Hi to all, just wanted to introduce myself and how I arrived at driving an E36 320i. Im currently in my low 20's and have been running the family car (05' Hyundai Accent 5MT) for almost 2 years. I've always been a gearhead since young and live parsimoniously so I can afford to run a car. Through these 2 years I have enjoyed the Hyundai, taking it to time attack and even chasing a friends Lotus down the backroads of Paloh!
However being an SFx plate, time was not on its side the COE would be due. Moreover we are now a family of 5 and we need abit more space. The search was on.
After much researching as well as borrowing high mileage (>400,000km) examples of an E36 318i and W124 Mercedes 200E, I feel that these old germans offer value, solidity and even reliability if well taken care of. They even do things some modern cars cant muster. Pros for the Mercedes are the comfort and cheap spares while the E36 was an excellent drive with just enough room.
Initially a deal was struck for a family owned 200E, but fell through as they couldnt bear to see her go. However this was blessing in disguise as I then found a low km 320i owned by an enthusiast that just needed some love. I paid the downpayment and took her home on Saturday.
In that weekend I knew it was the right choice. It went 400km up to Shah Allam (100cc kart race, the organiser had an E36 too!) and 400km back with total stability, yet made every freeway onramp fun with precise steering and a sporty chassis. It then took my family to lunch the next day, no complaints. An impressive breadth of ability.
I will do my best to keep her in tip-top condition and hopefully she will pass the 400,000km mark too, but along the way I will definitely need advise, and I hope that through this I will also get to know you guys more and learn new things!
Cheers - Phil
However being an SFx plate, time was not on its side the COE would be due. Moreover we are now a family of 5 and we need abit more space. The search was on.
After much researching as well as borrowing high mileage (>400,000km) examples of an E36 318i and W124 Mercedes 200E, I feel that these old germans offer value, solidity and even reliability if well taken care of. They even do things some modern cars cant muster. Pros for the Mercedes are the comfort and cheap spares while the E36 was an excellent drive with just enough room.
Initially a deal was struck for a family owned 200E, but fell through as they couldnt bear to see her go. However this was blessing in disguise as I then found a low km 320i owned by an enthusiast that just needed some love. I paid the downpayment and took her home on Saturday.
In that weekend I knew it was the right choice. It went 400km up to Shah Allam (100cc kart race, the organiser had an E36 too!) and 400km back with total stability, yet made every freeway onramp fun with precise steering and a sporty chassis. It then took my family to lunch the next day, no complaints. An impressive breadth of ability.
I will do my best to keep her in tip-top condition and hopefully she will pass the 400,000km mark too, but along the way I will definitely need advise, and I hope that through this I will also get to know you guys more and learn new things!
Cheers - Phil
