View Full Version : New car time :)
Finally, I can start to look at dumping the 206 :D
To be fair, it's been an OK car over it's life time. Yes, it's had more than it's fair share of niggles, mainly in the electrical department with failing central locking and a couple of other things, but mechanically it's just thundered right on which is pretty good considering I treat it like **** and don't look after it.
So, what am I replacing it with? A 330i M-Sport hopefully.
I started to look at newer 5 series but after looking at the budget and seeing what I could get, I started to struggle. The more I thought about it the more I realised I didn't really need a 5 series so started looking at the 3's.
And then I came across this...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201106379532738/sort/priceasc/usedcars/price-to/13000/maximum-age/up_to_5_years_old/fuel-type/petrol/seller-type/private_adverts/price-from/10000/model/3_series/make/bmw/page/1/keywords/sport/radius/1501/postcode/cm73hz/saved-search-id/2c9218282e0a947f012e1af99c090048?logcode=p
It ticks all the right boxes for me. The mileage is a little higher than I wanted but that is made up by the impressive spec list. It's got almost everything you can have chucked on it.
It's a fair distance away which would be a pain in the backside for checking it out and picking it up so I've been given the name of a fairly local place that does vehicle inspections. Not knowing a huge amount about the mechanics of a car, it's something I'd probably have done anyway but at least this way it means that when I travel to see the car, I 99% know I'm going to buy it rather than turning up to see a lemon.
Only thing to do now is check the insurance premium change and see what happens. But fingers crossed, it should be OK :)
leowyatt
14-02-2011, 11:07
Very nice mate :)
What is servicing on that like to be?
No different to our current 5 which hasn't been too bad over the years. If you go main dealer then it's ridiculous prices but I'll be going to a local well renowned specialist in Chelmsford which lessens the sting a little.
Looks nice. Not sure about the gear shifter though, that looks a bit non standard.
Good spot, another thing to add to my questions list :)
It's deffo not standard, probably just another knob stuck on instead I'd imagine. Simple to change if I want to.
Justsomebloke
14-02-2011, 11:41
That'll be a Massive change from your old Pug, Like Chalk & Cheese I'd say. I don't shop in that price bracket so can't really offer any advice on it though, You need Fox the Beema bible really. :D
My advice would be take somebody with you that owns one or has owned one in the past as they'll notice the bits you'll miss.
I don't normally shop in this bracket either. Well, I used to when living with my parents but not any more ;D
Is £11k your budget?
Dont discount the 2007- 325i... The 325i also has the 3 litre engine that is in the 330i and I doubt most people would really take advantage of the extra 40bhp the 330i delivers.
The E90 was significantly facelifted in 2008 too, so a 2008 on 325i would be a smart choice, which can be had more or less your budget from a quick look on autotrader :)
Done plenty of looking around for different cars :)
£11 wasn't my budget but it's money I'm happier spending. I could have grabbed another £2k on top if I REALLY needed it but it's not something I wanted to go to unless it was the perfect car.
I know about the facelift, but I've not come across anything near my price bracket for one with a decent motor and spec, unless I've missed it.
The car I've listed, for me, is just about right. Miles are a little high but other than that, I really can't fault the spec at all.
Just for more info, the reason I'm being strict with the budget is this is being paid for through work. I could spend a bit more but it would mean paying out from my own pocket to make up the difference, hence the reason I want to try and stick as close to the £11k as I can :)
Ooooh, just had an insurance quote sorted....£150 on top of current premium, that's not bad at all :)
Not sure about the gear shifter though, that looks a bit non standard.
It's a BMW Performance Quick Shift Kit. Emailed the guy for more info and he had it put on as it gives a shorter throw on the box and he's really pleased with it. He's change the knob back to a standard one now though as he didn't like the smaller one.
He's a manager of a tyre place and is a trained mechanic so I reckon this has been pretty well looked after. If you look at the advert pics, the paperwork looks very complete.
It looks lovely J :)
I don't think this is going to require one of those text 8008 write-off checks! ;D
Where in the country is it? :) You can come show me the new wheels if you end up getting it - wherever it may be it will only take about 20 minutes in this beast! :p
It looks lovely J :)
I don't think this is going to require one of those text 8008 write-off checks! ;D
It's going to get one anyway :p
Well, not one of those text services but a local inspection company will run an HPI as well.
Where in the country is it? :) You can come show me the new wheels if you end up getting it - wherever it may be it will only take about 20 minutes in this beast! :p
It's up in Yorkshire, near Leeds :eek:
I'm sure we'll meet up at some stage when/if I get it so you can check it out then :D
I imagine the car will come with a flat cap on the driver's seat and a whippet eating brown sauce smothered pies in the boot!
Told you it was bloody well spec'd ;D
Complete with BMW's "Ey up Duck" Package ;D
Del Lardo
15-02-2011, 16:09
Complete with BMW's "Ey up Duck" Package ;D
Don't forget the ferret ;D
Looks like a bloody nice car, I'd not be too concerned about the short shifter, there are certain mods that tend to indicate a enthusiastic owner but in a good way.
Short shifter isn't a problem for me. Seems it's quite a common mod having had a read.
Spoken to the seller tonight and he's making all the right noises and I'm happy to start moving on with this so will probably book the inspection in the next day or two.
Here's the place that will be doing the initial inspection for me...
http://www.premiervehicleinspections.co.uk/whatwecheck.php
Looking at their comprehensive list, it's, well, pretty damn comprehensive :D
HPI has come back clear :)
Only real thing of note was a few plate changes but it even shows you what they were and they're clearly private plates.
Vehicle inspection is being done tomorrow so by tomorrow afternoon I should 90% know if I'm going for it or not :)
Was there a Pen 15 custom plate?
I looked up that plate but it's on retention for the head of a Mr. Brown.
http://themcp.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/old-man-laughing.jpg
:p ;D
Was there a Pen 15 custom plate?
was owned by Steve Parrish last I knew
I know some rubbish me ;D
and back to the OP, that's a great step up in motoring terms, very nice, [TW]Fox will be proud of you :p
[TW]Fox will be proud of you :p
No he won't.
It's too old, mileage will be too high, no warranty, yada yada ;D
Well, Brian the car inspector has given it pretty much the all clear :D
Everything works as it should and the car is as mechanically sound as it can reasonably be for it's age. The only things of note are a chip on the windscreen which would fail and MOT (that the seller has already said he will sort out) and a screw in a rear tyre. Now it could just be a short one or a head on the surface or could be deeper, but he didn't investigate it any further as that's not his job really. But seeing as the seller is the manager of a tyre place, he should easily be able to investigate it and fix/replace it so not worried on that part, it's just something I'll want done before purchase.
So, as we stand at the moment....I'll be buying it :)
\o/ New set of tyres and a windscreen chip sorting thrown in then? ;)
Just sent him a nice but comprehensive email on what I think. I'd like to go ahead if we can just get these things sorted or if we adjust the price. I'm sure we'll find a compromise somewhere :)
Davey_Pitch
18-02-2011, 02:44
Lovely looking car Des, I'd be very happy with it :)
Cheers Davey :)
Autoglass are in on Monday to fit a new screen and he's looking at the tyre today :)
No he won't.
It's too old, mileage will be too high, no warranty, yada yada ;D
;D
glad it looks to be a good un, looks very smart :)
volospian
18-02-2011, 10:25
Sweet. Sounds like you'll soon be the proud owner of a nice shiney beemer! :D
Not quite there yet guys, but fingers crossed :)
Depends on the outcome of the tyre today really but I'm sure we can sort something.
Justsomebloke
18-02-2011, 13:15
Cheers Davey :)
Autoglass are in on Monday to fit a new screen and he's looking at the tyre today :)
That's a good sign as most would have just got the chip repaired. :cool:
My problem now is what do I do with my 206? ::/:
To be honest, it's a bit rough. Not really looked after it well at all with missed services and stuff. Central locking has packed up so needs looking at. It became a bit of a dog so I decided to just run it in to the ground. MOT runs out at the end of the month too.
Not sure where the best place is to offload it, it's just not worth a great deal overall.
Anybody want to take a 206 off my hands? ;D
volospian
18-02-2011, 13:40
Not quite there yet guys, but fingers crossed :)
Depends on the outcome of the tyre today really but I'm sure we can sort something.
Yeah, but if he owns a tyre place and CAN'T sort a duff tyre... lol.
volospian
18-02-2011, 13:41
My problem now is what do I do with my 206? ::/:
To be honest, it's a bit rough. Not really looked after it well at all with missed services and stuff. Central locking has packed up so needs looking at. It became a bit of a dog so I decided to just run it in to the ground. MOT runs out at the end of the month too.
Not sure where the best place is to offload it, it's just not worth a great deal overall.
Anybody want to take a 206 off my hands? ;D
Strip it out and track it!:D
Justsomebloke
18-02-2011, 13:56
Anybody want to take a 206 off my hands? ;D
You'd be silly to sell it as is, Turd polish it up & get an MOT on it & sell it in your local paper.
Don't know if I can be arsed ::/: ;D
Justsomebloke
18-02-2011, 14:16
I'll Grass you up to the Wife for wasting money. :p
Honestly though mate a battered dirty old 206 with no history & no MOT is worth nowt but cleaned & turd polished up with a Fresh 12 months MOT & it's a prime seller for local papers for the first car buyers, Done right it'll fly away & bring a good amount of cash in. ;)
Nothing to do with the wife...I'm the boss in our house ;D
*hides*
Thing is, there's still no service history and the central locking is screwed which also stops the boot locking and the alarm and immobiliser don't activate. MOT isn't a problem to sort and I'd need to get that done to drive it before I get a new car anyway but the other stuff isn't so easy or cheap to fix.
Maybe I should chuck it on ebay starting at 99p :D
Justsomebloke
18-02-2011, 14:25
Nothing to do with the wife...I'm the boss in our house ;D
;D;D;D;D;D *Breathes* ;D;D;D;D;D *GASPS* ;D;D;D;D;D
That is all. :evil:
Nothing to do with the wife...I'm the boss in our house ;D
*hides*
She's small and so can get into any hiding place! Running is no use either as she'll go walkies EXTREME after you!
Your only bet is to surround yourself with immensely fattening foods and hope they act like a poison-barricade.
;D
Turns out the screw in the tyre was just the head of a nut stuck in the tread. The inspection guy wouldn't move it as he could be liable if he caused any damage. Problem number two sorted....deposit going down tonight :D
Piggymon
18-02-2011, 19:19
She's small and so can get into any hiding place! Running is no use either as she'll go walkies EXTREME after you!
Your only bet is to surround yourself with immensely fattening foods and hope they act like a poison-barricade.
;D
She has put a laughing smiley but it's a ruse! A RUSE!!!
*just rang Jamie's mobile to the sound of screams!* :( :(
Deposit paid :eek:
Now it's just down to me going to take a look at it. If for any reason I don't like it I can have my money back minus some advertising fees which I think is only fair. He's holding the car for me for two weeks. If all is OK on the day, I drive it home :)
Is it 5th March yet? :confused:
If my money comes through early enough this week, I'm seriously considering getting a train up next Saturday and driving it back. Ticket is only £54 so cheaper than petrol for the journey. Need to check if the seller can do it first as well.
On another note, my friendly local MOT guy has stuck another 12 months on the 206 :D
Run it through and although there were a couple of minors, it went through fine.
volospian
21-02-2011, 11:22
lol, I hate waiting once I've committed to the purchase. Just get up there and get it! :D
Same here, two weeks waiting is going to be a nightmare ::/:
Need to see if the seller can do next Saturday first of all and then see if the money transfers across in time. If it doesn't, then it's a no go anyway.
volospian
21-02-2011, 13:44
Well, I hope your transfer comes through in time. I imagine the seller will be cool about it. He probably wants the cash as soon as, anyway..
Piggymon
21-02-2011, 14:27
Is it 5th March yet? :confused:
If my money comes through early enough this week, I'm seriously considering getting a train up next Saturday and driving it back. Ticket is only £54 so cheaper than petrol for the journey. Need to check if the seller can do it first as well.
On another note, my friendly local MOT guy has stuck another 12 months on the 206 :D
Run it through and although there were a couple of minors, it went through fine.
We can't go up this Saturday ( 26th ) as we're going to see Micky and the 5th of March is the weekend after
Silly husband
Eeerrrm, you're going to see Mickey this Saturday, I don't need to be there.
If there is a chance I can go this weekend then I may well do it.
Silly wife.
Piggymon
21-02-2011, 14:37
Fine ! *hmph*
We're off up North this weekend....
Where are you heading? I'm going to Malton, just NE of York.
Ooh bit further than us, thought I read you were going near Leeds. We are off to Wakefield. Want us to pick it up for you? Hehe :)
Yeah, go on. You can pay for it as well if you like ;D
Just let me know wehn you're dropping it off :p
He said in his ad he would consider a part ex lol, offer the pug and drive it up to him :) Nice purchase by the way. Whats his real name by the way? A cursory investigation reveals he tried to sell it on ebay but turned down an offer of £11500.
You will notice a big difference between that and barney (have you got a name for it yet?) Also, if you value your spine, a change to non run flat tyres is a really good move. The run flats go in less than 10k and cost an arm and a leg for something that gives no benefit if you have aa or rac cover.
One thing to watch out for is that sometimes the logic 7 system can go bad. Its prohibitively expensive to replace and its all fibre optic and linked in to the car, so its not a quick Halfords replacement radio exercise.
I'm assuming with all the paperwork that things like the coolant and brake fluid have been done? One thing to consider is that the fluid in the diff and the manual gearbox will need changing at about this time. Its something most people overlook until they get an increasing whine coming from the rear.
Now the negatives are out of the way, you will notice a huge wave of torque delivered in a very linear fashion. You can easily loose your licence just putting your foot down for a few seconds on the motorway, it will easily cruise along the M4 doing about 36mpg. It has the newer N52 engine which develops 268Bhp and is an absolute peach.
Whats his real name by the way? A cursory investigation reveals he tried to sell it on ebay but turned down an offer of £11500.
Jonny Mills.
I took a look on ebay but couldn't see anything at all.
volospian
22-02-2011, 09:42
Where are you heading? I'm going to Malton, just NE of York.
I've been there a few times, as it's near Thornton le Dale, where we stay most New Years. Old Malton is very pretty, but new Malton is nothing special.
Obviously you wont if you're just picking the car up, but if you do ever happen to find yourself up there with time to kill, Eden Camp is a pretty good war museum type place, built on an old POW camp. It's about 10 seconds off the roundabout on the A64/A169 junction.
Might take a look around and take the scenic route on the way home :)
Mejinks, found the old ebay ad, will take a look around at it :)
Had a look at the ebay ad and, to be honest, it makes me feel more confident :)
Description and details are exactly the same. His overall feedback is very good, selling lots of different various items from toys to spare wheels (no surprise being in the tyre business).
As for the ebay adverts, he was offered £10k and declined it and the £11.5k offer expired so I assume that means he got back to the buyer but he didn't reply?
Just phoned bank and money should be in the account tomorrow :D
volospian
22-02-2011, 12:07
Just phoned bank and money should be in the account tomorrow :D
Woohoo!! New car on the weekend!!:D;D
Still not counting all my chickens until I've been to the bank today to sort out a bankers draft and see what they need. But it's looking more and more likely :)
Soon as the cash is sorted, wipe your calendar, throw your diary across the room and go get! :D
Seriously though, if it helps, we are heading up the M62 on Friday evening.
Thanks for the offer Vix, but should be OK :)
Going to grab an early morning train on Saturday and travel up there. It's not that long a journey and is broken up with a few swaps so shouldn't get too bored with the phone and music to hand :)
Been doing more digging around with his phone numbers and the more I read the more things just stack up in what he has told me over the phone, car he wants to buy, etc. so I'm more confident with the sale. That's not to say the car is 100% perfect, but the seller does seem 100% genuine :)
It looks a sound buy and was I considering a 3 series, it would have ranked on my short list for definate. Its not over priced, its not under priced and seems very genuine. He buys and sells a few cars by the looks, so I'm not sure if this is one of his sale cars or if its one he has had a while and is replacing it with something.
Did you offer you pug? :)
I don't think he buys and sells cars from what I've read and what he said. He just seems the type who swaps his cars every 6-12 months because he gets bored and wants something different.
Didn't offer the pug, it's really not what he's looking for.
Pop in for a kick in the balls and a slap round the face on the way home if you fancy breaking up your journey on sat. We're 10 mins off j22 on the m1 :)
Funnily enough, I mentioned that to Sinead the other day. You guys are pretty much exactly half way back home if I detour slightly in your direction, although it does add 25-30 mins to the journey compared to if I go straight home as I'd head down the A1 instead of the M1.
Also, Sinead is away on Sunday for a few days so don't want to get back too late on Saturday. I'll see how it goes and what time I get away with the car and then maybe give you a shout if I'm heading your way :)
Funnily enough, I mentioned that to Sinead the other day. You guys are pretty much exactly half way back home if I detour slightly in your direction, although it does add 25-30 mins to the journey compared to if I go straight home as I'd head down the A1 instead of the M1.
Also, Sinead is away on Sunday for a few days so don't want to get back too late on Saturday. I'll see how it goes and what time I get away with the car and then maybe give you a shout if I'm heading your way :)
No worries. We will be in if you do decide you need a break :)
I wouldn't pop in for a break, it was the kick in the balls that got me.
The Pug is going. Been clearing it out tonight and must admit that, after 11 years, it seems a bit odd that she's buggering off in to the distance. A guy around the corner buys old cars, does them up and sells them on. Nothing major, just something he does on the side of his spraying business. I'm dropping it off tomorrow night meaning I don't have to worry about swapping over my insurance and trying to run two cars at the same time. Nice and easy. Best of all, if I don't, for some odd reason, buy the new car on Saturday I can grab the Pug back until I don't need it again :)
For those of you that haven't seen it on FB...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/DaveNew.jpg
:D
Justsomebloke
26-02-2011, 20:08
Looks sweet mate am chuffed for ya. :cool:
Bloody thing goes like a train. Coming home on the motorway I stuck it in 6th gear and left it there. You can slow down to 50mph, stick your foot down and be doing 90mph in no time. It's as easy as driving an auto. Ride is quite harsh and crashy but then I'm unfairly comparing it to our 5SE which just glides along.
volospian
27-02-2011, 12:10
That's a good looking motor!! Nice one!!
Torquey petrol engines can suit a manual quite well. Mine does but I fancied a change and went for DSG instead.
Glad you've got it :)
Yes I know, he's dirty. Just come back from a trip to Milton Keynes but thought I'd pop outside and grab a couple of pics...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030903.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030902.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030901.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030908.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030907.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030906.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030904.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/piggymon/Motors/Dave/P1030909.jpg
Mmmm Nice! Having had a go in one of my workmates car I would quite like one. However doing 30-40k pear year would sting a touch too much.
excellent, you gonna do a proper review ? :)
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