Top spec 'normal' car vs. entry level 'premium'

[Devil2575]

northwest monkey said:

I agree with this chap.

A couple of my mates did exactly this a few (quite a few now I think about it!) years ago. One had a BMW 316i in a spec that made an Easyjet flight look posh (windy windows, scratchy seats, radio cassette, no aircon etc) , and the other one had a Mondeo Ghia 2.5 V6 with all the toys, alloys, leather etc.

BMW driver hated it after about 2 months, Mondeo driver very happy!

Assuming it was an E36 (to tie in with the mondeo) then it won't have had windy windows, at least not in the front. However it was basically the cheapest car BMW sold at that time and the spec was poor.

[muppets_mate]

ncjones said:

I bought a 6 tourer a year ago. Was 99% decided on a 320d touring but dropped into a Mazda dealer on a whim and ended up securing a cracking deal late on the 31/3. Still love it, think it looks great and like the fact it's so much rarer than a BMW.

Receives a staggering amount of positive comments, particularly as its a diesel family wagon.

Only downside is the wind noise at speed, but I've got used to it.

Unless there is a big difference between the old model and the newer one the OP is considering, this quoted snippet would have a big influence on my thinking if I was doing 25k miles per year. The car to cover those sorts of distances should leave you refreshed and ready to get on with work when you get out at the end of your journey.

[BigTom85]

I'd be looking nearly-new.

Motorpoint have 6 month old Titanium-X Mondeos with about 3k miles on the clock for about £16k.

[Devil2575]

Aids0G said:

Out of interest, dad has just chopped in an Hyundai i40 tourer and i must admit that I found it pretty good on a long journey comfortable quick enough quiet etc good Nav, it wasn't the best in corners but I really am interested as to what in your opinion makes it awful?

I think that a lot of what makes certain cars awful for some people is the view of the badge on the steering wheel.

[pmanson]

muppets_mate said:

ncjones said:

I bought a 6 tourer a year ago. Was 99% decided on a 320d touring but dropped into a Mazda dealer on a whim and ended up securing a cracking deal late on the 31/3. Still love it, think it looks great and like the fact it's so much rarer than a BMW.

Receives a staggering amount of positive comments, particularly as its a diesel family wagon.

Only downside is the wind noise at speed, but I've got used to it.

Unless there is a big difference between the old model and the newer one the OP is considering, this quoted snippet would have a big influence on my thinking if I was doing 25k miles per year. The car to cover those sorts of distances should leave you refreshed and ready to get on with work when you get out at the end of your journey.

Wind noise isn't great in my 2009 model, tyre roar was atrocious when I first got it (swapped the tyres over to some decent Avons and that made a big difference).

[irocfan]

Devil2575 said:

I think that a lot of what makes certain cars awful for some people is the view of the badge on the steering wheel.

QFT ^^^

[csampo]

pmanson said:

Wind noise isn't great in my 2009 model, tyre roar was atrocious when I first got it (swapped the tyres over to some decent Avons and that made a big difference).

Completely different car to the 2009 model (ground-up new platform from 2013); wind noise noticeably improved in 2015 facelift apparently.

[MC Bodge]

Hitch78 said:

I honestly don't get this obsession with 'toys'. Pick the best driving car, with perhaps a consideration of music sound quality and get on with it.

What mOre do you need? Being bothered about 'keyless entry' is a mystery to me!

I'm with you on this. Modern medium-large cars are all fairly well-specced whatever you get.

Many 'toys' and 'baubles' are unnecessary and wouldn't be missed anyway.

[A900ss]

A base 520d comes with heated leather, dual zone climate, cruise control, electric windows all round, auto dimming rear view mirror, DAB, sat nav(I think), xenons, Bluetooth phone pairing, auto wipers, auto lights, keyless drive, front and rear parking sensors, 17 inch alloys, a good stereo and probably loads of other stuff I've missed off.

Not really poverty spec I think.

Edited by A900ss on Friday 6th March 21:47

[Claudia Skies]

MC Bodge said:

Hitch78 said:

I honestly don't get this obsession with 'toys'. Pick the best driving car, with perhaps a consideration of music sound quality and get on with it.

What mOre do you need? Being bothered about 'keyless entry' is a mystery to me!

I'm with you on this. Modern medium-large cars are all fairly well-specced whatever you get.

Many 'toys' and 'baubles' are unnecessary and wouldn't be missed anyway.

Totally agree - just buy a decently engineered car! Aftermarket "shiny bits" can be sourced from Halfords and others...

[va1o]

Agreed, BMW have really upped their standard equipment levels over the past few years. If you pay extra for M Sport its only really adding trim, nothing functional.

[Selmer Mk6]

Sorry, I think if you are buying entry level premium, you are buying the badge. Remember the premium brands are looking to gain market share, hence four pot engines.

The premium brands were/are known for their 6 cylinder and V8 engines, not four pots.

Top spec normal for me. Premium to me needs premium engine, 6 or 8 cylinders.

[xRIEx]

Selmer Mk6 said:

Sorry, I think if you are buying entry level premium, you are buying the badge. Remember the premium brands are looking to gain market share, hence four pot engines.

The premium brands were/are known for their 6 cylinder and V8 engines, not four pots.

Top spec normal for me. Premium to me needs premium engine, 6 or 8 cylinders.

Apart from the E30 M3. And those Cosworth Mercedes.

[Devil2575]

Selmer Mk6 said:

Sorry, I think if you are buying entry level premium, you are buying the badge. Remember the premium brands are looking to gain market share, hence four pot engines.

The premium brands were/are known for their 6 cylinder and V8 engines, not four pots.

Top spec normal for me. Premium to me needs premium engine, 6 or 8 cylinders.

They offer 4 pot engines because people want them. It's no good producing premium cars that people don't want to buy.
Also, aside from Jaguar, most premium car makers have been producing 4 cylinder cars for years, long before they went chasing market share. The BMW 2002 had a 4 cylinder lump as did the W123 Merc.

[Selmer Mk6]

Devil2575 said:

They offer 4 pot engines because people want them. It's no good producing premium cars that people don't want to buy.
Also, aside from Jaguar, most premium car makers have been producing 4 cylinder cars for years, long before they went chasing market share. The BMW 2002 had a 4 cylinder lump as did the W123 Merc.

Your right, but it might be more about affordability, as opposed to wanting them. BMW were making the 320 6 cylinder BMW which was seen as premium. Merc had the 280E and the W126 range.
I still think the entry level premium is for market share. Driving around in a 320 or 520 diesel/petrol to me hardly seems premium. Although purely for mpg they appear to be very good.

[MC Bodge]

Number of cylinders seems very important to some people...

[yellowbentines]

BigTom85 said:

I'd be looking nearly-new.

Motorpoint have 6 month old Titanium-X Mondeos with about 3k miles on the clock for about £16k.

Lovely cars, my brother in law has one, Ive also previously owned a Mondeo Ghia X, pretty faultless, however, if you factor in depreciation it was the most expensive car in total cost terms Ive ever owned - and Im on my 5th 'poverty spec' Mercedes (bloody voice activated multimedia system wont even make me a cup of tea for the cupholders).

If you factor in depreciation, a top spec new or nearly new Ford/Vauxhall etc is very expensive motoring, they really do shed value.

[MC Bodge]

...but a 2-3 year old one, then kept for a few years without being too precious about it, before trading in, can be very good value.

[kambites]

I strongly suspect most buyers of mainstream cars don't know how many cylinders their car has any more than they know which wheels are driven.

[Devil2575]

Selmer Mk6 said:

Devil2575 said:

They offer 4 pot engines because people want them. It's no good producing premium cars that people don't want to buy.
Also, aside from Jaguar, most premium car makers have been producing 4 cylinder cars for years, long before they went chasing market share. The BMW 2002 had a 4 cylinder lump as did the W123 Merc.

Your right, but it might be more about affordability, as opposed to wanting them. BMW were making the 320 6 cylinder BMW which was seen as premium. Merc had the 280E and the W126 range.
I still think the entry level premium is for market share. Driving around in a 320 or 520 diesel/petrol to me hardly seems premium. Although purely for mpg they appear to be very good.

That's always been the case though. It was far more common to see base spec E36 316s than it was 325s. These days though I think that many people choose the 4 pot diesel for other reasons, especially since they perform much better than 4 pot petrol used too in terms of both speed and economy.