Discussion
Another boring what car thread I know but I’m after the unimpeachable advice of the pistonheads massive – and in a strange twist for a what car thread, I haven’t already decided on what car I want and I’m not just looking for clarification.
Basically my situation is this;
I currently have a Mk6 Golf 2.0Tdi (110) company car – it’s up for renewal in March and my employer has changed fleet suppliers. The new list is dull to say the least – further to that tax changes are coming in that make anything remotely quick expensive. My company provides a fuel card so whilst advantageous (I do about 20k a year, about half of this is personal), again the cost of this is going up.
I also have an 11 plate MX-5 1.8 SE sat in the garage – my better half uses this but not much – we have had it since last July and it had 1847 miles on the clock when I got in it yesterday.
I have test driven and really liked a Merc C220 CDi Sport. Been offered an extremely good lease deal on one which roughly balances out with my allowance when I factor in running costs and insurance etc. BUT I’d have to balance some of my business miles in the MX-5 as a bigger mileage limit on the lease means the numbers don’t add up.
However – I am thinking about buying something older, running it for a year at which point I will probably be looking to sell my house so the cash I can put away in that time will be of great use.
So my budget would be about £2-2.5k to make it an outright buy for me comfortably. Other criteria:
Needs to be of a decent size and have four doors for practical purposes
I want something reliable
Good motorway cruising ability
Decent bit of poke
Nice spec – cruise/ climate/ leather etc.
I’ve looked at diesels but they are more expensive and I’m not sure they add up (although my missus struggles to believe this). Autotrader brings up the following highlights for that kind of budget:
325i/ 330i E46 - I like these – I had an E46 coupe before the Golf so I am familiar with them, mine was the lowly 318ci though, some 6 cylinder action appeals.
Saab 9-3 – these seem like bargains, 2.0T? 2.3T? I’ve even seen one with “HOT” in the title! Ha ha! No idea about reliability though or how much fuel they chew.
Jag X-Type – my old man had a 2.5 SE for years, lovely car and he had virtually no issues with it, he even averaged about 30mpg ish over that time.
Any other thoughts?
My brother in law owns a garage so maintenance comes as cheap as you can get for me. He is also willing to come to an auction with me to assist which is good.
Thanks!
Basically my situation is this;
I currently have a Mk6 Golf 2.0Tdi (110) company car – it’s up for renewal in March and my employer has changed fleet suppliers. The new list is dull to say the least – further to that tax changes are coming in that make anything remotely quick expensive. My company provides a fuel card so whilst advantageous (I do about 20k a year, about half of this is personal), again the cost of this is going up.
I also have an 11 plate MX-5 1.8 SE sat in the garage – my better half uses this but not much – we have had it since last July and it had 1847 miles on the clock when I got in it yesterday.
I have test driven and really liked a Merc C220 CDi Sport. Been offered an extremely good lease deal on one which roughly balances out with my allowance when I factor in running costs and insurance etc. BUT I’d have to balance some of my business miles in the MX-5 as a bigger mileage limit on the lease means the numbers don’t add up.
However – I am thinking about buying something older, running it for a year at which point I will probably be looking to sell my house so the cash I can put away in that time will be of great use.
So my budget would be about £2-2.5k to make it an outright buy for me comfortably. Other criteria:
Needs to be of a decent size and have four doors for practical purposes
I want something reliable
Good motorway cruising ability
Decent bit of poke
Nice spec – cruise/ climate/ leather etc.
I’ve looked at diesels but they are more expensive and I’m not sure they add up (although my missus struggles to believe this). Autotrader brings up the following highlights for that kind of budget:
325i/ 330i E46 - I like these – I had an E46 coupe before the Golf so I am familiar with them, mine was the lowly 318ci though, some 6 cylinder action appeals.
Saab 9-3 – these seem like bargains, 2.0T? 2.3T? I’ve even seen one with “HOT” in the title! Ha ha! No idea about reliability though or how much fuel they chew.
Jag X-Type – my old man had a 2.5 SE for years, lovely car and he had virtually no issues with it, he even averaged about 30mpg ish over that time.
Any other thoughts?
My brother in law owns a garage so maintenance comes as cheap as you can get for me. He is also willing to come to an auction with me to assist which is good.
Thanks!
Just get an E46 3-Series. If you can find a good condition 330i then that's the answer, although you may find a better condition 325i - you'll just have to look local to you.
You can also get a lot of Saab for your money too as you say - but it certainly won't handle as good as a BMW (will be newer though).
Oh, HOT on Saabs stands for High Output Turbo!
You can also get a lot of Saab for your money too as you say - but it certainly won't handle as good as a BMW (will be newer though).
Oh, HOT on Saabs stands for High Output Turbo!
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