The more I look the less I find...
Discussion
danlightbulb said:
Ive been looking at those. For what i can spend it will be older than my mondeo, fairly high mileage, and wooden dash trim that is out of the 70s. Fuel economy not very good and ive been scared off by reports of expensive repair bills.
- yes it will be older than your Mondeo. You wanted something more PH right??- you don't buy a house based on the curtains. Trims can be swapped out or resprayed any colour you like.
- yes it will drink a little more fuel, but that's the trade off for an enjoyable straight 6 with a lovely soundtrack.
- 530i is a relatively reliable car with a proven engine and no turbos or DPF worries.
The bottom line is that you can't have your cake and eat it. You need to be prepared to compromise on something or stick to boring everyman cars.
Hyundai Santa Fe
Dont do this if mpg is a worry. I got stung car sharing a 300 mile round trip in one. Offered to fill it back up on the return trip. Cost £90 odd. 150 miles or so. 12mpg. Ridiculous!
I could have driven my car or got the train for less.
It was the v6 petrol auto though. Nice car but likes a drink.
Dont do this if mpg is a worry. I got stung car sharing a 300 mile round trip in one. Offered to fill it back up on the return trip. Cost £90 odd. 150 miles or so. 12mpg. Ridiculous!
I could have driven my car or got the train for less.
It was the v6 petrol auto though. Nice car but likes a drink.
danlightbulb said:
Thanks doublesix. Ill have to have a closer look. A brief glance at AT shows i can get a newer car but it would have nearly 200k on it. What max mileage would you consider for a 530i?
I have a bad feeling my insurance would skyrocket too...
Whatever you buy, buy on condition and service history.I have a bad feeling my insurance would skyrocket too...
A 200k miler with shocks replaced and regular oil changes would see my money before a 100k example with neither.
[quote=danlightbulb]Its getting worse.
The more threads I read on here, about cars, bangers, 4k cars...etc, the less I know what I should be going for.
I started out looking for a 7 seater 4x4 in the £6k price range because I really like 4x4s. Then i started looking and asking questions and got extremely disappointed with what was available and its quality.
I now find myself looking at £2k 15 year old BMW 5 series tourers. But I really don't think I can take a risk like that.
So now I have literally no clue how much I should be spending, or the age or mileage I should be targeting, or even what type of car I now want. It seems that I can spend anywhere in the range from £250 to £6000 with no guarantee any car will be behaving itself at either price bracket or anywhere inbetween. I can get a 50k miler that is old or a 150k miler that is newer and I'm unable to decide which is the better option. Economy seems awful on everything except another bloody Mondeo.
HELP ME!!!
IMO the only way to sort this out is to decide on exactly what vehicle make/Type you want, This could take you a while but you have to realistically start with one vehicle rather than several otherwise you will be getting nowhere fast, When thats decided i would go on as many forums regarding the vehicle and get an idea from other peoples experiences what goes wrong and whats involved in getting it sorted, Then its just a case of looking on Ebay, Autotrader, For sale on forums etc and get an idea of what its going to cost you
The more threads I read on here, about cars, bangers, 4k cars...etc, the less I know what I should be going for.
I started out looking for a 7 seater 4x4 in the £6k price range because I really like 4x4s. Then i started looking and asking questions and got extremely disappointed with what was available and its quality.
I now find myself looking at £2k 15 year old BMW 5 series tourers. But I really don't think I can take a risk like that.
So now I have literally no clue how much I should be spending, or the age or mileage I should be targeting, or even what type of car I now want. It seems that I can spend anywhere in the range from £250 to £6000 with no guarantee any car will be behaving itself at either price bracket or anywhere inbetween. I can get a 50k miler that is old or a 150k miler that is newer and I'm unable to decide which is the better option. Economy seems awful on everything except another bloody Mondeo.
HELP ME!!!
IMO the only way to sort this out is to decide on exactly what vehicle make/Type you want, This could take you a while but you have to realistically start with one vehicle rather than several otherwise you will be getting nowhere fast, When thats decided i would go on as many forums regarding the vehicle and get an idea from other peoples experiences what goes wrong and whats involved in getting it sorted, Then its just a case of looking on Ebay, Autotrader, For sale on forums etc and get an idea of what its going to cost you
I've been focussing on the diesels up to now which return mid 30's. Still 25% worse than my 12 year old mondy but I guess for the size of car, not too bad.
Seems the 530i is similar for petrol, which is now more expensive than diesel in my area.
Also confused on the quoted mpg. A 2005 523i which is a 2.5l petrol is quoted at 32.5mpg, whereas the more powerful 530i 3.0litre petrol is quoted as 35.8mpg. I'd be wanting to get very close to this quoted figure otherwise can't afford to run it.
Seems the 530i is similar for petrol, which is now more expensive than diesel in my area.
Also confused on the quoted mpg. A 2005 523i which is a 2.5l petrol is quoted at 32.5mpg, whereas the more powerful 530i 3.0litre petrol is quoted as 35.8mpg. I'd be wanting to get very close to this quoted figure otherwise can't afford to run it.
swisstoni said:
Well? 7 seats, can be had within budget, decent fuel consumption for a 4x4, halfway butch ...
I had looked at these, but again have been put off by people saying that beyond a certain age (the age I can afford) they are prone to very expensive repairs.Edited by danlightbulb on Monday 31st August 10:47
danlightbulb said:
Thanks for the suggestion but French cars are off my list full stop. Don't like them at all.
Shame, as other than being French, it fits your bill perfectly Edit*
Further reading indicates it being pretty much a re-badged Mitsubishi Outlander in any case, so Franco - Japanese, that might might things better or worse, I'm not sure?)
Edited by bockaaarck on Monday 31st August 11:01
danlightbulb said:
I had looked at these, but again have been put off by people saying that beyond a certain age (the age I can afford) they are prone to very expensive repairs.
Sorry mate but you are in la la land in you think you'll get close to those numbers in a not very modern 6 cyl lump.Edited by danlightbulb on Monday 31st August 10:47
Start looking at 'total cost of ownership'. An ageing derv with blowers and DPF sounds like a recipe for time and money spent at the garage...
Are you doing short journeys or long motorway stints? Annual mileage?
Edited by DoubleSix on Monday 31st August 11:07
You have to compromise somewhere; would you rather 35+ MPG from an older diesel with the potential of Turbos / DPF failure or 25+ MPG from a nice straight 6 petrol without the possibility of expensive repairs.
It's not just about MPG, you need to think of the ownership cost.
For example older cars will have smaller tyres (generally), more spares available from broken vehicles, known faults diagnosed with sensibly priced repair solutions ...
If you only have 6K I'd stay away from diesel.
It's not just about MPG, you need to think of the ownership cost.
For example older cars will have smaller tyres (generally), more spares available from broken vehicles, known faults diagnosed with sensibly priced repair solutions ...
If you only have 6K I'd stay away from diesel.
It sounds like although you love the idea of a 4x4, your annual mileage and budget constaints sadly dictate something more sensible. You're probably better off with something like an S-Max which will do what you need at a price you can afford.
I bought an XC90 last year (3 years old so not in your budget) and I absolutely love it, but I use my 12YO V70 D5 for commuting as it costs so much less to run and it's just as comfortable but faster.
If you just want something more interesting than your Mondeo then figure out where your priorities lie - the driving experience, the looks, the interior space. I ran a Mondeo for a couple of years and it was perfectly competant & economical but I was always glad to get back in the V70 which my wife had somehow persuaded me she needed to be driving.
I bought an XC90 last year (3 years old so not in your budget) and I absolutely love it, but I use my 12YO V70 D5 for commuting as it costs so much less to run and it's just as comfortable but faster.
If you just want something more interesting than your Mondeo then figure out where your priorities lie - the driving experience, the looks, the interior space. I ran a Mondeo for a couple of years and it was perfectly competant & economical but I was always glad to get back in the V70 which my wife had somehow persuaded me she needed to be driving.
It would appear that way. I thought 6 grand was a very reasonable amount to have available to spend on a used car. I still do really. The problem is im wanting something that isnt a run of the mill hatchback.
I really like those 5 series, but only a tiny handful of manual 530i around for under 6k.
Why i really wanted a 4x4? Because its exciting. I cant have a sports car or a hot hatch so where does my excitement come from? Size size size. Massive chunky wheels. My 2 boys (8 and 6) would love it whereas they wont really appreciate a straight 6 bmw petrol engine under the bonnet of an estate.
There are many bmw diesels around. Why the issue with these engines? Diesel should be a simpler fuel than petrol not more complex.
I really like those 5 series, but only a tiny handful of manual 530i around for under 6k.
Why i really wanted a 4x4? Because its exciting. I cant have a sports car or a hot hatch so where does my excitement come from? Size size size. Massive chunky wheels. My 2 boys (8 and 6) would love it whereas they wont really appreciate a straight 6 bmw petrol engine under the bonnet of an estate.
There are many bmw diesels around. Why the issue with these engines? Diesel should be a simpler fuel than petrol not more complex.
Ok, so here's a crazy but iof lateral thinking. How about getting a Mazda 5 / Nissan Terrano for about 3.5k - 4k. You can, if you search carefully, find them in your budget. Now the potential here is you can get what you need within your budget by about £1500, bargain!
Then you could pocket that change and put it to a holiday or whatever. Or....if you wanted to, you could spend that on a great little MX-5 as your fun, scooting around car. Mazda 5 / Terrano for family practical stuff, little MX-5, insured for limited mileage, as your fun run around. This is not advice by the way, just highlighting a different option to you
Then you could pocket that change and put it to a holiday or whatever. Or....if you wanted to, you could spend that on a great little MX-5 as your fun, scooting around car. Mazda 5 / Terrano for family practical stuff, little MX-5, insured for limited mileage, as your fun run around. This is not advice by the way, just highlighting a different option to you
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