Butters
09-03-09, 12:30 PM
A marathon post but please bear with it as your input would be greatly appreciated. :)
--
Ok so following on from the 'ooooops I've just had a moment of weakness' thread I have been on a bit of a personal journey and am teetering on the edge of making some very controversial decisions, well for me anyway!
Having taken 6 months out of car ownership to straighten out my finances and prepare for an E46 M3 Convertible purchase in time for the Millau Tour, I got a little impatient and acquired a track project.
As you know I originally bought my lovely E30 325i on ebay 4 weeks ago for less than a bag of sugar with the full intention of stripping her out and building a competent trackday car with full cage and the rest to go with it. In the 4 weeks since I haven't even had a chance to wash the car nevermind start the project so have just been driving her about.
In this short period of time I have rediscovered what a joy it is to own such a well engineered old school car. A silky smooth straight 6 at the front and driven wheels at the back in a shell that when compared to a modern day equivalent doesn't weigh a whole hell of a lot. It has done nothing but put a smile on my face and an even bigger smile in my wallet. I took the risk of buying a one way ticket to Wolverhampton from Sevenoaks (Kent) to collect a car that I hadn't seen and drive it home. Since then I have been to Bristol for a Stag Do, Oxford for a Wedding and the South Coast for a lunch. I have covered the best part of 1000 miles. Each and every one a joy and have used three tanks of fuel in a car that currently costs a whopping £45 to fill up. ;-)
I am currently enjoying this car so much that I just don't see the point in buying the M3 which is going to cost around £15k and like the E30 only get driven one or two days a week. It does the job and well. Instead of stripping and ruining what is a lovely car I am now upgrading the car from it's comfortable 'SE' spec with a mint 'Sport' interior including factory Recaro seats along with some lightweight period BBS split rims, both of which I will be collecting this Saturday. I will still make all the chassis upgrades for track as before but will be able to use the car on weekends for some B-Road fun and make the trip to the supermarket with relative comfort and composure.
I guess the only thing that it doesn't do well is keeping up with the Jones' being a 19 year old BMW with a couple of parking dents and some surface rust on the rear arches but I am of the school of thought who don't particularly worry about what others think as long as I am happy with my decision.
So to the dilemma...
I am smitten with my new (and very inexpensive) toy. I am happy to park the M3 purchase plan at least through the Summer this year or until such time I do get bored with my little E30 and desire a bit more ooomph.
But...
I am embarking upon a little adventure with some of you on April 17th for a 5 day, 1700 mile buzz around France, called the Millau Tour.
Much to my Girlfriend's dismay (Sarah is my Co-Driver) I am toying with the idea of using the E30 for the trip. If I was doing it on my own or with a friend coming along for the ride I'd happily use it but am just worried it may take a little of the shine off the trip for her. I'm paying for the trip for me but am really glad that she was happy to come along and join me on this adventure. She of course had visions of us comfortably cruising down there in the M3 and isn't really a fan of my recent purchase and of course the company of other fine cars we will be keeping on the road. :leaving:
So my options...
1. Hire something nice. I have looked into this but given the fact we will go abroad and mileage that we are going to cover I will get penalised massively. Still an option though.
2. Buy something nice at auction so that I can sell it quickly on my return for the price I paid, undercutting most others for a similar car. I might even make a little to pay for my petrol costs.
3. Spend the money I would have spent hiring a car (£1000+) on the E30 which will more than cover getting it fully checked over, sorting any advisories and visiting a body shop to restore the rear arches...leaving her reliable, fit and looking presentable.
I have 5 weeks to arrange and action the chosen option, so realistically not that much time. This dilemma keeps going round and round in my head so figured I could turn to a group of friends and sensible people to see what they think. I know that ultimately it's my decision to make but there is no harm in a second opinion.
Many thanks in advance and roll on April 17th... :party:
James. :coolgleamA:
--
Ok so following on from the 'ooooops I've just had a moment of weakness' thread I have been on a bit of a personal journey and am teetering on the edge of making some very controversial decisions, well for me anyway!
Having taken 6 months out of car ownership to straighten out my finances and prepare for an E46 M3 Convertible purchase in time for the Millau Tour, I got a little impatient and acquired a track project.
As you know I originally bought my lovely E30 325i on ebay 4 weeks ago for less than a bag of sugar with the full intention of stripping her out and building a competent trackday car with full cage and the rest to go with it. In the 4 weeks since I haven't even had a chance to wash the car nevermind start the project so have just been driving her about.
In this short period of time I have rediscovered what a joy it is to own such a well engineered old school car. A silky smooth straight 6 at the front and driven wheels at the back in a shell that when compared to a modern day equivalent doesn't weigh a whole hell of a lot. It has done nothing but put a smile on my face and an even bigger smile in my wallet. I took the risk of buying a one way ticket to Wolverhampton from Sevenoaks (Kent) to collect a car that I hadn't seen and drive it home. Since then I have been to Bristol for a Stag Do, Oxford for a Wedding and the South Coast for a lunch. I have covered the best part of 1000 miles. Each and every one a joy and have used three tanks of fuel in a car that currently costs a whopping £45 to fill up. ;-)
I am currently enjoying this car so much that I just don't see the point in buying the M3 which is going to cost around £15k and like the E30 only get driven one or two days a week. It does the job and well. Instead of stripping and ruining what is a lovely car I am now upgrading the car from it's comfortable 'SE' spec with a mint 'Sport' interior including factory Recaro seats along with some lightweight period BBS split rims, both of which I will be collecting this Saturday. I will still make all the chassis upgrades for track as before but will be able to use the car on weekends for some B-Road fun and make the trip to the supermarket with relative comfort and composure.
I guess the only thing that it doesn't do well is keeping up with the Jones' being a 19 year old BMW with a couple of parking dents and some surface rust on the rear arches but I am of the school of thought who don't particularly worry about what others think as long as I am happy with my decision.
So to the dilemma...
I am smitten with my new (and very inexpensive) toy. I am happy to park the M3 purchase plan at least through the Summer this year or until such time I do get bored with my little E30 and desire a bit more ooomph.
But...
I am embarking upon a little adventure with some of you on April 17th for a 5 day, 1700 mile buzz around France, called the Millau Tour.
Much to my Girlfriend's dismay (Sarah is my Co-Driver) I am toying with the idea of using the E30 for the trip. If I was doing it on my own or with a friend coming along for the ride I'd happily use it but am just worried it may take a little of the shine off the trip for her. I'm paying for the trip for me but am really glad that she was happy to come along and join me on this adventure. She of course had visions of us comfortably cruising down there in the M3 and isn't really a fan of my recent purchase and of course the company of other fine cars we will be keeping on the road. :leaving:
So my options...
1. Hire something nice. I have looked into this but given the fact we will go abroad and mileage that we are going to cover I will get penalised massively. Still an option though.
2. Buy something nice at auction so that I can sell it quickly on my return for the price I paid, undercutting most others for a similar car. I might even make a little to pay for my petrol costs.
3. Spend the money I would have spent hiring a car (£1000+) on the E30 which will more than cover getting it fully checked over, sorting any advisories and visiting a body shop to restore the rear arches...leaving her reliable, fit and looking presentable.
I have 5 weeks to arrange and action the chosen option, so realistically not that much time. This dilemma keeps going round and round in my head so figured I could turn to a group of friends and sensible people to see what they think. I know that ultimately it's my decision to make but there is no harm in a second opinion.
Many thanks in advance and roll on April 17th... :party:
James. :coolgleamA: