Beamer or Banger

steve700

save-a-lot wrote:

Why?

best all round situation in terms of safety at least if driven normally anyway

And a bit unnerving when spinning round at Camp Corner (Castle Combe) on a track day......

tomstickland

Why? Because RWD is all about balancing the car on the throttle and having unpolluted front wheel feedback. AWD is about ultimate grip.

kawanakya

For all those out there who just can't resist getting themselves into debt in order to be seen in a tin can with a fancy badge on it... and EVERYONE knows that there are a lot of you out there... here's a tip:

Don't waste your money on a damn cheap BMW. Anyone with a telephone, a lack of common sense, and the number to Norton Finance get themselves sorted out with a 3 series. They are just too common these days. Go right to the top models or don't bother!

Get a real car. Perhaps you'd be interested in a Lexus?

And you know what people are thinking when they see yet another low range BMW?

1. Company car.
2. So, you're yet another one of those pastel-coloured-shirt-wearing 30-something "what the hell is it that you actually do?!" middle-management consultancy guys, eh? I see they finally upgraded you from a Ford Mondeo.
3. You're paying £120/week for THAT?!

Most people are also amused by those out there that live in a shoebox of an apartment, then run to the window to check that their BMW is OK every time they hear a car alarm or a strange noise outside.

Furthermore, owning a cheap BMW is akin to owning a top of the range Lada plated with fake gold. It reeks of desperation to impress. You can get a better equipped, better quality Toyota for the same cash, and you'll end up looking like old money without even attempting to impress anyone.

save-a-lot

I take it you don't like old Beamers then :rotfl:
I can't see anything wrong with them, I haven't got one, but I do not care what other people think anyway. If you knew the cars I have had then you would realise that. Not all people are bothered what others think.

Phoenix79_2

kawanakya wrote:

For all those out there who just can't resist getting themselves into debt in order to be seen in a tin can with a fancy badge on it... and EVERYONE knows that there are a lot of you out there... here's a tip:

Don't waste your money on a damn cheap BMW. Anyone with a telephone, a lack of common sense, and the number to Norton Finance get themselves sorted out with a 3 series. They are just too common these days. Go right to the top models or don't bother!

Get a real car. Perhaps you'd be interested in a Lexus?

And you know what people are thinking when they see yet another low range BMW?

1. Company car.
2. So, you're yet another one of those pastel-coloured-shirt-wearing 30-something "what the hell is it that you actually do?!" middle-management consultancy guys, eh? I see they finally upgraded you from a Ford Mondeo.
3. You're paying £120/week for THAT?!

Most people are also amused by those out there that live in a shoebox of an apartment, then run to the window to check that their BMW is OK every time they hear a car alarm or a strange noise outside.

Furthermore, owning a cheap BMW is akin to owning a top of the range Lada plated with fake gold. It reeks of desperation to impress. You can get a better equipped, better quality Toyota for the same cash, and you'll end up looking like old money without even attempting to impress anyone.

Heh heh that little rant made me laugh first thing in the morning (i need to laugh i'm stuck in the office until 5pm)

Can't believe you class a Toyotas and Lexus as a 'real cars'. Its just souless. Cheap interiors and no real driving sensation. Reliable no doubt but so have the German cars i have owned. I had a Lexus through work for a while. It was the SC430 and while it was good to pose about in (loved the retractable roof), it certainlly wasn't worth its huge price tag that it would have commanded if i'd have actually owned it myself. At the same time i owned a high spec beamer (325i Motorsport) and i loved it to bits. Far superior to anything that comes out of Japan in my opinion. Much better to drive.

When it came to changing my car last year I looked at the Honda Civic which i really like the look of but plumped for a new Merc instead. You really can't beat the Germans when it comes to cars (saying that i wouldn't say no to a Nissan Skyline! ) But....each to their own. I don't judge what other people drive. If you prefer Jap cars then fair enough.

edit: My car is heavily subsidised/discounted through work so i am being MSE

tomstickland

Don't waste your money on a damn cheap BMW.

Your post says nothing about me and lot about you. I'm talking about a £1000 16 year old BMW that I drive for fun. The sort of people you describe would not go anywhere near a car like mine.

Then again, maybe some of these silly people just value the driving experience of a BMW over and above other things. I'd take a zero spec RWD model over a top spec FWD model any day. I'm a niche market, but I value the power delivery and engineering over and above any manner of trim or spec.

Davesnave

I keep back copies of 'Motoring Which?' so that when the time comes for me to buy my next banger I'll have some info. I've always driven bangers (cars from £60 to £2000) over 35 years. Two breakdowns that I couldn't sort in all that time, both a mile or so from home. Honest John is a great site.. My top tips are to study the seller as much as the car when you buy & ask lots of questions....and don't touch anything without history unless you really know what you're doing.

Bunnyinthelights

I bought a Mitsubishi Space Wagon in Sept.
I am a childminder that does a school run that is too far to walk (but moving next year-TRYING to get closer to the school) and I need a 7 seater, automatic (exchanged Candian licence for UK) I've just had the WORST MOT ever, basically, the car is unsafe. I've been shafted and need a new car...I am going to take the blasted test so I can 'legally' drive manual (although I have driven manual for 8 years in hubbys car) but trying to find a SAFE, reliable, economical 7 seater is rarer than a brussel sprout in tescos on Christmas Eve. ANy help, suggestions would be greatly received...
I have a maximum of £1500 to spend and even that is using the money I saved for the kids...I could cry...

My hubby has always bought good second hand cars-he researches everything carefully but we're in slight disagreement about this one-I want toyota previa/estima grey import but he says NO!

Bunny

mrbeigeferrari

After reading a few of the recommendations of cheap cars I had to register to say about my Triumph Acclaim! I have had three now and they are all really good reliable cars.

The first one I bought for £125. It was an 1981 and really fast (faster than boy racers). It started every morning and I loved having a 'classic' car. When I had little accident crashing into a wall and had to replace a wing, I joined the Triumph Acclaim forum on Yahoo, where many other helpful Acclaim owners were there to help out with parts and advice - whenever I have had a problem they have always sorted me out.

The thing is these cars, although old are rather retro and although a 1.3 have a twin carb (Honda) engine and you can usually get a good one for £150 - £400 off Ebay (although I recommend a viewing first), the Triumph Acclaim yahoo forum or
http://www.a222.co.uk/acclaim/index.html

For two of us it costs £160 for insurance (at age 26 and 28) in Bristol which is dead cheap. Lots of people laugh at my car but it costs me next to nothing - It is in the lower tax bracket and will also tow if you want it to. I just laugh at the peoplewho laugh at my car as I can spend the money that I save on not having car credit high insurance and tax on mor important things in life!

My current one was previously shown as the classic model at the birmingham Classic car show at the NEC, and has been round France and beat all the other variaties of Triumph at a race track - and it only cost £400!

Take a look at the website http://www.a222.co.uk/acclaim/index.html to see what I mean!

Thanks for looking at this post. I know of two for sale in Bristol if anyone is interested!

Prudent

Snaggles wrote:

I have a 12 year old Nissan Micra, which has yet again just sailed through it's MOT (Damn you car!! I was hoping for an excuse to buy a new one lol!).

I don't think I would ever buy a new car though, even if I could afford it - they just lose their value so quickly, but then I'm a typical girlie when it comes to cars - if it gets me from A to B, and is a pretty colour, I'm happy lol!

I had a micra several years ago. It was a fab car and gave me no problems. I stupidly sold it when it was five years old because I was worried about the cost of changing over when it was older. It is now 12 years old and discovered last year it belongs to someone two streets away from me. Her uncle bought in from the dealer I traded it into and then it came to her. They have had no problems and I have been through several cars since :rolleyes: