OT: WOOHOO

well since it is a used one I'm sure he will be able to tell if the paint is blemishing, and blown head gasket can be caused by a number of trivial things.

they are a bit more than five grand, unless you want an old one which isnt that fast. and common as muck.

hehe look again. :)

except the bmw has variable valve timing, and the parts are not cheaper than the pug.... so back off you go to yer little pit.

thats an expensive car to fix.... I know they dont go wrong often, but big bills when they do.

often even the air filter, oil filter and rear bank of plugs are a nightmare. Cambelt as you say is the biggy with any big transverse motor.

Many of which are neither french, fragile or firsty...

Parkers reckon a '95 325i Coupe would be the same price as a '97 Pug 406 Coupe.

That means it'll have the later M52 engine - this came in during '95.

It might be 'common as muck' but it'll hold it's value better, be more reliable, and most likely be in better condition than the 406.

With a 4 year loan to pay off, I'd be looking for resale values and reliability over looks.

so? My volvos have had horrendous *potential* part costs but with careful servicing and judicious use of patent parts there's no need for a premium brand car to be vastly different in running costs to a mainstream. Some parts have surprised me (like mirror motor, 12 quid, windscreen fluid level sensor - 15 quid) by being quite resonable.

Its less likely to go wrong than the beemer though, and has to be a better choice, also its quite new, and you don't see them too often... Still this is all irrelevent, he didn't ask for 'advice', he said he was getting one, so what everyone here thinks is pretty much irrelevent i bet :) But then, Steve was always gonna be against it cos its not an Alfa ;) And Richard is crazy man :)

Doesnt the Pug V6 have VVT? Well i think the new one does anyway

You've obviously not shopped for older BMW parts at GSF, have you?

My brother has an E36 and it's actually cheaper to run than his Vauxhall Astra GTE was.

Hence why i said more stable than other and not stable :) If i were to budget for 4 years i would like to say that i would be on much more than i'm earning now because i've still got lots of training/qualifications/experience to get.

VVT is no black art, even my 13 year old Alfa has it - not much to go wrong, and pretty easy to fix even if it does.

Heh..... well for £5k you can get a very nice Fiat Coupe Turbo, or a slightly older Alfa GTV.

However, if you don't have a very sad fixation with Wop motors like me, then the BMW or Accord are a much more sensible choice than a Pug.

Especially when you look at residuals.

Nissan 200SX Honda Accord Coupe Honda Prelude (okay, no looker, but infinitely more reliable and better handling) Honda Integra R Mazda MX-6 N-plate Corrado VR6 Subaru Impreza around N Subaru Legacy (Turbo) around R Absolutely mint, restored Opel Monza BMW 3-series Coupe BMW 5-series (1992ish M5s are getting to that level) Audi Coupe/Quattro Fiat Coupe - not 20V - at least they handle Probably an Alfa GTV 3.0 of a similar age, again, at least they handle and have /that/ engine

And that's without thinking too hard about it or double checking prices.

Richard

slow and ugly

boring

not as good looking so??

thrashy engine, no smooth v6 power

crap

very nice

common

nasty

nice car, terrible handling

again common. and not powerful enough

not a coupe

good choice

nice car, expensive to fix and maintain

I like those, but not as good looking/

`-'\_)Morticia

So are Peugeots with V6s.

Richard

that is if your happy with gsf pattern parts.