Difficult life choice, please help ;-)

Lament

Lament

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Good morning people
The time has almost arrived to upgrade my E46. Let me first give you a little history about me and my previous driving experience.
My first car was an Toyota Conquest, it was not the best looking car and it did not feature and aircon, but it got me from point A to point B, never had any issues with this car.
My second car was a Chrysler Neon, worst car I ever drove (not going into detail I might upset myself)
3rd car was an RunX 16.RT, it was a nice car, never gave me problems, I drove it 3 years and decided to trade it in for a MR2. The MR2 was also very nice, but the actual driving pleasure was not that good, so after about a year I traded it for a W203 C180 Merc, the Merc was awesome, the luxury compared to the other cars was just out of this world. Problem was mechanically it was not far from the Chrysler, weekly something broke, so just over a year of constant struggling I decided to trade it in form my now E46.
The E46 has been mechanically brilliant, everything works great. My problem with the E46 is its not really something to look at, and compared to luxury and driving experience of the Merc it fall behind quite a bit.

I’m looking for a car for everyday use and the odd holiday here and there. I’m looking for something with style and luxury making my driving a pleasurable experience :-P. most important I want a car that’s reliable and won’t break every month. I can get allot of other cars besides the ones I have listed here, but these are the ones I want. My budget is +- 150k.
I will like to hear what’s your guys opinion, what would you recommend and what won’t you recommend, and why?
The following cars are the ones I’ve been looking at, I have read reviews and done research into each one of them, the choice is just to difficult

Car1
BMW E90 320i Automatic (between 100 and 120k kilos)
This car is probably leading the way this far, but not by much, it looks great and neat. The downside for me is its stil not competing with the older W203 luxury wise (automatic headlights, Electric seats, separate controlled lights in car, small things like that) I know you can get them as optional extras, but all these features are standard with Merc…

Car 2
W203 230C Facelift Automatic (V6) (between 100 and 120k kilos)
Beautiful car, but not as beautiful as the E90. It look fantastic inside and the performance is out of this world. Problem is although it’s the same year as the E90 the E90 still looks better and more modern, besides that after the bad experience I had with my previous C180 (non compressor) I really sceptical in buying this car…

Car3
Nissan Navara 2.5 automatic (slightly higher kilos, +-150k
I know its not a car, but it can just as well be a car, it’s nice in the inside, beautiful on the outside, 2 of my friends drive a Navara and neither of them has had any problems. Downside is it needs a oil service every 7500km, compared to BMW and Merc that sucks

Car4
Nissan Murano (also +- 120k kilos)
Drives like a dream, something you don’t see everyday. Outstanding value for money. Downside 8km per litre is not that good now is it, and its only available in petrol

Car5
Honda CVR (+-120k kilos)
The pictures does not do it any justice, when I inspected it in real life I was quite impressed. Looks good, good millage, not to heavy on gas. Downside is can you really compare it to any of the previous cars?

Car6
Volvo C30 (+- 100k kilos)
Looks amazing, its fast, safe and feature rich. Downside is it’s a little small, and has no trade value (heaven knows why)

Car7 (last but not least)
Volvo XC90 (+- 140k kilos
Comparing to the other cars/SUV’s in its range, the Volvo stands out for me, it has luxury and style, its one of the safest cars on the road and it has power. I find it hard to find anyone complaining about this car, but for some reason it has no trade value in SA, besides that it has a drinking problem, even more thirsty than the Nissan Murano
 
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Out of your list of options (and your vehicle history) I'd say go with the BMW.

But do you really want to sell the E46? Sounds like your decision is based on what the car look like rather than mechanical issues (which, thank your stars, you do not have).

Hit the web and get some cool tail- and headlights with LED's, tint the windows with smash 'n grab film and get someone (reliable) to redo the seats with leather or whatever.

A reliable car is becoming something of rarity especially on the secondhand market!

And, 'as my pappy used to say' - the best car is one that's paid in full!
 
From that list I would choose between the Merc and Volvo. The W203 2001 to 2003 were troublesome, but from what I have read 2004 on many of the reliability issues were sorted (could be wrong though).
 
shinji said:
Out of your list of options (and your vehicle history) I'd say go with the BMW.

But do you really want to sell the E46? Sounds like your decision is based on what the car look like rather than mechanical issues (which, thank your stars, you do not have).

Hit the web and get some cool tail- and headlights with LED's, tint the windows with smash 'n grab film and get someone (reliable) to redo the seats with leather or whatever.

A reliable car is becoming something of rarity especially on the secondhand market!

And, 'as my pappy used to say' - the best car is one that's paid in full!
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the reply
My decision is based on that the e46 is 8 years old (9 in 2 months). The car is reliable, but i'm not a race driver, i take good care of my car and thats why its not breaking.
 
MFour said:
From that list I would choose between the Merc and Volvo. The W203 2001 to 2003 were troublesome, but from what I have read 2004 on many of the reliability issues were sorted (could be wrong though).
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That would explain it, I had a 2002 model. Gheez, trouble on 4 wheels.

The C230 will be a 2006 model

I like the Volvo C30, I really really like it, but my gut tells me the Merc will be the better bet
 
buying a second hand bmw out of motor plan?? eish brave man.

i have owned a 320i E90 auto and it is nice to drive but SERIOUSLY lacks in power.

to be honest though imo all those cars are looking for trouble, if it were me i would add 10k and get a new accent

oh and fuel economy is horrible
 
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D3x! said:
buying a second hand bmw out of motor plan?? eish brave man.

i have owned a 320i E90 auto and it is nice to drive but SERIOUSLY lacks in power.

to be honest though imo all those cars are looking for trouble, if it were me i would add 10k and get a new accent

oh and fuel economy is horrible
Click to expand...

Can its power really be that bad, the 320i has 125kw, that’s 20kw more than the e46 and its almost the same size.

My fuel economy is not great even on the e46, my friend that drives the 320d e46 it’s a different story.

When I buy the car I will be taking out a mechanical warranty. I will also be searching for the one with the least kilo’s, the ones I indicated above was only from a quick search
The review I have read says the E90 is much more reliable than the E46, if the E46 served me this good this far, then the E90 should better right :-D
 
NBS said:
Can its power really be that bad, the 320i has 125kw, that’s 20kw more than the e46 and its almost the same size.

My fuel economy is not great even on the e46, my friend that drives the 320d e46 it’s a different story.

When I buy the car I will be taking out a mechanical warranty. I will also be searching for the one with the least kilo’s, the ones I indicated above was only from a quick search
The review I have read says the E90 is much more reliable than the E46, if the E46 served me this good this far, then the E90 should better right :-D
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the car imo is too heavy and being auto doesn't help

for example my friends polo 1.6 would eat that thing.

it used to cost say R500+- to fill and you would get around 450-500kms out of a tank driving nicely (urban driving)

go test drive it and see
 
D3x! said:
the car imo is too heavy and being auto doesn't help

for example my friends polo 1.6 would eat that thing.

it used to cost say R500+- to fill and you would get around 450-500kms out of a tank driving nicely (urban driving)

go test drive it and see
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Thats actually a little better than mine, i get 300km out of R350

But i will take your advice, Thanks!!
 
Mr G said:
ever considered a honda accord?
Click to expand...

I did, very nice car, but no dealer this far has had one so I could not really look at it. I have seen it many times before but never really looked at it.
The pictures and reviews sound great. But isn’t it a little old?
 
NBS said:
Car6
Volvo C30 (+- 100k kilos)

Car7 (last but not least)
Volvo XC90 (+- 140k kilos
Click to expand...

The C30 is very small - I'd cross it off your list straight away ;) That said, awesome car offering fantastic balance of luxury, performance and quality. Also relatively thirsty :/

Just chatted to a guy in the office about his XC90 and the only thing he doesn't like is ... fuel consumption. He said it's solid and reliable car - but the fuel consumption is making him consider selling.

Why not the S40? It's a bigger C30 ... and can also good?
 
For those of you who don’t know, the 320i Start is the very basic BMW that costs an arm and leg and you practically get all the low end bits.

For example, you get aircon when every other 3 Series models get climate control. You get a cheap radio/CD (using BMW marketing speak, it's called “Radio BMW Business CD”) as opposed to every other model in the 3 Series range getting “Radio BMW Professional”. You get undersized 16-inch alloys. BMW has not even bothered to colour code the door handles on the “Start”.

And the most hideous thing about this car is those ugly “Korean” styled rear lights, which seem as if it's a bunch of triangles of various coloured lenses just put together to form a light cluster. Fortunately it took BMW a whole three years to change those hideous lights to a more premium-looking outfit on the facelift.

However the great thing about the “Korean” lights is at least it will cost you R15 for a light bulb if the indicator light fuses as opposed to replacing the whole LED cluster found on the facelift at nearly R4 000 if you are out of motorplan. Ouch!

On paper versus real life

My car claims to push out 115kW on paper. With about 10% drivetrain losses and another 10% altitude loss, I am roughly getting 90kW at the wheels. But I am convinced I have a “Monday car" as I am sure I lost another 5kW somewhere because getting from 0-100 km is definitely more than 11 or 12 seconds as it feels like a full lifetime getting there. Professional tests reveal it’s about 10secs, but that’s with expert drivers and a “Wednesday” car I presume.

So all the BMW fans are by now probably shouting that there are loads of benefits, such as that it has 50:50 weight distribution, rear-wheel drive and it handles like a train on rails. Let me tell you these positives do not matter at all - with the underpowered lump under the bonnet you cannot feel the difference.

FWD and RWD feel the same when a car is pushing below 90 kW at the wheels and trust me I won’t be taking a “Start” to a track or a drag strip to embarrass myself so therefore I don’t care about 50:50 weight distribution for a car in the entry level compact executive segment. I would have preferred a softer suspension and normal tyres to give a more comfortable ride instead.

Even the fuel consumption is nothing to write home about. I average about 8.5l/100km. It’s neither bad nor good.

Basic A to B

To summarise, the “Start” is an A to B car and nothing more. It’s not exceptionally bad nor exceptionally good. It gets you where you need to be safely with a BMW badge stuck on it for a bit of brand snobbery.

If you have one, you’ll blend in nicely with the rest of the rat race and no one will even notice you among the herd as the streets of Johannesburg are flooded with the BMW 320i range. But the price tag for a new one starting at R300K for a “Start” right up to R365K for a 320i “Individual” I think is ridiculous.

Personally I feel if you cannot afford anything above a *25i then there are much better buys than a 320i for that kind of money.

Unfortunately I had no say in how to spend my R300k as my “Start” is a company car. But the upside (or downside, whichever way you look at it) is that a basic 320i depreciates as fast as an Alfa Romeo such that a good three-year-old model has lost about half its value already if not more. So picking up a second hand will be a bargain.

For my next company car, if it becomes available on our list, I think I'll opt for the C180K BlueEFFICIENCY instead. As an entry-level in this compact executive segment this model is the best on paper I think. For starting prices at R325K you get a more fuel efficient 1.6-litre pushing the same power and much more torque than BMW's 2.0-litre lump.

You get a softer and more comfortable ride, more space and you don't suffer altitude losses as much.
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http://www.wheels24.co.za/RoadTests/Reader_tests/Reader-test-BMW-320i-20091019
 
Devalues more than a Volvo according to that article ;)
 
MFour said:
From that list I would choose between the Merc and Volvo. The W203 2001 to 2003 were troublesome, but from what I have read 2004 on many of the reliability issues were sorted (could be wrong though).
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My dad had the 2002 c180 non kompressor,you right it was a dog.Anyway that met in an accident and he bought a 2006 c200k...lol i was going to see my fiance and never got there.The thing got stuck while doing 140kph just switched of,was some electronic device that cost R4000 to fix.

At almost every service there was something or the other extra needing changing and mercs motor plan doesn't cover you properly ,so they ok if you do very little mileage but for everyday use i wouldnt recommend it,always some electronics giving up in the mercs!If its not a fuel regulator then its the auto handbrake or something!

D3x! said:
buying a second hand bmw out of motor plan?? eish brave man.

i have owned a 320i E90 auto and it is nice to drive but SERIOUSLY lacks in power.

to be honest though imo all those cars are looking for trouble, if it were me i would add 10k and get a new accent

oh and fuel economy is horrible
Click to expand...

I have my e46 2004 318i modified out of motor plan for a while now,besides services (that cost me less than my cousins polo) ive had to replace the diff and clutch which cost me R6000 in the last 3 years out of motor plan so its not really bad at all.

Agree on the 320i auto though,either go a bit bigger for auto or take a 320i in manual,i would take the latter.

Accent :sick: lol sorry but I have a hyundai elantra and they devalue like mad and are generally crap cars....need to get rid of my piece of junk!Anyone keen?:D

Mike Hoxbig said:
Subaru WRX?
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Not a bad idea but the bigger one is actually alot classier and gives a much much better drive...cant get the name right now....i think its a legacy?friend has one and its a joy to drive,power,comfort and class which i find the wrx lacks.Also comes with same engines.


If you can get a decent one at a good price then a A4 2.0t multitronic might be a very nice buy.
 
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Volvos are at the top of the pile when it comes to expensive maintenance and parts. BMW is a close second. I'd personally prefer a Honda Civic. (PS, I have a BMW 318ti, nice car but expensive things go wrong with it that I cannot fix - electric door locks, water leak from gland at the back of the engine, park-assist failed, rear wiper module). Its extremely economical - 7.6 l/100km town driving
 
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