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

Cars are a money pit, and unless you've got it sloshing about don't bother

The e46 wasn’t expensive at all, and is a decent amount of fun for me, so naturally I’m curious if there’s a logical next step up. But also aware the next step might mean doubling the cost, and halving the reliability (no bueno).

Have you thought about rider training sorry professional help ;)

That’s what I’m unsure of. The e46 was £2600. Do I need to double that to get something more fun? Am I also likely to halve my MPG in the process? lol.
Was tempted to try and swap the 320d for a 330i, but the tales of 20mpg had me rethinking that.

Nice xtype estate with the 3l v6 engine and awd?

Or the s type with the V8 engine but not estate....what about a chrysler 300c?

EDIT: Or is it what I fancy at the mo.

Considered a VXR8? Wasn't there a dealer approved supercharged version?

Whats fun? Define fun before you go further or you're just searching for something intangible.

0-60
Handling
Feeling
Looks
Top speed
30 -100
Wind in your hair

Bit of poke where you want it, fun in the corners, handling/feeling. CBA tanning it to a ton 20, and my hair is falling out enough without the wind doing it’s part!

You'll struggle to get something fun with not terrible mpg in that price range that isn't horribly unreliable. E46 330i is a good shout as well as an E91 325i.

The other issue is that if you're mostly doing motorway, an n/a 200-230bhp estate after a 320d will feel annoying. You might have a different experience, but to me, I don't want to be working the gearbox just to accelerate from 50 back up to 70 on the motorway, I just want to press the accelerator and for it to happen.

A 330i or N52 325i will be more engaging off the motorway but they won't give you thrills on the commute or motorway based long journeys.

XFR's are surprisingly cheap, although they may of course be nails.

On the Golf Club side of things, of course, apart from the estate, of which I think they may have sold 1 globally.

To explain a little why I keep coming back to the 540i - the 1999 Bentley Arnage had the same BMW M62 4.4 litre V8, but turbo-charged by Cosworth.

So, ignoring packaging and cost, it should be possible to have a "factory", Cosworth engineered, twin turbo 540i M Sport Touring.

Tbh you’ve nailed it. The 320d with a 6 speed gearbox does the motorway miles perfectly (was pleasantly surprised how it hit 110 uphill very comfortably), and pulls away well enough, all while being pretty reliable, efficient, and was cheap to buy. Hydraulic power steering feels nice, doesn’t roll too much in the corners etc.

It does sound like I’ve probably hit the sweet spot for my needs.

Any thoughts on an Impreza?

What about a Lexus? But no estate...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111139552262?

The sequential twin turbo legacy is more fun. ;) cheaper insurance than the impreza.

Any e61 owners on here? Looks like you can pick them up for not very much, but not familiar with their reliability etc. I suppose they must be decent as there seem to be a fair few of them on the roads still..

Either Cragos in Dartford https://cragos.co.uk/
or BM Sport in Bexleyheath https://www.bmsport.com/

Similar to E60 faults,;
four cylinder diesel timing chain problems,
CCC media display units failing,
Tourings suffered from blocked sunroof drains causing water leaks in to the boot and drowning the electrical modules in the boot and spare wheel recess so if you can smell any burnt electrical smells in the boot avoid it :)

Mine has been a bit poo. I've had the battery module in the boot go (tow truck job). The water pump went (£1000 and a tow truck job) it also had the central locking module go. Also had consumables (incl a wheel bearing and brakes, but that's normal)

That's in a year that I've done 20k+ miles.

Seems that electrical issues are the main probl em with mine.

Lovely car though.

What about a Lexus? But no estate...

Estate (kind of), rwd, 6 cylinder. Was eyeing up one before I got the Outback. Don't think they ever came with a proper manual though, but nice that it's a little bit different.

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Couple of my winter tyres need replacing (because I left them on too long like a mug). Currently have a set of Vredestein snowtrac 5s (205/55/r16), do I replace the worn ones with Vredestein Wintrac, snowtrac 5 (less common), or get a pair of Goodyear Ultragrip 9+?

Any other suggestions?

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2021-Tyre-Review-Winter-Tyre-Test.htm

Michelin Cross Climate II's get great reviews - that's what I've chosen to fit to Addison. All-Season's that you can leave on year-round, with fantastic snow performance and the 3PSMF logo meaning you can drive in "winter tyres only" areas.

I’ve just bought a full set of summer tyres this year so will probably try and get dedicated winters rather than all seasons. I live on a hill that is entirely inaccessible when it snows. Always loads of stranded cars, and lots of driving up to Scotland in the foreseeable due to family stuff so want the tyres to be fully winter - if that makes any sense.

Cheers! Hard to not feel like they’re splitting hairs a bit. But useful all the same.

Found this too which helps!
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Tyre-Type/Passenger-Car-Winter-Ultra-High-Performance-Tyres/

Fair enough. I'm in the middle of selling my summer rims, and this has reminded me to buy some chains for the Alps.

Modern Cars are generally reliable if you leave them alone. And you didn't buy a BMW.

Modifying them to make them faster will almost always break them because somewhere down the line you're just going to run into a part that was fine as standard but is not designed to handle the extra stress.