Compared to the 1 series:

Servicing - hugely expensive.

Tyres - Hugely expensive.

Consumables - Hugely expensive.

Insurance - Hugely Expensive.

Also, at that age you've no warranty so a serious fault is going to be hugely expensive.

Personally I'd avoid the false economy of trying to run a car I couldn't afford to run & buy one I can afford to run. Fair enough, if he was looking at an old luxo-barge it'd be a good buy but compared to a new 1 series it's not really a comparison.

Tyres for the 120d Msport are 225/45/R18 about

Personally I'd avoid the false economy of trying to run a car I couldn't afford to run & buy one I can afford to run. Fair enough, if he was looking at an old luxo-barge it'd be a good buy but compared to a new 1 series it's not really a comparison.

The comparison is that its more or less exactly the same price to buy it and therefore can be compared.

Clearly the 535d will depreciate slower than the 120d due to the fact one is new one is 2 years old, in addition the 535d is a rare car and will never sell in big numbers due to the fact the 530d is so good and cheaper to buy & cheaper on the comp car tax hence it will lose less value than the very common 120d.

IIRC the 120d is a 21 second car to the 100mph the 535d is a 14 second car to the 100mph.

There isnt that much difference between them 0-60 so it really shows have savage the 535d is once it gets moving + its an auto.

I like the 120 & 118d great cars but if you were given the choice of a 535d over one youd buy it any day of the week, unless of course the buyer is one of those who still believes that cars with >60k are falling to pieces

Steve please last time i spoke to you about luxo barges you said if you had my budget for a car you would have an audi s8 not a granny shopper vrs,so you know what you would buy,the 535d is such a superior car in every way to the 118/120d i can't see why anyone would buy a 1 series assuming of course welshys numbers are correct[which on first glance would appear to be.]Tho imho welshy i can't stand the pretend bm's such as the 1series/3series compact but this is just an opinion.

Some could argue why buy a Fabia vRS when you can buy the old M5 or E55 for that sort of money - however in those cases fuel consumption will be high, the 535d isnt far off the line from those two & in gear its quicker but will get you 40mpg.

this was steves arguement i bought my granny shopper vrs cause i love them regardless of what else i could have had and that is it in a nutshell,people buy what they want regardless of price ,prestige,power or any other variable you care to throw in for good measure,people genaraly buy with there head rather than there heart and for this reason i have a very interesting car history as i buy from the heart,others may laugh at what i call a good car and berate me for slagging what they feel to be a good car,if it wasn't for personal choice we would all have the same,a bmw 3 series diesel ,as it is alledgedly all things to all men,or maybe a mondeo,and from either choice you couldn't really go wrong.But to round this off and i suppose the only real answer to the question posed at the beggining of this thread is buy what YOU want regardless of what anyone else says/thinks and if you like it then that is all that matters.

Nope he is thinking about buying a brand new 118d M sport or a 120M Sport - which will work out roughly

Honestly for the money for 24-27K I would look at the 130i, its not a diesil, but it does have the huge big grin factor, and the wolf in sheeps clothing aspect covered a treat.

All the guys at work say, that the 130i is the car that they would most like to buy in the yard, including the m5/m6 or 750i et al.

a bit more info.

BMW 130i M Sport

Golf R 32 VS BMW 130 I Video

Other than you may need a set of rear tyres every week or so I know where my money would go.

But brand new 25-27k will not get you the same spec as he is wanting for the 118d SE (Msport) or 120SE (MSport) - you'd be looking at maybe just over

25+k for a 1 series?!?! Are you mad?! If you've got a budget that big, you'd be better off with a nearly new 330d which isn't that much bigger than a 1, but will be much better to drive, and much easier to sell on when you're done with it

In fact a quick look on Autotrader, showed that you could buy a 2006 330d MSport with only 25k miles on for 24,995, with warranty until March 2009.

Chris

25+k for a 1 series?!?! Are you mad?! If you've got a budget that big, you'd be better off with a nearly new 330d which isn't that much bigger than a 1, but will be much better to drive, and much easier to sell on when you're done with it

In fact a quick look on Autotrader, showed that you could buy a 2006 330d MSport with only 25k miles on for 24,995, with warranty until March 2009.

Chris

Similar to my idea of the 535d but with 1 year more warranty.

As it turns out a friend of mine who recently had to change jobs used to have a 120dSE comp car and he was in the BMW garage just about to sign on the dotted line for a 120d Msport when he spotted a 330d 56 reg MSport in the garage for I believe

But the thread started has stated the 3 series is too big for his requirements and the 1 series is more than big enough.

But 25+k for a 1 series?!?!! It's madness I tell thee!

Chris

OK, so you can run a 535d for the same price as a 118d. My mistake then.

Steve please last time i spoke to you about luxo barges you said if you had my budget for a car you would have an audi s8 not a granny shopper vrs

I actually said if i did your mileage - an S8's within my budget but not at 100 miles a day :eek: - you do about 20 a week where fuel economy isn't really relevant. Presumably he's looking at a diesel because he covers decent mileages.

Presumably he's looking at a diesel because he covers decent mileages.

I suspect even if he didn't cover decent mileages, he'd chose a diesel cos he's weird like that

Chris

OK, so you can run a 535d for the same price as a 118d. My mistake then.

Well with the 118d you have to remember that there is a monthly depreciation charge of near on

I pay my depreciation monthly too

The monthly costs on the 535 will be higher. Fact.

Depreciation is not a running cost, it forms part of the TCO. We're talking about which is more affordable, and it isn't the 535D unless we're talking TCO, which we're not.

Also, he doesn't want a second hand 5 series, nor does everyone else who considers buying anything at all on here that you suggest the 5 to. He wants a new 1 series, which is an utterly different proposition.

Not getting into an arguement here but for anyone here who doesnt consider depreciation as a monthly cost and you purely base it upon the actual cash you spend in the month you are very much in error.

May I suggest you lease a car instead if you wish thus "avoiding" (depn included in the price) depn.

He may not want a 535d but the issue here was hes thinking about spending

You've not said anything technically wrong, (a few assumptions, but they're a requirement to a hypothetical discussion like this) but I'm not sure you're grasping my point.

Depreciation is a hidden cost (normally a necessary evil that goes alongside car ownership whatever you happen to own, unless you're very lucky), not something you pay for every month. You're right in that the sensible buyer should factor it in but it is not a monthly cost in the same sense that fuel and insurance are.

If an individual just has the the budget to spend on a 1 series then ignoring depreciation (especially if for example the car is financed & the loan repayment is considered the cost of the car) that individual cannot afford to run the 5 even though the TCO is lower. See what I'm saying?

Loosely translated we're arguing about different things. But I'm right :P

Edit: In a nutshell: Before you sell the two cars the 5 costs you a damn site more even if the TCO is lower - see?

Yes I see what you mean physical cash out the door ownership costs are lower for the 118/120d over the 535d for the same purchase price.

I guess Im trying to encourage budgeting into the mind set of as many people as is possible as so many in the UK are far over stretched with debt and as the base rate keeps climbing & it will were going to see a lot of people losing their houses/cars/big flat screen tv's.

My method of doing things doesnt stop anyone having whatever they like provided they have really thought about what the total costs will be.

i.e. Im looking currently at buying a house one is up for

Trust me if I was to get a 1 series I would be paying closer to

I guess Im trying to encourage budgeting into the mind set of as many people as is possible as so many in the UK are far over stretched with debt and as the base rate keeps climbing & it will were going to see a lot of people losing their houses/cars/big flat screen tv's.

Amen to that

Off Topic: I saw an advert on TV for a company called Brighthouse offering big TVs etc on weekly credit with no credit checking :eek:

Why not just save for the damn TV and save 29.9% ( :eek: ) APR ??

(Awaits Oilburninnut slagging me for nicking his 'broken' TV that he replaced )

Did anyone see Used Car roadshow last night 7pm ITV4?

The buy of the week had

That Cayanne is a real bargin 450bhp Porche Sat Nav Porche TV every option fitted (20" wheels too) fantastic.

It may be a bargain, but it's no 911 to drive!!! Plus if you look at the TCO, the 911's hold their value remarkably well thanks to huge desirability - after a quick look on the Trader, I'm not so sure the same can be said of the Cayenne....

Chris

Yes thats true - the reason they put in into the ring was due to the fact that it is a bargin price & that the potential buyer would only be keeping the "Fun/impractical" car for max 4 years then kids, so if you have the MPV already then there is no need to change in the future.

With the 911's holding their value I think you will find that the 993's (last pure 911) are rock solid on residual values but the 996 & 997 are certainly not as they are many more examples of them. You can actually buy a 996 C2 for

Amen to that

Off Topic: I saw an advert on TV for a company called Brighthouse offering big TVs etc on weekly credit with no credit checking :eek:

Why not just save for the damn TV and save 29.9% ( :eek: ) APR ??

(Awaits Oilburninnut slagging me for nicking his 'broken' TV that he replaced )

no point lecturing this idiot on being tight with cash,he comes to my house drinks my beer eats my food,no probs with that you say,i then go to his and get the shopping in,

He is so tight he squeeks when he walks.

Back on topic 535's are ace.