£5-8k. E46 330Ci vs E46 M3?

£5-8k. E46 330Ci vs E46 M3?

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Discussion

StottyZr

6,860 posts

162 months

Thursday 19th April 2012
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Fox- said:
StottyZr said:
730d does 37mpg on the motorway? I take it, your talking about a very old 730d? The newer ones will get closer to 60.

Also, have you only calculated the fuel costs at 10,000 miles per year as you are refunded 45p/mile for the other mileage. If so, your delving into the realms of man maths. A cheaper car would be you'd make profit from the 45p/mile so this needs to be included thumbup

Edit: Holy hell I think I missed the boat a bit. I read the first 2 pages thinking thats all there was...
Lol. 60mpg from a 7 series?
Ah paperbag for some reason I read 730d and thought 520d :S

Ok, 50mpg on a very steady motorway run yes

Clivey

5,108 posts

203 months

Thursday 19th April 2012
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Pr1964 said:
It's the speed of going from foot Brake to Accelerator that can be done with ease at every start with an auto.

With a manual you'd need to be in gear and riding the clutch to getaway as quickly.

I'm talking 0 - 30 mph...

With a manual by the time you engage clutch and then engage gear the auto car has shot off from the lights at stage one engage clutch...
Hmmm...I always find manuals quicker away from junctions and traffic lights. - This is how I see it in normal situations (not racing from the lights):

Manual: I'd be sitting with the car in gear, the clutch fully depressed and the handbrake on (unless I'd been waiting a while). As the lights turn to green, I simultaneously release the handbrake, bring my foot off the clutch and accelerate. If I know the lights are going to change, I can bring the clutch to biting point very quickly and be off without hesitation.

Auto: Sitting with my feet off the pedals and handbrake on. As the lights turn to green, I release the handbrake and accelerate. The torque converter isn't any quicker than my left foot would be on the clutch when driving a manual car. In fact, because you can't "set the throttle" before you start accelerating, it's usually slower than a manual as you're always starting from idle.

scratchchin

Please let me know if "I'm doing it wrong"! laugh

jaedba2604

1,847 posts

146 months

Friday 20th April 2012
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Pr1964 said:
Manual foot on foot brake " I only ever put the handbrake on when the engine is off in a parking space or I'm on a steep hill.
Then when the lights change I engage clutch whilst engaging first gear foot off the foot brake
And drive off.
if you were remotely interested in a quick getaway why would you adopt a silly 'rule' like that as regards the handbrake?

as long as a car is stationary i think the handbrake is a far better option. if you're trying to reduce clutch wear then learning to drive properly would be the way forward, not attempting to ensure your mischevious left foot is engaged in a different activity to prevent it from slipping the clutch.

Patrick Bateman

12,143 posts

173 months

Friday 20th April 2012
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1000 pound clutch job? The hell kind of car are you thinking cause that's a million miles away from a clutch on a 3 series, never mind the higher figure you mentioned....

Fox-

13,228 posts

245 months

Friday 20th April 2012
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Pr1964 said:
I don't think so except if you're talking about Main Dealer prices.
A BMW main dealer will change a clutch on a 330i for £549.

Clivey

5,108 posts

203 months

Saturday 21st April 2012
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Pr1964 said:
No you're doing it by the book there for a racing start...

I do it like this

Manual foot on foot brake " I only ever put the handbrake on when the engine is off in a parking space or I'm on a steep hill.
Then when the lights change I engage clutch whilst engaging first gear foot off the foot brake
And drive off.

Auto I have my foot on the foot brake " as with a manual for handbrake"
Then I move my foot to the accelerator when the lights change
confused

Surely a "racing" start is if you've already dialled-in revs and brought the clutch to biting point before the lights change?

I was taught that if you're only going to be pausing at a junction / at lights for a few seconds, it's not going to do any harm to fully depress the clutch. It's only "when a pause becomes a wait" (in the words of my instructor) that I take the car out of gear. - Even so, you can usually anticipate the light sequence and put the car back into gear before you actually get the green light. It's only when you're daydreaming / otherwise not paying attention that the lights change to green and you're still in neutral. This is the way I normally drive and find that I'm often away from junctions more quickly than the drivers of automatics.

Pr1964 said:
... and even in my old now sold 4x4 ml diesel Auto I would get away faster than any manual car who wasn't riding their clutch into dust and a £1,000 - £3,000 replacement.


Now I understand why some cars need to have a new clutch after 10,000. - 20,000 miles....

If their owners sit at the lights with the clutch engaged the bearing will die along with the clutch as they won't be able to help increasing the clutch slip and wear ... Etc
I don't sit at the lights slipping the clutch and none of my cars have suffered from premature clutch failure (or any sign of it). In fact, the model of C4 HDi I have is known for clutch failures anywhere from 19k miles eek, therefore if I was abusing it I think I would've found out by now (the car's currently on 45k).

jaedba2604

1,847 posts

146 months

Saturday 21st April 2012
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seems a bit like splitting hairs to me...if you're out of gear using the foot brake and waiting at the lights on a regular basis you will have probably wasted about 3 hours of your life by the time you die.

and that's about the only real difference. smile

Clivey

5,108 posts

203 months

Sunday 22nd April 2012
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Pr1964 said:
I may be wrong being old I just remember with old cars often had clutch bearing failure.

I guess it's what ever works for you. I'll give your way a go and see what happens.

cheers
No worries. thumbup - If I suspected I was "abusing" the car, I'd not do it...but just to reiterate that I'm only talking about the kind of pause you get when you're waiting to emerge at a junction (you'd miss most gaps in the traffic if you weren't already in gear) - if I'm actually waiting for a light, I'll sit there in neural until a couple of seconds before I expect the lights to change.

Back on topic, looking at the market, even for £8k, you'd have to be looking at an early E46 M3 and/or one with around 100k on the clock surely? The same cash buys you one of the lowest mileage, least worn 330is around. You'd need around £10k for a decent M3 and personally, I like my cars to be in showroom condition without worn interiors etc.

MattOz

3,910 posts

263 months

Sunday 22nd April 2012
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Clivey

5,108 posts

203 months

Sunday 22nd April 2012
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MattOz said:
Don't like the colour (black for me please smile), but otherwise that's cloud9.

kchika

246 posts

159 months

Sunday 22nd April 2012
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gaz1234

5,233 posts

218 months

Monday 23rd April 2012
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has the op bought anything yet?

NelsonR32

1,680 posts

170 months

Monday 23rd April 2012
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kchika said:
That is lovely, makes me wish I wasn't buying my house this month frown

Edit: New clutch in 66000 miles? Must have had a hard life?

Edited by NelsonR32 on Monday 23 April 22:09