Replacing a 130i m-sport

[stevekoz]

After selling my impreza sti for a more useable daily driver and fun car. I opted for the bullet proof e87 n52 130i. Last of the proper na engines BMW graced a car with...and well it appears its dead. A recent misfire appears to be due to a cracked block.

I have the choice ofcourse to repair it but the likelihood its not financially viable.

That sadly leaves me with a big bill and a requirement to change the car on a budget as financially I'm not currently in a position to buy new or nearly new.

So with a garage to fill and around £5000-£6000 to fill it. I'm in the market for a car that need to fit a fairly broad criteria.

Needs to be able to fit two young (8 & 6) children and if needed luggage enough for a long weekend. Therefore needs to be safe. Robust and fairly reliable.

Needs to be a good drivers car - good chassis and handling is important to me.

Needs to be fun but well appointed in the twisties. Many a time it will be driving along b-roads of south west wales.

It needs to be relatively quick and nimble which I guess goes hand in hand with hood handling.

No suggestions too leftfield. I like to go against the mould I guess.

So what would you guys n girls be looking at?

[smn159]

XJ Jag

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-Jaguar-XJ-3-6-XJ8-...

Or a 7 series

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-BMW-7-SERIES-SALOO...

I'd be happy with either of those

Edited by smn159 on Friday 30th March 15:10

[MDifficult]

Mk5 Golf GTI / R32

[Lee540]

Renault Sport Clio or Megane
Ford Focus 2.5 ST
Astra VXR

[Andy665]

S-Type R - one of the best all round cars I have ever owned, surprisingly nimble, wonderful sound (if backboxes are removed), can be economical, mine was 100% reliable, good specialist backup and not depreciating any more

[stevekoz]

Lee540 said:

Renault Sport Clio or Megane
Ford Focus 2.5 ST
Astra VXR

they have all been on the list.

is the vxr actually any good? heard it finds it difficult to handle the power at the front wheels?

[stevekoz]

Andy665 said:

S-Type R - one of the best all round cars I have ever owned, surprisingly nimble, wonderful sound (if backboxes are removed), can be economical, mine was 100% reliable, good specialist backup and not depreciating any more

jag s-type? that is left field. would never have considered it a nimble car? what was it like to live with? keen to know more. 👍

[Andy665]

stevekoz said:

jag s-type? that is left field. would never have considered it a nimble car? what was it like to live with? keen to know more. ??

It was a complete car - most comfortable seats I have ever had in a car, incredibly refined, very well built. Mine was at about 85k when sold (and often regretted) and was still incredibly taut.

I had it on several North Wales road trips and it was never anything but a lot of fun, very predictable and playful but still with an underlying degree of comfort and refinement

Specialist parts backup is superb - only really known weaknesses are sills (easy to check) - mine were 100% solid and the valley pipes in the V (again mine were perfect)

Look past the slightly eccentric styling (although the R is definitely the best looking S-Type) and there is a stunningly good car that only ever positively surprised people after a journey in mine - I replaced the Jag with a Merc CL500 and the Jag was a better car in every single aspect bar looks

Would I have another - in a heartbeat

[toby-w8jtf]

Another vote for the R32.....

Good handling, safe, fairly quick, excellent build quality and that V6 soundtrack.

What's not to love?

[keo]

smn159 said:

XJ Jag

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-Jaguar-XJ-3-6-XJ8-...

Or a 7 series

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-BMW-7-SERIES-SALOO...

I'd be happy with either of those

Edited by smn159 on Friday 30th March 15:10

Nice enough cars but not what I would call drivers cars. If they are drivers cars what would you class as a luxury wafter?

[smn159]

keo said:

Nice enough cars but not what I would call drivers cars. If they are drivers cars what would you class as a luxury wafter?

Well it's a broad criteria and nothing that you can fit kids and luggage into comfortably is going to be that driver focussed.

The other criteria was left field, which for me would rule out the Focus / Vauxhall / Clio options, although I'm sure that these are good cars.

I do admit that these tick some boxes more than other though

[stevekoz]

it is a broad criteria yes. but i want enough back seat for two kids and a couple of suitcases. but the priority is the driver focussed and fun part of the driving experience.

certainly happy with something left field but I guess with my budget. I'm in mid range hot hatch territory. for anything fun and driver(ish) focussed.

I'm a fan of fast saloons and hot hatches are fine. I guess though im a little bit old for most hot hatches I think these days. especially with 2 kids sometimes in tow.

[MDifficult]

stevekoz said:

I'm a fan of fast saloons and hot hatches are fine. I guess though im a little bit old for most hot hatches I think these days. especially with 2 kids sometimes in tow.

In that case, I’ll double-down on my R32 recommendation. Feels (and sounds) more ‘grown up’ than a regular GTI, especially if you go with the DSG option. I had mine with two older kids and a baby with no problems. Boot slightly small (because of the 4WD) but otherwise I think it fits your requirements perfectly.

Get a blue, 5 door, DSG with full leather and you’ll be a very happy camper.

[Summit_Detailing]

S-type R as mentioned above is a great shout.

Mercedes E500 & BMW 545i are rare but worth finding, Mazda 6 MPS' are well within budget too - all fall in the Q car / sleeper category.

cheers

Chris

[ZX10R NIN]

One thing I will say is the 130i wasn't the best chassis wise (unless you added a sprinkling of M3 parts to the table) it was capable but could be found wanting, now if you've not found this when driving yours then it does open up a host of possibilities.

I'd also go up a segment size.

525i M Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

E500 fast capable & it's got a V8

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Vectra VXR these are nowhere near as bad as Clarkson made them out to be & can be hustled along at a good pace, I'd say test drive one.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Ex Police Insignia VXR

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Mondeo Titanium X Sport: The best FWD steer in class & a trip to Mountune (or someone similar) will liberate around an extra 60bhp.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

335i M Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

330i M Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

C32 AMG Rare & starting to appreciate, check the rear arches for rust (stones from the rear tyres batter the little lip on the front of the rear arch) but the drivetrain is very strong.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

C280 Sport More capable than you'd think

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

C350 Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Passat 3.2 a bit of a sleeper it has the same engine as the R32 (a bit of suspension work & you'll have a sweet drive) & enough room for the family to sit in comfort.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[mike9009]

330i E92 (2007 on) would fit your criteria and would have the last great NA engine BMW graced a car with (the N53)

I have a 2007 model (with the N53 engine) and in 15 months it has been really good. Maybe a little too competent for my liking, but coming from an N52 130i, it should be familiar, a little larger but a useful amount of more power and greater economy than the N52.
I have two kids too, and they fit in the coupe without a hitch and the boot is huge! (compared to my other 'family' cars)


Mike

[stevekoz]

mike9009 said:

330i E92 (2007 on) would fit your criteria and would have the last great NA engine BMW graced a car with (the N53)

I have a 2007 model (with the N53 engine) and in 15 months it has been really good. Maybe a little too competent for my liking, but coming from an N52 130i, it should be familiar, a little larger but a useful amount of more power and greater economy than the N52.
I have two kids too, and they fit in the coupe without a hitch and the boot is huge! (compared to my other 'family' cars)


Mike

lol forgive my n52 comment then. I meant to say One of the last proper straight six cars...not THE last.

I have to say I do feel the 130i lacks the composure at speed. It gets out of shape over rough stuff quite easily and the front can feel a bit negative on turn in at speed. M3 arms help that.

I like the passat cc 3.6 and I like the c32.

As for the bmw. I can't help but feel drawn to them. Straight 6 and rwd. Its a great combination.

[ericmcn]

stevekoz said:

After selling my impreza sti for a more useable daily driver and fun car. I opted for the bullet proof e87 n52 130i. Last of the proper na engines BMW graced a car with...and well it appears its dead. A recent misfire appears to be due to a cracked block.

I have the choice ofcourse to repair it but the likelihood its not financially viable.

That sadly leaves me with a big bill and a requirement to change the car on a budget as financially I'm not currently in a position to buy new or nearly new.

So with a garage to fill and around £5000-£6000 to fill it. I'm in the market for a car that need to fit a fairly broad criteria.

Needs to be able to fit two young (8 & 6) children and if needed luggage enough for a long weekend. Therefore needs to be safe. Robust and fairly reliable.

Needs to be a good drivers car - good chassis and handling is important to me.

Needs to be fun but well appointed in the twisties. Many a time it will be driving along b-roads of south west wales.

It needs to be relatively quick and nimble which I guess goes hand in hand with hood handling.

No suggestions too leftfield. I like to go against the mould I guess.

So what would you guys n girls be looking at?

just get a Japanese car - thats what BMWs tend to do to your wallet.

[ericmcn]

smn159 said:

XJ Jag

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2005-Jaguar-XJ-3-6-XJ8-...

Or a 7 series

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-BMW-7-SERIES-SALOO...

I'd be happy with either of those

Edited by smn159 on Friday 30th March 15:10

he just had the financial misfortune of having an engine blown, I doubt a 7 series or a Jag XJ will offer comfort when they too go tits up.

[Toed64]

That's very bad luck - it's very rare for an N52 to blow. There are lots of good N52 motors available for around £1000...

If you are looking to save some money, I'd suggest halving your budget and buying Subaru Legacy Spec B (Billies all round and a bit lower than a standard Legacy) 3 litre, 32v flat 6 with the 6 speed manual gearbox. Personally, I'd go for an estate.

My daily is a 130i and my last one was a 135i, but we've also had 2 big Subarus over the last 10 years and neither has given a moment's grief - no break-downs, no big bills, ever. They are surprisingly quick, enormously comfortable, 4x4 with surprisingly good standard suspenson set up and have a marvellous soundtrack - like a 911.

My wife (a better driver than I am) has often come in grinning about some encounter with a chancer that couldn't keep up.