Bored of my car.

[ivesy]

I think your car looks pretty sweet Geez, Make it look at nice as possible, that'll take your mind off speed, although being 17/18 is coming back to me know an it is quite hard to get your mind off speed...

[ndiva]

why did you get a touring over a saloon?

[hubble]

Hi Jamie.

We've all being there. I started with a decent fiat Uno... (Yes I know ) all those years ago and built up my no claims. Then when I Hit 25 my premium came down by a huge amount and was able to buy a faster car. Just patience I guess. Personally I'd sit it out. Why throw all that money away when you can save it instead??

Plus if you do go down the fast car/high premium route the insurance will be in your Dad's policy so your not even building any no claims in your own name.

Just my 'pipe and slipper' opinion

[hubble]

Jamie,

Look at it like this, You are 17 and drive a BMW. Now to most people of your age it doesn't matter what model of BMW it is as it still has that "prestige" when talking in the pub (or youth club in your case )

Think how the micra owner feels when he gets chatting to a young lass "Yeah alright, I'll pick you up about 8. I'll be in the micra". Oh how he must fell such a man

Stick with it dude, It's got the potential to be a very nice car with minor amounts of work.

Lol very true dave

[ivesy]

Citroen AX, ugh, was a GT tho, would probably take my 325 in 1st and 2nd.

[Flozman]

Yeah i remember when i had my 520i 24v, i thought it would be rapid untill i got out dragged by a 1.8 Astra but i made him my b!tch on the corners. The thing is no matter what car you drive there always going be someone whos faster, accept that and be happy with what you've got.

Use relistic mesuring stick like other 318's, you could have the the fastest on the forum?

[ric325i]

it makes sense to keep it 1.6 and slow.

i had a boxy 1.0 mirca, yes it was slow but the cornering was about equal, both pants. so when the car was going slow it felt really fast! cracking fun and i loved it.

thing with the e30 is it wont feel fast and will out handle the power. from my experience a 1.8 e30 is much much better than the 1.6. be an easy swap as long as you dont crash it........ best thing about cars that are worth nothing. dont go swapping engines from my advice though.

for insurance i found my 1.0 was only £200 cheaper than my 205 gti 1.6.

so you will find the difference isnt much and you can pimp your tourer to look a bit better. i have a set of sport seats if you want them? £70 but they need a clean. they make a big difference to how the car feels.

wait till the winter you will love the e30 then....much more than the micra boys

if you swap for a 340 volvo you will love it!!!! needs to be slammed! but the rear end fun is fantastic! i had a 343 1.4 which was slow but round teh corners it was skidding at every turn

who cares if its slow when you can skid with enough clutch kicking

[1an]

Jamie, dont be stupid, slowly tidy it up and do what i have done with mine, and when nsurance allows swap the engine out for a m20 and jobs a gooden, oncethe winter comes you will regret getting rid of it trust me

[ric325i]

the youth of today have to grow up with front drive.......gutted. its still fun but nothing like rear drive in the wet or snow.

i used my 318i to learn how to skid, it didnt cost much so if i crashed it, it didnt matter too much (still would have been gutted though). make the most of what you have

[jaffro]

im bored of my car a god knows how many times ive said i was going to get rid or frag it but i would regret it more than anything as ric325 will vouch for. just do it up slowly a make it how you want it as you seem to have a lot of knowledge of bm's. then as has been said when insurance allows get a bigger lump in there

[mikekean]

try bell insurance. (www.bell.co.uk) they will insure pretty much anyone on a group 16 and under car. im just 19 and about 9 months ago when i was 18 they quoted me 1700 fully comp for a Focus RS.

[Cotty]

Put it into perspective Max. It's your first car. I had a rotten old MG Metro for my first car. Rear ended at about 15mph killed it.

First cars are meant to be shit.

I agree with that and the rest. Its supposed to be slow so you don't end up killing yourself.

As for insurance, do the things that will not cripple you financially. I had a 316 for 8 years. Didn't touch the engine but it had new paint, interior, big sterio, uprated suspension, alloys (BMW X spokes replaced the steels & trims). It wasn't quick but you could carry so much speed though corners and it looked the nuts compared to the tat my freinds were driving.

Kind of my philosophy with my touring. Ok the 2.5 lump is a lot quicker but it has only had a chip. Most of the mods are on the handling.

[ItsAllAboutTheE30]

I can see where you're coming from Max but I'd have to agree with Hubble on this one. Whilst E30's are lovely cars, it does cost to keep them in good/working order. Also a M40 316 touring is never going to be particularly 'nippy,' as you know and it will get done by shopping mobiles. You do have to ask yourself, does the pleasure you get from being able to say you own a bmw, outweigh the lack of speed and the money you'd have to spend to get it looking nice/make it quicker?

Be patient would be my main bit of advice. Get a shitter like most 21st century teenagers have to, put enough money into it to keep it going, save on insurance and in a few years, get something nicer/faster. I had to put up with my 1.4 306, which I hated and unfortunately still cost a fair bit to run, as everything kept breaking and fuel economy was pretty gash. Bite the bullet get a smaller 1.4/1.6, which isn't going to be too bad to rag about, if thats what you're after. Go with directline on your dads insurance TPFT, still build up no claims, as directline offer that for named drivers, wait a year or two and get yourself a 6pot. The money you'd save in that time on fuel, insurance and not paying out to keep a turd going, or make it look nicer, will be plenty enough to fund a) the initial cost of a better E30 and b) the insurance and other costs involved in running it.

I had my Sport at 19 and was only paying £1800 fully comp, which isn't bad at all considering it would have cost around £1400 for a newer, more economical car, 1.4 corsa or clio etc.

You've got yourself a dilemma i'll give you that. Ignore you're pride for now and get yourself a better E30 in a year or two to come, you know they're worth it!

Dave.

[fuzzy]

First cars are meant to be shit.

my first car was a mk2 escort 1.6 ghia. a quality car

[march109]

First cars are meant to be shit.

my first car was a mk2 escort 1.6 ghia. a quality car

Mine was a mk3 escort 1.6 ghia and unless I'm very mistaken it was shite.

[old_skool]

First cars are meant to be shit.

my first car was a mk2 escort 1.6 ghia. a quality car

Mine was a 1977 Talbot Sunbeam 1.3 - now that WAS a piece of sh1t! I thought I'd come up on the pools when I 'upgraded' to a MkII escort 1.3 Ghia in 'dukes of hazard' orange with bitumen black stripes over the bonnet and roof

[E30BeemerLad]

MK1 Opel Kedett (Astra) 1.6SR

That had some welding I can tell you, the wheel hop when doing burnouts was furious

[fuzzy]

First cars are meant to be shit.

my first car was a mk2 escort 1.6 ghia. a quality car

Mine was a mk3 escort 1.6 ghia and unless I'm very mistaken it was shite.

your not mistaken. mk3 was indeed sh1te. mk1 + 2 is were its at.

[Gortour]

My first car was a mini clubman. My second was an Allegro.

[Speedtouch]

My first was a 1973 Fiat 126, fortunately I soon moved on to a 1970 Morris Traveller - so good, I still have it

[fuzzy]

ok ,i concede the original point. it seems only im the exception to the 'first car is sh1te' rule

[Rosc0PColtrane]

My first car was a mini clubman. My second was an Allegro.

The choice of the discerning paedophile!

[Gortour]

My first car was a mini clubman. My second was an Allegro.

The choice of the discerning paedophile!

Don't think I knew the word existed, let alone what it meant that long ago...

[Rosc0PColtrane]

My first car was a mini clubman. My second was an Allegro.

The choice of the discerning paedophile!

Don't think I knew the word existed, let alone what it meant that long ago...

Ignorance is no defense of the law!

[Gortour]

Luckily, I didn't get caught...

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Caught by the law or caught in the boy?

[Bob_S]

m50 ftw

[Gortour]

Caught by the law or caught in the boy?

Both...

[djk]

Go with directline on your dads insurance TPFT, still build up no claims, as directline offer that for named drivers, wait a year or two and get yourself a 6pot.

Not sure about this - the 'named drivers earn no-claims discount' thing stikes me as decidedly dodgy - they are effectively implicitly encouraging parents to 'front' their children's insurance, so they earn another premium for zero risk as they will no doubt suggest in the event of a claim that the 'named driver' was in fact the 'main driver' thereby invalidating the insurance - think about it, how can you prove otherwise?

I know people have always done it, but I think it's decidedly underhand of insurance companies to institute policies that encourage people to invalidate their insurance. It only works for people who in reality are not he 'main driver'.

Not sure the ncd they offer to named drivers is worth having anyway, as it's only valid with that company. Likely you would get a quote for less with no ncd with a competitor when the time comes anyway.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, especially where insurance companies are concerned.

In response to the OP, keep your e30, it's a whole lot less boring than any other car you could reasonably insure. I had a succession of 1.2 clios until I turned 25 and I thrashed them mercilessly at all times - it was fun, but if they had been RWD it would have been even better, and I saved a heap of money I would have otherwise spunked on insurance.

[Grrrmachine]

Mine was a mk3 escort 1.6 ghia and unless I'm very mistaken it was shite.

Mine was the same, only it wasn't even a Ghia. It had a fitting end to its life though:
http://richsvehicles.fotopic.net/p5257162.html

[Gortour]

I think the "named drivers earning no claims" thing is only valid with that one insurance company. At which point you either pay their - probably inflated - premium with no claims or go elsewhere with none.
It's a 'future business' thing.

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Correct

[billgatese30]

Jamie

I had a shitty Clio when i passed my test and had to put up with the turd for a whole year before i could get insured on anything remotley interesting.

I got my sport at 18 with 1 year NCB for £1800 Fully comp (thats what i paid for FC on the clio the year before, and they wanted £1450 just to renew the clio)

stick with it, don't heamorrage cash into it, grin and bear it in the wet/snow over the winter and get something better next year.

[djk]

I think the "named drivers earning no claims" thing is only valid with that one insurance company. At which point you either pay their - probably inflated - premium with no claims or go elsewhere with none.
It's a 'future business' thing.

All I'm saying is, what's in it for them? Future business is part of it, sure, and it's the reason they would cite to rationalise the practice, but the attraction to new drivers insuring through their parents' names is there, and I'm sure it ain't by accident.

For all insurers, it's a cost issue - if you have slight 'economies with the truth' on your policy and you have simple claim, ie single vehicle accident with no injuries on a fully comp, they'll probably just pay it and not waste their time. Cause an accident while covered as a named driver that leaves someone paralysed, for example (worse than killing them from a cost point of view - sick, I know) - the cost of the claim will be huge, so it's worth them spending a bob or two on getting out of it. If that bob or two amounts to putting a letter in the post asking the claimant to prove that the 'named driver' was not the 'main driver', it doesn't take a very large claim to make it worth their while. After all, how can you prove otherwise? It's money for nothing for the insurance company, and an absolute nightmare for you as an otherwise straight and law-abiding chap. If they can encourage this state of affairs, callous as it is, they will as it represents 'good business'.

Remember why you buy insurance, and make sure as far as possible that you will get what you pay for. £1000+ is a lot for a piece of paper thats only value is in waving at a policeman in order to establish a superficial 'legality'.

Here endeth the lesson.............. Sorry guys, can't stop once I've started!

[stonesie]

Stick with the E30, or look for a rust free example.

My first car was a Mk2 1.0 16v micra..... 5 door..... i didn't like it much but the engine just wouldn't die.

The most fun car i have had was a 1.1 metro It cost me £90 and it got pure abuse untill the mot ran out, good fun and made my mates new 1.2 corsa it's bitch weather the road was straight or twisty