Buying my first BMW
Discussion
Hi,
New member here. I have only been driving since Dec 08! I've got a Saxo VTR at the mo which I bought from a mate (I'm not a boy racer though, I'm 27..) I'm already bored of it now after a few months, and have always dreamed of owning a BMW 1 day.
What I want to ask you lot is what model(s) do you suggest? My insurance on the Saxo was £1300 - as it's a 1.6 and I'm a new driver. My insurance is likely to be higher on a BMW I guess..
I hope to buy a BMW at the end of the year, when I have some money ready, and hopefully have 1 years no claims, so hopefully my insurance will drop a bit.
But I guess I need to look at 1.6/1.8 litre engines, to keep the insurance down.
I guess I would like to spend approx 5k, maybe more, maybe less though. I want a fairly newish one, with mod cons etc, although I guess I may need to spend quite a bit more for a newer model, so would consider older models if they look good and are in good nick etc.
I also may lease, but I haven't done this before, and am not sure if this would work out better for me financially and with regards to changing cars in the future etc..
I am open to your suggestions and look forward to your expert opinions!
If I can get an idea of what models to look for, then I have between now and Christmas to weigh them up etc.
Thanks in advance.
Chris.
New member here. I have only been driving since Dec 08! I've got a Saxo VTR at the mo which I bought from a mate (I'm not a boy racer though, I'm 27..) I'm already bored of it now after a few months, and have always dreamed of owning a BMW 1 day.
What I want to ask you lot is what model(s) do you suggest? My insurance on the Saxo was £1300 - as it's a 1.6 and I'm a new driver. My insurance is likely to be higher on a BMW I guess..
I hope to buy a BMW at the end of the year, when I have some money ready, and hopefully have 1 years no claims, so hopefully my insurance will drop a bit.
But I guess I need to look at 1.6/1.8 litre engines, to keep the insurance down.
I guess I would like to spend approx 5k, maybe more, maybe less though. I want a fairly newish one, with mod cons etc, although I guess I may need to spend quite a bit more for a newer model, so would consider older models if they look good and are in good nick etc.
I also may lease, but I haven't done this before, and am not sure if this would work out better for me financially and with regards to changing cars in the future etc..
I am open to your suggestions and look forward to your expert opinions!
If I can get an idea of what models to look for, then I have between now and Christmas to weigh them up etc.
Thanks in advance.
Chris.
i'm guessing you are looking at a 3 series? since the 5 is really slow with a 1.8, and they don't do small engines on the 7 series, and 1 and 6 series etc not around for 5k!!!!
do you want petrol or diesel or what? for 5k you can get pretty decent E46 examples now. it might be better to buy a slightly cheaper example, and then spend the rest on getting it serviced? give the car a good look over, ask for advice on common faults. if looked after, BMW's can go on for a long time! mine is nearly 27 years and never ever misses a beat and can still sit at 90+ for a few hours without any issues at all.
do you want petrol or diesel or what? for 5k you can get pretty decent E46 examples now. it might be better to buy a slightly cheaper example, and then spend the rest on getting it serviced? give the car a good look over, ask for advice on common faults. if looked after, BMW's can go on for a long time! mine is nearly 27 years and never ever misses a beat and can still sit at 90+ for a few hours without any issues at all.
AB said:
By the time the end of the year comes, you will get a nice facelift E46 318Ci M Sport I would have thought?
Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
you lucky b*stard!Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
E21_Ross said:
AB said:
By the time the end of the year comes, you will get a nice facelift E46 318Ci M Sport I would have thought?
Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
you lucky b*stard!Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
I've heard people paying far more for things like Fiestas etc, I must have just got lucky somehow, but can't complain.
Edited by AB on Friday 20th February 16:06
E21_Ross said:
i'm guessing you are looking at a 3 series? since the 5 is really slow with a 1.8, and they don't do small engines on the 7 series, and 1 and 6 series etc not around for 5k!!!!
do you want petrol or diesel or what? for 5k you can get pretty decent E46 examples now. it might be better to buy a slightly cheaper example, and then spend the rest on getting it serviced? give the car a good look over, ask for advice on common faults. if looked after, BMW's can go on for a long time! mine is nearly 27 years and never ever misses a beat and can still sit at 90+ for a few hours without any issues at all.
Sounds like a 3 series is best for me then! I haven't thought about petrol or diesel to be honest, I don't know that much about cars really, I know both petrol and diesel have their own benefits, but I can't say I'm that fussed really! I do a lot of short journeys rather than longer journeys really.do you want petrol or diesel or what? for 5k you can get pretty decent E46 examples now. it might be better to buy a slightly cheaper example, and then spend the rest on getting it serviced? give the car a good look over, ask for advice on common faults. if looked after, BMW's can go on for a long time! mine is nearly 27 years and never ever misses a beat and can still sit at 90+ for a few hours without any issues at all.
I've just had a quick look online and seen there are CI models, and SE models, what is the difference, and what does the E46 stand for, sorry for being thick!
AB said:
E21_Ross said:
AB said:
By the time the end of the year comes, you will get a nice facelift E46 318Ci M Sport I would have thought?
Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
you lucky b*stard!Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
Fox- said:
AB said:
E21_Ross said:
AB said:
By the time the end of the year comes, you will get a nice facelift E46 318Ci M Sport I would have thought?
Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
you lucky b*stard!Standard with PDC, cruise, climate etc etc.
Insurance is good too, I had one at 19 with a conviction and 0 ncb and it was relatively reasonable (less than £1,300!).
DocSteve said:
I just sold my immaculate 51 plate E39 530i for 3k - such a car would be a great buy and they are out there.
Such a car is very hard to find at that price point as it's lost in a sea of 7 not so careful owner wrecks. Whoever bought yours got an absolutely brilliant deal. I presume for the money it was an SE?
Fox- said:
DocSteve said:
I just sold my immaculate 51 plate E39 530i for 3k - such a car would be a great buy and they are out there.
Such a car is very hard to find at that price point as it's lost in a sea of 7 not so careful owner wrecks. Whoever bought yours got an absolutely brilliant deal. I presume for the money it was an SE?The two cars are very different and there are aspects of the 530 that I'll miss. But guess that's another topic.....
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