second thoughts

changed mind after seeing insurance quotes! a 320 CI coupe 2001 model later shape is £400 more than the E36!!! E36 it is still then :)

Woohoo we have finally got through :)

Nice one, you won't regret getting a newer shape, but you would regret having to have an old model.

They're s**te. HTH.

Especially at that price.

It'll depreciate like a stone, too..... for example, there's a '93 318iS (OK, not the most desireable model, I'll admit) with history on 130k miles down the road from here for £995.

You're going to burn significant amounts of money very quickly with that one.

Plenty of 320ci petrols, 170bhp six cyl motor, you did say speed was not the idea. Even more 318ci but even I wouldn't suggest it as a good idea.

320cd with a DMS chip = 190bhp and cheap insurance if the previous owner didn't tell you it was chipped.

To hell with any car if you can't buy it without a loan!

Buy a wreck, fix it and put your money in the bank where it can grow untill you buy what you like. From experience: the difference between walking (or the bus) and a own car is enormeous, the difference between cars is lot less.

"It is but 4%"... well if you get -lets say- 2% on money at your bancaccount, then the difference is 6%.

Taking on loans is like paying with credit cards: you lose touch with reality but Reality doesn't loose touch with you.

Only my 2 (euro)cents.

Tom De Moor

*ding*

I did consider just topping up the available finances and buying a GTV, Fiat Coupe or a 156 V6.... however, PeteM has found me a very nice Marea

20v HLX for half what I got for the Panzer.

1998R, under 70k miles, 155bhp and 800 quid. Can't go wrong.

I agree with his 2 euro cents, and throw in my £0.02ukp :-)

Tom - was it you who collected the track prepped Porsche from somewhere in the UK and drove it back to Belgium?

bit rich dan Mr car from new man! how much you lost in the 206 so far :)

Me personally? Nothing :-) Actually, well, £900.

There speaks the voice of reason.

Oh yes you can - in a big way. Mine snapped a cam pulley with 9000 miles on the clock. 2 grand of damage to the engine. Obviously, an 800 quid one is way much less of a risk - financially - but they really are awkward to work on. Cam belt and hose to the thermostat housing are particularly awkward.

Having said all of that, they do make a lovely noise on full chat :-) I hope you enjoy it as much as I am enjoying my 145 :-))

Yes. I drove it from Warrington down to Dover. Was quite interesting, especially the first bit at night, in the rain, with no dashlighting and not very good knowing where I was.

The beast - a 928- sleeps under its cover: will be an oldtimer in about 2 months. Should make an exhaust for it otherwise it will scare the people at the test station :-)

Tom De Moor

Erk!

It's 2 years and 25k miles from a scheduled belt change and they're not known for throwing belts early as Alfa TSparks do.

You found the one good 1.6 Boxer left, then ;-)

After all I said, I very nearly went out and got a 1.7 16v boxer myself, but then Pete spotted this Marea.

Sorry Vamp: my first car (1986) was a FSO Polonez *Limousine*, bought for the equivalent of 150 UKP. Insurance was twice that price and it was just my monthly pay as an officer. Could carry 5 people provided that those in the rear seat resisted seasickness: it swayed somewhat.

Second gear was broken when I bought it, so I always went from 1-st to 3-th. I was in the army that year, stationned in Germany: never let me down and even started under 0.5m of snow. Didn't use oil, just lost about a liter a week. Luckily the tank guys had lots of drums of oil, even managed to grab some petrol bons.

Mind you: I learned how to repare a car with the unmissable tools as there are a hammer (sticking starter motor), a welding unit (those damned exhaustgases coming into the interior) as well as the car itself: had to demolisch a garden shed, so choose to drive the car through it. Do that with your BMW!

I liked that car as the army has positively learned me to hate walking :)

Best of all: I drove it under it own steam to the demolisher after all gears but fifth had given up. I clocked 45000 km in one year with it. When it was broken up it had 72 kkm.

Tom De Moor

This one has had the pulleys replaced, and all the other gubbins as well..

Heh, they do sound good.

In news:dl3c1s$gaj$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrdmz03.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com, Bob Sherunckle decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Heh, ok the insewerance ain't brilliant, but it'll be a metric shitload less than a £6k BMW, and if you get a XR4x4 in the right (not white) colour, they're almost indistinguishable from poverty spec ones.

Oh, and the thought of Vamp in a real car instead of some 2 seat hairdressers chariot amuses me as well.

My XR4x4 was dirt cheap to insure, it pleasantly surprised me! And being an Essex lad, it would suit you well Vamp, especially in white!! And you can get a really decent one for peanuts! In fact you could get a turbo conversion and have some real fun for not much more than a standard one!

Exactly the same as I lost on my last two Zafiras, and I will lose on my next Toyota.

When's yours up for renewal Dan?

Body coloured mirrors and low profile (60...) tyres

That's about it