What car to do a Euro Trip next spring/summer?
Discussion
I've been thinking about this a lot recently. I was very close to selling my 330cd and buying a Z4 3.0si, a 123d or a 330d E90. I decided that none of these were "better enough" to justify the cost to change from my current car right now. As a result I decided to stick until next spring.
The last couple of days I have been planning next year's road trip. I fear that my next car is going to have to be a diesel again, but then I started to think about the possibility of buying something purely for the trip, with the intention of selling it after. I just don't think the 330cd is the right car for a trip that will probably include visits to the Stelvio Pass, Nurburgring, Spa and Hockenheim.
Last summer we did such a trip, although out of those places listed above we only visited the 'Ring. That trip was done in a Hawkeye Impreza STi Spec D and the car was absolutely fantastic throughout. We drove the 'Ring in torrential rain and the car was superb. My OH even got to drive a full lap with not a single other car in sight
That almost never happens nowadays.
So that brings me to here. The main decision I am trying to make is a choice between:
A. Get my next diesel daily driver/keep what I've got etc. but buy a £1k E36 328i Sport. Do the 325i manifold mod and have it as a track car/take it on the trip etc.
B. Take my daily driver and just make the best of it.
C. Buy something for the trip, sell it afterwards.
I can see merits for all of the choices TBH. The E36 appeals massively in a "if we break it, it's no big deal" sort of way, but I couldn't strip it if we are going to be doing 3k miles in it over two weeks! It would be a nightmare. I could mod it lightly though and possibly get lightweight bonnet/boot/perspex rear side windows etc. for it.
I could take the daily driver, but it wouldn't be as exciting plus it would be far worse if it got pranged. The Impreza last year was my DD though and that was OK.
I could buy something but what if it ends up being hard to sell on my return? I do like the idea though of maybe an S4, or an RS6 Avant for around the £6k mark. Could also sleep in the back if we needed to. Then there's other stuff like another Scooby, an Evo to tick it off the list, and so on.
I have to make the right decision for me, and don't want anyone else to make it for me, but I am very interested in hearing opinions and experiences that others may have had.
Fire away!
The last couple of days I have been planning next year's road trip. I fear that my next car is going to have to be a diesel again, but then I started to think about the possibility of buying something purely for the trip, with the intention of selling it after. I just don't think the 330cd is the right car for a trip that will probably include visits to the Stelvio Pass, Nurburgring, Spa and Hockenheim.
Last summer we did such a trip, although out of those places listed above we only visited the 'Ring. That trip was done in a Hawkeye Impreza STi Spec D and the car was absolutely fantastic throughout. We drove the 'Ring in torrential rain and the car was superb. My OH even got to drive a full lap with not a single other car in sight
That almost never happens nowadays.So that brings me to here. The main decision I am trying to make is a choice between:
A. Get my next diesel daily driver/keep what I've got etc. but buy a £1k E36 328i Sport. Do the 325i manifold mod and have it as a track car/take it on the trip etc.
B. Take my daily driver and just make the best of it.
C. Buy something for the trip, sell it afterwards.
I can see merits for all of the choices TBH. The E36 appeals massively in a "if we break it, it's no big deal" sort of way, but I couldn't strip it if we are going to be doing 3k miles in it over two weeks! It would be a nightmare. I could mod it lightly though and possibly get lightweight bonnet/boot/perspex rear side windows etc. for it.
I could take the daily driver, but it wouldn't be as exciting plus it would be far worse if it got pranged. The Impreza last year was my DD though and that was OK.
I could buy something but what if it ends up being hard to sell on my return? I do like the idea though of maybe an S4, or an RS6 Avant for around the £6k mark. Could also sleep in the back if we needed to. Then there's other stuff like another Scooby, an Evo to tick it off the list, and so on.
I have to make the right decision for me, and don't want anyone else to make it for me, but I am very interested in hearing opinions and experiences that others may have had.
Fire away!
I like the M535i idea actually. Ideally I'd love an E34 540i Sport with the 6-speed manual, but I haven't seen one of those in ages.
As for the Civic..... if I'm honest, I'd much rather just take the E46 330cd or whatever it is replaced with as I think a remapped diesel BMW coupe/saloon would be more entertaining for me personally.
As for the Civic..... if I'm honest, I'd much rather just take the E46 330cd or whatever it is replaced with as I think a remapped diesel BMW coupe/saloon would be more entertaining for me personally.
) It does depend on you not being addicted to that turbo diesel shove though as even a Boxster won't feel as quick.Boxster S would be nice, actually. Having recently driven the Z4 3.0Si however, I didn't find it felt powerful enough, despite the 0-62 being better than my current car. I think the last few years of having turbocharged petrol and diesel motors may have ruined me to a degree 
I'd definitely consider one of those though. Couldn't have a kip in it overnight if we were stuck though
I'd definitely consider one of those though. Couldn't have a kip in it overnight if we were stuck though
Output Flange said:
Around your budget, has air con and dogleg box - what's not to like?
TroubledSoul said:
Lovely! Just not sure I could justify spending that much on one of those.... There's faster, more exciting stuff available..... Although having said that, I did mention how much I liked the E34 540i which is a similar car.
If you're looking for a safe place to put some money, that's about as safe as it gets. RWD, LSD, grunty, comfy - not a bad option. And if you like the E34...
tting in the glovebox, it'll be fine.Still not sure the M535i would be "thrilling" enough, but will certainly do some research on it now.
I have slept in my Barchetta and that's not exactly capacious inside....You're far more hardcore than I am these days, my friend!
g3org3y said:
Convertibles are nice in Europe in the Spring/Summer.
Can't be tempted by an E36 M3 cabrio?
Possibly, although I do have to say that with 3 planned track visits, I'm sceptical about whether a convertible would be a mistake, both from a safety perspective and from a floppy handling perspective. The latter doesn't apply to cars built as a convertible to start with, obviously.Can't be tempted by an E36 M3 cabrio?
SuperVM said:
For the £6k you've mentioned, you'd get a decent Evo 5 or 6; however, I think that would be a pain in the neck for such a journey. The fuel tank is tiny and I found my usual range was around 175 miles and that's at 70 MPH.
Jesus! That's going to get pretty annoying, pretty quickly.iva cosworth said:
TroubledSoul said:
Boxster S , Z4 3.0Si Couldn't have a kip in it overnight if we were stuck though
Why not ?I have slept in my Barchetta and that's not exactly capacious inside....
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