replacing beloved old bmw...opinions please

love_lifer

Hello all

I posted for advice last year and found it really helpful.

I have a 1999 323 coupe which for 10 years has been a fantastic reliable car. It still is. However insurnace will be £800+ this year (car can only be worth similar figure), and it does about 25-30 to the gallon. I wonder if i should sell and get a newer car- cheap, maybe a 2004 3 series compact?

Becasue Ive had such a good experience with bmw and I like the look, Im struggling to consider other makes. I want something a bit exciting and good spec but reliable and good/better mpg than I get currently.

Also,if anyone has some knowledge is current car likely to hit problems soon? its done 85k and i look after it. Realise this is a tricky question to answer...

Thanks for reading, all opinions gratefully received

Splott

Wife's BMW 525 had 195k on when we sold it and ran like a dream.

oliverr

BMWs, Audis, Mercedes all high quality cars that can run for many miles, generally speaking. Not sure if it's a coupe or a saloon you're after?

Maybe have a look at the Audi A5 too.

steve-L

Have you changed clutch yet?
Your post 1995 so it should be a timing chain not belt.... if it hasn't started to clatter it's probably good...

If you can stretch to a late 2005/2006 330D you might be very pleasantly surprised in both MPG and performance.

Alternatively have you considered Skoda Octavia? or Audi A4?
(Niether of which will come close performance wise in diesel)

What do you think of the Saab 9-3? (Really cheap, not a bad replacement for a 323i? and reasonably economical in 1.9TD form )

Example: 60k miler
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201301104862642/sort/default/usedcars/fuel-type/diesel/maximum-mileage/up_to_60000_miles/body-type/saloon/price-to/5000/model/9-3/make/saab/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/bb79da/radius/1500/page/1?logcode=p

thefishdude

keep it you may save on insuirance and you may save on fuel but you will be spending way more on a new car and you did say oe you have is reliable. if you are considering selling cause it was un reliable that would be a diff matter

Elliot_N

Hello! first off let me say you are dead right about costs of running these particular types of cars, however we have had the both the BMW 318i and BMW 328i and the only thing that went wrong with one of these cars was the clutch bearing in the 318 but it had done galactic mileage and it was driven very hard haha so they are very reliable!
Now back to your question, the BMW 323 as far as I know has the speedy yet very thirsty straight 6 engine, if as you stated that you wanted to have a car with similar looks then I would recommend you get the BMW 318is of the similar year, is quite a bit better on fuel than your current car and is still pretty quick! also if you were looking at getting a newer car you could afford to get a very tidy 318is with pretty low mileage (and they are extremely reliable).
If you wanted to get a newer car (2004+) then I would recommend you a 3 series coupe diesel, fantastic MPG with all the looks I wouldn't recommend a compact however as they do not have the lines of the coupe!

love_lifer

some good points, thanks. what its made me realise is that a hatchback would make life easier, as well as better mpg of course. dog and allotment mean i need to think practically as well as with my heart/eye/ego (?)

no major work in 10 years so clutch going strong, hopefully. guess its a matter of time tho with most parts.

i wondered about saabs, have never driven one tho. think i like something a bit unusual, which is why i'd struggle with an audi

elliot- you mention compacts- is it only the appearance goes against it? they are a little stubby but not bad looking i think

BlueC

I currently drive an E46 BMW 325ci 03 plate and used to drive a newer Saab 9-3 Vector Sport similar to that linked above. I would say that the 9-3 was a very nice car, comfortable, good looking, practical, quick enough, loaded with toys, and economical (50mpg+ easily on the motorway). However the build quality is not the same as the BMW so this might be a let down - e.g. they suffer terribly from cabin rattles which can be a real annoyance and really takes away from the "prestige" feel.

That said, for the money the 9-3 is an absolute steal these days so very much worth considering. And what I liked about the Saab is that they're so uncool it almost makes them hip. If you like a bit of power try and find a TTiD (180) as I always regretted getting the TiD (150).

Oh, and as for the BMW 3 Series ti (compact) - I agree they just don't cut it in the looks department... somehow the proportions just don't look right. That said, they are way more practical than a coupe.

If it makes you feel any better my 325Ci only gets 30 mpg too. But hey it looks and drives amazing. Why not stick with the 323? They say the cheapest car is usually the car you own. Think how much petrol you could put in it with £3000 that you wouldn't be spending on a new motor.

BlueC

Oh, one other thing, I don't agree with Elliot about looking at 318s. We considered the 318 (2.0l 4 cylinder) for ages but in the end found they aren't a great deal more economical in the real world as they rev harder and need thrashing a bit. And after all, if you're going to have a BMW then its all about the straight 6 engines.

Avoriaz

love_lifer wrote: »

its done 85k and i look after it.

It is only just run in.

I have just posted this in another thread.

I bought a 1993 BMW 325i (petrol) second hand in 1994 with 6,000 miles. 17 years later and 120,000 miles + on the clock is was still going fine having only ever had a water pump replaced.

It still looked ok with just a little rust starting to show, started every time and only ever broke down once with a failed water pump. I sold it as we were retiring, moving house and I really didn't do much mileage or enjoy driving anymore. We bought a five year old Golf instead.

I miss it occasionally when I put my foot down in the Golf and not much happens but that is rare these days.

BMWs are made to last.

steve-L

BlueC wrote: »

I currently drive an E46 BMW 325ci 03 plate and used to drive a newer Saab 9-3 Vector Sport similar to that linked above. I would say that the 9-3 was a very nice car, comfortable, good looking, practical, quick enough, loaded with toys, and economical (50mpg+ easily on the motorway). However the build quality is not the same as the BMW so this might be a let down - e.g. they suffer terribly from cabin rattles which can be a real annoyance and really takes away from the "prestige" feel.

That said, for the money the 9-3 is an absolute steal these days so very much worth considering. And what I liked about the Saab is that they're so uncool it almost makes them hip. If you like a bit of power try and find a TTiD (180) as I always regretted getting the TiD (150).

Oh, and as for the BMW 3 Series ti (compact) - I agree they just don't cut it in the looks department... somehow the proportions just don't look right. That said, they are way more practical than a coupe.

If it makes you feel any better my 325Ci only gets 30 mpg too. But hey it looks and drives amazing. Why not stick with the 323? They say the cheapest car is usually the car you own. Think how much petrol you could put in it with £3000 that you wouldn't be spending on a new motor.

Good to get an opinion from a previous owner.... I often wondered .... what the bad points were as they really are SO cheap nowadays.... having heard that I'm not put off (other car is a ageing Honda Accord with 180,000 so I'd consider a 9-3 to replace it)


The 'so uncool it makes them hip' is pretty much what I always thought, just putting it in a form of words

I had the impression (OK top gear so probably absolute BS) they were built strong and to last though.... so annoying cabin rattles aside if that's true or not ??

I have to say I'm very happy with my 330D (2006 plate), 122k feels new... and the power from the 6 cyl. is delivered really smoothly! MPG is phenomenal (although if you want you can burn fuel really quickly until the road runs out).... but 50mpg is easily attainable on the motorway...