I'm looking to change car sometime in the next few months. My budget is 12k. My short list so far is

1) BMW - 335i Coupe

A lot of car for the money and quick. 306bhp standard but 370-380bhp after a remap. Insurance is a very reasonable £600 a year given my age and Manchester postcode the 335i is looking extremely tempting.

2) Nissan 350z Coupe

I've always liked these but I think they may possibly be getting slightly dated now? I think the model was released around 2003-2004? I only like models with the factory nismo kitand I don't know much about them apart from models come in 280bhp, 300bhp and 313bhp. Is there a pick of the bunch? Again insurance is around £600. I also love the 370z but they are too expensive.

3) Porsche 911 (996)

I'm possibly dreaming a bit here but I do like porkers. You can buy 996's for around 12k but they are a bit leggy and I'm not sure if at this price the car maybe a bit of a dog. Insurance is £1000 which at a push I could possibly convince myself to pay. I have no idea on costs of repairs either. Would slight repairs cost a fortune with it being a Porsche? Is servicing and maintenance costs a lot more when compared to the 335i and 350z?

Cars I've rules out are S3, Scirocco, Z4 Coupe, EVO, Scooby's, Golf edition 30. But I'm open to other suggestions.

How about an E46 M3?

The other thing to consider is tax band I had a pal paying 440 a year on an Alfa gt 3.2 as it was 2006. Offsets the insurance a fair whack

Service bills on Porches can be shocking - especially main dealer. Friend of mine has just had an eyewatering bill for her Boxter for some fairly routine stuff.

I take it that if you're considering the Nissan then fuel consumption isn't too much of an issue. In which case the as above M3 is one of the nicest drives of any car I've driven. Should hold it's value better than the 335 too.

How about an old school Audi RS2 as a bit of a wild card. Q car looks, but giant slaying punch and the deepest of respect from anyone in the know.

Or if you didn't want a coupe, RWD and needed much better fuel economy then the current generation Renaultsport Clio 200 is probably about as much fun as you can have in any car, FWD or RWD. Take one for an extended test drive on some twisty roads and you will see what I mean. Supurb agility and adjustability. £12k would buy a nearly new example.

E46 M3 is £1400 insurance.

Plus, I prefer the E9x models. The 335i is similar performance and faster mapped. More modern, a nicer place to be, more refined and much cheaper to own.

335i without a doubt. I think that's your fave too isn't it Dan!

Early 335i's are £445 a year tax. 57 reg onwards are £265 so unless a 2007 was a bargain I will be looking our for example 57 reg or above.

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/advice/road-tax-guide/bmw/3-series/coupe-2006/34449/

350z is £260 upto March 2006 which I think is the 300bhp model.

It is, but I haven't driven any of the above yet. I'm finding it hard to find reasons against.

I would go with the 335i

I love the shape of them.

The Nissan is ok, but possibly a bit crude in comparison.

Yes, the possible long term maintainance costs of owning a 996 might stretch me. I really like them but I think they are out of reach realisticly.

The car would be my daily driver so I don't fancy the RS2. Great car but given their age, I think it's more suited to a weekend toy. I've already ruled out the E46 M3 as above.

The 200 doesn't interest me at all. 95% of the time my cars are driven with the flow of traffic but I do enjoy the occasional spirited drive now and then. I've owned my fair share of hot hatches and now I'd prefer something with more than 4 pots, RW drive and a nice burbley exhaust note.

How about a 964 - the Porker of choice for me...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1991-PORSCHE-9...=item5ae5381bea

May not be the quickest or best handling, but oodles of character

I agree. Stunning cars.

But, I'd say its not something I'd consider as a daily drive. It's something that deserves to be tucked up in the garage and brought out to play at the weekends. I would be a waste of a good car driving it up and down the motorway everyday IMO. I'd love to have the money to have something like this as a toy but we already have two cars.

I have looked at a couple of 335s recently, and the lower end of the budget, which is £12k (ish) are pretty leggy and not the best of the crop!

If you are up and down a motorway lots have you considered a 330d or a 325d and get it mapped..

I wouldn't bother with a 350 for daily motorway driving, too heavy and snug inside to be a comfy cruiser.

I don't do a lot of motorway driving. My commute is about 10 miles each way on the motorway and I only drive about 8,000 miles per year. Our family hack is a Passat 140 TDI so we don't need another diesel.

I'm sure a 335i is very competent and quick, but is it "special" enough?

For a 12k budget, unless you're absolutely set on a hard-top, I'd probably be looking at test driving a Boxster S - that'll commute, b-road blast, or even trackday, and you can get a very good one for 12k, or less, and keep a fund back for maintenance?

E39 M5 if insurance is reasonable - a lot of excellent cars available for 12k and below. Again, you can get a good one for 10k and keep a rainy day fund. I'm biased, but I think they're a superb all-rounder - sensible running costs (fuel economy aside) too.

As to 996s, I've done a bit of research on them recently and, if using specialists, running costs seem pretty manageable, and you do have a choice of a few cars at 12k. Need to buy carefully though, of course. I like this one, for example:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3663696.htm

I pick the 350 313, other than fuel & road tax there shouldn't be any big bills.
Theres plenty of low mileage examples out there so you shouldn't have to worry about wear & tear items for a while.
Servicing at a dealer won't break the bank either, 50k service the plugs need replacing. Think Nissan quote 2 hours for plug replacements.
However my dad (nissan mechanic) says it's fairly easy job to do just a bit time consuming.

I don't like convertibles so the boxster doesn't appeal to me.

I get what your saying about the 335i maybe not being special enough when compared to an M5 or a 996 but I need to let my head rule my heart slightly and don't think I could live with the maintenance and upkeep costs. Both cars would be around 12-15yrs old and very pricey. In an ideal world yes, I'd rather have an M5 or a 996.But, in the real world a 350z or 335i would be special enough..... for the next couple of years.

2hrs to change the plugs

I think I will need to drive both the 313 and 300 350z to see if it's worth the extra tax and purchase costs. 13bhp doesn't sound like much but I haven't researched the models yet so Im not sure what to look out for yet.

What year was the facelift model introduced?

I think they look great with the nismo kit like this one

350z GT4

Yum

Sounds like you've ruled it out anyway, but a mate picked up a 996 C4S 2 weeks ago. He had the car inspected before he bought it, but last Friday it came up with the IMS failure. IMO only buy if you get a warranty covering the engine! Ironically he replaced his aging but mechanically sound 350Z.

A chap at work has a 335i SE and he loves it. Sounds great, good really well, but doesn't look that special. It looks like any 3 series, bar the twin exhaust.

That makes sense, but do think about depreciation too - I'd bet a £12k 335i will take a far bigger hit than a £12k 996, for example which will offset increased maintenance costs.

The 350Z was facelifted in '06 (interior and slight exterior changes plus higher revving 296bhp engine) then again in '07 (new 309bhp engine with bonnet bulge). You can get a decent 309bhp car for £12k.

Just bumping this thread for some opinions. I've pretty much decided my next car will be a 335i but I'm upping my budget because 12k isn't quite enough to get a decent one.

Here's my dilemma. I've seen a car but

Cons
1) It's a very basic spec
2) Doesn't have leather
3) Costs a little more than I was looking to spend
4) Bland colour and small alloys

Pro's
1) It a 2009 model and approx £5000 less than other 2009 models
2) Only 38'000 miles (high for year but low for my budget)
3) Full BMW service history
4) Comes with warranty from a Lexus franchise

So I'm after opinions on whether it would be a wise choice to buy a very basic car because it's a good price, low mileage and good history? Would I lose a lot of money on the car and find it difficult to sell because of the spec in compared to a older/higher mileage car with leather?

The car in question
Autotrader advert

I would definitely go for an older higher spec car. But that's just my opinion.

No! Get the m-sport looks much nicer When I orginally looked at this thread I NEVER considered a 335 as next car but YOU convinced me! And after alot of research I decided on m-sport only.

Would you be happy with jumping in this after paying £15k? I would want something to feel special and the m sport i think would only do that.
For an everyday car maybe but as a weekend motor m all the way.

Cheers guys.

15k is a lot of money for a car I wouldn't be completely happy with. An M sport would be great but there are some nice SE models with leather, 19" alloys and sat nav I would be still be happy with.

Liquid, when are you looking to buy one?

Why not go halves with Liquid? Mon-Thurs - his Fri-Sun yours!

Im in a position to buy now and have £15k to spend. I've also found my perfect car but I'm still £2000 short the search continues.

Space grey 335i m sport

Spend your £12k on the Coupe and make it faster than anything out there worth twice as much.