Hi! Newbie here needing advice !

Rosso, sorry, catalytic converter, part of the exhaust system.

any lunchtime and tues/thurs eves
087 7992735

Just watch the odometer also - if there is a dot (decimal point) on the RHS be very wary.  I beleie that that means that the mileage on the car does not match the mileage stored in teh key.  Not sure when that came into effect  - maybe someone else can clarify.

Personally I would recommend auto, especially in the city however it will cost more in petrol but much more relaxing which is the main point of these cars.  More attractive at resale also and will cause the price to be higher.

One note on auto's thats worth mentioning - its hard to find an auto that has been abused as the ECU prevents over reving and shift changes if the car is not in the approriate rev range hence they can be more reliable than manuals, no popping clutch, grinding gears, replacing clutch etc. The tiptronic on the auto box in fine for a bit of manual indulgence when required

BM Fan wrote: Personally I would recommend auto, especially in the city however it will cost more in petrol but much more relaxing which is the main point of these cars.  More attractive at resale also and will cause the price to be higher. One note on auto's thats worth mentioning - its hard to find an auto that has been abused as the ECU prevents over reving and shift changes if the car is not in the approriate rev range hence they can be more reliable than manuals, no popping clutch, grinding gears, replacing clutch etc. The tiptronic on the auto box in fine for a bit of manual indulgence when required

Good point Martin, but I'd question whether auto is the preferred choice after the second owner as BMW's are usually bought then as drivers cars.  The point about abuse is very valid, auto's tend to be specified by cruiser type drivers and therefore often lead a slightly easier life.  That was the case when I bought my e30 325i last year in the UK.  Many manuals were dropped, max powered and knackered.  The car descriptions I tended to be drawn to semed to be mostly auto's (the one I bought was completely standard and unabused, at 13 years old).

3 more - cheap but very high mileage

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car& carID=289513

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car& carID=300919

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car& carID=302483

automatic anyone ? worst case scenario : assuming that my auto-gearbox is FUBARed, how much would replacing it set me back by, compared to a manual ?

 

Here she is Fey!

Not sure Dave. Was too busy trying to get nice photos in not so good light...Kinda shadowed by the Jag hanging above our heads!

Rosso wrote: 3 more - cheap but very high mileage http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car& carID=289513 http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car& carID=300919 http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car& carID=302483 automatic anyone ? worst case scenario : assuming that my auto-gearbox is FUBARed, how much would replacing it set me back by, compared to a manual ?

Rosso, the first of these has a very good spec and looks tidy in the photo's.  What sort of annual mileage do you do?  If its low, then don't worry too much about it being a bit leggy, assuming the history checks out.  It has a decent duration of NCT too.

The second one is wholly dependent on the build date and engine situation.  The third one has a mixed bag in spec, its got leather and climate but no multi-function wheel (and hence no cruise control) and 15" alloys.  However, it is 99 and therefore post nikasil (still check the build date though, in case it was parked in afield for a while).

Re. auto, personally its not my own preference, but they are mostly reliable and as Martin said, don't dismiss them.  They don't go wrong too often, but there have been some comments on the 5 forum that suggest that although BMW claim they are sealed for life, a service by an auto transmission specialist as you approach 6 figures might be advisable.  I've driven some 3's with the Tiptronic change and the manual change segment of the box works well if you prefer to change your own gears from time to time.

KB:  Where did you get a pair of Hella Angel Eyes for €350?  I paid €580!!!

Dergside - dont think my annual mileage would be much. Will be spending most, in the city. Besides, I will be living and working in a smaller town (Mullingar) for 6 months starting January before coming back, therefore I dont think it would be that high.

KBannon- oh yeah, angel eye headlamps *drool*, wide chrome grills *drool*

sigh, decisions, decisions