Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

£650 for the E63.

Bought a new (to me) car and collecting on Monday - bmw 130i so will be looking to sell my Mini Cooper S clubman. Loads of work done to it during my two year ownership - hpfp, rocker cover, coils, plugs, full s/s exhaust inc sport cat, coilovers, new alloys/ tyres. Great car but fancied a change.

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Don't think the weight is the issue.

Remember that BMW allegedly bought rover for the front wheel drive and 4x4 technology.

Been looking at the 1 series. Seem like a fun car for the money, don't know why they don't come up more when people talk about affordable fun RWD cars. Especially considering how the MX5s out there are either falling apart or too new to be cheap any more.

Cooper S clubman. Loads of work done to it during my two year ownership - hpfp, rocker cover, coils, plugs, full s/s exhaust inc sport cat, coilovers, new alloys/ tyres. Great car but fancied a change.

That sounds right up my street. I'm not in the market for a motor though unfortunately

I came from owning 5 mx5’s and then the mini. They do have a bit of a cult following especially being the last of the non turbo BMW engine (n52)
Hope it’s good, I’ve not even seen it in the flesh or driven one...

Definitely interested to hear how you get on. MX5/MR2/1 Series seemed like the main contenders for me so keen to hear from someone with experience of the two.

Another Q re: tyres.

I know that you want to avoid old tyres (6 years from production date I was told) but is that still the case with winter tyres? If someone has put 5k miles on a set of 7 year old tyres but stored them in bags between winters and they don't look perished, is it as foolish as my gut says?

I love mine. Great fun to drive on country rodes, decent ride quality around town and it's reasonably practical. Wish I'd had the cash and buy im from Mrs to go for a punchier engine but we were really looking to buy as new a car as we could afford. The 118i in sports mode is still about as much fun as I reasonably need in a small car.

Beamers don't seem to be the most reliable - common issues for 1's are: the bushings in the wishbones going (I had to replace mine - not too pricey but a pain for 5 year old car with 36k on it). Signs to look for is any knocking sound on braking around town and a judder over 60mph.
Steering rack is a weak point too. Watch out for any rattles when driving over rough surfaces.

The interiors of the older ones are pretty rubbish and cramped, but the newer 2014+ is much better finished. On the flip -I've heard the engines in the earlier models are better.

C55 now ready for handover- almost. I need to put the summer wheels in the back and remove the auto-route pay-pass. I keep forgetting that last one.

Depends how cheap they are! If you bought a 7 year old car would you change the tyres if they weren't worn?

Depends what the car is I suppose- a performance car then absolutely yes. Maybe after giving them a good test.

The N52 is a peach! Enjoy.

I'm keeping an eye out for an N52 330i touring in manual. Quite rare, but I think it'll hold its value and be an absolute hoot to drive.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-55177486

Well I’m about to change a load of 6~ year old tyres with plenty tread because they’re old/perishing on a car I just bought.

Logically I think that tyres stored in bags indoors and not under pressure won’t have degraded to anywhere near the same extent as ones sat on a car, but I thought it worth asking nonetheless.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203197985796

I thought 6 years sounded old too but maybe not according to Michelin >>>

How old is too old? The five-year test
After five or more years in use, your tyres should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year. If the need arises, follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer regarding replacing the original equipment tyres.

As a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture (see how to read a tyre ), Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres, even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator

When you go to see these chaps: http://www.centregravity.co.uk one of the first things they do is check the current durometer of your tyres. Old tyres are hard tyres, and if you have a miss-match across the same axle it will cause handling oddities.

And if it's good enough for Chris and his team it's good enough for me, so I'd buy a cheap durometer checker and find out if my tyres were within the desired range.

Do I want to buy a warranty? The Motor Easy one is £109/month, which seems both cheap (a new engine is £30,000 with installation) and expensive (if I don't use it then its over £1,200 per year).

I guess the tyres I'm looking at might have a few years left in them, but considering they'll be about £200 posted and fitted, I'm not desperate. I also then wonder if the difference between the shit tyres I have now and a set of decent summer tyres would be of sufficient benefit and a better way to spend my cash.

This is mainly an exercise in procrastination, but a useful exercise nonetheless.

Sounds like a useful thing to have. But a bit late if I've bought the tyres and had them shipped before I can use it!

No. The terms are so stacked against you it's not worth it. The situations in which they'll pay out are absurdly unlikely. Just put the £1300 a year into the 'engine go bang' fund and, when it doesn't, spend it on midgets'n'coke.

Probably always be in the back of your mind too, no point

I knew my front two tyres were on the way out and I'd been pumping up a slow puncture for a few months now, try and eke out the last bit of life, but the other day I got a total flat on the school run, I was only half a mile from the garage so I limped there, wincing at the noises coming from the front offside, lucky I did, one of the bolts was so seized it took three men, including a comic book cliche of a hards as nails chain smoking soviet, to get it off, by the time they did the state of the tyre was laughable, 3 nails and a gaping wound in the sidewall.

Got two Michelin Pilot Sports on order

Fortunately, there will always be more pressing issues with the car to keep me occupied ;)

I'm getting quite excited now, NCD tomorrow (all being well).

Being on my silly diet I've got to take lunch, dinner #1 and dinner #2 with me, so I've just cooked those. What other prep do I need to do?

I'm selling one car and buying another, so will have to transfer the V5 to the first chap, I presume at the same time I stop paying tax on that car?