Searching for a car i want to keep!
Discussion
Hi there,
I'm looking for a car, that i want to keep for a good while! The trouble is that i'm very picky..
A bit of background info:
My first car was a 1998 Peugeot 106 1.6 Rallye, and i absolutely loved that little thing. Had it for almost 8 years and 100.000 km (60.000 miles), but it started to need more love than i was able to give it at that point in time, so i had to let it go.
After i graduated my studies and got my first job, i got a 2013 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sportiva 170. Loved the way it looked, especially in the dark blue metallic mine was. But the driving characteristics didn't live up to my expectations. It felt big and heavy, and all of the controls lacked any kind of feel - so i sold it one year later.
After moving closer to where i work, i thought i would get something more special. I have always liked classic cars, and after searching for a little while, and with some help from you guys, i bought beautiful green 1978 BMW E21 323i. What a great driving experience that was! Sadly it was hiding a lot of issues that started to show up after some use, and turned out to be more of a project car than a useable classic - i wish i didn't but i had to let it go.
I traded it to my current 2000 Toyota MR2 Roadster, trying to get some of that eagerness and fun factor back i had in the 106. It was the best option at the time, and keep in mind that it was more out of need than will. I'm not loving it.. It's too cumbersome on a daily basis, and it gets exhausting an noisy on long drives. I must be getting old (turning 30, but hair loss is already setting in..)
So here i am, trying to find a car that drives well, is reliable enough to use, doesn't break the bank, and has something special about it. I have done a lot of thinking, browsing, contemplating and other words, to try and map out what i actually want from my car.
As evident from my previous cars, i like the left field cars - the ones you don't see that often.
It doesn't have to have go-kart sharp handling, but it has to provide some sort of feedback on a spirited drive in the country.
It has to be somewhat comfortable and refined as well. I am doing fairly long motorway drives from time to time.
It doesn't have to be supercar fast. If it feels eager and responsive, that can be acceptable. Power is nice though.
Reliability is also a factor - i don't want to spend all my time and money on repairs. I tend to worry about potential failures, at least until the car has proven that it can work for a sensible amount of time without breaking.
I am after something smaller to mid-sized. I do like Coupés!
Not interested in automatics.
I'm doing around 8.000 miles per year, give and take..
I think the perfect car for me would be a 911, but they are way out of budget. I live in Denmark, so car prices are very different to the UK.
After having been through the classifieds more times than i would like to admit, there are two cars that seem to keep catching my eye. Peugeot 406 Coupé and BMW E46 Coupé.
There are four parcticular cars of interest, two of each.
1)
1998 Peugeot 406 Coupé 2.0 - 160.000 km (100.000 miles)
This one looks to be in great shape and decent mileage! Only apparent downsides so far is cloth interior (no big deal) and the smaller engine. I have tried a 2.0 recently, and i think it's okay, but it doesn't ever get particularly exciting. It's probably cheaper and easier to maintain than the V6 though.
2)
1998 Peugeot 406 Coupé 3.0 V6 - 290.000 km (180.000 miles)
Looks to be in great shape as well, it has definitely been cared for. Full service history, leather seats, sunroof, V6, two owner car, first owner up to 250.000 km (155.000 miles). But damn, that's a lot of miles.. I know that the V6 is a strong engine, but is this maybe pushing the limits?
3)
2003 BMW E46 330Ci - 250.000 km (155.000 miles)
The most powerful of the four, looks to be in acceptable condition. I think i can spot some beginning rust bubbles behind one front wheel, otherwise good from pictures. It is a low spec 330 though, standard cloth seats, no climate control (does have A/C), no heated seats. It does have cruise control. Basically this is pretty much "just" for the engine.
4)
2003 BMW E46 320Ci - 210.000 km (130.000 miles)
Fewer miles than the 330, same equipment and same price. Still more power than the 2.0 406 though.
I haven't driven an E46 yet, looking to try the 330 on friday.
Researching the E46 leaves me with mixed impressions. It's bulletproof and will live forever, but everything leaks and breaks. On the upside it's easy to find help and guides.
It's worth noting though, that the BMWs are almost double the price of the Peugeots, and very close to my budget limit. With the Peugeots i will have a decent amount of money to spare from the MR2 to spend on maintenance and fixing smaller potential issues when i get the car.
The 406 also wins on looks and rarity in my book! I think it looks absolutely gorgeous, especially on a nice set of wheels. It also provides some nostalgia, since we had a 406 sedan as a family car when i grew up.
I don't know if the E46 will feel special enough for me - it doesn't really stand out, but it is a nice car.
Well this turned out to be a longer novel than i thought.. Sorry about that.
I am interested in hearing your opinions on the matter - what would you go for with the same criterias? I am of course open to other suggestions! My budget is the MR2.
Thanks!
-Alexander
I'm looking for a car, that i want to keep for a good while! The trouble is that i'm very picky..
A bit of background info:
My first car was a 1998 Peugeot 106 1.6 Rallye, and i absolutely loved that little thing. Had it for almost 8 years and 100.000 km (60.000 miles), but it started to need more love than i was able to give it at that point in time, so i had to let it go.
After i graduated my studies and got my first job, i got a 2013 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sportiva 170. Loved the way it looked, especially in the dark blue metallic mine was. But the driving characteristics didn't live up to my expectations. It felt big and heavy, and all of the controls lacked any kind of feel - so i sold it one year later.
After moving closer to where i work, i thought i would get something more special. I have always liked classic cars, and after searching for a little while, and with some help from you guys, i bought beautiful green 1978 BMW E21 323i. What a great driving experience that was! Sadly it was hiding a lot of issues that started to show up after some use, and turned out to be more of a project car than a useable classic - i wish i didn't but i had to let it go.
I traded it to my current 2000 Toyota MR2 Roadster, trying to get some of that eagerness and fun factor back i had in the 106. It was the best option at the time, and keep in mind that it was more out of need than will. I'm not loving it.. It's too cumbersome on a daily basis, and it gets exhausting an noisy on long drives. I must be getting old (turning 30, but hair loss is already setting in..)
So here i am, trying to find a car that drives well, is reliable enough to use, doesn't break the bank, and has something special about it. I have done a lot of thinking, browsing, contemplating and other words, to try and map out what i actually want from my car.
As evident from my previous cars, i like the left field cars - the ones you don't see that often.
It doesn't have to have go-kart sharp handling, but it has to provide some sort of feedback on a spirited drive in the country.
It has to be somewhat comfortable and refined as well. I am doing fairly long motorway drives from time to time.
It doesn't have to be supercar fast. If it feels eager and responsive, that can be acceptable. Power is nice though.
Reliability is also a factor - i don't want to spend all my time and money on repairs. I tend to worry about potential failures, at least until the car has proven that it can work for a sensible amount of time without breaking.
I am after something smaller to mid-sized. I do like Coupés!
Not interested in automatics.
I'm doing around 8.000 miles per year, give and take..
I think the perfect car for me would be a 911, but they are way out of budget. I live in Denmark, so car prices are very different to the UK.
After having been through the classifieds more times than i would like to admit, there are two cars that seem to keep catching my eye. Peugeot 406 Coupé and BMW E46 Coupé.
There are four parcticular cars of interest, two of each.
1)
1998 Peugeot 406 Coupé 2.0 - 160.000 km (100.000 miles)
This one looks to be in great shape and decent mileage! Only apparent downsides so far is cloth interior (no big deal) and the smaller engine. I have tried a 2.0 recently, and i think it's okay, but it doesn't ever get particularly exciting. It's probably cheaper and easier to maintain than the V6 though.
2)
1998 Peugeot 406 Coupé 3.0 V6 - 290.000 km (180.000 miles)
Looks to be in great shape as well, it has definitely been cared for. Full service history, leather seats, sunroof, V6, two owner car, first owner up to 250.000 km (155.000 miles). But damn, that's a lot of miles.. I know that the V6 is a strong engine, but is this maybe pushing the limits?
3)
2003 BMW E46 330Ci - 250.000 km (155.000 miles)
The most powerful of the four, looks to be in acceptable condition. I think i can spot some beginning rust bubbles behind one front wheel, otherwise good from pictures. It is a low spec 330 though, standard cloth seats, no climate control (does have A/C), no heated seats. It does have cruise control. Basically this is pretty much "just" for the engine.
4)
2003 BMW E46 320Ci - 210.000 km (130.000 miles)
Fewer miles than the 330, same equipment and same price. Still more power than the 2.0 406 though.
I haven't driven an E46 yet, looking to try the 330 on friday.
Researching the E46 leaves me with mixed impressions. It's bulletproof and will live forever, but everything leaks and breaks. On the upside it's easy to find help and guides.
It's worth noting though, that the BMWs are almost double the price of the Peugeots, and very close to my budget limit. With the Peugeots i will have a decent amount of money to spare from the MR2 to spend on maintenance and fixing smaller potential issues when i get the car.
The 406 also wins on looks and rarity in my book! I think it looks absolutely gorgeous, especially on a nice set of wheels. It also provides some nostalgia, since we had a 406 sedan as a family car when i grew up.
I don't know if the E46 will feel special enough for me - it doesn't really stand out, but it is a nice car.
Well this turned out to be a longer novel than i thought.. Sorry about that.
I am interested in hearing your opinions on the matter - what would you go for with the same criterias? I am of course open to other suggestions! My budget is the MR2.
Thanks!
-Alexander
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff