Some are, some not

I would still convert to normal tyres of the same dimensions and have them filled with something like puncture safe or what ever product has been given some endorsements. The ride, roadholding and handling will improve and you will getaway from carrying a spare. Just do not have a puncture in the sidewall!

Are the smilies working now? Yours seem to be!

I would never just drive on a can of squirty to be honest, I do too many miles and travel at very odd hours in some pretty odd places. I also wouldn’t just stick conventional tyres on my car as I like to think BMW tuned the suspension for my run-flats rebound, stiffness, compliance etc conventional rubber would be slightly alien to the design spec. Just my tuppence though and I am sure some people will have tried it with results that pleased them.As for smilies, I can only get the ones that I do manually and can remember the keystrokes for, which means :( :P Can't wait to be able to smilie properly again (although the new site is going to have less apparently :( )

I doubt that the car will be that finely tuned! In Se speck the suspension is quite compliant. On many BMW forum one reads about people being happy with changing to normal tyres without problems.

I too would wonder just how much they tuned the suspension for the tyres - infact I suspect half the problem with ride on runflats is because thats exactly what they didn't do. I bet 95% of tyre fitters don't even look at the load ratings of tyres.

For many car companies the suspension manufacturers set up the handling to what ever general specification the car manufacturers dictate, normally this is for a mass market. I have heard that their are some exceptions like Jaguar and Lotus who tend to develop and set up the cars in-house. Even so the suspension is for general use and tastes and normally is not extreme.

Hi Steve

Cheers for the reply. Apparently the main dealers here are sourcing most of their stock from the UK and importing it to Ireland. If you can find the dealer info that would be great.

So is "touring " the same as "avant" then?!!!

How are they for a bit of tinkerin?

K:)

Hey dude, I know someone who came over the Manchester from Ireland and bought an oldershape 320D and drove it back to Ireland. Saved about 4 grand on prices over in Ireland!!

Sis has a 57 reg 320d touring which she likes and a friend drives an 09 320d touring. Both cracking cars from a passengers point of view (I'm not yet used to the Efficient Dynamics stop-start), and woudl love one myself.

Give us a shout if you trek over this way car shopping, I'll happily go and kick some tyres, and I know a good few pubs round here for you to sit in and mull over your options (and meet the locals too of course!).

Yep, would be good to have an international Brisky meet while you're over

Give us a shout or pop up a post in the NW meets thread nearer the time you're gonna come over...

Steve

Ah, just saw this in passing and remembered a small local dealer has a tidy looking 06 320D 2.0 SE Estate here for £9500. It's done ~120K I believe and looks like it was a lease car. Anyway, we're close to ports that sail to Southern Ireland (Rosslare) if it's of any interest.

I looked at it very briefly when looking at another car there a while ago.

Edit: just found a link to his website...

http://www.mikehowlinmotors.co.uk/car-for-sale.aspx?id=259

Thanks for the invites Buster and Wardy

Does the Msport come with room in the back for a spacesaver wheel? If so i could just change the tyres and use the space saver. Have driven a mini with run flats and oh dear oh dear!! And that was a JP Works and ive never been so scardedy pants!!

I could also go for an old 520 or 525 estate!!...I had a 525 on a 90 plate about 7 years ago and loved it ...But a tourer version might just be a bit too big.

K:)

I thought that you were after a 320d Tourer? I think that their might be a wide gap in evolution between an old 520 or 525, a huge difference in fuel economy, safety, etc. Is their much if any difference in length between saloon an turing versions, it can not be much surely?

Thanks for the invites Buster and Wardy

Does the Msport come with room in the back for a spacesaver wheel? If so i could just change the tyres and use the space saver. Have driven a mini with run flats and oh dear oh dear!! And that was a JP Works and ive never been so scardedy pants!!

I could also go for an old 520 or 525 estate!!...I had a 525 on a 90 plate about 7 years ago and loved it ...But a tourer version might just be a bit too big.

K:)

Aye was just wafflin there on a BMW vein and reminising about my old BM days!!...The sales bloke was trying to get me to go a 5 series estate!!

Still havent given up on a A4 avant though!!...it would save me a lot of hassle!! But i dont think it looks as good as a 320 tourer!!

K:)

It can be difficult at times deciding on what vehicle to choose depending in what one wants or needs in a car. I have particular needs because of the location where I live and want various attributes that I consider important. I make a note of all the variables and then look at a group of cars that does those things best at a price that I can afford, sometimes committing thoughts to paper. I then exhaustively research the main contenders by reading up on them and join the various website to see what others might say and to pick their brains on things that I might be concerned about or not understand! Of course one has to be a little careful on forums because many people have very polarized views on various brands, not least a partisan support for their own choices or the forum make.

To some people looks are very important but it is the last thing on my mind when I choose a car. That is not to say that I do not appreciate a good looking car subjective though that is, it is just that it is of the least importance to me. Their are differences between the Audi and BMW in terms of driving philosophy. Both manufacturers make excellent high quality vehicles but one of them the BMW really strives for things like handling and feel on the road and has a rather Teutonic approach towards its main aims having in the main quality furnishings but in the plain austere manor. Audi on the other hand are not known for those qualities, having generally more stogy a understeer handling set up and softer damping but not necessarily softer springing. They pay rather more attention to detail in cosmetics and ergonomic delights. Each can lap over into the others specialist field but usually each one dominates in its known forte. Both of the manufacturers maintain high used values and are well sort after. Perhaps you need to have a very good think because it looks just a little that you have not quite made your mind up just yet.

There's some good deals on 5s at the moment, as the new model's coming out. Even on the Touring where that tends to follow about 9-12 months after the saloon release.

For example, I happened to be looking at them for a friend last night and for the spec he wanted for the 2.0D SE spec in a 3 Touring and 5, the 5 was £500 less :confused: - madness really, but it's a combination of the 5 coming with a higher standard spec, plus the 3 pricing being pretty 'robust' as it's their best-selling and most popular model.

Certainly something to consider anyway.

Steve

There's some good deals on 5s at the moment, as the new model's coming out. Even on the Touring where that tends to follow about 9-12 months after the saloon release.

For example, I happened to be looking at them for a friend last night and for the spec he wanted for the 2.0D SE spec in a 3 Touring and 5, the 5 was £500 less :confused: - madness really, but it's a combination of the 5 coming with a higher standard spec, plus the 3 pricing being pretty 'robust' as it's their best-selling and most popular model.

Certainly something to consider anyway.

Steve

I am off to BMW in half an hour for a service n stuff. This kind of information is extremely dangerous and I ask you to stop posting it immediately Steve! On the subject of Audis, I recently test drove a 3.0 TDi A4 S-Line and was impressed and disappointed in equal measure. The engine sounds great for a diesel and has big mid range shove, but the ride quality is dire. It’s not the handling that’s bad, as the latest models have the engines much further back and even though this is a heavy lump of an engine it still isn’t too bad. The trouble with it all was the 19” wheels which gave the car the ride quality of low profile run-flats (them again) and I think the only option to cure this would be to order the Drive Select package (plus optional; Sports Diff ), which seem mad to have to spend another £1500 to sort out this problem.. Mind you the Avant is a lovely looking thing. Now 530 D SE with a few toys…..hmmmmmmSteve, I’ll be round with some big men if I come back home with an order sheet this afternoon.

Edited 4 December, 200916 yr by Lady Elanore

What's dangerous where??

She refers to the danger of spending money. And that I'm doing quite a good job of spending it for her

And for info, the 3 and 5 weren't specced upto the hilt either. The £500 difference like for like refers to metallic, leather and heated seats being specified. PDC is std on both SEs so that's sorted and the 320d SE doesn't have cruise as std which is just tight quite frankly, but the 520d SE does. So that's £275 saved there as well...

It was £31,100 for the 3 playing £30,500 and a bit for the 5

Steve

I was going to resurrect my live from a dealers thread, but as I can’t post any pictures up at present, I thought I would mention in here that I am at David Holmes right now and trying not to catch the salesman’s eye

Is that because you like him or fancy a car though

And you can post photos up, you just need to host them somewhere outside of Briskoda. Come on, use your loaf!

Is that because you like him or fancy a car though

And you can post photos up, you just need to host them somewhere outside of Briskoda. Come on, use your loaf!

I host on photobucket and the feature to link to them doesn’t work for me since the collapse of Brisky :PI fancy so many cars here, but none of the salesman. Well the business manager is very nice but sadly he has a boyfriend (usual story, good looking guy with good prospects and like fast cars……………………and he is gay…….drat!)

They have a very very nice red car in here…….can you guess what it is ? about £110K though

Either a brand new M6 convertible with 21k of options on it or....

A Ferrari of some sort?

Or a 760Li MSport with 13k of extra toys added...

Convertible 430 :)On a nice note, I am sat here with my coffee and bun and a voice appeared in my ear and said hello Amanda (it wasn't those special voices that I sometimes hear!!!!). It was the manageress. She remembers every customer that she ever meets apparently. Fantastic Service from a great dealer. Probably not going to be too cheap today though. Service (micro-filter change etc) brake fluid change, new wipers etc.

Very nice and yes indeed, that's the service we like to hear about.

New wipers?! My goodness you have indeed turned into a dealership's ideal customer! How much are they going to sting you for those?