Practical sporty car

W

Woots

Veteran
 Milton Keynes
Unfortunately the days of z4 ownership may be over in the new year
We are gonna try for a baby soon so i will need to get rid once that seems like its on the way
So....the mrs has laid down the ground rules, we are only going to have one car, and cos she is a wuss she wants 4 doors so she doesnt have to lean over the front seat to put baby in child seat etc
So coupe is out, quite categorically, ive contested it but failed
So 4 door saloons, ive been looking....and im not impressed tbh
I want something that is almost as much fun as the zed, but with 4 doors
M3 saloons and RS4's seem too costly to buy atm
Maybe an S4....or maybe a 335i/d saloon would suit
Any other ideas guys? Wouldnt mind an auto tbh, quite fancy one, especially as if the mrs drives it she is less likely to have problems driving it if its auto, she isnt as good as lewis at driving even if she thinks she is
Any thoughts guys
Budget is anything under 18-20k
 
Why not an e39 M5 if you go for manual, or an Alpina B10 V8s if you want an auto.

If you want something smaller wi 4 doors, then you could go the e46 Alpina B3s route as it was available with either gearbox.

Personally I'd got for the sleeper of the bunch, an Alpina B3s Touring :P

All of them should be available for a fair bit less than you'll get for the Z4M, but the Alpinas will be harder to find.
 
Or.. Do what I'm doing. Try for a Ferrari instead of a baby. Cheaper in the long run, better sounds (and smell!).
 
Zed Five said:
650? 630d? Big boot and 4 seats...
Click to expand...

What happened to the four doors bit, if you really want a drivers car it narrows it down to either a 330 or 335, perhaps a 130 and that's a hatchback too for the pushchair :D
 
Yeah im thinking it may have to be a 335 saloon or something, just seem a bit old man and rep mobile thats all
Never really liked the 1 series and i had one, didnt really float my boat then
Old m5 seems a bit....i dont know, irresponsible... :lol:
I really wish the e92 m3 saloons were more readily available and cheaper, i dont want this to be the end of my automotive fun....
 
None of the compromises will ever be anything other than a compromise.

buy a grown up car
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/classifieds-cars-sale/134445-mercedes-e211-e320-cdi-estate-elegance-57-plate.html

or a cheaper version
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/classifieds-cars-sale/135177-c220-w203-estate-sale-bargain-facelift-model.html
 
Woods - that's going to be a real game changer for you and the Mrs.

From experience bring 2 up to full size I can tell you a few lessons:
Most families need 2 cars. Unless circumstances are special it falls down otherwise.
You don't need 4 doors as in many ways 2 is easier with long wide opening doors,but do need space to load pushchairs, shopping, etc. The car will get battered with sick, sweets, shoes on upholstery, friends kids,,etc. for this reason we ran a series of hatchbacks. Fiestas, 205, 206, etc. They are practical and cheap to run.

For family we needed a big car. 2 kids, pushchairs, luggage, etc. so went with big saloons then later 4x4's

Frankly if I did it again I'd do the same again and most of our friends have followed the same pattern.

Forget the idea of one super 4 door saloon. It won't really work.
 
Oh how my Mrs has tried to quench my passion for cars.

She knows the secret to a happy marriage is to let me get on with it.

Keep the M and buy a family auto Ford Ka. It'll be cheaper in the long run as well.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk.
 
We only really need one car as the mrs is going to give up her licence to stop her epilepsy medication, and we will be living in married quarters and she is going to stop work while we move around diff bases over the next two years, yeahh i know i should therefore get something boring like a 207 or something, i know i know, i know i dont need 300 or more bhp, i just need a 1.5 diesel but im too much of a petrol head
ive thought about getting an x5 haha but i dont need a car that big, i dont know...
an e63 amg would be nice.....
 
The X5 isn't very big. I took one of the 4.8s out to see if I could downsize the van to one. There' hardly any space inside. Tiny. Big on the outside though, it is like a TARDIS, only backwards.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCjv1IT2ITI

I wouldn't go smaller but I know you will. :roll:
 
The that's different and i can see why one car works.
X5's not a bad idea. That was my last pure family car. Ran it 10 years as it was so practical. Many others here run them too.
That aside any large powerful estate or hatchback would work.
 
So this is leftfield, but what about a VXR Vauxhall? Brand is not up to BMW, but great engines and low running costs. Also Focus ST is a real stormer, well spec'd and a bit of an attitude to it

After that, go 535d estate. Fearsomely fast and economical. A diesel that will give many a sports car a fright :) I've been looking on AUC and you can get a nice one for less than 20k

Edit - and good luck starting a family, it's a whole new adventure!
 
cj10jeeper said:
The that's different and i can see why one car works.
Click to expand...
+1
Sometimes we try and give advice without knowing the complete picture and a person's circumstances.
 
Guys i appreciate all advice, regardless of its views
unless its to just get a rover metro, then u can go to hell :lol:

yeahh x5 seems sort of ideal, she is mostly concerned that a small car isnt safe, i try telling her about the crash rating etc but she is a woman, and yes i admit an x5 or rangie would be safer if i hit a small car or whatever,

basically it seems like its down to

M3 saloon or similar
RS4 or similar
5 series
Or an X5/rangie/cayenne

some of them bit out of the league i know, m3 saloon would be prefect, but.....not sure it would ever happen, i know i should be looking at a 320d....
 
A ST focus or mondeo is a cheaper alternative to the german brands, practical and feel pretty rapid.... Even those turbo volvo'd feel pretty fast.

As you will inevitably need a large boot, those hatchbacks are pretty handy... An audi s3, will also give most cars a run for the money at traffic light gp.

Unless you clock a lot of miles, do long journeys i wouldnt bother with the diesels.. Would work out more expensive.

Best of luck, as sad as letting your roadster go, dare i say it, its only a car, family always comes first.


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there is a e63 amg just down the road, sooo tempted to just go look at it
same price as the m3 though so best not...
and yeahhh the audi s3's seem pretty good too, quick enough, not big and quite roomy
just gonna need to take the mrs around places and see what she lets me buy hahah
 
Woots - don't rush into it. Last time I heard, pregnancy takes nine months and that's once she catches. You've got many more miles to enjoy before the axe falls!

Sorry to hear it's the end for now of your 2-seater days. I kept a 2-seater until my first born was 10 months old but then had to sell for practical reasons. She's now 7 but things have changed again which means I can have another 2-seater. I'm sure the same will happen to you - even if you have to wait and be the cliche old man in a sports car. At least you'll be happy.
 
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