Reply With QuoteIf I had that budget, I would find the best e46 M3 convertible that I could find.
And keep it forever.
Another car advice thread :-)
I'm lucky enough to have secured a new job at my company and have the option to give back my company car and take the cash. I want to get something fun, 4 seats and pref convertible (mx-5 is out then!) and have a budget of around 20k.
To give an idea of the sort of thing- a 335i BMW convertible seems a good option. I've had a few Audis in a row so I'm inclined to try something different. What do the forum car buffs suggest, I want to make sure I look at all the options?
If I had that budget, I would find the best e46 M3 convertible that I could find.
And keep it forever.
E350 convertible would be my choice!
4 seater convertibles aren't that common.
Mercedes E class or possibly an older CLK (AMG :) ?)
Infiniti G for a left-field choice
Cheers,
Plug
Difficult to go against the beemer at that money but do you really need 4 seats? I bought my 2+2 lotus evora a year ago and ive never had anyone in the back lol.
Provided your partner has a car you'd be seen dead in id be tempted to go for a 2 seater like a boxster.
Hadn't considered a Merc- I'll have a look. With the M3 I'm worried about the cost of running it, are they much more (servicing etc) than a standard 3 series?
Def need 4 seats as I've got 2 kids and don't want to have to always take my wife's Qashqui!
Probably not much more than a 335i, no. The usual rules apply: don't bother with dealers, take it to an independent specialist etc etc.Originally Posted by Matt8500
How about two MX-5s and you never again have to listen to your wife complaining about your driving?
There's always the Volvo option, C70 T5 or D5.
What about using the allowance for a personal lease? They'll be some cracking deals on an E Class convertible shortly as it's an out going model (if that doesn't bother you). Could be a cheap 2/3 years of motoring..
Being a "chooser-user" sounds attractive but depending on how much mileage you do and the level of taxation, it can be a bed of thorns.
A few moons ago, the company I then worked for, changed from company cars to buy your own Everyone thought it was great at first, but after a few months the reality dawned as service and maintenance costs, plus business insurance and the need to consider lease limitations on mileage, and the cost of replacing the car began to sink in. Within 2 years, the majority were driving cheaper cars than their previous company cars and moaning like mad about the price of fuel, and one guy had to have a new gearbox fitted out of warranty - that cost him a couple of grand.
As the company was a very large multi-national, they also had some restrictions on what you could buy for yourself - no 4x4, no coupes, no convertibles, nothing over 3 litres, had to be under 75,000 miles and less than 4 years old throughout, etc etc. You got the same allowance on mileage whether it was petrol or diesel - so even the petrolheads found themselves driving 2 litre diesel hatchbacks and saloons.
I'm not saying it is necessarily a bad idea, but do some careful sums before committing yourself to a life of careworn misery.
Last edited by UKMike; 1st July 2015 at 21:01.
Id say considerably more. 335 shares more parts with the standard cars, m cars have lots of bespoke bit that get very pricey.
I disagree.
Both have 6 cylinder engines so the price of oil, plugs and filters is about the same. Stock M3 brakes aren't much bigger so pads & discs won't be much more. Wheels & tyres will be a bit bigger (19s vs 17/18s) but there are plenty of decent mid range performance tyre options on the market these days.
Off the top of my head, I can't think of many 'bespoke' items that the e46 M3 has. I've owned a couple in the past.
I would totally agree with this - much of the same thing happened in my previous company: the thing to bear in mind is that the company will want to save save money and this is an approach for them. Added to this, their buying power is much higher than yours as they can negotiate more favourable lease deals through volume and they can get the VAT back whereas you probably cannot.
Where I did well was because there was no clause limiting the age and mileage. When I first bought my own car I bought a 3 year old 525i touring and ran that for about 3 years. I then bought a 530d touring which was 8 months old and I ran that for six years. The cash allowance just about covered the cost of running that car over the six year term. Certainly over a more lease comparable 3 or 4 year terms it cost me big time but it was a calculated choice.
The BMW is a good choice but don't expect high residuals as the market is saturated. Also, if you need to use the car a lot for business bear in mind that a fun car may or may not be a long term practical car.
MB only if you're over 60!
BMW 650/M6 if you can afford the petrol. I'm not a diesel fan but the 635 is apparently good too! BMW 135i is excellent too. Volvo C70 is a lot of car for the money, but not to everyone's taste......
The BMW 3 is the obvious choice. The M is going to cost a chunk more to run both on servicing (managable at a specialist, eye watering for a stage 2 at BMW) and particularly on insurance. The M is very expensive to insure compared to a 335. In fact I was quoted even more than the choice I suggest next:
Porsche 911
Ok, this will cost more upfront and hard to do a good one at your budget. But if you dont need huge back seats and can pull the budget up a bit then in the long term this will be a pretty safe bet given the residuals. Go with somebody like Portiacraft and they can work out a plan that includes servicing costs and a guaranteed buy back on trade in down the line. on a per year total cost basis the Porsche will likely be cheaper than an M3.
from memory, when i was looking at these options a few years ago, my insurance quotes (for NW london, incl ncb) were around 4, 8 and 12 hundred per annum for the 3 options (just a rough guide, obv it will depend on a bunch of variables).
From a money perspective I've done the maths and if you're happy with a second hand car (3yo or more) then it makes sense to opt out. Including the tax I would pay on the car allowance, and the BIC tax it costs me roughly 600 a month from my NET income to have an Audi A4 diesel black edition.
If you take the cash as pretty much everyone I work with does you can chose to buy something cheap and pocket the cash, or run something a bit more interesting than the car list will allow. The only people who stay in are those that aren't that interested in cars but like a new one every 3 years.
Even with depreciation and running costs I will at least break even and will also have an, admittedly depreciating, asset to show for it.
http://www.portiacraft.com/cardetail...997%20&id=2151
that would cost you much less than £600/month all in.
A 911 would be very interesting :-). Like you say Josh, it would be a stretch on my budget and whilst I could go higher to get a decent one, the additional running costs on top would make it prohibitively expensive. I'd love one one day though!
You're tempting me now! I'm test driving a 335 later, but I will ring these guys and have a think about it....
I test drove a 330i today (couldn't drive the 335i as it sold). Really liked it so am now down to that (great spec and colour) or continuing to hunt for a 335. Looked into both an M3 and 911 but running costs are just too high for comfort.
Has anyone got experience or knowledge of both as I've done some googling and there are conflicting views depending on which people own by the look of it... Nothing like the GS vs. Rolex debates at all :-)
At around £20k that's e90 era v8 cars.... Not known to be cheap to run.....
I looked at them before I bought my evora and just couldn't make the maths work.
Yes you could get a mint e46 but few people would for an everyday car. Even then I still maintain its not a cheap car to run.
Ah, read my first post! ;)
And an e46 M3 would probably be cheaper to run than your Evora. FWIW, I've got an Evora S.
Evora S = jealous Kirk280. They are probably my favourite car.
Why buy? I run a brand new Mercedes E class cabriolet that will cost me ( excluding fuel and insurance) £ 13,000 over two years and unless you are considering high mileage why include maintainence? the car has full warranty and the V5 is in my name. Look after the car and give it back at the end of the term and either go for another one or a new choice. Compared to possibly buying a well used clunker for me it is a no brainier.
I sold my E46 M3 last year. I loved it, and don't regret owning one at all, but tax, insurance, servicing, petrol, parts and depreciation made it an expensive experience. Keeping those gorgeous 19inch alloys looking decent also depletes the wallet. In addition, even the youngest ones will now be around 9 years old and most will have been through several owners. Sounds like the OP has already discounted one but in case anyone else likes the idea - the E46 M3 is a hoot, and if you get one you will grin all day, but it will cost you.
I have the 135 which mechanically is very similar to the 335. Performance is very good - 0-60 in just under 5 seconds and due to the twin turbos, torque is always available. The manual gearbox isn't the quickest- the DSG option is much preferred (wish I'd gone for that!). Fuel consumption is a fairly steady 23-25 around town and 30-35 on a run. Insurance seems inexplicably low (for me)but check your circumstances. Like all modern BMWs the service is determined by the usage - mine doesn't do much mileage so is serviced every 2 years - about £300 for the full service (plugs, all filters etc) and approaching £200 for an oil service.
Test drove a 335 today and handling and ride quality were great (even though it was on 19 inch wheels). It was very quick but strangely uninvolving- noticeable turbo lag; and I think it may be the very flat torque curve that doesn't give any excitement at high rpms?
I would have to agree totally (owner).
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
That's a very good deal, but for a quick car with reasonable spec it's much cheaper to buy an older car, extend the warranty and own an asset. For example: I can buy a 2012 330 m sport convertible with pro sat nav, leather, heated seats and many more options for 20k. The one im considering comes with 2 years BMW warranty and a years service pack. It won't cost me anything like 13k to run that for 2 years.
I've not considered a Merc, mainly
because my 76 yo dad has a CLK 180 AMG convertible :-). I will have a look at one though, just to not discount an option because of my preconceptions..
Have you considered a Veyron, over 55 years ownership it makes sense.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
Shouldn't be any turbo lag at all - there's two of them! Torque curve is fairly flat so no high-rev surge as such.
Ignore the MB 350 - unless you're really old............
The one I drove had come from the Isle of Man so may have had a hard life. There was a definite hesitation when you floor it, which was annoying. I'm going to try and find another to drive to see if it's a one off.
I've had a look at the e350 and it's a little old for me :-)
Whereabouts in the country are you?
I'm in north Hampshire - near Alton
Too far to offer you a shot in mine or use my contacts at a certain main dealer. But, any main dealer should have an x35i for you to test drive anyway?
Thank you for even considering that! Good idea, I'll look at a new car test drive to compare.
Have you driven a 130 or 330 in comparison to yours?
The 130 was replaced by the 135i as there were originally fuel pump problems with the 130 (wasn't twin turbo either). I've driven the previous (E46) 330 but they're only 231 bhp (non-turbo). The 335 I drove was pretty much the same as mine - on paper a tad slower due to a little more weight, but not that a typical driver would notice.
Dunno what year/budget you're looking at? The later x35i is even higher bhp and was superb in a Z4 I drove.
Budget up to 22k. It would need to be 2010 or younger to get the new I-drive.
The 330 puts out 276bhp and the 335 306bhp in those years.
Quick update. I've put down a deposit on a black 330 with black leather. Very excited!
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