$7k budget for a daily. What are you buying?

[Driftit 2078]

7 hours ago, qube said:

did u mean to type Mk6? cuz Im not a fan of the Mk5 at all

Sorry yeah MK6. I don't know my VWs. I went out of my way to drive this one to see why people like them. I didn't. 

[Sammo 2544]

2 hours ago, Driftit said:

Sorry yeah MK6. I don't know my VWs. I went out of my way to drive this one to see why people like them. I didn't. 

Loved my MK6 but more due to the dual nature of it. 

Great, practical commuter with the DSG and then capable of moving quickly in the real world when needed with the box and accessible torque. 

Fantastic seats and steering wheel and love the DSG blips. 

I ended up in a manual E46 but the golf has a universal appeal IMO. 

Jack of all trades I guess. 

Edited July 2, 2020 by Sammo

[GorGasm 563]

I'm thinking about getting an R56 Mini as a daily.  Got to move to Hamilton first though.

[Driftit 2078]

25 minutes ago, Sammo said:

Loved my MK6 but more due to the dual nature of it. 

Great, practical commuter with the DSG and then capable of moving quickly in the real world when needed with the box and accessible torque. 

Fantastic seats and steering wheel and love the DSG blips. 

I ended up in a manual E46 but the golf has a universal appeal IMO. 

Jack of all trades I guess. 

This one was a manual 6 speed.  I wouldn't mind having a go in another one tbh.  Wondering if the one I had was a dud.  It was well loved though and not neglected.

Did you drive your brothers @GorGasm?  His was a Mk6 right?  I need to learn my Golfs.

[GorGasm 563]

Nah didn't get a go before it got crushed.  He had a Mk5 and seemed to like it, got a tune and everything.  I think they are fun car to hoon around town in due to boost and a snappy gearbox.

[qube 3570]

8 hours ago, GorGasm said:

I'm thinking about getting an R56 Mini as a daily.  Got to move to Hamilton first though.

Awesome cars. I've owned 4 of these now and they are really great, fun to drive, VERY economical and just a great overall car IF if suits your lifestyle. (really a single/two person car, rear seats are pretty much useless unless short trips, i usually have the seats down to carry stuff)

[qube 3570]

7 hours ago, Driftit said:

This one was a manual 6 speed.  I wouldn't mind having a go in another one tbh.  Wondering if the one I had was a dud.  It was well loved though and not neglected.

Did you drive your brothers @GorGasm?  His was a Mk6 right?  I need to learn my Golfs.

I think one of the major appeals of the golfs is the DSG popping gearbox. One of it's major downfalls too is the DSG that can literally go pop if neglected and not serviced regularly.

[Sammo 2544]

1 hour ago, qube said:

I think one of the major appeals of the golfs is the DSG popping gearbox. One of it's major downfalls too is the DSG that can literally go pop if neglected and not serviced regularly.

DSG farts FTW

[GorGasm 563]

Yeah if I buy a mini it will be for commuting once a week to Auckland and perhaps punting the toddlers around in the back.  I expect a Mini would use 1/3 the gas of a Maserati.  Not to mention the mileage depreciation!

Edited July 5, 2020 by GorGasm

[HalfJobHarry 106]

On 6/26/2020 at 3:14 PM, Cammsport said:

I'm on the hunt for a commuter (250km a week, open road). My budget is $7,000. $8,000 at an absolute push. I have a few points that I'd like it to meet, please let me know your thoughts and options. 

- I'd like it to be Euro, if not BMW

- <160,000kms

- Economical (better than 11L/100km)

- 4 doors (car seat occasionally)

- Modern ish (newer than 2000)

- Reliable (subjective I guess)

We've been looking at E87s and MK5 Golf's. Even got curious at a diesel Peugeot hatch. Very interested in everyone's thoughts! 

 

To be brutally honest, I love BMWs, but it's hard to recommend anything out of warranty as a 'commuter' unless you are going to budget in for the maintenance and the 'princess' factor. Commuting, especially in your price range is about economy, the trust it's going to start in the morning every time and a general lack of stress. 

You're just going to be better served with a Japanese car in that price range for your use case. 

But if you are dead set , then the smart money as many have said is a 130i although not sure it will meet your fuel economy need. Gotta budget for the BMW maintenance factor though.....don't overlook this... 

[qube 3570]

2 hours ago, GorGasm said:

Yeah if I buy a mini it will be for commuting once a week to Auckland and perhaps punting the toddlers around in the back.  I expect a Mini would use 1/3 the gas of a Maserati.  Not to mention the mileage depreciation!

According to my consumption on the dashboard, its 6.7L/100kms.

Real world example: I get around 220kms +- 20kms depending on driving, per $40 of BP98. (15-16L)

Cannot complain with that!

[KwS 2425]

On 7/3/2020 at 5:57 PM, qube said:

Awesome cars. I've owned 4 of these now and they are really great, fun to drive, VERY economical and just a great overall car IF if suits your lifestyle. (really a single/two person car, rear seats are pretty much useless unless short trips, i usually have the seats down to carry stuff)

Don't get one with the earlier N14 engine though, they are dogs. The R56 also feels like quite a big car. The interiors are much nicer than the R53 mini.

In regards to the mk5 gti, here is what I said recently on another forum with the same question. 

Mk5s are nice cars to drive, just try and get the latest model year you can as the early ones are known for eating camshafts since the cam follower for the fuel pump is made of cheese. You would also want to make sure the DSG has been well serviced and doesnt do weird sh*t. The MK6s are known for timing chain tensioner issues and its a a**hole to get to them to replace (or even check). Parts for both are reasonably cheap out of US/UK and power gains are pretty easy with basic mods and a tune.

I liked my mk5, it was a nice place to be and snappy around town, although in standard tune I'd never call it fast. The dsg was useless in start/stop traffic though, so keep that in mind. 

[qube 3570]

1 minute ago, KwS said:

Don't get one with the earlier N14 engine though, they are dogs. 

Ive owned two with N14, one auto and one manual JCW, and two N18 in auto and manual. The N18 is definitely better but I wouldnt rule out a nice example of one with the N14. Trying to find one in good condition is another story.

[M3AN 4016]

It's not $7k but it's also not a silly price....

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-2695841650.htm

 

[Cammsport 390]

19 hours ago, M3AN said:

It's not $7k but it's also not a silly price....

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-2695841650.htm

 

Thats real nice. It has been very hard to stick to budget once you start browsing. I had to draw the line somewhere however if the car is right, i dont mind stretching a couple pennies. 

Also, thanks everyone for the recommendations and TM links. Apart from the member saying to stay away from the BMWs ?. I'll digress by saying I've had years of trouble-free (TOUCHING WOOD) motoring from the aging fleet. The M52 E36 I currently daily is an absolute tank and hasn't missed a beat from the last 60,000kms I've owned it. Rigorous inspections, research and preventative maintanence are to blame I reckon with perhaps a touch of luck. With the current cars being the M52B28 swapped E30, E91 N52B25 & E36 M52B28 and 10 years as an aircraft technician, I'm no stranger to budgeting for maintenence (I wasn't triggered, I promise ?). Indeed I can see where you're coming from, but 95% of Japanese cars just don't do it for me and i'll be damned if i drive something and don't look back at it in the carpark.

So far I'm looking for a facelift M54 E46 touring or an E87 with a sidewards glance at the odd golf/polo (blasphemy).

[qube 3570]

You missed out on a tidy as 325 e46 msport wagon in wlg was around 6k sitting for ages. Was very well maintained. 
 

just wait patiently and the right one will come along im sure
 

 

[M3AN 4016]

Anyone watching this?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-2685592122.htm

$7k with 30 mins to go, will probably go for less than $8k. Looks a little ragged and the front end is spew but not too difficult to bring up to spec.

Edit... then again I'm not sure these are the best cars to purchase at auction without viewing first.

 

Edited July 13, 2020 by M3AN

[coop 261]

What about this? 

I've seen it and she's pretty tidy and drives nice. Interior is decent despite kms - soft plastics have scratched a bit around the centre console (typical E46) and a couple of slight oil weepages under the hood but noting to worry about. 

I didn't get underneath it.

 

I didn't commit as my large dog will only be able to go in the back with the seats folded down. Me not realising how small the cargo space is in the E46. (If anyone has an E39 530i Motorsport Touring they want to sell PM).

The wheels give a harsh ride, they're not my cuppa and not a deal breaker but (for me) more hassle and outlay trying to find OEM rims and new tyres. 

Good example of a 330i Touring though. 

 

https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=2632449206

[M3AN 4016]

35 minutes ago, M3AN said:

Anyone watching this?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-2685592122.htm

$7k with 30 mins to go, will probably go for less than $8k. Looks a little ragged and the front end is spew but not too difficult to bring up to spec.

$7050, even with the front end and shitty pics I think that's pretty good tbh.

[Jacko 2156]

42 minutes ago, M3AN said:

$7050, even with the front end and shitty pics I think that's pretty good tbh.

Depends if its been stacked or not, and if those little canard things have been tek screwed in