2008 320i Auto - @#$% CAR!!

[Sabretooth tiger]

I think it is more a case of if you have the know how and know where to get parts cheaply.

I am not a mechie, can do small things myself and thats it. I also do a lot of long distance driving. In MY personal opinion I would rather spend my money on a new/newish car than a older car. Fact is on older cars there has been more wear and tear, and I am not lus to spend lots of time searching for a reliable cheap mechanic and search for parts that done cost half of my car's value.

So its a matter of each to his own, thats why we all drive different cars of different age and can still respect eachother.

 

[killua]

I think it is more a case of if you have the know how and know where to get parts cheaply.

I am not a mechie, can do small things myself and thats it. I also do a lot of long distance driving. In MY personal opinion I would rather spend my money on a new/newish car than a older car. Fact is on older cars there has been more wear and tear, and I am not lus to spend lots of time searching for a reliable cheap mechanic and search for parts that done cost half of my car's value.

So its a matter of each to his own, thats why we all drive different cars of different age and can still respect eachother.

+1, I do not understand why there is such an issue on forums. There is no right or wrong. It all depends on the situation. Some drive old, some drive new, some in motorplan and some out of. Some like fast cars, some don't care. Why does everyone want to force their opinions onto other members?

 

[BMW M]

Guys,

The BMW's Ive owned in the past 12 odd years gave me VERY little hastle with the exception of my e46 325i, which in two years cost me over R50k to maintain. I bought it 7000 km outside motorplan and afer a week regreted it.

To me its about peace of mind motoring, I'm mechanically inclined, but not an expert, so things like brakes and control arm bushes I can, and have replaced myself, but I will not attempt a engine, gearbox or even vanos overhaul. - Its a case of if you cant swim stay the @#$% out of the water. That means I have to pay a mechanic, BMW or some other specialist to do something like this for me which will cost me a arm and a leg and I will not have a vehicle for the time being.

Now for me it just makes sense to then like you guys say pay in advance, (Motorplan) and I know I'm covered for virtually anything that can go wrong with my car for the next 5 years or 100 000km. If I'm going on holiday and my car breaks in the middle of the karoo I phone BMW, they fetch my car, put me in a hotel and give me another car to continue my journey. If my car was out of MP, I would probably have to cancel my holiday to pay for the repairs if the breakdown was serious.

By the way, I'm having the Dynamics front fog lights replaced under MP, seems like they are craking from the heat of the globes from the inside - R4500. Even if you could source these from a scrapyard you'd be looking at R2500 and they will still be secondhand. So MP for me :thumbsup:

Our cars are really like woman, I have not driven two exact BMW's that has the exact same caracteristics. And woman cost money.. :mmm: dont let my wife see this... so does BMW's and any other car for that matter, today she is fine the next moment everything is wrong, and its when something is wrong that you have to plead and watch your step for her to become the one you fell in love with, and not the 'thing' that is sitting in your garage/house that you feel like killing or kicking. But if you look after her/it/your car they will look after you and MP helps me do this for my car, giving me one less thing to worry about... Now to get a MP for the wife... :thinking:

 

[moranor@axis]

i just cant understand spending 300k on a car when i can get much the same thing for 50k never mind that a new car will probably be bought on loan so you will end up paying way more for it...

yes you will get some more money when you trade in but does it really make sense to have all that money tied up in a car that does not in the end just depreciates?

im not trying to force my opinion onto you, but im sure this info could help someone if they had the choice of ether getting something older or a bottom of the range bmw?

 

[killua]

i just cant understand spending 300k on a car when i can get much the same thing for 50k never mind that a new car will probably be bought on loan so you will end up paying way more for it...

yes you will get some more money when you trade in but does it really make sense to have all that money tied up in a car that does not in the end just depreciates?

im not trying to force my opinion onto you, but im sure this info could help someone if they had the choice of ether getting something older or a bottom of the range bmw?

I really, seriously believe it depends on the person. Your opinions is to buy something a bit older that has already depreciated, and get more value for you money. The right opinion to have if you really want to give sound advice to someone, is to ask them about their needs. Can they fix the car themselves? Do they travel alone alot? Are they male or female? The profile of the person dictates the best option for them, not you. Half of my previous cars were brand new and other half were old. I have been stranded next to the road a couple of times and that would be fine when I was younger. I do not want that anymore. I have responsibilities to my family to have the safest journey. I would not allow my wife to drive an old beemer, because if she has to sit next to the road at night, then I am going to really have to think long and hard about if her rape was worth R100k. I have the same opinion about runflats, my wife has to have them, because she just needs to get home, and I will buy a new set.

I have paid R400k for my car. I wouldn't have done it any other way. That doesn't make me an idiot, it just says that I have different needs.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

i just cant understand spending 300k on a car when i can get much the same thing for 50k never mind that a new car will probably be bought on loan so you will end up paying way more for it...

yes you will get some more money when you trade in but does it really make sense to have all that money tied up in a car that does not in the end just depreciates?

im not trying to force my opinion onto you, but im sure this info could help someone if they had the choice of ether getting something older or a bottom of the range bmw?

I dont think you forcing your opinion, as said above there is no right or wrong, its about personal preferance. So you merely sharing your opinion as some people will take your route and some take the newer route.

I also own a 1999 Sabre and dont owe anyone anything on it, do some of the work myself and what I can not do, there is a great specialist in PTA I take her too. It helps that parts prices are so cheap. Thing is just I cannot insure it for replacement value, as buying one now if you can find one is gona cost much more than trade value. She is getting on in the years, still pack a healthy punch even in today's terms, but I prefer taking my bank owned car on holiday trips for peace of mind.

 

[BMW M]

i just cant understand spending 300k on a car when i can get much the same thing for 50k never mind that a new car will probably be bought on loan so you will end up paying way more for it...

yes you will get some more money when you trade in but does it really make sense to have all that money tied up in a car that does not in the end just depreciates?

im not trying to force my opinion onto you, but im sure this info could help someone if they had the choice of ether getting something older or a bottom of the range bmw?

Moranor,

I guess its a case of each to his own and ones financial position. I for instance have never fully paid up a car and sell it after two years, so lets say my installment is R5000 x 24 = R120000, so I paid R120k for a R400 000+ car and the use of it, and the only extras I paid for is fuel and tires.

After 24 Months I get a premium trade in value because I have loads of Motorplan left and kilo's are lowish, so I can drive a new car for maybe R500 a month more, and the whole circle starts again.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

i just cant understand spending 300k on a car when i can get much the same thing for 50k never mind that a new car will probably be bought on loan so you will end up paying way more for it...

yes you will get some more money when you trade in but does it really make sense to have all that money tied up in a car that does not in the end just depreciates?

im not trying to force my opinion onto you, but im sure this info could help someone if they had the choice of ether getting something older or a bottom of the range bmw?

Moranor,

I guess its a case of each to his own and ones financial position. I for instance have never fully paid up a car and sell it after two years, so lets say my installment is R5000 x 24 = R120000, so I paid R120k for a R400 000+ car and the use of it, and the only extras I paid for is fuel and tires.

After 24 Months I get a premium trade in value because I have loads of Motorplan left and kilo's are lowish, so I can drive a new car for maybe R500 a month more, and the whole circle starts again.

+100000000000

 

[moranor@axis]

i do realize that if you want to own a new car all the time the best way is probably to trade in every 2 years...

but i will have to try very hard to spend 120k fixing my car in the next few years even if i decided to use bmw

i have never been stranded by any of my car because i fix something before it becomes a problem

im not trying to convert you to some sort of 'old car' religion so i dont understand why you guys are getting so aggro?

im quite happy to let you buy new cars so i can buy them from you later at a much better price

at the end of the day a car is just an expense and its your choice how much you want to spend...

 

[killua]

im not trying to convert you to some sort of 'old car' religion so i dont understand why you guys are getting so aggro?

Sorry, I don't want to come accross as aggro, just want the right information to find its way to the forum. Many people rely on our inputs, and I think it should be complete and unbiased.
I think that threads like this is probably just a gap in comms, because we have a hard time expressing ourselfs without having a direct conversation. I am sure you probably don't mean to be, but you do come accross as a bit condescending:

...im quite happy to let you buy new cars so i can buy them from you later at a much better price...

...i just cant understand spending 300k on a car when i can get much the same thing for 50k...

...does it really make sense to have all that money tied up in a car that does not in the end just depreciates?...

 

[Olorin]

Well, this discussion has been interesting.

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

im not trying to convert you to some sort of 'old car' religion so i dont understand why you guys are getting so aggro?

im quite happy to let you buy new cars so i can buy them from you later at a much better price

at the end of the day a car is just an expense and its your choice how much you want to spend...

I dont see anyone getting agro:dunno:
All I see is a 2way discussion between forum memebers.

Just another 2c, I paid R198k for my 2006 323i E90, sold it or R156k, so after 2years there was only R42 000 difference in the purchase and selling price, excluding tires and petrol. That is a bargain I would say. Installemnt wise paid +- R91 200 back in total (I get prime less 2). still a bargain for a newish car and I replaced, door locks, aribag sensors, disks, brakes, aircon filters and services by the dealers. Had I bought a older model car for R50k cash, and I dont have the know how all those things I did under motorplan would have made the car cost me egual to if not more than R91 200 including the purchase price.

So it all comes down to what your preference is, what you can afford and if you are mechanically inclined.

 

[BMW M]

im not trying to convert you to some sort of 'old car' religion so i dont understand why you guys are getting so aggro?

im quite happy to let you buy new cars so i can buy them from you later at a much better price

at the end of the day a car is just an expense and its your choice how much you want to spend...

I dont see anyone getting agro:dunno:
All I see is a 2way discussion between forum memebers.

Just another 2c, I paid R198k for my 2006 323i E90, sold it or R156k, so after 2years there was only R42 000 difference in the purchase and selling price, excluding tires and petrol. That is a bargain I would say. Installemnt wise paid +- R91 200 back in total (I get prime less 2). still a bargain for a newish car and I replaced, door locks, aribag sensors, disks, brakes, aircon filters and services by the dealers. Had I bought a older model car for R50k cash, and I dont have the know how all those things I did under motorplan would have made the car cost me egual to if not more than R91 200 including the purchase price.

So it all comes down to what your preference is, what you can afford and if you are mechanically inclined.

+1 Sabretooth,

Mornanor, I'm definately not getting 'agro' as you put it :thinking: dont know where you got the idea from. I'm simply stating that to me, in my current financial position is makes sense to buy the new technology with peace of mind motoring for me and my family. Not that I'm saying that you dont have piece of mind motoring, but I'n NOT THAT mechanically inclined to do ALL servicing and repairs on my cars myself.

New technology you might say? Why? Well for one, the new engines, specifically the Diesels are amazingly powerfull, yet fuel effiecient. I posted my Dynamics consumption figures elsewhere on the forum, so in that alone there is a saving concidering rising fuel prices. Ive driven my 330d to just over 200 000km not a single problem ever, but being preventative, and cautios it made more sense for me to sell her seeing that if anything went horribly wrong, I had to fork out R9500 for a turbo, R20000 for a gearbox, R35000 for an engine. I was not prepared to take that risk and would rather invest that kind of money in a retirement fund or another study bursary for my kids.

The above is how I deal with a potential problem. I sell it, and get a new one, let it become someone elses problem who want to take the risk of buying it at a reduced price, thats why you get it at a reduced price, there is a bigger risk involved second hand than new plain and simple. Not being agro or trying to convert anyone, just expressing my take on things... :thumbsup:

 

[Olorin]

Is diesel fuel more expensive ? If so, how much more ? Thats another reason for me to upgrade. I go to the pump every 2-3 days, if going the diesel route will save me big time then that's something I need to look at.

 

[killua]

Is diesel fuel more expensive ? If so, how much more ? Thats another reason for me to upgrade. I go to the pump every 2-3 days, if going the diesel route will save me big time then that's something I need to look at.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=fuel+price+SA&l=1

 

[Olorin]

Smart ass.

 

[killua]

Smart ass.

:thumbsup:

If you travel alot it does make sense to have a diesel. Some might argue that the savings on fuel are offset by the premium price you pay for the diesel car and repairs. But in my opinion, the 320d is well priced at the moment, being slightly cheaper after CO2 tax than the 323i. The 323i has 140kw whereas the 320d has 135kw. The 320d is still faster because of the higher average power and buckets of torque. You do loose out on some things if you take the 320d instead of the 323i: the 323i has hill-hold and usb audio options as standard. Ooh, and cruise control braking function. So value for money they are exactly the same, and if you travel alot, I think the diesel becomes the winner. Except if you are really anal about the sound of the straight six compared to the diesel.

 

[BMW M]

Is diesel fuel more expensive ? If so, how much more ? Thats another reason for me to upgrade. I go to the pump every 2-3 days, if going the diesel route will save me big time then that's something I need to look at.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=fuel+price+SA&l=1

:rofl: :rofl:

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Dont you guys just love this thread...? So informative... :thumbsup:

 

[Sabretooth tiger]

Smart ass.

:. Except if you are really anal about the sound of the straight six compared to the diesel.

nothing gives that straight 6 growl like the old E30 325i and E30 325is :thumb:

 

[Olorin]

Thing is, I don't travel a lot. But I do want to save on fuel....and I would like the massive amounts of torque. Some people tell me that diesels last a long time, others say between 5-8 years on average then they will fall apart. Not sure what the deal is.

If you are out of a motor plan is buying a diesel a death sentence ?