New car dilemma opinions welcome
Discussion
Hello all,
Long time lurker, first time poster here!! Quick car history- all bmws!
118d coupe
320d coupe
640d coupe
640d gran coupe
440i with MSPPK- current
Man maths got the better of me and i'm currently tied to a PCP (where i've more than doubled the mileage...)
I have really enjoyed the 440, absolutely lovely as a daily. I did get an F80 base M3 for a week and a half last year & put around 1500 miles on it (!). I have to say, for me, I found how it behaved on the road/ motorway a tad underwhelming, mainly because of the loss of ride comfort and too much road noise. it also had adaptive sound (which i coded out in my 440i). Also, the straight line performance didn't seem that much better until I was as silly speed, at which point it did become a true hooligan wagon.
I'm looking to change my car this summer & this time want to keep a car for a much longer period of time & effectively run it into the ground or keep it as a weekend car when it gets old enough. I wouldn't like to spend more than 35k if I'm doing this, so my options are looking at the used market... or going to a new pcp with many more miles ie 15-20k/ annum. So far the ridiculously long short list:
M3 comp pack (been told this is much nicer than base), F10 M5, the 340/440i with around 2000 miles on it (mine has nearly 40), or waiting and getting the G20 340i... I took a test drive with an audi s5 & it felt wrong.
I've always lusted after M cars, but the truth is other than some late night back road driving and the occasional straight line acceleration at night on an empty stretch of road, the car wouldn't be truly "used". Also, I am guessing maintenance of the M cars will be really ££ compared to a 40i?
My question is- which would you guys get as a daily driver & occasional B road fun car?
Long time lurker, first time poster here!! Quick car history- all bmws!
118d coupe
320d coupe
640d coupe
640d gran coupe
440i with MSPPK- current
Man maths got the better of me and i'm currently tied to a PCP (where i've more than doubled the mileage...)
I have really enjoyed the 440, absolutely lovely as a daily. I did get an F80 base M3 for a week and a half last year & put around 1500 miles on it (!). I have to say, for me, I found how it behaved on the road/ motorway a tad underwhelming, mainly because of the loss of ride comfort and too much road noise. it also had adaptive sound (which i coded out in my 440i). Also, the straight line performance didn't seem that much better until I was as silly speed, at which point it did become a true hooligan wagon.
I'm looking to change my car this summer & this time want to keep a car for a much longer period of time & effectively run it into the ground or keep it as a weekend car when it gets old enough. I wouldn't like to spend more than 35k if I'm doing this, so my options are looking at the used market... or going to a new pcp with many more miles ie 15-20k/ annum. So far the ridiculously long short list:
M3 comp pack (been told this is much nicer than base), F10 M5, the 340/440i with around 2000 miles on it (mine has nearly 40), or waiting and getting the G20 340i... I took a test drive with an audi s5 & it felt wrong.
I've always lusted after M cars, but the truth is other than some late night back road driving and the occasional straight line acceleration at night on an empty stretch of road, the car wouldn't be truly "used". Also, I am guessing maintenance of the M cars will be really ££ compared to a 40i?
My question is- which would you guys get as a daily driver & occasional B road fun car?
What about an M140i?
I've had a 335i E91 for 8 years now. Have been tempted into multiple things over the years, and put a deposit down on an F10 M5 last summer before losing my nerve about running costs and asking for the deposit back. Since then, I've looked at 440i GC, 340i Touring (both rejected as didn't really feel there was going to be much difference from what I had), X5 (just didn't really excite me), but nothing really could tempt me away from the E91.
However, I've just put in an order for a new 5 door M140i. Seeing that the new model was going to be FWD and 4 pot made me realise they are a dying breed, so wanted to get one before they stop production.
This is actually going to be our family car, and compared to the E91 it's about as practical - our suitcases actually fit better in the 1 series than the 3 series, and I don't like packing above the window line in the Touring so much of the boot is wasted anyway.
Just something to consider...
I've had a 335i E91 for 8 years now. Have been tempted into multiple things over the years, and put a deposit down on an F10 M5 last summer before losing my nerve about running costs and asking for the deposit back. Since then, I've looked at 440i GC, 340i Touring (both rejected as didn't really feel there was going to be much difference from what I had), X5 (just didn't really excite me), but nothing really could tempt me away from the E91.
However, I've just put in an order for a new 5 door M140i. Seeing that the new model was going to be FWD and 4 pot made me realise they are a dying breed, so wanted to get one before they stop production.
This is actually going to be our family car, and compared to the E91 it's about as practical - our suitcases actually fit better in the 1 series than the 3 series, and I don't like packing above the window line in the Touring so much of the boot is wasted anyway.
Just something to consider...
I don’t think a project to repair would be for me. All my cars have been new or very close to new (max 7000 miles on the clock). Thank you for the suggestion however, it would save a lot esp if I was able to do car repair..!
The m140i- very nice, very fast... the engine is the same as my 440i isn’t it? Would it be any much quicker than my 440 with its mppsk? Also, can you still get the mppsk for the 40i engines? A friend told me something about them not being options anymore :-/
The m140i- very nice, very fast... the engine is the same as my 440i isn’t it? Would it be any much quicker than my 440 with its mppsk? Also, can you still get the mppsk for the 40i engines? A friend told me something about them not being options anymore :-/
shanks86 said:
The m140i- very nice, very fast... the engine is the same as my 440i isn’t it? Would it be any much quicker than my 440 with its mppsk? Also, can you still get the mppsk for the 40i engines? A friend told me something about them not being options anymore :-/
Same engine, different tune though. No idea which is quicker in real terms.MPPSK is no longer an option due to emissions regs.
As an aside, any form of finance is an expensive way to run a car. Unless you're going for something significantly cheaper, starting a new PCP isn't going to work out cheaper in the long run.
If you were happy with your 440i for a B road blast , then I think as it’s primarily a daily I would look at the new 3 series whatever the new M340i is called. It’s a rear bias AWD supposedly still fun.
If you wanted more B roadthrills then I believe you have to go proper M.
M2 could be a possibility. You’re right , noise on 2018 models appears to be muted due to emissions regulations but that wouldn’t be an issue on an M2, certainly not one that fits your budget.
If you wanted more B roadthrills then I believe you have to go proper M.
M2 could be a possibility. You’re right , noise on 2018 models appears to be muted due to emissions regulations but that wouldn’t be an issue on an M2, certainly not one that fits your budget.
shanks86 said:
I don’t think a project to repair would be for me. All my cars have been new or very close to new (max 7000 miles on the clock). Thank you for the suggestion however, it would save a lot esp if I was able to do car repair..!
Theres plenty of them less than a year old on ebay.If I was looking for a daily-driver and occasional b-road fun car at your budget, I'd probably be looking at the tidiest, newest E90 M3 Competition I could find (plus a big slush fund for running it) or maybe an M2. Or an M240i with some well-thought-out tweaks.
Not sure I'd want to be chancing some random eBay crash-damaged purchase.
Not sure I'd want to be chancing some random eBay crash-damaged purchase.
I'd be very tempted to hold fire and wait for the new G20 M340i to launch it a few months. Looks like it will an epic all rounder with strong performance (4.4s 0-60), all year traction from the xDrive and decent practicality. You'd also benefit from all the latest kit which is debuting in the new 3-series such as iDrive 7.
Also on a PCP you don't need to massively worry about going over mileage, just ask BMW FS for a settlement figure then see what value yours is worth as a trade in/ part exchange to pay it off. The excess mileage fees only kick in if you try and hand the car back to BMW.
Also on a PCP you don't need to massively worry about going over mileage, just ask BMW FS for a settlement figure then see what value yours is worth as a trade in/ part exchange to pay it off. The excess mileage fees only kick in if you try and hand the car back to BMW.
Yeah there's a lot of cool cat Ds on eBay. I think I would want to go down the route of buying from a main dealer- warranty etc/ servicing would be relatively more straightforward. Have always had service packs & I'm sure it would be cheaper to go 3rd party, however I like peace of mind (I am a sheep after all..!!)
Will there be a big difference in the 0-100mph between the 440i + mppsk, the M340i & the M2/ F80 M3? Tbh I am leaning towards the G20 M340, I think F10 M5 is in there because I always dreamed of owning one since I was a kid (my bro in law had a new E39 and that was my first love lol)
Would a 3rd party/ akrapovic solution be feasible on a new car, or is it now all a thing of the past due to emissions? I really love the misfires from the mppsk- it really appeals to my inner child!!
Also, handling wise, would an E90/92 M3 handle better than a 340i (out of curiosity) given the age gap between the 2?
Will there be a big difference in the 0-100mph between the 440i + mppsk, the M340i & the M2/ F80 M3? Tbh I am leaning towards the G20 M340, I think F10 M5 is in there because I always dreamed of owning one since I was a kid (my bro in law had a new E39 and that was my first love lol)
Would a 3rd party/ akrapovic solution be feasible on a new car, or is it now all a thing of the past due to emissions? I really love the misfires from the mppsk- it really appeals to my inner child!!
Also, handling wise, would an E90/92 M3 handle better than a 340i (out of curiosity) given the age gap between the 2?
shanks86 said:
I am quite attached to the car, however I was told keeping a car long term on pcp is a very expensive way to finance the car..?
Currently paying £680/ month with £1k put down. That was either the mppsk as a portside install and service pack. 4.9% apr I think.
Might be interesting to ask for a settlement figure and see if it is worth taking a loan out to pay it off. Good way to exit the recurring pcp cycle. You can still trade it in if you fancy a change at a later date and might even have a bit of equity at some future time point. Currently paying £680/ month with £1k put down. That was either the mppsk as a portside install and service pack. 4.9% apr I think.
va1o said:
I'd be very tempted to hold fire and wait for the new G20 M340i to launch it a few months. Looks like it will an epic all rounder with strong performance (4.4s 0-60), all year traction from the xDrive and decent practicality. You'd also benefit from all the latest kit which is debuting in the new 3-series such as iDrive 7.
Also on a PCP you don't need to massively worry about going over mileage, just ask BMW FS for a settlement figure then see what value yours is worth as a trade in/ part exchange to pay it off. The excess mileage fees only kick in if you try and hand the car back to BMW.
BMW quoted the 0-100kmh acceleration on my 340i xdrive with MPPSK as 4.6 seconds. Hence, apart from the initial low-speed traction I don't think you'll find a huge difference in the performance from a MPPSK car to the M340i. The xDrive is decent as AWD systems go and is rear-biased on mine, but it certainly struggles on snow, especially at low speed, compared to more humble AWD cars. (I would certainly be quicker in my old Subaru Forester XT and possibly, given the right road, in a Panda 4x4) Also on a PCP you don't need to massively worry about going over mileage, just ask BMW FS for a settlement figure then see what value yours is worth as a trade in/ part exchange to pay it off. The excess mileage fees only kick in if you try and hand the car back to BMW.
ladderino said:
What about an M140i?
I've had a 335i E91 for 8 years now. Have been tempted into multiple things over the years, and put a deposit down on an F10 M5 last summer before losing my nerve about running costs and asking for the deposit back. Since then, I've looked at 440i GC, 340i Touring (both rejected as didn't really feel there was going to be much difference from what I had), X5 (just didn't really excite me), but nothing really could tempt me away from the E91.
However, I've just put in an order for a new 5 door M140i. Seeing that the new model was going to be FWD and 4 pot made me realise they are a dying breed, so wanted to get one before they stop production.
This is actually going to be our family car, and compared to the E91 it's about as practical - our suitcases actually fit better in the 1 series than the 3 series, and I don't like packing above the window line in the Touring so much of the boot is wasted anyway.
Just something to consider...
Very off topic but - This makes zero sense! The whole point of a touring is so you can pack up to the roof!I've had a 335i E91 for 8 years now. Have been tempted into multiple things over the years, and put a deposit down on an F10 M5 last summer before losing my nerve about running costs and asking for the deposit back. Since then, I've looked at 440i GC, 340i Touring (both rejected as didn't really feel there was going to be much difference from what I had), X5 (just didn't really excite me), but nothing really could tempt me away from the E91.
However, I've just put in an order for a new 5 door M140i. Seeing that the new model was going to be FWD and 4 pot made me realise they are a dying breed, so wanted to get one before they stop production.
This is actually going to be our family car, and compared to the E91 it's about as practical - our suitcases actually fit better in the 1 series than the 3 series, and I don't like packing above the window line in the Touring so much of the boot is wasted anyway.
Just something to consider...
shanks86 said:
Also, handling wise, would an E90/92 M3 handle better than a 340i (out of curiosity) given the age gap between the 2?
Can't speak for the newer cars but I've had a E90 330d/330i and a E92 M3, I thought the M3 was leagues ahead of the standard cars chassis/suspension/handling wise. I'm not saying that the standard cars are poor, but you can tell/feel a difference between the two. 
shanks86 said:
Man maths got the better of me
Speak for yourself, I think you mean "bad maths". Looking at the # of miles between your last two mots should have told you what you needed. I know you felt wrong behind the wheel of the S5, but don't totally discount it. Also, for £35K you could be looking at an RS5. A total weapon, and AWD so none of that getting stuck in your own driveway nonsense
But otherwise I'd be wanting an M5 - if you can afford to run an M car. Costs are literally double that of the #35s and #40s of the world. If I was using it as a daily I would not be looking for an M. Other models *nearly* match their performance without the costs, and still destroy 99% of other cars on the road. A 40i or 35i is still a formidable foe! M240i maybe? You'd have change from your £35K too...to spend on brake replacements and fuel! Don't go getting write-off projects off ebay. There's a reason the people selling them aren't fixing them, it's because they're a lot more hassle and cost than it appears, especially if you want OEM parts and can't do the labour yourself. I certainly wouldn't unless I had my own garage, but I wouldn't trust my expertise. You then also can't trade them in at a dealer in the future quite often, or they give you a seriously reduced price.
Edited by redrook on Wednesday 30th January 10:45
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