Honda civic, Toyota, ford focus.
Wouldn't bother with a BMW at that price unless you willing to learn to repair yourself.
BMW E46 318Ci 2003, PETROL MANUAL
- Thread starter Patranka
- Start date
Wouldn't bother with a BMW at that price unless you willing to learn to repair yourself.
Soldato
- Joined
- 6 Jan 2012
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- 5,502
You can get a 323/325i for that money, that would be my choice.
What do you think of the deal on the Audi A3 1.6 FSI SE 2004, £1050, 80k miles with a cleared airbag light and no other apparent issues. Of course would scan, inspect and test drive. Does £1000 for this car sound suspect to you given the mileage and the fact its a dealer?
Soldato
A 2004 A3 is going to be as rough as arses in the best condition. At £1000 I wouldn’t touch it with yours.
Soldato
For the money you're looking to pay, i'd be scrapping anything German.
My money would be on something like a 7th gen Honda Accord, personal experience, I went from a 1.2 16v Renault Clio to a 2.0i 03 Honda Accord Auto, I roughly put 70k miles on it and it never missed a beat, got rid at 160k-ish mileage and i reckon it would have easily soldiered on to 200k easily, I then moved into a 3.0i 2004 BMW Z4 which I loved, and at times also hated with the issue after issue it gave me (though the roof down straight six experience is a joy i'll never forget), which eventually put me back into the reliable path of an 8th gen 09 2.4i Honda Accord.
My money would be on something like a 7th gen Honda Accord, personal experience, I went from a 1.2 16v Renault Clio to a 2.0i 03 Honda Accord Auto, I roughly put 70k miles on it and it never missed a beat, got rid at 160k-ish mileage and i reckon it would have easily soldiered on to 200k easily, I then moved into a 3.0i 2004 BMW Z4 which I loved, and at times also hated with the issue after issue it gave me (though the roof down straight six experience is a joy i'll never forget), which eventually put me back into the reliable path of an 8th gen 09 2.4i Honda Accord.
As above, at that budget I'd be looking for something as painless as possible. I just sold a well looked after, low mileage Volvo S40 for £800 with a years ticket, and in the last couple years I'd changed shocks, spring, discs and pads all round, as well as battery and alternator. Something like that would have been ideal for that budget. Older volvos are cheap as chips, and some have been well looked after. Not as "liked" as an e46, but I can't imagine too much needing spending on that one I just sold for the next few years. Obviously I took the hit on all them parts. But that is one of the disadvantages of buying with such low miles. A higher mileage example may have already had some of these things changed out. Then again, if that were the case, I'd imagine it would have been with the cheapest possible parts, rather than the OEM standard that I used.
The key is finding something with recent work done, ideally with quality parts. At that budget, there is a whole host of things that will be due for replacement. Brakes, suspension, batteries, timing belts, clutches, tyres etc... None of that will be particularly cheap if needing done on all 4 corners.
Old Hondas and other Japanese stuff will be recommended as uber reliable. And they are. For the most part. But all the things I mentioned above are generally considered consumables, and so have a good chance of needing done at some point in the coming years if not already done at least once. And on Japanese cars, parts prices might be more expensive than some european parts.
A 1.6 petrol Focus would probably be a decent upgrade for you. Still relatively cheap to insure and run, cheap parts, massive amounts of guides and stuff online for learning stuff yourself. And so common, that any mechanic worth anything will have undoubtedly worked on something similar, so should easily be able to work on it if you find a job too large to tackle yourself.
Not gonna get you massive amounts of birds in an old Focus, but hey, at least you'll be able to afford to buy them a dinner or two.
The key is finding something with recent work done, ideally with quality parts. At that budget, there is a whole host of things that will be due for replacement. Brakes, suspension, batteries, timing belts, clutches, tyres etc... None of that will be particularly cheap if needing done on all 4 corners.
Old Hondas and other Japanese stuff will be recommended as uber reliable. And they are. For the most part. But all the things I mentioned above are generally considered consumables, and so have a good chance of needing done at some point in the coming years if not already done at least once. And on Japanese cars, parts prices might be more expensive than some european parts.
A 1.6 petrol Focus would probably be a decent upgrade for you. Still relatively cheap to insure and run, cheap parts, massive amounts of guides and stuff online for learning stuff yourself. And so common, that any mechanic worth anything will have undoubtedly worked on something similar, so should easily be able to work on it if you find a job too large to tackle yourself.
Not gonna get you massive amounts of birds in an old Focus, but hey, at least you'll be able to afford to buy them a dinner or two.
Associate
As an 2004 E46 318ci owner, theyre great cars but do keep several things in mind.
It will cost money to keep running.
Mine was a total pain in the backside for the first couple of months (kept blowing coils and an inept garage didnt help) so get friendly with a local garage who knows a bit about them. I've been driving it for 18months now (daily driver, 60 miles per day) without issues (clutch will need doing soon I think)
If the coolant tank hasnt been changed. Do it. It's a case of when it cracks, not if. Mine went, thankfully I noticed it and got it changed straight away. It's a fairly inexpensive part but these engines run hot and any coolant leak will be devastating to the point of destroying the block.
It will use oil, so keep an eye on it.
Servicing can be expensive. My last was 750 euros for a full service. I'll be getting it done a lot cheaper in the future since I've now met a very friendly and competent mechanic who happens to be a friend of mine
It will cost money to keep running.
Mine was a total pain in the backside for the first couple of months (kept blowing coils and an inept garage didnt help) so get friendly with a local garage who knows a bit about them. I've been driving it for 18months now (daily driver, 60 miles per day) without issues (clutch will need doing soon I think)
If the coolant tank hasnt been changed. Do it. It's a case of when it cracks, not if. Mine went, thankfully I noticed it and got it changed straight away. It's a fairly inexpensive part but these engines run hot and any coolant leak will be devastating to the point of destroying the block.
It will use oil, so keep an eye on it.
Servicing can be expensive. My last was 750 euros for a full service. I'll be getting it done a lot cheaper in the future since I've now met a very friendly and competent mechanic who happens to be a friend of mine
I had a E36 328 Sport and E46 330CI, would pick the E36 over the E46 anyday. Only good thing about the E46 was more comfort and nicer interior, but handling and extra weight didn't help...
I wouldn't daily one though, they've crap fuel economy, are slower than an EP3 and for the prices of nice examples you can now get something like a GT86. But, I have to say that they're reliable, all the BMW's I had were drifted and abused with 0 problems.
I think you're on the wrong end of almost every critique and review of E36 and E46 models ever. Having owned both, the E36 was an absolute plank of a platform compared to the E46, which was an improvement in almost every single way...
They were drift cars, but I still stand by an E36 as a better handling Chassis.
Caporegime
As a chassis/body alone, the E46 is stiffer AND lighter.
(Sure, once you go actually turning it into a full retail car, the E46 is heavier due to additional safety, technology, comfort and stuff. But if you were making a track/race/drift car, the E46 is a better base).
Don
A 1.6 A3 will be no quicker than your 1.2 corsa
Ok I've found a private seller that's listed a 1.6 A3 2005 and wants £1400, I'd test drive to see if its faster than my 1.2 Corsa lol. I have some pictures below, 103000 miles interior looks about right. I would scan for codes and do an inspection before test driving of course. MOT advisories are below, offside front coil must have been changed but I would check along with the corrosion on the offside rear one and tyres. I'm not too sure how to check the brake binding issue, can anyone advise? Spoke to the guy he said he bought it in January 2020 so hasn't had it for long, gov check shows V5C last issued March 2020 so sounds about right but he said he is selling it because he bought a new car and only needed this one for the interim, bit suspect. Please let me know your opinions for this price. I said I could pay £1400 if I don't find any serious issues, you show me the FSH and get it MOT'd for a year. He agreed..
Pictures of MOT results and car;
https://imgur.com/a/gnOnUq8
All opinions welcome lool
Pictures of MOT results and car;
https://imgur.com/a/gnOnUq8
All opinions welcome lool
Caporegime
You missed the comments about avoiding anything premium or German!
Have another read of the thread.....
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 7,606
Don
It's an old Audi that will be unreliable and has a slow wheezy little engine that is barely more powerful than your Corsa.
The car you want is a 1.8 Honda Civic - 140bhp so will feel like a supercar compared to your Corsa, but still good economy and reliability.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010024503421
Soldato
Just to put you off an e46 fully, I didn't not maintain my e46 properly for a few years, then it was SORNd and now ive actually got time and money (and a second car) to maintain it... and It's going to cost £1900 to fix!
Don't buy and e46!
Don't buy and e46!
Caporegime
Absolutely, and I hope the OP takes heed....You should know too