rabbitstew Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Well, after much deliberation I have finally sold my beloved 313 350z roadster. It was a combination of the running costs and the crappy weather we are having that made me realise that I wasnt able to enjoy the car as much as i wanted. If it was just a weekend car id probably have kept it, but I was using it every day for work. Having bought the car outright for cash 14 months ago, it was still costing me around £850->£900 a month just in running costs. On top of that the depreciation was starting to get silly with big engined cars dropping in value like lead. I have to say it was one of the most fun cars ive ever owned, and the performance really was fantastic. With the roof down and the K1 screaming out under 2nd gear acceleration, it really was awesome. I shall really miss it. What have I replaced it with? Well, a new BMW 123d Coupe M-Sport. Very nice spec with a list of options, coming in at a price which I could easily pick up a number of mad fun weekend cars for, porsches, evo`s, you name it. But, I need something which is going to be cheaper for me to run over the 5 years or so I plan to keep this one for, especially with the kind of mileage I do. As for my 350z, I part ex`d it at a local main dealer rather than have the hassle of selling it privately. They had no idea what it was, and unfortunately glass`s guide doesnt list the 313 model at all. So the price they gave me was just the basic price for the older model. They didnt add anything for the mega long list of optional extras my car had, or the lower then average mileage. So I lost 40% on what the car cost me to buy over around 14months. They subsequently shipped it off to a private car dealer. Because its quite a rare car and a high spec, I soon spotted it appearing on Autotrader, at a dealer in Oxfordshire, it will be interesting to see how quickly they sell it and whether the new owner ends up on here! Whoever does buy it though should have many miles of cheap motoring, as id just MOT`d it, had new tyres, new brake pads, new drive belt. The roof and leather had just been retreated which should last 6 months and the only thing it would need is its P2 service in around 2000 miles time. I`ll still be around on here as this is one of the friendliest forums ive been on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthatB0MBSHELL Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I hate stories with a sad ending, Good luck with the new Beamer any chance of a link to the Z on autotrader? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Don’t be a stranger, and all the best with the new car… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Boo How come it was costing so much to run? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 I hate stories with a sad ending, Good luck with the new Beamer any chance of a link to the Z on autotrader? Its not all sad though, I had load of fun in the car and did 20k miles in it whilst I had it. Thats more than some people do in many years if they have their zed as a weekend car. I`ll see if i can find the link on Autotrader. It appears the trader doesnt really know what they have as they have priced it up at a lot less than other higher milage ones with none of the extras. The only extra they have listed on my car is the sat nav... I am half tempted to give them a bell and educate them on what they have! Boo How come it was costing so much to run? The main killer was the fuel and the depreciation, I havent got my spreadsheet in front of me atm, but from memory fuel was coming in at about £450 a month (I do about 500miles a week), the rest of the cost per month (£300ish) was the insurance / tax / mot / tires / servicing etc... On top of that, depreciation on the car worked out at about £420 per month over the 14 months I had it. So, per month overall we were looking at £1200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeroy Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hard lines Rabbit, sounds like you did the right thing, you really know your onions. After all, you have to earn a substantial crust to justify the rising costs - at least you still have a steak in RWD cars, that's gravy. I'm guessing it'll be a lot harder to overcook than the Zed, but the filling won't smell as sweet - never a good idea to burn the oil really but you will save some dough. I'm guessing that you'll be sitting a bit higher in the Bimmer too, so you'll have a Bird's Eye view - it won't sound fruity though and people might think "you basted". Finally, you'll be pleased that crimpers are no longer necessary, although the hard top means you might stay pasty when the sun eventually comes out. I hope that you enjoy the new leaf that you had to Turnover - maybe you'll be back in the fold at some point in the future Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I'm curious about your perception around the depreciation on a brand new BMW over five years? Your going from a car that has lost the vast majority of it's depreciation, right back to the top of the depreciation ladder.... All the costs you've cited are still going to be present, apart from a lower petrol bill, but have you seen BMW's servicing prices?? Also, if you've got enough cash to buy a brand new BMW outright, why you worrying about the zeds costs?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humpy Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 All the best Rabbit with your new car and stay around on the forums for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 best of luck with the BMW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Glad you are sorted and also that will be staying on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 Hard lines Rabbit, sounds like you did the right thing, you really know your onions. After all, you have to earn a substantial crust to justify the rising costs - at least you still have a steak in RWD cars, that's gravy. I'm guessing it'll be a lot harder to overcook than the Zed, but the filling won't smell as sweet - never a good idea to burn the oil really but you will save some dough. Cheers. The 123d actually has more torque than my 313, coming in at 300lb odd, and 204bhp gets it from 0-60 in about 0.7 seconds slower than my zed. I did read that you can remap them to 270bhp etc.. but thats not something i`ll be doing for a while, certainly not whilst the car has a waranty. I'm curious about your perception around the depreciation on a brand new BMW over five years? Your going from a car that has lost the vast majority of it's depreciation, right back to the top of the depreciation ladder.... All the costs you've cited are still going to be present, apart from a lower petrol bill, but have you seen BMW's servicing prices?? Also, if you've got enough cash to buy a brand new BMW outright, why you worrying about the zeds costs?? Well, ive a spreadsheet in which i enter all the costs. The BMW wasnt cheap, but looking at resale prices, its loosing 2k a year regardless of whether I bought a 2009 version or a 2012 version. So, already thats less than the 5k my 350z did. Servicing costs. Well, my zed I just serviced myself, so costs were minimal. According to the bmw garage who I rang up and asked for a servicing cost, it will be £130 for a minor service on the 123d. So, very reasonable compared to the £170 Vauxhall just charged a friend of mine for a similar service. The 123d has a kind of "long life" servicing where the car monitors how its driven and decides upon servicing intervals accordingly, but typically your looking at 20k miles between services compared to the 9k the 350z was. Insurance for me is half the price of the zed (£375ish), Roadtax is £120 i think per year, compared to the £460 the zed was. Mpg should come out at 48mph->50mpg which means my fuel bill will be halved. So so far, running costs seem to be less than half that of the zed. The only downer on running costs are the 18inch run flat tyres which are £200 each, which means similar costs to the zed there, depending up on how long they last. So all in all, whilst the initial outlay on the car is considerable, the overall running costs, incl depreciation should be half that of the zed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I think that frankly your in for a shock. If you think your only going to lose £10k in five years on a brand new BMW, that your going to be doing 20k a year in, your misguided to say the least. The 123d is circa £30k+ ; http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds ... 2dr/333878 Heres a 2007 120d M sport at £11k that has half the mileage your car will have; http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds ... ort/546120 Any savings you may have made in fuel are going to be completly obliterated by the £20k+ depreciation. As a money saving exercise it makes no sense, sorry. Nice car though I like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobears Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I love a bit of future forecasting where car values are concerned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I think that frankly your in for a shock. Agreed..........cars are plummeting faster than ever in value - you always think that it won't be that bad but its utter rapage every time. As a money saving exercise it makes no sense, sorry. Nice car though I like them. They're not my kettle and all I can say is I hope its more comfortable than my Z4 was (my mate had a 1 series hatch and it crippled him). If I was you I'd sling the runflats immediately........I cannot express how much they ruin the car.[gmaps][/gmaps] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangzoom Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I think that frankly your in for a shock. If you think your only going to lose £10k in five years on a brand new BMW, that your going to be doing 20k a year in, your misguided to say the least. The 123d is circa £30k+ ; http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds ... 2dr/333878 Heres a 2007 120d M sport at £11k that has half the mileage your car will have; http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds ... ort/546120 The 123d is a much more desirable car compared the 120d, so you cannot compare the two. The cheapest 123d coupe (2007) on Pistonheads is on for £12.9K. Thats about £3.4K deprecation per year, which isn't actually that bad. Personally I don't find the ride in my 335 any worse than the Zs. Switching to non-run flats does effect the handling, BMW fitted these cars with soft rear sub frame bushes to complement with stiff side walls of the run-flats. Apparently M cars have much stiffer bushes, hence one of ways to improve handling on a non M car BMW is to ditch the run flats, but swap the rear bushes for M car versions and uprating the antiroll bars (so am told by Birds BWM, who offer to do the work but for lot of £££ ) The 123d is a rapid little car...had one give my 335i a run for its money a few months ago...had to change down a gear to pull away Just be careful when taking the car to BMW for servicing...they will try every trick in the book to squeeze more money out of you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuarty Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Ive had both a bmw 123d hatchback and a 350z and im now back driving a bmw 320i m sport plus. I bought my 123d brand new in 2009 and i have to say the engine was awesome. The only reason i sold it was i didnt do the miles to justify a diesel anymore and i regreted not buying the m sport model!! I loved my zed also but the fuel costs and the depreciation costs were simply getting too much and it was always at the back of my mind that i had no warrenty on the car. But it never put a foot wrong in the year i owned it. I recently bought a brand new 320i m sport, ok its not the fastest thing in the world but i really, really like it. I can honestly say that the m port suspension and run flats ride great together, ok im no expert, but its no different from the zed or the previous 2 astra vxr's ive owned. All i can say is its all the car i will ever need. In a perfect world i would love a new 335i m sport coupe, but thats something to aim for in the future. Im glad i owned my zed, i think i traded it in at the right time but i dont really miss it anymore. Enjoy your new car mate as its probably the best diesel engine on the road! (imo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Sorry to hear the Zed's gone Glad you will be sticking around though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I think that frankly your in for a shock. If you think your only going to lose £10k in five years on a brand new BMW, that your going to be doing 20k a year in, your misguided to say the least. The 123d is circa £30k+ ; http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds ... 2dr/333878 Heres a 2007 120d M sport at £11k that has half the mileage your car will have; http://beta.pistonheads.com/classifieds ... ort/546120 The 123d is a much more desirable car compared the 120d, so you cannot compare the two. The cheapest 123d coupe (2007) on Pistonheads is on for £12.9K. Thats about £3.4K deprecation per year, which isn't actually that bad. Has that car got 100k on it??? As thats what Rabbitstew is proposing. And still, thats still £17k of depreciation in 5 years; great way to save money I'm all for trading up or buying something that you really really want, but stating that buying a Brand new car is actually going to save you money is bizarre to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamic Turtle Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 Agreed. With all due respect Wabbit, how you can go from something as pretty as a 313 drop top to a 123d is beyond me. Technically brilliant I'm sure, but my god they're fugly. Just as well nobody will notice, because it's a BMW. 159 2.2 JTDM Ti would've been my choice in your situation. At least they look nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I would never buy an Alfa to put 100k on it. Friend of a Friend took delivery of one. Less than a mile of driving "catastrophic engine damage" was done. Plus that 1 series is pretty good looking. Alfas are also fwd. Agreed. With all due respect Wabbit, how you can go from something as pretty as a 313 drop top to a 123d is beyond me. Technically brilliant I'm sure, but my god they're fugly. Just as well nobody will notice, because it's a BMW. 159 2.2 JTDM Ti would've been my choice in your situation. At least they look nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 I would never buy an Alfa to put 100k on it. Friend of a Friend took delivery of one. Less than a mile of driving "catastrophic engine damage" was done. Plus that 1 series is pretty good looking. Alfas are also fwd. Agreed. With all due respect Wabbit, how you can go from something as pretty as a 313 drop top to a 123d is beyond me. Technically brilliant I'm sure, but my god they're fugly. Just as well nobody will notice, because it's a BMW. 159 2.2 JTDM Ti would've been my choice in your situation. At least they look nice! Diesel RWD is not exactly the same though is it? My Alfa GT has 90k on it and is running perfectly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 You'd be surprised how good a mapped diesel can be. It just missed the noise and you have to get used to shifting to keep them in the power band. I can get tcs to light up taking off in 2nd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p40ulw Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 my friend has got the exact same car (he got his tax free) and he got it chipped through a german BMW garage so its fully covered by his warrenty and he got 270BHP on a dyno! hes well impressed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Imagine 500nm in a fwd car. Torque steer city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 Some interesting feedback on my choice of car! Mind you, its the same as i get from my mates when I bought the zed - "You spent how much on a Nissan?" and now they are saying the same thing about the 1 series. I have to say, when I first saw the 1 series I hated it. Really really hated its looks. Then a mate of mine bought a 118d coupe and I had a look around that and it started to grow on me. I considered getting a Golf GT TDi again, or an Audi A3, but decided in the end to go for either the 330d, the 123d or maybe the 135i even. My choice on the 1 series over the 3 series was that i much preferred the size of the car. The 1 series is actually bigger than a 1980`s 3 series apparently and the current 3 series is the same size the 5 series used to be. Performance wise, from what I read the 123d is the most powerful 4 cylinder diesel out there. 204bhp, 0-60 in 6.5 seconds... thats quicker than most hot hatches. My experience so far is limited as ive only done a couple of hundred miles in it, but the performance is "weird" to say the least for a diesel. Most diesels seem to have big turbo lag, then it all kicks in (like our Nissan Juke). Or, on other diesels it all kicks in straight away then runs out of steam early. Because the 123d has twin turbos, no matter what speed or rpm you are doing, if you floor it, you get instant acceleration. The torque when overtaking in 5th or 6th is amazing. The speedo just goes up like mad and I keep finding myself doing about 20mph more than I thought I was doing. The handling i did read a lot about before I bought the car, and read reviews on the run flat tyres. Some people do say ditch them, others say keep them as the car is setup to run best with them. On the road, the ride feels slightly firmer than my zed, but it feels very very planted. No perceptible body roll at all. Certainly a nice smooth very nice ride. The brakes are much better than i expected but no match for the brembo`s with d2500`s my zed had. The cabin is a very nice place to be compared to my zed. It ouses quality and a more up to date feel. The steering wheel is nice and chunky, ive got auto headlamps, auto wipers, all the bluetooth integration, leather seats with god knows how many adjustments and a long list of options. The only bits i dont like is that im still getting used to the automatic engine start / stop. Its a weird feeling when it cuts out at traffic lights. And also the steering feels heavy and vague compared to the zed which was much quicker and lighter. Apparently the 123d had electronic steering or something which affects how it feels. So far im getting 45mpg which isnt bad as the first 60miles I did were around town which obviously brings down the average. I`ll see how it goes over this first tank of fuel, i expect i`ll be able to just about hit 50mpg. Computers claiming i should be able to get 500miles out of the tank... but we shall see. And so back to the price debate. Well, whilst this is a new car, it wasnt brand spanking new off the showroom. Im not that stupid. Its about 6 months old with 2000 miles on it, and as such was about 9 grand less than the new retail price. So I have avoided the mega initial 1st year depreciation. Looking on autotrader and at bmw approved used cars, even with my yearly mileage I should be looking at a £2k a year depreciation, which for me is very acceptable. Thats based upon what 2nd cars are fetching atm. The 123d coupe is a very desirable car, and as such should hold its value reasonably well. Of course, things change all the time and who knows what price cars will be in 3 or 4 years time. BMW servicing.. well i`ll have to see what my experience will be like when it comes to the first service - which isnt due until around May 2013 - even with my mileage. So far with Nissan ive been so unimpressed I vowed id never take my zed to them again. But so far BMW seem keen to lavish free things on me. 12 months free road tax, 3 years free breakdown cover, 3 years warranty, full tank of fuel, then in 3 years time when its due its first MOT they will do the first 2 MOT`s for free... and so on and so on.... Of course, I very much expect they will try and recoup these freebies by claiming the car needs all sorts of things doing and adding "hidden" costs. But, time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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