Rukster

Hope you know the repercussions of upgrading them to 17". What are the alloys you currently have on the car? Can you post some pics? I know Milroy has a few for sale. Even Prestige had a few sets the last time I went there.

Check whether the 325i is a genuine or an engine swap. There was a blue E36 which underwent an engine swap which I heard through the grapevine. Just a a thought, its a very basic car compared to what I have seen and owned.

Depends on the engine displacement, options, mileage, and budget you are looking at. Enlighten us.

Sounds like an awesome plan !

From my personal experience, it all depends on how well the car has been maintained and individual driving styles. Have two compact euros with different engine displacements (1.6 vs. 2.5). Both have different fuel economy levels depending on the traffic situations, the luggage carried in the car, number of start-stops, etc. The smaller engine returns good economy (10+) in the city and the larger 2.5 is not too far behind returns around 7.5-8+ depending on time of day and day itself. Outstation the 2.5 is much better on fuel due to limited starts-stops and steady throttle. Again just my personal experience.

Personally from my experience Mercs are good solid cars. All of it depends on maintenance and mileage. We have one in the family, a C200 Kompressor station wagon. Its done a lot of kms(over 100K) as a daily runner, so far we had only replaced the compressor and alternator. Everything else is working fine and the car itself has been a rock solid beast. All work on it has been done at the Agents and nothing has been spared—endless driving results !!! A bit expensive if you have to replace the parts like the ones we have done, but all in all a good car. Check on all the service records, for accidents and also get an idea and if possible, do an inspection at the agents to be on the safe side.

I totally second rangerover. Best is to get a car thats a 520i or above and that has been maintained well. There are a few out there, but the selling prices would be high than the normal average market price as they have been maintained and well looked after. Please look out for a car that has a good history of records.

To add to Mishiran, sometimes it depends on the options you order as well. I had 92 318i and it had the BMW individual paint (ruby black), had climate control AC (the manual controls), ABS and even the OBC (not the 18 button). The later ones had better interiors, better engines for fuel economy + power (like the 318is and 318ti).

Not yet. Still have it with me.

1. No 2. No 3. Yes

I second the comment above of being aware of face-lifted older cars. I for a fact know a few which have been done either after an accident or on a genuine basis for the looks. Just be careful and always request for a well documented history of the car.

The petrols are much easier on the purse in terms of maintenance although running a diesel on a day-to-day would be cheaper in terms of fuel. Please check on the swirl flaps in the engine. The originals generally break and mess up the engine. Also the diesels on most occasions are brought down on permits, hence would have more options than their petrol variants. A good buy if you can find a good specimen for sale. Good luck !!

Hey Guys Which is better value in every aspect? Cheers R

Prefer too keep it European and either a BMW or Audi.

Yup I know the car.... nice piece of machinery for sure..... upload a few recent pics if possible.... Cheers

No offence to these brands, but I am looking for a European make.

Ok, agree with the newer bit. But my current car is fully loaded and has more options(expect power seats)than the Audi. Also, looking for an auto+trip tranny which is harder to find in many 3 series BMWs unless the larger 5 and 7, and also a petrol. No other reason. cheers

Trust me my 325i is quite crisp as it is...

I see need to do a bit of searching before I go any further with this car. Have been on the phone with a couple of people who are agents in SL. Agree that the switches and interior needs some attention, also some bits of the exterior. Wish I could find a decent specimen of a petrol BMW E46 face-lift, but thats a very hard shot. Anyways, need to do more research..... Cheers

Ok, spoke to the people responsible for the make in SL. They stated the best way would be to get the car out for an inspection and then get a report with costs estimates. According to them the value of the vehicle should not exceed 3Mn. Now to convince the sales guy to release the car to do an inspection.....

Well it depends how better car I am laying my hands on and whether its actually worth it...

Hi Rangerove, no offence, but I am hesitant to drive any diesel cars. I agree that the face lift common rails are much better than the pre-facelift range. I prefer petrols, but its like finding a needle in a hay stack. Besides, I am looking at an Auto+triptronic. BMWs are definitely my choice if I find a good one. Been a fan for a long time with two generations and different engine displacements. Currently own a black 325.

I agree with you LazyBoy. But, how easy is it to find a good petrol BMW? I am not a fan of diesels mainly due to the high maintenance costs. But good petrols are hard to find and smaller engine displacements (318), etc.

Can't remember the exact registration plate, but definitely a red GZ-XXXX for sure.

Yes, its red.