Fun 2nd car - recommendations

Thanks, like the idea of classic but the reality might be different in terms of upkeep and being able to rely on it. I'm not the handiest with a spanner haha

Thanks. Id actually be happy with the S3 saloon as stage 1, it's not a million miles off the RS. You pay a lot extra for the "R". Def want to move away from hatchbacks though, me being in my early 40s says the wife......

The 340i four doors I have seen in UK have 3 seats in the back but the 440i has 2. I imagine the coupe version of the 340i has 2 seats as you say.

I'm still undecided, am tidying up the GTI and should be ready for sale end March, I want to have a car before then so that's the target.

I'm same as you on the 911, my bro has one and it's lovely but upkeep on an older car and limited space in back puts me off.

I saw a 2009 Maserati Granturismo on Lucan backroads near Catherines park on Saturday. Well when I say saw, I heard it first. My god it was beautiful. That's where the heart is now.

But the mind says Cla45 or S3 saloon.

Donedeal/carzone/usedcarsni refreshes about 5 times a day right now.

Let us know how you get on too !!

Well I came to a decision that surprised myself!

Having test drove many of the above, I was still undecided (and gave up on the Maserati GT dream as budget wouldn't stretch).

I then went and tried a Maserati Ghibli diesel (petrol out of budget) but was not massively impressed, styling aside. I even took a 2007 Quattroporte 4.2l for a spin which was fun but made no sense value wise.

I then looked on donedeal for 3.0 BMW's and forgot to filter for petrol only, and up came a 2016 BMW 435d gran coupe. When I saw diesel, I exited quick, but then curiousity got the better of me so I googled the specs.

0-60 4.7 as standard, lots of bells and whistles interior wise, 40+ mpg, 5 seats but still relatively compact. Hmmm, that's interesting I thought.

So I went down the rabbit holes of internet reviews, forums, and YouTube videos. Loads of positives, but, supposedly not fun to drive around the bends being a 4wd xdrive, and doesn't sound great being a diesel...but a stage 1 tune from 313 to 380 odd bhp and a new set of springs could add more drama...

Decided I would test drive and couldn't believe how much I loved it. Not as fun as the cla45 around the bends but i loved the sense of being glued to the road, and the power was immense and delivery was instant. Engine noise average but didn't bother me. Driving position and comfort was brill and felt right for me.

Just shows that different cars are for different people and despite thinking I wanted a powerful petrol, fun around the corners car, what I actually wanted was a grand tourer comfortable car that had oodles of power and torque.

Bought it there and then.

God, what have I done, I bought a diesel!

Will take a few pics if anyone interested....

Kia Sorento plug in hybrid 7 seater..3 young kids..all playing multiple sports. We basically ferry them round all weekend so practicality rules

Ah don't worry, actually no need to tell an insurer as I just print my own discs.

Finally got to take some pictures! Still loving the car I have to say

I'd like to get it tested on a rolling road - Kildare / Dublin area. Any recommendations

Also any recommendations for a good mechanic to give it a look over? Have a short term warranty but wouldn't mind getting a BMW specialist to check it out.

Cheers!

Thanks a mill djan. The intake is standard, will get a closer look at the intercooler though.

We checked underneath and its on Einbach springs. It has 20 inch rims which fill the wheel arches lovely but makes the ride is very firm. Potholes are not pleasant but it's extremely balanced around corners, obviously back end doesn't move out so not as fun in that regard but I was down in Wexford today on back roads and it was friggin awesome.

Black is a pain alright to keep clean, same as our other car, it's dirty hours after a wash. Pain in the hole but for those few hours it looks great haha

Just to clarify on the "2nd car" for those who didn't read my posts - it's a 2nd car for the family, and is really my main car. It still has to be practical.

I drove a BRZ, not a GT86, but practically same car and it was horrifically underpowered. Fun in the bends on B-roads (I assume, I didn't get a long drive) but that lack of power would always nag at me..I have a neighbour who changed his GT86 for a Yaris GR and loves it, says a million times better.

E92 M3 was in my list but thought too much for the performance difference, going back 8+ years or car age and mileage with it. But yep a better car to drive no doubt.

Did another dragy yesterday with smoother launch, just 3 more hundreths to find lol.Yes I know, it's coz it's 4 wheel drive and has an advantage and it's just a useless real world stat, but it's still fun to do.

Someone mentioned the aural experience and the smell of petrol - I can't argue with that. It's spot on what this car is missing for me at least (I'm happy with how it drives round the bends). The granturismo sound and presence was awesome but the performance was just that tiny bit disappointing (and no tuning will make it better). The cla45 sounded very good for a little 2l. The 435d sounds brutal!

Anyway thanks for the feedback positive or not. I drove most of the cars in the list to decide and happy so far. Not sure if everyone commenting has driven all these cars but good to see opinions - might help inform other people who look up these cars to decide. For me a 435d stage 1 is awesome!

Looks lovely alright !!

Thanks, was an interesting few months and surprised myself tbh.

Re NI, I did indeed, I made calls about a 2010 Granturismo S (4.7L model), a 2016 Cla45, and a 2017'sh S5 (4 door sportback version). I couldn't get an exact vrt quote on the GT, but it seemed like I could have got it in or around 43k all in. Cla45 all in was about 37k which was definitely cheaper than ROI. S5 was 40k or so all in I think.

But annoyingly none of them were registered in NI before Brexit, they came in from the mainland more recently, so VAT/customs etc would have applied on top of VRT.

Guessing garages up north are "importing" lots from the mainland and so harder to find actual NI registered cars pre Brexit.

Good q, if there is, I didn't use it!

I just called the dealers - they all knew exactly what I was asking, used to dealing with ROI customers no doubt, answers were immediate...