is pretty short for continued Mway use. Great fun off it though!

I'd say exactly the same about the Puma. It copes well with motorways but you can tell that the car isn't at home on them.

Tricky one. While I accept hot hatches are often brilliant cars, I'm not a huge tin-top fan as a whole. As a result, part of me thinks 'if I was to forsake something like an MX-5 or MR2, I might as well make the most of having four seats and a bit more refinement'.

What I'm after is basically the most extreme split personality available in an affordable runaround. Something which can be a B-road blaster one moment and a miniature barge the next. Both, obviously, are relative terms at this sort of budget.

Edited by Chris71 on Monday 15th July 14:56

[s m]

Chris, didn't you shy away from the E36 in the past for reasons of mountain bike storage and dislike of roof racks? Has that requirement gone?

[Chris71]

s m said:

Chris, didn't you shy away from the E36 in the past for reasons of mountain bike storage and dislike of roof racks? Has that requirement gone?

Fair point. The aperture between the boot and the rear seats (folded) did look a little small, but I made an impulse buy on the 924 before I got round to checking it.

[s m]

Chris71 said:

Fair point. The aperture between the boot and the rear seats (folded) did look a little small, but I made an impulse buy on the 924 before I got round to checking it.

It was just a thought really as the fixed parcel shelf can make it a bit intricate sometimes threading bikes through....depending on type/size.
An E46 Compact might be easier if you still need that facility a lot - they do a 6-cylinder one too

[Chris71]

s m said:

Chris71 said:

Fair point. The aperture between the boot and the rear seats (folded) did look a little small, but I made an impulse buy on the 924 before I got round to checking it.

It was just a thought really as the fixed parcel shelf can make it a bit intricate sometimes threading bikes through....depending on type/size.
An E46 Compact might be easier if you still need that facility a lot - they do a 6-cylinder one too

I do quite like the idea of the 3-Series Compact, but I seem to remember they command quite a premium over the saloon/coupe? I also suspect a good E36 328 Sport won't lose an awful lot of money from this point forward.

As an aside, it's weird how just a little bit of decent road can brighten your drive. I'm living in a temporary house while we exchange contracts and I'm now basically covering my previous 30-limit suburban commute with barely a mile and a half of 60-limit B-road added onto the start. Suddenly the whole character of the drive has changed. And by next month it'll be like that for 2/3rds of the trip.

[chrisw666]

Chris71 said:

I do quite like the idea of the 3-Series Compact, but I seem to remember they command quite a premium over the saloon/coupe?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307117762034/

[TameRacingDriver]

Chris71 I've had most of the cars you've listed (and still own the Puma). I just can't see past the E36 for your requirements. It is FAR better than the others on the motorway and is still fun when you want it to be... BUT, and I don't care what anyone else says, they aren't economical. You might scrape 34 MPG on a long steady run, but generally, expect sub 30s.

Saying that, you can say the same about the MX5, but they are pretty grim for motorway work.

If you go for a Clio, get a 182 instead of a 172 Cup for the cruise control, extra ride comfort and refinement. Still not a great motorway car though.

Generally, forget about the hot hatches / Puma for motorway work. The Puma isn't too bad actually for refinement, but as said, very short geared and will start to guzzle at anything north of 80 mph.

Another vote for an E46 Compact 325, although again, not good on juice. E46 330i is mean't to be quite economical for what it is, though.

What about an E39 530i ? Too large?

[s m]

chrisw666 said:

Chris71 said:

I do quite like the idea of the 3-Series Compact, but I seem to remember they command quite a premium over the saloon/coupe?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307117762034/

As most people find them ugly, I've noticed they seem quite cheap. They often seem to be a bit lower mileage than the other body styles as well.
Certainly a Touring or Compact would be handy for stowing your bike(s) in though without having a rack

[Chris71]

chrisw666 said:

Chris71 said:

I do quite like the idea of the 3-Series Compact, but I seem to remember they command quite a premium over the saloon/coupe?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307117762034/

Interesting, but that one's a third of the price of the other examples within 100 miles of my postcode!

TameRacingDriver said:

Chris71 I've had most of the cars you've listed (and still own the Puma). I just can't see past the E36 for your requirements. It is FAR better than the others on the motorway and is still fun when you want it to be... BUT, and I don't care what anyone else says, they aren't economical. You might scrape 34 MPG on a long steady run, but generally, expect sub 30s.

Saying that, you can say the same about the MX5, but they are pretty grim for motorway work.

If you go for a Clio, get a 182 instead of a 172 Cup for the cruise control, extra ride comfort and refinement. Still not a great motorway car though.

Generally, forget about the hot hatches / Puma for motorway work. The Puma isn't too bad actually for refinement, but as said, very short geared and will start to guzzle at anything north of 80 mph.

Another vote for an E46 Compact 325, although again, not good on juice. E46 330i is mean't to be quite economical for what it is, though.

What about an E39 530i ? Too large?

Always used to prefer the smallest car I could get away with, but having lived with a large estate for the past six months I am more open to suggestions. That said, something like a 5-Series still strikes me as a lot of car to fuel and maintain when I don't even need rear seats, strictly speaking.

[s m]

Chris71 said:

chrisw666 said:

Chris71 said:

I do quite like the idea of the 3-Series Compact, but I seem to remember they command quite a premium over the saloon/coupe?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307117762034/

Interesting, but that one's a third of the price of the other examples within 100 miles of my postcode!

Tried on gumtree? Seems to be a few in London area. Personally i'd travel a bit to get something like
a later 6-speeder one ( which will be good on the motorway )...maybe like this for £1900


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[Chris71]

s m said:

Chris71 said:

chrisw666 said:

Chris71 said:

I do quite like the idea of the 3-Series Compact, but I seem to remember they command quite a premium over the saloon/coupe?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307117762034/

Interesting, but that one's a third of the price of the other examples within 100 miles of my postcode!

Tried on gumtree? Seems to be a few in London area. Personally i'd travel a bit to get something like
a later 6-speeder one ( which will be good on the motorway )...maybe like this for £1900


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Certainly ticks a lot of boxes. Any idea how the driving experience compares to the E36/E46 coupes?

In the back of my mind, though, there remains the idea that a smart E36 328 Sport could be quite a canny buy, given where the prices of quite ordinary E30s have gone lately.

[chrisw666]

Chris71 said:

chrisw666 said:

Chris71 said:

I do quite like the idea of the 3-Series Compact, but I seem to remember they command quite a premium over the saloon/coupe?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201307117762034/

Its within a mile of mine. It was on my to view list if my MOT and service bill was going to exceed £200.

[Chris71]

According to Wikipedia, 'the TI/Compact was mechanically identical to the regular E46 3 Series, but featured sharper steering, with a quicker rack'. Sounds promising. Slippy diff and coilovers anyone?

[chrisw666]

I'm sure people have uprated E46 compacts before now.

The E36 one was a bit of a lash up but the E46 is just another model.

[s m]

Chris71 said:

According to Wikipedia, 'the TI/Compact was mechanically identical to the regular E46 3 Series, but featured sharper steering, with a quicker rack'. Sounds promising. Slippy diff and coilovers anyone?

The rest of the E46 range ( bar the M-models ) got the same rack as the Compact after the Compact was launched in 2001.
For a different diff you'll either have to look at transplanting an E46 M3 rear end in ( quite a bit of work ) or be on the lookout for a used/new Quaife type/Drexler. They use an E46 325 auto rear axle ratio in the 325ti so are a bit shorter-geared thsn the equivalent-engined E46 in coupe/saloon/touring. That, and 10% less weight, makes them as lively as an E46 330i, both being in top gear. The 330i will run on to a higher top speed

Edited by s m on Tuesday 16th July 15:04