Second car dilemma

[robinh73]

I am after a second car, something in the £4-£4,500 region. I will probably be doing 6-7k miles a year in it, as I have a company car. I have always had a soft spot for the Clio 197 and also the E46 BMW 330ci. Very different cars indeed, but it would appear that both are available within this budget. So, any owners out there who could give me pros and cons? Also, anything else I should consider?

[ollyh1988]

I had a BMW 330 for almost a year and never liked it.

Mine was a convertible, which undoubtedly blunted the performance (and made it a rattly thing to drive down the local back roads). The engine was really nice and smooth, and made a nice (but slightly muted) noise, but never felt that fast to me. Mine also consumed a fair bit of oil, but when I checked it was within the manufacturer tolerances. It was a really nice place to sit on long journeys and I still think it is a fantastic looking car, even today. But, my daily driver is an E90 325i touring, and to be honest I think I prefer driving this.

So of the two choices, I would go for the Renault if you want something sporty, and the BMW if you want something comfortable to cover the miles in.

[robinh73]

I too think the e46 coupe (and actually the saloon and convertible) look superb. I would love an m3 of this vintage but don't really want to blow that much just yet. Interesting what you say about the convertible (but also not surprising) and I have to say I have been looking at the convertible 330 as it would be a great summer car. But the Renault is fun, fast and newer, but a more frantic drive I would also imagine. Both epic cars and I don't know which way to go!

[ZX10R NIN]

I'm bias but I'd also say consider these:

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

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

320 Avantgarde

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

[robinh73]

ZX10R NIN said:

I'm bias but I'd also say consider these:

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

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

320 Avantgarde

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

Ah yes a good option and one I had overlooked. I take it you have first hand experience with them?

[ZX10R NIN]

Yes I do I've had a good few of them & still own one, they're very good cars is there anything you'd like to know then feel free to ask.

[robinh73]

ZX10R NIN said:

Yes I do I've had a good few of them & still own one, they're very good cars is there anything you'd like to know then feel free to ask.

Excellent, many thanks for that. I will do some looking and see what I can find. It would be nice to have a bigger budget but motorbikes take up most of the spare cash 🤣

[ZX10R NIN]

Nothing wrong with spending money on bikes

The CLK's are a very good choice especially in Sport trim as you also get the lovely heated Orthopedic Seats, the way all the windows drop away makes the CLK's feel special the 280 is a good option as the bigger 350's had a balancer issue that wasn't sorted until 2007 but most earlier ones should've had the fix done by now.

[robinh73]

ZX10R NIN said:

Nothing wrong with spending money on bikes

The CLK's are a very good choice especially in Sport trim as you also get the lovely heated Orthopedic Seats, the way all the windows drop away makes the CLK's feel special the 280 is a good option as the bigger 350's had a balancer issue that wasn't sorted until 2007 but most earlier ones should've had the fix done by now.

I did figure that with your name, you would be sympathetic to the bike spending. Just trying to work out which bike to get for the coming road race season, too much choice really!
The 280 would probably offer a good balance of economy with fun too. Were there any major changes in the year around 2005ish, which is where my budget lies?

[andye30m3]

I had a clio 197 up until a few months ago when it was hit up the back and written off, replaced it with a 330.

The BMW's fine, drive quite nicely but not really a sports car, quite heavy and doesn't feel all that fast, nice enough place to be on a longer run. Getting older, mine is starting to need bushes replacing which are a pain to do and has a few minor electrical issues.

Clio had a more fun engine, quite revy and was good on the back lanes to work, did tend to understeer a bit which I occasionally found irritating. The belts are expensive to do and things like seats and steering wheels don't wear well.

Like you say both are well within budget, my clio was a pretty good car and only cost £2700 and the BMW was £2k although there better examples out there.

Personally as a 2nd car I think I'd want something a different, not sure if any of the following are within budget but maybe an Interga type R, S2000, Clio 182 Trophy, Megane R26 or 350Z

[ZX10R NIN]

Get a BMW you can't be the support you get at the Road Races there are always techs at the International races & there are normally a couple of BMW appointed riders with the software to read your bike if you have any issues at the smaller races like the Skerries/Tandragee etc.

2005 was the facelift point & also the point when the 280/350 engines were brought in to replace the 240/320 engines.

If you don't mind the fuel (being honest the real world difference is 3-5mpg between this & the 320) then I'd go for this 500:

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

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

If you go for a 280 then go for a Sport as they get the spec, it means haggling but you should be able to land one very close to the top end of your budget.

These are the 320's I'd recommend.

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

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

240

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

[robinh73]

Cheers for the replies and great to hear of actual ownership of both the 197 and 330. I think the 197 does probably win on the fact it is a newer car essentially, probably about 5-6 years difference on my budget. I certainly am open to looking at other cars such as the s2000 etc.
The Merc clk is looking like a good option, especially the 320 and 500 variants. Those are some gems you have found and I think the 500clk looks like a very nice place indeed to pass the miles away. Also has a great v8 up front so could be amusing. They also don't tend to have the same mileages as the BMW and also look to be in better nick (from my quick browsings).
As for the bike, I know a good number of fellow competitors on BMWs and they love them. Toss up between that or a zx10 or gsxr.

[ZX10R NIN]

The 197's are an absolute ball & they're the best steer of the three, the 3 series & CLK's are more like GT's in comparison but they have the ability to get a hustle on.

But to counter this you do get a relaxed car to jump in after a hard day at the office

There's also the 350Z

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

You can also land a very good Focus ST-3 for your budget:

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

[ZX10R NIN]

The BMW's are great bikes I can't fault them I like the fact they're easy to update put the full 2018 electronics package on my 2016 this as well as the updated engine.

[robinh73]

For some reason I have never really gelled with the Focus STs. Not sure why and maybe it is another I should consider. It does have that great 5 cylinder engine which is a bonus!
I take it you race bikes too do you?

[ZX10R NIN]

Used to but now (really wasn't fast enough) just have fun at trackdays & helpmates out who race, I bought my BMW off a mate literally as he finished the Ulster GP needless to say it needed & refresh

The reason I updated it was I got offered it at a silly price (because they wanted to have a spare at the major races) so I went for it.

[robinh73]

Sounds as though you got a bargain! The Ulster GP is my favourite meeting, love it there.
Been trawling eBay and Auto trader all night getting ideas. Head is scrambled now!

[ZX10R NIN]

Workout the cars main usage & go from there, one thing I forgot to mention about the CLK's which is that the rear seats fold down which is very handy when you've picked up a 55" TV.

NW200 is my favourite event with the Ulster & Armoy being my favorite races.