After a bit of hunt, I’ve brought a car!

The plan: Buy a car to meet the following requirements:
Large estate
Cheap to buy
Able to tow my caravan

So, I’ve gone and got a BMW!

It’s a 523i 2.5l petrol, loads of exrtas. 106,000 on it, with a full service history and EVERY service docket from new! Serviced and MOT’ed 3 weeks ago!
It would have been even better if it had a tow bar, but at the price I paid, it’s worth getting one fitted.

Price – £1250 from a garage! 😆

photo please.

Age ? (beemer not your good self)

Bangernomics? Spending over a grand? No! 😀

More importantly….. How fast is it?

Sorry Binners, I did have a grand in mind, but this just seemed too good!

Pics here, and full details!

http://www.churchgarage.biz/used-cars/bmw-5-series-2-5-523i-se-touring-5dr-southampton-201506244614296

VERY nice.

Should be good for the thick end of 140mph (on private roads or the unrestricted autobahn, naturally!)

MPG should be ok – my car is listed on Autotrader at 28 and it will usually do 32 on a run (but 28 is average) – I think Autotrader’s figures are pretty accurate. I have seen 37 – but that was a rather slow but steady trip! I don’t tow anything with mine, though.

I used to live just around the corner from that garage – it was a Hyundai dealer then! Things have clearly changed for the better…

Hope you enjoy your purchase! Would be envious if I didn’t love mine so much 🙂

Should be good for the thick end of 140mph

Don’t think it’s quite that swift, 178bhp iirc (we had a V reg saloon) but fast enough. However, who gives a shit about performance when it’s got a sweet tape deck and sat nav like that!?

Cream leather interior. Good work!!! 🙂

Enjoy!!!!

My recent bangernomics purchase is an 800 quid mark 4 Golf GTI 1.8t, with bloody big fat, daft alloys, which is bloody great fun. Though I suspect I’m going to have to put budget aside for front tyres 😀

I had an e30 with that engine; think it was 171bhp.

Wasn’t savagely fast, but deceptively fast!

Funny, only today I spotted an S reg prelude and noticed how respectable it looked, despite it’s age, and wondered what other cars could match that. From the top of my head Volvo & BMW estates sprang to mind.

Enjoy & may the bangernomic gods be with you.

legend – Member
Should be good for the thick end of 140mph
Don’t think it’s quite that swift, 178bhp iirc (we had a V reg saloon) but fast enough. However, who gives a shit about performance when it’s got a sweet tape deck and sat nav like that!?

Autotrader lists the 2.5l at 146… But as you say it’s about the style and the way you arrive, not how fast you arrive!

Big old cars are great – hoping to get one ourselves soon (thanks, CFH – mostly your fault!) – will post pics on here as and when we get it!

nice

That looks very nice. 8)

You must be well chuffed with it!

It’s says it’s being sold as spares/repair. Is there anything wrong with it?

Ask the OP in 6 months 🙂

It’s just code for ‘it’s cheap and we can’t be arsed with a warranty – take your chances’ …implies nothing bad from a reputable garage.

It’s says it’s being sold as spares/repair. Is there anything wrong with it?

Umm no – they give a 24 month warranty on all the cars they sell, but won’t on this. So it’s a ‘spares or repair’ car! It has nearly a year on the MOT!

Looks a corker, good work.

Check the indicators, they don’t seem work on most BMW’s 😉

Muke – Member
Check the indicators, they don’t seem work on most BMW’s

😀

I’d happily buy a car like this with 100,000 plus on the clock – especially for that price. Probably good for at least the same again. In fact the one we’re after has 154,000 on the clock and is just about run in, I hope. Not going to get thrashed, though!

It’s not all about the engine though is it. The exhaust might be on it’s last legs, discs/pads nearly gone. That’s the reason I got shot of my 2002 Leon this year, the engine was good for many thousands of miles extra but all the other stuff was original and rapidly approaching “must be replaced” status.

mark 4 Golf GTI 1.8t

Had one for 10 years or more …. wasn’t bangernomics then guess it is now by default.

Mines a glorified mobile skip…. i seem to only do runs to the tip in it( doing my house up)

Binners .. .watch for lots of condensation on the windscreen. In hindsight this was the indicator that I had a blooming great puddle in a rear footwell !! (from it seems something block inside the door)

I should have sorted it earlier… see here how to

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showpost.php?p=3255713&postcount=654

… as it’s really in a poor state now… but runs great

allthepies – Member
It’s not all about the engine though is it.

Yeah, pretty much.

Exhaust will be available, discs and pads ditto. GSF will be your friend – estimate about £250 fitted for front discs and pads, £500 for tyres all round (rated to 150mph). If they’re even needed – a current MOT is great.

At £1250 or so, who even cares? Great bit of kit and a very nice ride, I’d warrant!

Nothing could go wrong with a 25yo vw gti… cabriolet

Right?!

My wife is in the club too 😉 Picked up an auto Mercedes A class last month for the school run/shopping trips.53 plate,FSH,76K,6 months MOT, leather interior,alloys etc only issue so far is the Sony radio lights up but no sound from the speakers,oh and her green magnetic “P” plates don’t stick to the hatchback door-mustn’t be steel.Mind you for £200 we’re not complaining.

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/179237/2000-jaguar-supercharged-sold-berkshire

My latest bangernomics purchase

Oohhhh … nice car OP. I like.

😀

Bangernomic Pug 406 failed it’s MOT today. It was a freebie from parents neighbours – run for a year with no issues. Easy fixes apart from emissions – could be simple, could be costly.

Getting £120 scrap tomorrow and it’s going towards a Rover 45 2l diesel. £450.

stu170 and OP great choices!

Swiping through those photos made me feel like I was on tinder

stu170 and OP great choices!

Yep, make sure you come back and update us on them (especially on that lovely Jag’s fuel consumption).

1250? Can’t even buy a decent pair of wheels for that. Incredible deal.

Got to resist car hunting…

Nothing could go wrong with a 25yo vw gti… cabriolet

Right?!

No soft top, but it does have a sun roof 😀 Bought from a garage, 4 owners, FSH. A service reveals it to be in good nick where it matters, the engine pulls like a train, and it flew through an MOT

When I was debating buying it, a mate who had one with 260,000 miles on the clock (and still going strong) summed it up nicely…

“They’re built like Panzers, and they go like stink!”

I suspect thats an apt description of ciderinsport’s new beemer too

523i 2.5l

?

Can I interest you in some breakdown cover? 😀

I thought a banger had to be less than 500 quid? I know my 350 quid Fiat Panda 4×4 certainly fitted into that category. As did the Polo for that matter. And the Frontera.

Hmmm. Now you mention it, most of my cars did.

Anyway, nice car. Looks pretty tidy and very smart considering how little money you spent on it.

Under £1k I’d say, but there’s probably a case for “superbangernomics” when it comes to well-kept prestige vehicles, eh?

523i 2.5l
?

2.5 in a lesser tune

Jags doing 21mpg over the last 1200 miles and that’s been short drive to work, a trip to the lakes and some hooning about. I’m happy with that. Only live once, not a bad car for a 25yo

I just got a 7th Generation Celica for £500. £100 to get it mot’d and it’s happily doing 40+ mpg, measured!
I love old cars 🙂