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Your future car buying decisions?

James said:
This is the exact reason I got my BMW 335i Touring with adaptive suspension, big Brembo brakes and a proper 6-speed manual gearbox. It looks like an innocuous wagon/estate but hauls ass when I want it to.

I like sleeper cars.
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Absolutely James - that's a cracking engine in the 335.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
But it just isn't the same emotional experience as a n/a six (or more) cylinder engine.
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Yeah, the flat torque curve from 1,500rpm to 5,000rpm takes all the fun out of the top-end rush. But the exhaust note still makes up for it. For a daily driver, the N55 is a better choice than any N/A I6 or V8 produced by BMW.
 
James said:
Yeah, the flat torque curve from 1,500rpm to 5,000rpm takes all the fun out of the top-end rush. But the exhaust note still makes up for it. For a daily driver, the N55 is a better choice than any N/A I6 or V8 produced by BMW.
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I'm not going to disagree with your facts and figures, and I've driven a 135i with 400bhp. However, it just didn't do anything for me on the emotional level. Even the BMW performance exhaust was too polite really.

But that's just me :)
 
I've no plans to change either (Subaru and Land Rover). Both are diesel so it's probably more a question of when they are taxed off the road. When the time comes, a small petrol is most likely as I don't see electric vehicles working well in the sticks.

Cars are an interesting topic. Of the people I know, I tend to find the value of a car someone drives to be inversely proportional to their net worth!
 
Tony Lockhart said:
I'm not going to disagree with your facts and figures, and I've driven a 135i with 400bhp. However, it just didn't do anything for me on the emotional level. Even the BMW performance exhaust was too polite really.

But that's just me :)
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You might be spoilt by Porsche. Curiously, the M135i I sampled around a race track felt the most involving amongst the choice of M3 (E92), M5 (F10), M6 and X5M. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
I'm not going to disagree with your facts and figures, and I've driven a 135i with 400bhp. However, it just didn't do anything for me on the emotional level. Even the BMW performance exhaust was too polite really.

But that's just me :)
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I've heard it said before, but also heard others say what a cracking engine it is. So clearly subjective!
 
SteveB said:
Currently have an Alfa 159 3.2 V6. Lovely noise, dreadful economy. Fortunately I commute by bicycle and only do about 5,000 miles a year so don't much care about fuel economy. Not sure where I'll go from this but it will be hard to go back to 4 cylinders with or without a turbo. Current favourite - Masterati Quattroporte. 4.2 litre V8, what's not to like?
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How about the Giulia Quadrifoglio?

My 159 was a 2.2 and that was a thirsty beast, I replaced it with a Giulietta diesel Sportiva now we fill up every other week.

Pete
 
James said:
You might be spoilt by Porsche. Curiously, the M135i I sampled around a race track felt the most involving amongst the choice of M3 (E92), M5 (F10), M6 and X5M. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.
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Both right IMO : the M2/135/235 are the smallest but the best of all BMW M cars. But a 911 is a 911 :)
 
The 135's 140's are not M cars I found out recently when buying my F20 diesel.

However I would seriously consider one. A lot of car and fun for the money, plus even as a Lotus and Caterham owner the humble diesel 1 series I have has great stability and poise in the twisties and does not feel stodgy.
 
SteveS1 said:
Is it that you just don't notice all the Seats, VWs, Renaults, Citroens, Fords, plumber's vans, transits and other stuff hogging and speeding? :p

It's interesting how just about every group in the UK these days likes to separate themselves into 'worthy' and 'unworthy' - divide and rule.
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Not at all. I was just on a 'wind up'. It worked.. ;)

Mull
 
gintonic said:
who knows what is coming down the road (so to speak) - if you'd have asked me the same question last year, I'd have probably said, another Boxster S......but now I am picking up a Macan Turbo this week......
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Was a Macan GTS not fast enough ? :D
 
Rodney gold said:
I was in ireland last year this time , the hire car was a skoda octavia diesel .. we dont get them here in south Africa... very nice vehicle..4 litres per 100km over the 2 weeks I drove it.
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I've got an Octavia 4x4 2.0TDI on two year lease. Long journeys are comfortable, carries loads of stuff, 50mpg long-term, £200/month including tax and maintenance. Plays FLAC files too. If I can get a similar deal when this one is up I won't bother looking further.
 
I am suspecting that we are approaching another technology jump point with driverless cars and electric power.
Discussing which car will be best in a few years might well be like arguing about breeds of horses a hundred years ago
 
davidsrsb said:
I am suspecting that we are approaching another technology jump point with driverless cars and electric power.
Discussing which car will be best in a few years might well be like arguing about breeds of horses a hundred years ago
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The largest car markets are China and USA and they are huge countries. Do you really think they will go electric within the next 15 years ?
 
kennyh said:
The 135's 140's are not M cars I found out recently when buying my F20 diesel.

However I would seriously consider one. A lot of car and fun for the money, plus even as a Lotus and Caterham owner the humble diesel 1 series I have has great stability and poise in the twisties and does not feel stodgy.
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Agreed, despite the "M" in front of the "135" or "235" or "240" model designation, they are not proper M cars. However, the performance gap between the M240i and M2 is exceedingly narrow; much less so than say between the 340i and M3.
 
kennyh said:
The 135's 140's are not M cars I found out recently when buying my F20 diesel.

However I would seriously consider one. A lot of car and fun for the money, plus even as a Lotus and Caterham owner the humble diesel 1 series I have has great stability and poise in the twisties and does not feel stodgy.
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A couple of reviews of M2 vs M240i have said that the M2 isn't worth the extra bunce.
 
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