Thoughts on a new family bus?

[Chris_B86]

So, I've a baby on the way, not for a while but I need to prepare, therefore my 3 door daily has to go.

As some of you saw, I was looking at a 4 door turd, but you guys swayed me away from it.

I would have liked a touring, but chances of me finding one I like are slim, I want one with Tech 2 kit and sports leather that isn't a complete shed.

However in my search, I stumbled across this E34 525i Sport, seems clean and well looked after, what are your guys opinions on it? IMO the only thing that lets it down is the colour of the interior but is it priced right? He wants no less than £1800 for it.

There's a couple of bruv parts that can be rectified, air filter, Bentley type 3rd brake light etc

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321075568049? ... 1423.l2649

[Rtaylor2208]

Not knowing anything abouyt E34's I would say that looks nice but I have heard the 2.5 is very thirsty. The only thing I would say is do you really want to constantly ferry about a new born in a 19 year old car?

Having a 11 day old son myself your view on family transport for something with a NCAP safety rating might change a bit once they arrive.

[Duke137]

Do yourself a favor and buy a HDi Diesel or similar once the baby is here if you think you will have time to tinker with cars or even more so the money to throw at it in fuel then you are sadly mistaken.

You reach a certain age/period in your life when it is just easier to conform to society and just buy a sorry spastic of a french family car.



(you can always keep a nice E30 tucked away for summer like I do)

[Rtaylor2208]

Do yourself a favor and buy a HDi Diesel or similar once the baby is here if you think you will have time to tinker with cars or even more so the money to throw at it in fuel then you are sadly mistaken.

You reach a certain age/period in your life when it is just easier to conform to society and just buy a sorry spastic of a french family car.



(you can always keep a nice E30 tucked away for summer like I do)

Exactly, I have french turd (although a fast one) as a daily to avoid the drama of fixing a daily.

Time to work on the E30 has been limited to about 2 hours in the last month as well.

[Chris_B86]

Well I've got my E30 which isn't going anywhere

Current daily is a Golf VR6.

Thing is it's not going to be the main family car, the Mrs is having that, buying her a Zafira or A4 Avant TDI, which I will be insured on.

It's main use will be for work, I'm currently averaging 20mpg so it can't be worse than that. It would just be handy to have a bigger 4 door car should we need to go out in mine rather than the Mrs car.

Other thing to bear in mind is the mundane euroboxes cost me over double to insure in comparison to my specialist classic policies

[Rtaylor2208]

I take it your still pretty young? It costs me and the Mrs £300 a year fully comp and protected on a 2012 RS Megane. She's 30 and im 32.

[Chris_B86]

I'm 26, I'll be 27 by the time my insurance is due when I'll have 4 years NCB

[verde]

E39 touring

[Duke137]

Do yourself a favor and buy a HDi Diesel or similar once the baby is here if you think you will have time to tinker with cars or even more so the money to throw at it in fuel then you are sadly mistaken.

You reach a certain age/period in your life when it is just easier to conform to society and just buy a sorry spastic of a french family car.



(you can always keep a nice E30 tucked away for summer like I do)

Exactly, I have french turd (although a fast one) as a daily to avoid the drama of fixing a daily.

Time to work on the E30 has been limited to about 2 hours in the last month as well.

I have an 2.0 HDi Citroen Xantia, It's about as cheap as motoring gets to be honest. It's cost me about £500 this month in 12 months tax/MOT/repairs/tyres but that's me good to go for 12 months all being well.

I turn the key and it starts, it's reasonably comfy, big boot, 45-50 mpg not bothered if someone smashes a trolley into it in supermarket car-park etc etc

worthless turd FTW

[Chris_B86]

E39 touring

Can't swap my current insurance over to one dude, too new

[Rtaylor2208]

If I were going for an older BMW then verdes suggestion is bang on. And alot of them are similar money to E34's

[kangman]

190e say no more

[Chris_B86]

I once tried the dark side, and I bought a 2.0HDi 307, it bored the crap out of me, and I soon managed to twist my dad's arm to swap it for his E46. In the 12 months my Dad owned it, it snapped an alternator tensioner twice, both times getting trapped in the cambelt. He was lucky it just broke a couple of cam followers, no further damage. He also had to replace wheels bearings, drop links, wishbones. And that was a low mileage car, FPOS.

German engineering FTW!

[Duke137]

Unless you are 'caked' I think you will soon realise the drain a child has on your wallet...

I thought I could run a 4 door 320i E30 the 15 miles a day to work and back when our little screamer was born.... Didn't last long

[Chris_B86]

190e say no more

Try and find one that isn't a rusty turd

[jonny323i]

There's a nice tourer on eBay local to me 325i in silver with black sports leather 1500 starting bid I'm sure you could get it for less then just ad your own tech 2 kit

[Chris_B86]

Unless you are 'caked' I think you will soon realise the drain a child has on your wallet...

I thought I could run a 4 door 320i E30 the 15 miles a day to work and back when our little screamer was born.... Didn't last long

I'm no millionaire, but I do alright for myself. I could go and buy a nice new car, but then I'm a good few grand down, I'd rather have something a bit older with some soul, and the money I save on the initial outlay, or the £200 a month I save on finance, goes towards fuel/possible repairs.

The question still stands though regardless of circumstances, is that E34 worth what he's asking?

[Chris_B86]

There's a nice tourer on eBay local to me 325i in silver with black sports leather 1500 starting bid I'm sure you could get it for less then just ad your own tech 2 kit

Think I know which you mean, has it got replica E36 M3 wheels on it? I'm really fussy, I'd want a red one, black at a push

[Chris_B86]

If I were going for an older BMW then verdes suggestion is bang on. And alot of them are similar money to E34's

I would drive an E39, but they're not quite old enough to change my insurance to

[verde]

If I were going for an older BMW then verdes suggestion is bang on. And alot of them are similar money to E34's

I would drive an E39, but they're not quite old enough to change my insurance to

Dirty 4 then? 24 touring in dark green, luuush. I have a tale about the dark green 34 i almost won on ebay that my friends are sick of hearing

[Chris_B86]

I was watching an E34 525TDS touring that was £995 in Calypso, I just like the E34 Sports.

If I had my way I'd have an E38, but fuel is just going to be ridiculous

[capnmchl]

190e say no more

Try and find one that isn't a rusty turd

I must say the ones of these I've seen don't tend to rust nearly as bad as E30's. Unless I've seen all the good ones.

Could get the bigger on, 300E or whatever it was called. I just call them Pre E class E class.

E34's gotta be the best shout.

[Chris_B86]

190e say no more

]

Try and find one that isn't a rusty turd

I must say the ones of these I've seen don't tend to rust nearly as bad as E30's. Unless I've seen all the good ones.

Could get the bigger on, 300E or whatever it was called. I just call them Pre E class E class.

E34's gotta be the best shout.

I just don't like old Merc's to be honest, and to get a 190 looking like the one in that picture is going to be a money pit in itself, I've got one of those in the shape of an E30 sat on the drive.

The E34 in the link just looks really clean and tidy and has had some money spent in the right places. Also HPI'd it and it's only 5 previous owners...


No. of previous keepers - 5

Most recent keeper change - 01/11/2011

Dates of other changes

07/05/2007
14/08/2006
12/11/1999
07/12/1998

Doesn't sound like one of those nails thats been passed from pillar to post because it's got issues

[verde]

Shit what are those merc estates called, not the 190 ones, 220s? theyr square and huge as fuck. Your Mrs is a true keeper btw Chris, very jealous youve found such a good one, allowing, no forcing you to keep the sport because its had so much time spent on it, keeping the VR6 golf and allowing an old german land yacht to be used as a baby chariot!!

[Chris_B86]

Shit what are those merc estates called, not the 190 ones, 220s? theyr square and huge as ****. Your Mrs is a true keeper btw Chris, very jealous youve found such a good one, allowing, no forcing you to keep the sport because its had so much time spent on it, keeping the VR6 golf and allowing an old german land yacht to be used as a baby chariot!!

She is a good 'un to be honest, if it wasn't for her telling me I'm not allowed, I'd have probably sold the E30 by now, she talked me out of it a couple of months ago. She's really not bothered as long as the gets her Zafira GSi

[Kemlo]

Do yourself a favor and buy a HDi Diesel or similar once the baby is here if you think you will have time to tinker with cars or even more so the money to throw at it in fuel then you are sadly mistaken.

You reach a certain age/period in your life when it is just easier to conform to society and just buy a sorry spastic of a french family car.



(you can always keep a nice E30 tucked away for summer like I do)

Most definitely this. E30 is my summer toy, Beige Diesel is our daily driver.

(It's not really beige, but it feels like it ought to be in comparison)

[Chris_B86]

Hmm just been told the MOT runs out next week, which means I'd literally have to pick it up and drive 200 miles home straight to the MOT station. Risky with an £1800 car, although it's had a lot of new suspension parts etc

[pacerpete]

NO

[Chris_B86]

NO

Any constructive reasons why?

[Rich320I]

mate if he cant be bothered to spend £40 on a MOT, theres a reason, car does look good but it also looks rather bruvved.

theres alot of that model around for less money

[Brianmoooore]

Filthy diseaseal + new baby. Not a good mix!

[Chris_B86]

mate if he cant be bothered to spend £40 on a MOT, theres a reason, car does look good but it also looks rather bruvved.

theres alot of that model around for less money

This is my worry, and has always been my advice to others. I can't actually find any others though, certainly not as clean as this appears to be

[Duke137]

Filthy diseaseal + new baby. Not a good mix!

LOL doesn't matter what car you have my daughter chundered all over the back seat of the mrs polo only 2 weeks ago and even after a deep clean I swear I can still smell it

[Chris_B86]

Filthy diseaseal + new baby. Not a good mix!

LOL doesn't matter what car you have my daughter chundered all over the back seat of the mrs polo only 2 weeks ago and even after a deep clean I swear I can still smell it

This, is why leather is a must

[Rich320I]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-318i-TOUR ... 2ec6d3bacf

were you not after a touring mate this looks nice, interior is quite funky not seen blue piping before, OEM?!

well mate if you give the advise to others then you need to follow it yourself, there isnt really a shortage of e34s maybe wait a while for one with more ticket comes up.