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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 Have to sell the 1er and get something cheaper - Any suggestions? |
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12-11-2011, 10:38 PM | #47 |
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MINIs are great, I have owned two, and they were so much fun. Practical in terms of safety, economy and all weather handling as well. Safety-wise, MINIs should outperform most other cars because they are German-engineered. The other alternative in the sub $18000 range would be a used BMW with about 50,000 miles. Late 90's and early 2000's cars are lighter than the current models, and easily as fun as a new 1 Series. I had a 1992 3 series and a 1996 Z3, both of which were reliable, and great cars. The other car you might find in this range is a Z4, which is a little slower than the S2000, but spacious, efficient and quick. Good luck with your purchase. Take time to do some test drives!
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12-11-2011, 10:39 PM | #48 |
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I think it may be down to an s2000 or a 350z, although I've been reading up on the numerous issues the 350z has had over its tenure and makes me a little uneasy. Then again, every car has its faults; however, I won't have a warranty where I can just bring in my car whenever, for whatever.
I may be over thinking this decision, but that's what I do... |
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12-13-2011, 01:31 AM | #49 | |
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I would strongly suggest looking into an R32 or the like if you are able to find one with low miles. If you'd like further opinions on the Si (2008 sedan) or GTI ('03 "20AE" or '06), let me know! |
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12-13-2011, 12:42 PM | #50 | |
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12-13-2011, 01:39 PM | #51 |
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I had a 2000 GTI VR6. This was before they started making the R32 and my car was fun to drive but it had a bug that would not go away. If it wasn't for that being faulty, I would probably like VW a lot more. I came from a Civic and never had a problem. I drove it around for 123,000 miles then sold it and got my e82.
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12-13-2011, 01:43 PM | #52 |
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I drove an S2000 for a few months and can echo that while it is a fun driver's car it is not practical as a daily driver for all the reasons mentioned. What it does have going for it as a daily driver is that it is very docile until you put your foot in it, but that is also what I hated about it. No low end torque. In that sense it reminded me of my '01 Prelude which I had to make scream at me to get the performance it was capable of. I know the engine of an S2000 is very happy at very high RPMs, but let the RPMS drop and it falters and keeping the RPMs up constantly to make the car perform is work. It wasn't my kind of car.
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12-13-2011, 01:59 PM | #53 | |
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It's been about 2 years since I had my 350z, but when I did, people that experimented with any boost later were on forums talking about how they were rebuilding their engine. The VQ engine is a great engine, but it's not mod friendly in my book. If you are content with a (very expensive) low-boost, properly setup, then you might be able to get a little bit of power, but the cost alone will scare you away. The other problem is the manual transmission seemed to give guys a lot of headaches with the extra power. If you run too much power through it, they break as well. I don't know what the specifics were because I had an auto. Those things aside, I ran mine for about 3 years and loved it (I just didn't mod it). If you were going to get one, I would recommend going with a 2005 or up (why?) because the 2003 - 2004.5 had suspension issues that caused the car to ride like it was on hydraulics. I had to spend $600 on a set of tokiko struts because the factory ones are not valved correctly. On top of that, in 2005 Nissan switched to a dual-piston front caliper, and a roughly 1" larger diameter front rotor. The early models stopped fine, but would warp the rotors way too quickly. Thankfully they are swappable so if you can only go with an early model, you can swap them over without replacing major components. If you are going with a stick, then you might want the "HR" engine because it has a little more HP up high (Sacrifices tq a bit) as well as a higher redline. If you are going with an auto, I would stick with the "DE" engine because the higher tq (as well as lower-rpm tq) leads itself better for the auto. Lets see...what else... - The tires are different sizes, and if you try to replace them with a square setup, the traction control will drive you nuts. You need to keep them different sizes. - Typical first mod is an intake spacer, that yields you a few HP. - Tracked cars run into oil temp issues like we do. They have a oil "cooler" that dumps oil heat into the cooling system. - Base cars come with Halogen lights, so if you want Xenons, get yourself an "Enthusiast" at minimum. - The VQ engine is hard on oil, also, it likes to keep about half a quart in the sump even when you drain it. I ran a diesel oil (Shell Rotella -T6 5w-40) and the car ran much better with it. - I found when I was looking at used ones, that the seat fabric wore very quickly. I ended up getting a "Touring" car because I wanted leather (It held up better) - The power window motors are the HPFP for the car. Expect to replace them every two years. It's not too hard to do, but costs you about $150 every time. - My car had the Bose sound system. It was not very good, and made upgrading the stereo more difficult because the factory amp would re-q the system depending on the ambient sounds in the car. Hope this helps!
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12-13-2011, 03:47 PM | #54 |
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I daily drove 2 s2000's and loved every second of it. If you like the car, it is doable without much compromise. I know I will own a 3rd s2000 one day as a second car, but the two I've owned were only cars
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12-13-2011, 04:27 PM | #55 | |
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I would give a try to a Miata, bullet proof, tons of fun and reliable (plus they hold their value fairly well)
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12-13-2011, 05:21 PM | #56 |
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Are these cars really available for 10 to 15K? And since all of them will be off warranty, will it really be cheaper than a '08 128i to own, insure and maintain?
One of the reasons I got rid of my '03 E46 was because I was sick of the unexpected $1K to $2K service visits (independent BMW shop too). After 3 of these in one year (to the tune of $6K), I decided I'd rather have a car payment and a low mileage, under warranty car. |
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12-13-2011, 11:12 PM | #57 | |
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2008 Honda Si- Very, very good daily driver with a reasonable amount of space. Like 2012_135i said, you really have to get these Honda's thing into the high RPM's to have any fun, though. Mods: Intake, exhaust, basic suspension upgrades 2003 VW GTI 20th Anniversary Edition- The most fun I've had aside from the S2K. Very practical with torque throughout the RPM range. Mods: Intake, diverter valve, downpipe, exhaust, chipped ECU 2006 Audi A3- Very reliable until it hit 50k. Once 50k hit, the coolant system failed along with several other things. Build quality (chipping paint on interior pieces, etc) would prevent me from recommending an A3. Experience with: 2003 350z (friend's): Very fun to drive, but the clutch is too long, light, and finicky. The owner's throwout bearing in the clutch went out and it sounds like a can of marbles when he's idling (he claims it is a common issue as well but I can't confirm). Last edited by boltsfan619; 12-14-2011 at 01:36 PM.. |
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12-14-2011, 09:05 AM | #58 | |
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12-14-2011, 09:06 AM | #59 | |
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12-14-2011, 08:20 PM | #60 |
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Take a look at the RX8. Chitty gas mileage, but truly a GREAT daily driver that compels and inspires you to drive "sporty". Used ones can be had for cheap. BTW, mine's for sale!
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12-15-2011, 07:42 AM | #61 |
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you want economical? You're trying to save money?
an S2000 is NOT the way to go (NO practicality, pricey tires, parts, though it may be reliable) a 350Z is Fugly. and you'd be going through tires, again... a VW is much cheaper. to run, to maintain. plus you can put shit in it. Why would you get rid of the 1er, for something 'more affordable', and then get an S2000 or 350Z....that's just retarded. whatever saving you get in insurance and payment, will just go to maintaining these older cars. So it's a trade-off. Good luck. I say get a 2 year old GTi. Not a looker, but fun and practial and cheap. Period |
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12-15-2011, 07:49 AM | #62 |
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I would not recommend a mini cooper S out of warranty. Costs to maintain are just as bad as BMW. We dumped our 2010 due to carbon buildup and costly maintenance. It was a fun little car to drive though.
Good Luck man!
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12-15-2011, 07:51 AM | #63 | |
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Dude, the s2000 goes down as one of the sports cars requiring the least amount of maintenance. In the 2.5 years I had my ap1, I had to do 0 to it, not even brake pads. Same story with my ap2. |
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12-15-2011, 08:03 AM | #64 | |
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i've had nothing but good VWs. if the OPer wants true reliability and low cost. get a friggin Civic, or a Toyota. |
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12-15-2011, 09:06 AM | #65 | |
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I know I am taking a gamble with going used, but my car is out of warranty very soon anyways so I would be paying for repairs on my current 1er too. I also do not want to get into a newer same generation 1er because I want to see what the new US version will be like in 1-2 years. Also, I am trying to have some joy in driving everyday. A civic does not provide that, although i have no experience with the Si version. Furthermore, Toyota hasn't come out with anything inspiring in basically forever. The new FR-S or whatever it is going to be, seems like it will be branded under the Scion name from what I've read, and inevitably will just become a newer version of the boring TC. So saying all that, I want something that isn't turbo'd and i feel like the best options are the s2000 or 350z at this point, unless something else comes along at my neighborhood dealer that I just can't pass up. |
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12-15-2011, 09:29 AM | #66 | ||
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