How Much ?

[satwantflora]

Im looking to buy a 316 or a 318. how much should i look to spend? Keeping in mind, i only have a small budget and i would use it as a daily.. I need something cheap on insurance as im still 18.

Thanks

Satty...

[Rkive]

Depends on the condition of the car, (interior, bodywork/rust etc)

How many owners?

Mileage?

If you just want a something cheap that will run ok, I reckon around £300-500 will get you a ok running car.

[fuzzy]

insurance at 18 on even the 316 will be more than the cost of the car. have you had rough quotes first before you buy an e30?

[satwantflora]

no, but im going to do it under my dad's name, as i've done with my caddy.... considering i was getting quotes for £3000 for the 1.6d caddy, (i bought it for £1000) so i'l have to sit around and call up. . ..

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Daddies insurance is ok for right now. In 5 years time you'll be kicking yourself for not biting the bullet and building your own no claims on a car which is a realistic prospect bearing in mind your age.

What sort of budget do you have in mind?

[satwantflora]

well im going to have about 200/300 to spend, and im going to either p/x / sell my golf and see what happens... i cant afford 3k for insurance, so untill i can afford normal insurance, ima stay under dadd...

I managed to get a deal for my caddy, 12 months, fully comp, £880 so cant complain if im saving £2200

[OBs]

Daddies insurance is ok for right now. In 5 years time you'll be kicking yourself for not biting the bullet and building your own no claims on a car which is a realistic prospect bearing in mind your age.

What sort of budget do you have in mind?

What, they do more then Brown sauce now?

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Daddies insurance is ok for right now. In 5 years time you'll be kicking yourself for not biting the bullet and building your own no claims on a car which is a realistic prospect bearing in mind your age.

What sort of budget do you have in mind?

What, they do more then Brown sauce now?

That's right!! Though it's French owned and all dividends are lining French shareholders pockets....

[OBs]

You should be able to pick a half decent car for around you budget...

I recommend a earlier model, being a 'chomie lubber' myself

M10's (The earlier engine, as apose to the M40) are stronger units and facelift models are cr@p imo

He he
OBs

[Rosc0PColtrane]

well im going to have about 200/300 to spend, and im going to either p/x / sell my golf and see what happens... i cant afford 3k for insurance, so untill i can afford normal insurance, ima stay under dadd...

I managed to get a deal for my caddy, 12 months, fully comp, £880 so cant complain if im saving £2200

I really feel for young people today. Insuring a car is almost as tough as buying a house. Most young people have a limited income and stumping up over 300 quid a month to insure a motor is disproportionate.

I fully understand your motivation to go through your parents insurance, but at sometime you will have to bite the bullet and get your own policy. It would make more sense to do so while under your parents roof too.

Especially as you'll soon want to do things like get your own place, having your own space to entertain and not be inturrupted when with a significant other etc etc...

It may pay to buy a 100 quid metro or some scrapper, get it through an mot, tax it and insure it with very limited mileage, cash the tax back in. That way you can earn some no claims bonus while still making the most out of your parents generous offer of their insurance.

Spending 300 quid on an e30 will probably need plenty of money thrown at it to keep it on the road, though if you hold out for the right car, you may get yourself a bargain.

Best of luck with a tough scenario!

[satwantflora]

thanks for the input guys!! its been my dream to own an e30, and i wnt to do it and keep it for a long time.... so lets see how things hold up!! u never know, there might be a bargain out there 2moro....and i'l officially own an e30 LOL

[fuzzy]

at your age the sensible thing to do is as old roscOPColtrane says but at 18 who the f**k is interested in sensible? its all about "i want that car now and stuff the realities"
unfortunately in my youth i thought like that ,bought a rediculous powerful car i couldnt afford to insure and ended up paying the price when i got banned for driving without insurance.that misdemeanour cost me more in the long run in fines.community service and a year off the road not to mention the inflated insurance premiums for the next 5 years
fortunately now that im at that sensible point/conviction free age and advise the route of a cheap small engined runaround.
the apprentice at my work couldnt even get a quote for a 1.6 for his first car at 18 and was limited to nothing above a 1.2 but even though he ended up with a 1.0 corsa he still got shafted for over £1500 a year
i thought insurance companies had closed that loophole that allowed kids to drive their own cars on the dads/mums insurance as its quite obvious that a 50+ year old mature housewife isnt really the owner or main driver of a bodykitted up ,17" wheeled boy racer car

[SPADGE]

How many owners?

I'm sorry but what the feck has the amount of previous owners got to do with anything when your buying a car for a few hundred quid
It may be important when buying a 2 year old car for several thousand pounds but not a banger. BMW or otherwise.
If anyone asks me that question when i'm selling a cheap car i immediatly think they are a pratt.

[Joshy]

Going on your parent's insureance doesn't lower it to a sane amount, but it does help a lot (£2500 difference on a 320). Saying your married to the older named driver gets you silly quotes though - I could get my insurance down to around £400 a year if I married an older bird. Pissed me off quite too, just because you were stupid enough to get hitched to a person old enough to be your mum, you get cheap insurance, WTF?

[nottingham_fox]

i have a 316i, im 20 and have declared the suspension, they want 2k a year off me...

[Joshy]

How many owners?

I'm sorry but what the feck has the amount of previous owners got to do with anything when your buying a car for a few hundred quid
It may be important when buying a 2 year old car for several thousand pounds but not a banger. BMW or otherwise.
If anyone asks me that question when i'm selling a cheap car i immediatly think they are a pratt.

Of course it matters. A low amount of owners is always going to be a selling point. I damn well know if your were selling a car with 2 previous owners you'd mention it, no matter how much you were selling it for.

The reason it matters to me is if a car has been passed around like a cheap hooker, there is usually a reason for it.

[fuzzy]

How many owners?

I'm sorry but what the feck has the amount of previous owners got to do with anything when your buying a car for a few hundred quid
It may be important when buying a 2 year old car for several thousand pounds but not a banger. BMW or otherwise.
If anyone asks me that question when i'm selling a cheap car i immediatly think they are a pratt.

exactly. today i picked up a 'M' reg chavalier with 6 months T+T for £150.previous owner insisted on showing me around but at that price im not expecting a showroom condition rolls royce.as long as it runs reliably and will get me to work thats all im interested in

[e30bmlover]

why bother with the 316 or standard 318 when you could have a 318i.s!!!!!! i heard they are and still are the best handling car bmw have made.....

[SPADGE]

How many owners?

I'm sorry but what the feck has the amount of previous owners got to do with anything when your buying a car for a few hundred quid
It may be important when buying a 2 year old car for several thousand pounds but not a banger. BMW or otherwise.
If anyone asks me that question when i'm selling a cheap car i immediatly think they are a pratt.

Of course it matters. A low amount of owners is always going to be a selling point. I damn well know if your were selling a car with 2 previous owners you'd mention it, no matter how much you were selling it for.

The reason it matters to me is if a car has been passed around like a cheap hooker, there is usually a reason for it.

I would rather have a car that had had 10 previous keepers and each one had done some maintenance than a 1 owner car where the owner had run it into the ground.
When buying a cheap 'banger' for a few hundred quid you buy it with your eyes and ears and not by seeing how many bits of paper are with it.
For this guys budget all he should be bothered about is if it starts, stops and drives.

[satwantflora]

Which is more economical to run? the most obvious thought would be the 316, but is that always the case? unfortunately, i havent dont alot of research into this, so im going to askk u guys alot of questions After having 4cars in the driveway....beema being the 5th, we need something that is economical, with decent MPG.

I think im aiming tooo high now, but im willing to work and get my dream car!

Thanks for the help, keep it coming...and like i said, im going to be asking alot more questions

Satty....

[Joshy]

Which is more economical to run? the most obvious thought would be the 316, but is that always the case? unfortunately, i havent dont alot of research into this, so im going to askk u guys alot of questions After having 4cars in the driveway....beema being the 5th, we need something that is economical, with decent MPG.

I think im aiming tooo high now, but im willing to work and get my dream car!

Thanks for the help, keep it coming...and like i said, im going to be asking alot more questions

Satty....

I think it's the same thing with insurance mate - If you have to ask about it, the car isn't for you.

If you want something economical, gets good MPG and is cheap on insurance, get a peugeot - An old cheap BMW is going to be expensive to repair, is going to drink petrol and is going to be expensive to insure.

You can't buy a car like this at 18 with both your heart and your wallet, one of them is going to have to rule - It's either you decide you want a e30, and screw all the associated costs that are going to come with owning one, or that you need something cheap and sensible and get something small and french.

[oakey]

They are not expensive to repair and relatively easy to do diy work on.
If you get insured under your dads name with directline for example you will still get your n/c bonus each year- but only if you take your policy out with them

You'll be lucky to get much more than 30mpg

[satwantflora]

They are not expensive to repair and relatively easy to do diy work on.
If you get insured under your dads name with directline for example you will still get your n/c bonus each year- but only if you take your policy out with them

You'll be lucky to get much more than 30mpg

Thats what i was thinking, because i like to get my hands dirty and do the work myself, so repairs isnt an issue, after all, i've done alot of work on the caddy myself, including full handbrake refurb, axle and spring refurb. I dont think insurance will differ much from the caddy, so im not too fussed, aslong as i can get a few hundred quid coming in each month, i shud be okaay...right?

and oakey....i love the e30 on borbets....looks sweet

Satty...

[oakey]

I think if you can insure the caddy (1600cc yes?) you'll be able to insure the BM. In my experience I have found MK1/MK2 golf GTI's are more expensive to insure than a e30 325i

Only way to know for sure is to get some quotes. So get going You got any no claims bonus'?

[satwantflora]

nah bro...i aint got any no claims, i've only had my licence since january...