Sub-£3k RWD Saloon...

[Jakg]

I've decided my next car has to be RWD, and that I want a 4-door saloon, so I need some suggestions.

Will be doing 15+k a year, so economy is nice - my current car (MG ZT CDTI) does ~44 MPG so would like something similar. LPG is a possibility.

Love gadgets, but can fit most myself... all I *need* are 4 electric windows and cruise control.

I'm 19 so insurance is a massive issue.

Don't mind the age much, but I don't like the styling of older cars generally...

Suggestions i've thought of so far:
e46 - generally quite expensive to buy / insure. Love the look, but it seems to get a 320d equivalent to my MG costs nearly double!
e36 - not to keen on it, plus theres no viable diesel,
C-Class - stuck with the older W202 shape which i'm not too keen on,
Lexus IS200 - drinks like a mofo, but LPG could solve that, everything else seems really good.

[slipstream 1985]

lexus.

i was thinking of quite a few cars but the more i read down your list of wants likes hates the narrower the options became.

[andy43]

I'm guessing the IS200 may be cheaper to insure than BMs too.

[Jakg]

andy43 said:

I'm guessing the IS200 may be cheaper to insure than BMs too.

The IS200 isn't too much more than my current car, which is nice...

Still hoping someone will have a some more suggestions, though!

[Otter Smacker]

Audi S4 fits right into your budget. Just not sure about the insurance...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2134525.htm

[Jakg]

Otter Smacker said:

Audi S4 fits right into your budget. Just not sure about the insurance...

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2134525.htm

Insurable? No

Economical? No

RWD? Not really.

Wouldn't mind a bit of AWD action tho.

[maniac0796]

There's the 325 TDS from the E36 era if you want a diesel?

Vauxhall Omega has the same engine IIRC?

[Zad]

A £3K S4 biturbo must be absolutely shot for that money. I'm guessing it is in imminent need of a couple of new turbos, othersie it would be twice that price.

[RB5]

I'd avoid converting a car to LPG at the moment, I believe the tax limitations on LPG expire in 2011 so who knows how much it'll cost after that. 15k miles isn't too high really, how about an E36/E46 320i? Or an E39 5-Series?

Edited by RB5 on Saturday 23 October 20:15

[SC7]

318is Saloon

[Jakg]

maniac0796 said:

There's the 325 TDS from the E36 era if you want a diesel?

Vauxhall Omega has the same engine IIRC?

My Dad used to have an Omega, loved it, but alas oddly expensive insurance

RB5 said:

15k miles isn't too high really, how about an E36/E46 320i?

At the current prices, over 15k (probably do closer to 20k tbh...). a 320i would cost me £870.36 a year more...

e39 5-series is a good shout, though... lower insurance group on a 520i vs a 320i...

Insurance is a fair bit more on the 525td though

[chrisispringles]

You could get a10 or so year old E39 BMW 5 series diesel, although for that money it will have 100+k on the clock. They're fairly solid cars, but the automatic transmission tends to fail at high miles and the cooling system is pretty crap as well. If you buy a manual one that has either had the cooling system replaced recently or is cheap enough that you can afford to replace it then you could be on to a winner.

2002 BMW 525d

[redgriff500]

When considering LPG cars its best to find one already converted.

Simply search here, Ebay, A Trader with 'LPG' as the keyword and see what comes up.

[thebrush8]

BMW E32/E38 7 Series? I bought mine earlier this year (when I was 24) and it wasn't too bad to insure. Although a V8 is a bit thirsty...hmmm...what about an E34 5 series? Should be able to pick up a nice one for £3k, I've always fancied a touring myself...

[Jakg]

thebrush8 said:

BMW E32/E38 7 Series? I bought mine earlier this year (when I was 24) and it wasn't too bad to insure. Although a V8 is a bit thirsty...hmmm...what about an E34 5 series? Should be able to pick up a nice one for £3k, I've always fancied a touring myself...

Not to keen on the E32 / E34 / E38.

E39 / E46 / E65 is where it starts for me.

[RB5]

Jakg said:

RB5 said:

15k miles isn't too high really, how about an E36/E46 320i?

At the current prices, over 15k (probably do closer to 20k tbh...). a 320i would cost me £870.36 a year more...

Need to keep in mind that diesel engines are generally more complex and can end up with unexpected big bills when stuff goes wrong! What sort of insurance quotes are you getting for these cars?

[Jakg]

RB5 said:

What sort of insurance quotes are you getting for these cars?

Confused says £2,200-£2,400, versus it's quote of £1,900 for my current car. But I actually pay ~£1,150 - so it'd be about 10% more to insure which isn't the end of the world.

Before you say it, a stbox Corsa or something would be ~£950 to insure. Would much rather be in a comfortable saloon I love than a Corsa for the sake of £200 a year!

Edited by Jakg on Sunday 24th October 00:05

Edited by Jakg on Sunday 24th October 00:06

[anonymous-user]

Jakg said:

E39 / E46 / E65 is where it starts for me.

That's fantastic, but you don't have the budget to actually buy a half decent example of pretty much any of those.

These like this is one of those many examples where someone's eyes are bigger than their wallet.

[Jakg]

Simps said:

Jakg said:

E39 / E46 / E65 is where it starts for me.

That's fantastic, but you don't have the budget to actually buy a half decent example of pretty much any of those.

These like this is one of those many examples where someone's eyes are bigger than their wallet.

I never said I did, which is why I need to find something different...

[BriC175]

Simps said:

Jakg said:

E39 / E46 / E65 is where it starts for me.

That's fantastic, but you don't have the budget to actually buy a half decent example of pretty much any of those.

These like this is one of those many examples where someone's eyes are bigger than their wallet.

£3000 could buy you a spotless E39 (non-sport though).

I just sold my LPG converted E39 520i for £1700. It was high mileage, but it never let me down. I used it to commute 100 miles a day, and I absolutely loved it. Got the equivelant of about 55MPG in cost compared to petrol.

Edited by BriC175 on Sunday 24th October 11:05