16 k to spend.... what car to get?

[allan108]

Hi Folks,

i have been looking at 335i and i have 16k to spend, i have also been looking at 996 c2's. im really stuck.... i need it as my everyday car, and the bmw has the edge, its also amazingly fast for a non M car.

Question. has any one had both? porsche would be circa 1998, and bmw 2006-7, so which one?

Thanks

[Luke.]

911 surely?

[T16OLE]

Cant really go wrong with a 335i I wouldnt have thought

[allan108]

Luke. said:

911 surely?

my heart tells me 911, but it is old!! and the bmw is seriously quick, and with a little performance upgrades it is rapid!

[jdw1234]

How long will you keep it for?

Look at running costs, but I assume your exit price on the 911 will be significantly higher than the BMW making the BMW a much more expensive ownership experience.

[allan108]

thats a good point, i keep cars between 6 months to a year or so. im not sure what the depreciation would be on a 335, im guessing a lot.

[sparks_E39]

Just my 2 pence, if I had £16k I'd be looking at a 3.2 DB7, XKR, or a BMW 840/850, or an E39 M5, or a 993 of some description. Got a thing for older cars me, and £16k buys a lot!

The only one of the above which may lose a lot is the XKR.

[AndyLB]

sparks_E39 said:

Just my 2 pence, if I had £16k I'd be looking at a 3.2 DB7, XKR, or a BMW 840/850, or an E39 M5, or a 993 of some description. Got a thing for older cars me, and £16k buys a lot!

The only one of the above which may lose a lot is the XKR.

Would a DB7 really be suitable as a daily driver?

[SteveS Cup]

allan108 said:

thats a good point, i keep cars between 6 months to a year or so. im not sure what the depreciation would be on a 335, im guessing a lot.

Compared to the 996 I would have thought catastrophic over 6-12 months!

I can't see 996's dropping too much more in the near future. Look at 330ci's, they got affordable quite quickly, I can see a 335i being a bit of a bargain in 1 - 2 years time.

[sparks_E39]

AndyLB said:

Would a DB7 really be suitable as a daily driver?

Can't see why it would be any less suitable than a 996.

[300bhp/ton]

allan108 said:

Hi Folks,

i have been looking at 335i and i have 16k to spend, i have also been looking at 996 c2's. im really stuck.... i need it as my everyday car, and the bmw has the edge, its also amazingly fast for a non M car.

Question. has any one had both? porsche would be circa 1998, and bmw 2006-7, so which one?

Thanks

No matter how good the BMW is, it's still a saloon car and looks just a base model 3 Series. The Porsche, is well, a Porsche! It's a supercar and while not as quick, it's hardly slow either.

That said, if you want something a little wow for this money Corvette C5's and s197 Mustang GT's are in price range.

The 335i is certainly a fast car though and with some easy tuning potential.

[allan108]

sparks_E39 said:

Can't see why it would be any less suitable than a 996.

i can have an input on this, i have had a db7, and to be fair i put it in the classic category now, its build is ok, but you know your in an older car, and if you want to look after it properly it costs. the 996 feels like a much more modern car.

i have had an 840, which i must say was an amazing car, but again feels a bit dated imho, however is very much a reliable daily driver.

i think the 996 would be the better financial option, but i think the bmw the better car?

Thanks

[Splats]

VXR8

[volvoforlife]

Are you after something which will get you noticed by others, or just a fast car no matter how it looks?

[CrisW]

Maserati 3200GT for £12k and keep £4k to fix it as it breaks.

[jr123]

Splats said:

VXR8

+1 Or Monaro VXR

[allan108]

CrisW said:

Maserati 3200GT for £12k and keep £4k to fix it as it breaks.

ha, great idea.... the spare cash for fixing anyway!!

As regards to how it looks, a bit of both really, i want something that looks cool as £$%k and drives properly, i do a bit of racing and appreciate good driving cars, i will track day it very occasionally! but absolutely no subaru or evo type stuff.

Al

Edited by allan108 on Friday 25th February 16:13

[TTwiggy]

The 3.4 996 hits 60 in 5 secs flat and goes on to roughly 180mph. Is the BMW much faster than that? If so, why would anyone buy an M3?

OP - buy the Porsche. Your budget would get a lovely early example. Get it on a service plan with someone like Hartech and it's hassle free motoring.

[allan108]

its pretty close, but limited to 155, its quicker between 50-70.

i think i really need to go for the porsche, it looks better, will loose less money, and should be more fun.

[TTwiggy]

I'm often sat in my car thinking 'it's lovely, but I just wish it was marginally quicker from 50 to 70...'