[sunscreemer]

Am I the only one with this strange rationale...

I would happily pay say £20 per month extra for a faster, more powerful car, but I use mine far within the realms of it's capability because i'm cautious about the fuel economy.

Can't be just me, surely? Maybe my mentality is what i'm spending money on, not how much i'm spending!

P.S. Women with rings on their fingers - why can't they be more careful not to scratch things (such as the car door behind the door handle) - aaaghhhhh!!!

[TripleD]

Originally Posted by sunscreemer

P.S. Women with rings on their fingers - why can't they be more careful not to scratch things (such as the car door behind the door handle) - aaaghhhhh!!!

There's a girl at work that had a SHED LOAD of keyrings on her keys, when opening the car door she holds the car keys in the same hand, so all around the door handle is scratched like mad.
My missus done that as well, then I had a massive go at her when she got her new car, and she's more careful now!


Personally I can't stand keyrings, all I have is car key and door key, no stupid BMW key rings or anything ..... but then I think the BMW key is too big too ....

[MarkG_M50d]

Originally Posted by TripleD

Personally I can't stand keyrings, all I have is car key and door key, no stupid BMW key rings or anything ..... but then I think the BMW key is too big too ....

Agreed, I have my BMW key with a simple ring to put around my finger.

I'm actually having sleepless nights about my wife's rings scratching the new M-Sport steering wheel.

Is that irrational or just my OCD?

P.S. I'm serious - well, maybe not about the sleeplessness bit...

[TripleD]

Originally Posted by MarkG335

I'm actually having sleepless nights about my wife's rings scratching the new M-Sport steering wheel.

Easily sorted

[MarkG_M50d]

Haha, unfortunately I went for Coral Red, otherwise.....

[bwrlane]

Originally Posted by sunscreemer

Am I the only one with this strange rationale...

I would happily pay say £20 per month extra for a faster, more powerful car, but I use mine far within the realms of it's capability because i'm cautious about the fuel economy.

Can't be just me, surely? Maybe my mentality is what i'm spending money on, not how much i'm spending!

P.S. Women with rings on their fingers - why can't they be more careful not to scratch things (such as the car door behind the door handle) - aaaghhhhh!!!

Yep, you're like me. And like many people I'd wager (most of them male). Your car is mainly about how it makes you feel. Even if 90% of the time you don't use its power, knowing that it's there makes all the difference. And for the 10% of the time you do use it, is worth the extra £20 per month IMO. That's why I chose the 30 instead of the 20.

I'm also cautious about fuel consumption and consequently don't hammer my car very often. Much of the time it could be a 320d - I wouldn't know the difference. But for that 10% you're rewarded with a sledgehammer-like thump of torque at the merest twitch of your right foot, that's beyond the 2-litre's wildest dreams. And instead of the rising, buzzing clatter of the 4 cylinder, you're rewarded with the sound of an operatic baritone that would put many a V8 to shame.

As for the ladies, my gripe is more about kerbing the alloys. My wife managed to do our front left 19 inch 403, on the very first day. I was seriously upset. Got it repaired and it was a pretty could job - you can't see the repair from a distance of more than 6 inches.

[rjberry]

Originally Posted by sunscreemer

Am I the only one with this strange rationale...

I would happily pay say £20 per month extra for a faster, more powerful car, but I use mine far within the realms of it's capability because i'm cautious about the fuel economy.

Can't be just me, surely? Maybe my mentality is what i'm spending money on, not how much i'm spending!

P.S. Women with rings on their fingers - why can't they be more careful not to scratch things (such as the car door behind the door handle) - aaaghhhhh!!!

I think my biggest bugbear is the sight of someone with a large bunch of keys that chucks the keys on the roof whilst they reach to get something out of the car. The sight of the roof where those keys have left their bowl of spaghetti shaped scratches is enough to make you weep

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by sunscreemer

Am I the only one with this strange rationale...

I would happily pay say £20 per month extra for a faster, more powerful car, but I use mine far within the realms of it's capability because i'm cautious about the fuel economy.

Can't be just me, surely? Maybe my mentality is what i'm spending money on, not how much i'm spending!

!!

I have had this (in the back ground) must be conservative with fuel.
I have had most high powered cars, but still try and get good economy when I am in the mood or when the wife's in the car. It is "Inbuilt"
BUT I do boot it too.

So as my mate Gordon (Nisfan) would say, I save the fuel up till I want to play.

I have debated getting the LCI M5 from every angle and TBH I just feel for the Money, it's the most powerful complete car on the road today bar none, and frankly will struggle to replace it ( when it arrives that is.)
So if you can afford to run the car you like......................go for it you only live once.

[kitster]

Originally Posted by sunscreemer

Am I the only one with this strange rationale...

I would happily pay say £20 per month extra for a faster, more powerful car, but I use mine far within the realms of it's capability because i'm cautious about the fuel economy.

Can't be just me, surely? Maybe my mentality is what i'm spending money on, not how much i'm spending!

I've thought about the same thing many times; I would of loved a bigger engine, but I knew I wouldn't of made use of the power; currently the car is used for some school runs and during the weekends. Same reason why we didn't get satnav it's not something we use and as non-finance buyer; shelling out 2K for occasional use, IHMO not good use of our cash.

In rgds to the missus, she is known in our household as the alloy wheel killer.

[Wo-Wo]

Simple:-

It's all about the show and knowing you have the go! I've just sold an edition 35 GTi and only gave it some beans every now and again and never when I had just cleaned it!

[sunscreemer]

Originally Posted by bwrlane

Yep, you're like me. And like many people I'd wager (most of them male). Your car is mainly about how it makes you feel. Even if 90% of the time you don't use its power, knowing that it's there makes all the difference. And for the 10% of the time you do use it, is worth the extra £20 per month IMO. That's why I chose the 30 instead of the 20.

I'm also cautious about fuel consumption and consequently don't hammer my car very often. Much of the time it could be a 320d - I wouldn't know the difference. But for that 10% you're rewarded with a sledgehammer-like thump of torque at the merest twitch of your right foot, that's beyond the 2-litre's wildest dreams. And instead of the rising, buzzing clatter of the 4 cylinder, you're rewarded with the sound of an operatic baritone that would put many a V8 to shame.

As for the ladies, my gripe is more about kerbing the alloys. My wife managed to do our front left 19 inch 403, on the very first day. I was seriously upset. Got it repaired and it was a pretty could job - you can't see the repair from a distance of more than 6 inches.

I'm already enviously looking at the 330d. With a 3 litre engine i'd get a much better mileage rate from work and the actual consumption I could get would still be good. I've only ever had one diesel, my previous car, and although i'm enjoying the 320i i do like the diesel power delivery and fact the mpg doesn't take as much of a hit!

As for alloy's I got a chunk out of a titanium finish wheel while taking evasive action from a tractor. The Wheel Specialist (Nottingham branch) did an amazing job. For less than £100 a corner they're great. Also, if kerbing is your fear have you seen the ally gator's? As for minor dents the Dent Wizard near Birmingham was fantastic too.

[bwrlane]

Originally Posted by sunscreemer

I'm already enviously looking at the 330d. With a 3 litre engine i'd get a much better mileage rate from work and the actual consumption I could get would still be good. I've only ever had one diesel, my previous car, and although i'm enjoying the 320i i do like the diesel power delivery and fact the mpg doesn't take as much of a hit!

As for alloy's I got a chunk out of a titanium finish wheel while taking evasive action from a tractor. The Wheel Specialist (Nottingham branch) did an amazing job. For less than £100 a corner they're great. Also, if kerbing is your fear have you seen the ally gator's? As for minor dents the Dent Wizard near Birmingham was fantastic too.

You know, these days I think I'd only get a diesel. Performance and refinement are now so far superior than say 5 years ago and in my experience they sound better too (the 330d is melodic).

The kid in me thought about the 335i but I remembered my previous experience of powerful petrols. To get full whack you really need to work it hard and that really hammers MPG. On the other hand with a modern diesel, the power is just there.

Will check out alloy gators.

[sunscreemer]

Originally Posted by bwrlane

You know, these days I think I'd only get a diesel. Performance and refinement are now so far superior than say 5 years ago and in my experience they sound better too (the 330d is melodic).

The kid in me thought about the 335i but I remembered my previous experience of powerful petrols. To get full whack you really need to work it hard and that really hammers MPG. On the other hand with a modern diesel, the power is just there.

Will check out alloy gators.

http://www.alloygator.co.uk/

I had an Eos with the 2.0 Golf GTI engine which was good and then I hd a 170BHP A3 diesel which was a fantastic engine. I wanted xDrive and so if wanted to go for the 3 series was faced with waiting to see what other models came out in xDrive or go for a great deal on the 320i. The deal I got was (I think) far better than I would have got on a 320d xDrive had I waited - i believe i got a deal which offset the difference in running costs between the two. But the 330d has me keen...

[bwrlane]

Originally Posted by sunscreemer

http://www.alloygator.co.uk/

But the 330d has me keen...

Yeah. My view was, given I'm spending this much money on a car, I'd rather spend a few thousand more to have one that I love and presses all the right buttons, than spending a few thousand less on one that I just like.

To put it another way, let's say for the sake of argument the cost of a 320d with the same spec as the one I got is £40k, while the cost of the 330d I did buy was £44k. That means that the difference between having a car I like and no car at all costs me £40k. Whereas the difference between having a car I like and a car I love is only £4k. Putting it like that makes it seem a no-brainer. This was the way I justified it to my good lady when putting in the bid for funds: would you rather I spent £40k and be quite pleased with it or £44k and be thrilled with it?

I did think about waiting for the 335d, but for me the compulsory xdrive was the deal-breaker. I've never had a RWD car before (closest was an Audi A4 with Quattro), and was keen to see what it felt like.

On a slightly different topic, the real revelation was how much better the 330d (F31) feels after you're used to it. Initially I was all at sea with it - it felt totally alien and didn't behave how I was expecting in hundreds of ways. After getting to know the car, it feels like a totally different animal and far far better than my initial impression.

[sunscreemer]

Originally Posted by bwrlane

Yeah. My view was, given I'm spending this much money on a car, I'd rather spend a few thousand more to have one that I love and presses all the right buttons, than spending a few thousand less on one that I just like.

To put it another way, let's say for the sake of argument the cost of a 320d with the same spec as the one I got is £40k, while the cost of the 330d I did buy was £44k. That means that the difference between having a car I like and no car at all costs me £40k. Whereas the difference between having a car I like and a car I love is only £4k. Putting it like that makes it seem a no-brainer. This was the way I justified it to my good lady when putting in the bid for funds: would you rather I spent £40k and be quite pleased with it or £44k and be thrilled with it?

I did think about waiting for the 335d, but for me the compulsory xdrive was the deal-breaker. I've never had a RWD car before (closest was an Audi A4 with Quattro), and was keen to see what it felt like.

On a slightly different topic, the real revelation was how much better the 330d (F31) feels after you're used to it. Initially I was all at sea with it - it felt totally alien and didn't behave how I was expecting in hundreds of ways. After getting to know the car, it feels like a totally different animal and far far better than my initial impression.

Ha ha, you sound like me I always find a reasonable way to rationalise / justify my excesses ;-) I think I spent around £36k on mine although i am on a 4 year select deal. That way i figured I wouldn't start getting hassled from the dealer just over 2 years in! Can always change whenever I want I guess.

I had a RWD car, an MX-5, which was such a beautiful car to drive. I've been toying with the idea of getting something small and fun again (an Elise or Caterham) whilst also getting a traditional plodder for the daily grind. Problem is I want 4WD and also I know i just keep wanting something better so my daily grind options get too expensive.

I didn't compromise with the 320i, it was available in xDrive and I thought ok, let's try the fabled 3 series. Audi were so slow in delivering the model i'd want to trade up to there (and the dealership was poor compared to BMW). I thought if I liked this then when I upgrade next time I can perhaps do what you've done and push the boat out for a bigger engine ;-)

[browellm]

Quality man maths

[bwrlane]

Originally Posted by browellm

Quality man maths

LOL. The missus just read this thread and innocently asked how come man maths doesn't work with garden chairs, handbags and weekends away. (Yep, the same one that kerbed the alloys on the first day).

[venkata]

Originally Posted by TripleD

Easily sorted

PSML!!!!