Next car choice dilemma

[jaypers777]

This is probably going to sound a bit weird, but I honestly can’t get my head around what to do.

Bought my S3 new in December 2014. Absolutely love it and still ticks every box for me. I also don’t do particularly high mileage in it.......still below 18k miles (and like new).

I have always wanted an Aston Martin and I’m at the stage of my life now where I can get one. This is the sort of thing I have in mind - https://www.portlandautos.co.uk/stock/yorkshire-aston-martin-vantage-v8-roadster-3594/

Obvious downsides of owning such a beast is the upkeep, and technology wise, a car like this is always going to be a bit of a downgrade.......they are a bit **** compared to Audi’s etc so far as ‘toys’.

A new RS3 saloon also appeals. Downside is the depreciation.......not that any car is an investment but something like an Aston will likely be more of an investment than a modern car.

Something else on my list is an AMG C63 cabriolet.

21st century problems eh?! Interested in thoughts on what others think. Thank you.

 

[Jassyo06]

If you can afford it, you can afford to run it as they say Aston Martin all day long.... No frickin Brainer
Merc junk
RS Saloon has now been castrated by the wltp regs

 

[AlS3BE]

I had a similar thought with an early r8 when I got my last a6. For the same money I could have had a r8, Bentley conti gt, vantage etc.
I eventually chickened out. I looked at buyers guides and all sorts of reviews online and what scared me the most was cost of general servicing and repairs. I remember reading somewhere that an ashtray for the conti gt was like £10k and things like discs and pads could be in the thousands.
If you can afford it I would say do it. Just have some rainy day money for when something goes wrong.
Would avoid the c63. That one will generally drop in values like a rock.mate had one from new and in 4 years it lost over half.
Aston will hold their prices a lot better and you probably won’t lose much over a couple of years if you decide to get rid of it.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

Same as above... that Aston Martin will increase in value, but maintenance will be a high cost. Seriously the modern safety toys are a waste of money and are expensive to repair, radar sensors are a nightmare to recalibrate with lengthy labour costs.
I would go with the Aston Martin purchase, if you can afford it

 

[Adam14]

I'd go with what the above said, if you can afford the upkeep of an Aston that's the obvious choice, however if you have to "scrimp" to enjoy it then probably not worth it

My mate has a 2013 C63 AMG and that car is a lot of fun, and the engine is phenomenal. Again quite an expensive car with how quick it goes through tyres and fuel, but nothing compared to the Aston.

RS3 more of an all round car, better getting a new "pre-WTLP" version if you can. New one is apparently pretty muted.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[Dazs87]

The Aston doesn’t drive great and your s3 would keep up with it (if not be faster). I suggest taking it for a test drive I think you’d be disappointed. One of the db9s on the other hand are different level... all just my opinion of course!

 

[AllanG]

I’d go for the Aston, if money isn’t a problem, but I certainly wouldn’t buy a white one.....yuk!!!

 

[AlS3BE]

The Aston doesn’t drive great and your s3 would keep up with it (if not be faster). I suggest taking it for a test drive I think you’d be disappointed. One of the db9s on the other hand are different level... all just my opinion of course!

Don’t think that’s the point in the Aston.
The cool factor and the noise from that v8 is what’s it all about. It’s more a GT than track toy.
You don’t want to be going too fast as you want folk to see you in it
If you want a point to point track day weapon then the rs3 or a Porsche would be first choice and probably a lot cheaper.

 

[loftylad]

This is probably going to sound a bit weird, but I honestly can’t get my head around what to do.

Bought my S3 new in December 2014. Absolutely love it and still ticks every box for me. I also don’t do particularly high mileage in it.......still below 18k miles (and like new).

I have always wanted an Aston Martin and I’m at the stage of my life now where I can get one. This is the sort of thing I have in mind - https://www.portlandautos.co.uk/stock/yorkshire-aston-martin-vantage-v8-roadster-3594/

Obvious downsides of owning such a beast is the upkeep, and technology wise, a car like this is always going to be a bit of a downgrade.......they are a bit **** compared to Audi’s etc so far as ‘toys’.

A new RS3 saloon also appeals. Downside is the depreciation.......not that any car is an investment but something like an Aston will likely be more of an investment than a modern car.

Something else on my list is an AMG C63 cabriolet.

21st century problems eh?! Interested in thoughts on what others think. Thank you.

Hehe. Yeah, first world problems!

It’s a nice “problem” to have, though.

You’ve owned the S3 from new. It’s mint, you know where it’s been all it’s life, it’s low mileage and you still love it. It’s always going to be a wrench to ditch that and shell out a load of cash when there’s absolutely nothing wrong with your current motor. Especially when considering the potential for a mega bill from a used, unknown motor.

That said, that Aston looks amazing, and I personally absolutely love it in white!

I don’t think the RS will be different enough to warrant changing. You’re still going to be sitting in a familiar car to what you’ve been driving for the past 5 years. I don’t think you’d appreciate the change as much as you would from the likes of an Aston - which is completely different in pretty much every aspect.

I was in a similar situation a couple of months ago. I had a car which I loved, had owned from new, and had nothing wrong with it, but decided it was time for a change. Worst decision I ever made.

Everyone’s different and only you can decide what’s right for you. Good luck!

(Get the Aston - Lol)

 

[Ron240]

Don’t think that’s the point in the Aston.
The cool factor and the noise from that v8 is what’s it all about. It’s more a GT than track toy.
You don’t want to be going too fast as you want folk to see you in it

This is my way of thinking too.
I've always said that if I'm ever in a position to buy one of my dream cars(which all happen to be crazy fast)....I wouldn't actually drive it fast because I would have absolutely nothing to prove....in fact I might even drive slower than I do now.

 

[Ormesome]

Aston looks very nice, pretty muhch mint condition? If you can do it now then do it. You might not be able to later on in life. I had a TVR around 10yrs ago, bled me dry, but at least i can say i have had a TVR. I like the Aston in the link, I would go for the coupe but i like the colour. The garage seems a proper establishment so perhaps they could work in a 12 month warranty after the extended warranty runs out in jan 2020? Even if its a warranty with them directly would be good. At least you are covered until January so you can enjoy the car without worrying too much. Tech wise, i wouldnt worry, the Aston seems to be pretty well equiped to be honest. Anyway, how much of the tech in our current cars do we need? all you need is Sat Nav and a radio! it comes with iPod conenction so get yourself a good phone mount and use your phone. I regularly use my dads old Land Rover and its surprising how much tech i dont miss once its not there and Im focusing on other things.

 

[S32B]

This is probably going to sound a bit weird, but I honestly can’t get my head around what to do.

Not at all mate, there are a few on here like that...me being one!

If you can afford it, you can afford to run it as they say Aston Martin all day long.... No frickin Brainer

yep out of the choices.

Seriously the modern safety toys are a waste of money and are expensive to repair,

I said that to my mate the other day, we were driving along and 'bing bing bing' from my dash....I had a heart in throat moment thinking there was a problem with the car! The sensors had seen a pushbike in front of me going around a slight bend and it was alerting me!!! Stupid idea. The other week I was coming home from work and it was pouring down with rain 'bing bing bing', same again 'nooooo' looked down to see a warning 'Limited visibility'...why? I can see it's limited as I'm looking forward out of the window, I don't need to be told by the car It's what puts me off owning long term...when they go wrong £££.

@OP Sorry to semi hijack your thread, but cars are a pain in the rear full stop. I also don't know what to do next year!

I'm only using the car a fraction of what I used to, I've done 5,100 miles in 19 months. I thought about downsizing via another pcp, but I'd still want something half decent, I've looked at various makes and models but what I like only comes in at about £70-80 per month less than what my S3 was and my A5 is, some even come out the same or more! So it's not worth leaving Audi for £20 per week!
I thought about a used 4-5 year old Porsche, but then it's the worry if it goes wrong! Common sense would say buy something small, used, looks OK and buy it outright for about £12k and have no monthly payments. I did see a 12 month old ST line fiesta for about £12k which looked nice....but then I think to get my £12k back I'd have to put to one side £333 per month for 36 months, which is more than what I could get an ST3 Fiesta for on a PCP And to be honest if I did buy something outright I'd probably change it within 3 years anyway

So at this point I have no idea what I'm going to do!!!

 

[wab172uk]

This is probably going to sound a bit weird, but I honestly can’t get my head around what to do.

Bought my S3 new in December 2014. Absolutely love it and still ticks every box for me. I also don’t do particularly high mileage in it.......still below 18k miles (and like new).

I have always wanted an Aston Martin and I’m at the stage of my life now where I can get one. This is the sort of thing I have in mind - https://www.portlandautos.co.uk/stock/yorkshire-aston-martin-vantage-v8-roadster-3594/

Obvious downsides of owning such a beast is the upkeep, and technology wise, a car like this is always going to be a bit of a downgrade.......they are a bit **** compared to Audi’s etc so far as ‘toys’.

A new RS3 saloon also appeals. Downside is the depreciation.......not that any car is an investment but something like an Aston will likely be more of an investment than a modern car.

Something else on my list is an AMG C63 cabriolet.

21st century problems eh?! Interested in thoughts on what others think. Thank you.

I have a similar dilemma. Love my S3 Saloon, and finding it very hard to change. My thoughts were wait for the next Focus RS, or just go buy a Fiesta ST.

Having been bored one Sunday and visited my local Porsche dealership, I think I'm going to go down the Porsche route. They had a lovely GT4 up for sale, and I nearly pulled the trigger. My biggest 2 stumbling blocks were, I'm self employed, and should work slow or stop, I'm committed to X amount each month. So would either have to dip into saving and hope work picked up again, or sell, and take a possible hit. The other stumbling block was amount of use, or lack of. As I'm self employed, I work lots of weekends. It could be sat there for weeks and not move. Plus when I would use it, it's not just me and her. It's me, her and mutt.

However, I think next year I'm going to look at either a 911 Carrera T or go slightly older and go 911 GTS. Think a GT4 is more racer, while the 911 is more GT, which suits me (her) better. Then swap the S3 for a Fiesta ST as the run-about and to get to meetings.

From what I've heard with Aston Martins, is make sure whatever car you buy, comes with a warranty. Then factor in the cost of an extended warranty for as long as you own the car. Same as anything from Porsche, Bentley etc. Parts. Labour are all expensive.

But as reference, I owned an R8 for just over 3 years. No warranty. Only one thing went wrong, and that was the air conditioning pump. It did cost me, but as the car had always been serviced by that garage, and the miles were low, Audi thankfully contributed.

Regular services were surprisingly cheap. £150. But there was always something that Audi recommended, so it was more like £300-400. The biggest service cost for a major service and a few Audi recommended maintenance advisories, came in a £1700. So it's one thing being able to afford the car, but take into account possible big maintenance costs that the service schedules / costs never allow for. It's probably wise to allow a contingency fund of £3000 a year. Car's like Astons etc need to be serviced and all maintenance parts replace strictly by the book. As anything missed could affect the resale price.

For the price of an RS3 you could be sat in an Aston Martin. No comparison based on feel good factor. The RS3 will have a warranty, be better every day, sit 4/5 people plus luggage, and be less likely to be a victim of the envious key scratcher. But that's what an every day run-about if for.

 

[Adam14]

Not at all mate, there are a few on here like that...me being one!

yep out of the choices.


I said that to my mate the other day, we were driving along and 'bing bing bing' from my dash....I had a heart in throat moment thinking there was a problem with the car! The sensors had seen a pushbike in front of me going around a slight bend and it was alerting me!!! Stupid idea. The other week I was coming home from work and it was pouring down with rain 'bing bing bing', same again 'nooooo' looked down to see a warning 'Limited visibility'...why? I can see it's limited as I'm looking forward out of the window, I don't need to be told by the car It's what puts me off owning long term...when they go wrong £££.

@OP Sorry to semi hijack your thread, but cars are a pain in the rear full stop. I also don't know what to do next year!

I'm only using the car a fraction of what I used to, I've done 5,100 miles in 19 months. I thought about downsizing via another pcp, but I'd still want something half decent, I've looked at various makes and models but what I like only comes in at about £70-80 per month less than what my S3 was and my A5 is, some even come out the same or more! So it's not worth leaving Audi for £20 per week!
I thought about a used 4-5 year old Porsche, but then it's the worry if it goes wrong! Common sense would say buy something small, used, looks OK and buy it outright for about £12k and have no monthly payments. I did see a 12 month old ST line fiesta for about £12k which looked nice....but then I think to get my £12k back I'd have to put to one side £333 per month for 36 months, which is more than what I could get an ST3 Fiesta for on a PCP And to be honest if I did buy something outright I'd probably change it within 3 years anyway

So at this point I have no idea what I'm going to do!!!

My pre sense sometimes goes bonkers when there's a bike on the footpath lol! Calm down car I'm not going rogue yet!

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[NevMan]

Not at all mate, there are a few on here like that...me being one!

yep out of the choices.


I said that to my mate the other day, we were driving along and 'bing bing bing' from my dash....I had a heart in throat moment thinking there was a problem with the car! The sensors had seen a pushbike in front of me going around a slight bend and it was alerting me!!! Stupid idea. The other week I was coming home from work and it was pouring down with rain 'bing bing bing', same again 'nooooo' looked down to see a warning 'Limited visibility'...why? I can see it's limited as I'm looking forward out of the window, I don't need to be told by the car It's what puts me off owning long term...when they go wrong £££.

@OP Sorry to semi hijack your thread, but cars are a pain in the rear full stop. I also don't know what to do next year!

I'm only using the car a fraction of what I used to, I've done 5,100 miles in 19 months. I thought about downsizing via another pcp, but I'd still want something half decent, I've looked at various makes and models but what I like only comes in at about £70-80 per month less than what my S3 was and my A5 is, some even come out the same or more! So it's not worth leaving Audi for £20 per week!
I thought about a used 4-5 year old Porsche, but then it's the worry if it goes wrong! Common sense would say buy something small, used, looks OK and buy it outright for about £12k and have no monthly payments. I did see a 12 month old ST line fiesta for about £12k which looked nice....but then I think to get my £12k back I'd have to put to one side £333 per month for 36 months, which is more than what I could get an ST3 Fiesta for on a PCP And to be honest if I did buy something outright I'd probably change it within 3 years anyway

So at this point I have no idea what I'm going to do!!!

haha, I did chuckle at this, but you are right, you outlay cash on used, it is costing you anyway, given your mileage, you could "upgrade" and still get a decent deal (from some).

I am jumping out of 2.0 Q5 into X3 M40i for effectively £20 more p/m, and car is loaded, and FAST!

 

[TYb]

If you can afford it go for the Aston, it’ll be an occasion every time you turn the key, just do the diligence on cost of upkeep.

I’m still none the wiser where to go from after the S3, initially I was wanted to go Boxster/cayman route or may be a BMW 440i, now none of them are floating my boat.

 

[S32B]

haha, I did chuckle at this, but you are right, you outlay cash on used, it is costing you anyway, given your mileage, you could "upgrade" and still get a decent deal (from some).

I am jumping out of 2.0 Q5 into X3 M40i for effectively £20 more p/m, and car is loaded, and FAST!

Exactly my point mate, sometimes a bigger more expensive car on paper isn't that more expensive per month on a deal!!! Even if it's not getting used, I suppose it looks pretty on the drive lol

I'll also look at BMW, what put me off before was all their deals were over 4 years where Audi's were over 3, now Audi have followed suit and what you used to be able to get over 36 months for you monthly £££ has to now be done over 48 months for the same monthly payments!

 

[Flying Scotsman]

Flying Scotsman said: ↑
Seriously the modern safety toys are a waste of money and are expensive to repair.

I said that to my mate the other day, we were driving along and 'bing bing bing' from my dash....I had a heart in throat moment thinking there was a problem with the car! The sensors had seen a pushbike in front of me going around a slight bend and it was alerting me!!! Stupid idea. The other week I was coming home from work and it was pouring down with rain 'bing bing bing', same again 'nooooo' looked down to see a warning 'Limited visibility'...why? I can see it's limited as I'm looking forward out of the window, I don't need to be told by the car It's what puts me off owning long term...when they go wrong £££.

Further to this.....I hired a brand new 2018 Volvo XC60 (42 miles on the clock) last year and it some scary nanny issues. On the motorway moving from one lane to pass another vehicle it slammed on the brakes and made steering next to impossible...there was plenty of room between the vehicles, it did this 3 times on my 2800 mile 2 week rental in the UK. On another occasion whilst overtaking a car on a two lane road half way past the vehicle it again slammed on the brakes, kind of scary but no vehicle was approaching the other way and that would have been fun. There was a vehicle parked in a farmers entrance to a field and I presume the radar sensor picked this up. The radar sensor obviously was faulty was accurate most of the time but had glitches and I could not turn it off.
I apologize for hijacking the OP's post but he did mention modern toys.

 

[Ormesome]

In other news, all this safety tech also means no deaths in the XC90 for 16yrs!

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/15/britains-safest-car-revealed-no-road-deaths-16-years/

 

[AlS3BE]

Flying Scotsman said: ↑
Seriously the modern safety toys are a waste of money and are expensive to repair.



Further to this.....I hired a brand new 2018 Volvo XC60 (42 miles on the clock) last year and it some scary nanny issues. On the motorway moving from one lane to pass another vehicle it slammed on the brakes and made steering next to impossible...there was plenty of room between the vehicles, it did this 3 times on my 2800 mile 2 week rental in the UK. On another occasion whilst overtaking a car on a two lane road half way past the vehicle it again slammed on the brakes, kind of scary but no vehicle was approaching the other way and that would have been fun. There was a vehicle parked in a farmers entrance to a field and I presume the radar sensor picked this up. The radar sensor obviously was faulty was accurate most of the time but had glitches and I could not turn it off.
I apologize for hijacking the OP's post but he did mention modern toys.

I had a shot of one not long ago. You need to indicate before moving out of lane otherwise it think you are asleep. It sees the lines/road markings with cameras and other cr4p so when you get close it tries to wake you up.
Didn’t like the safety tech at all. Needless to say I didn’t buy one

 

[Flying Scotsman]

I had a shot of one not long ago. You need to indicate before moving out of lane otherwise it think you are asleep. It sees the lines/road markings with cameras and other cr4p so when you get close it tries to wake you up.
Didn’t like the safety tech at all. Needless to say I didn’t buy one

Does that not only all apply to auto cruise, speed, lane control and I had turned that off but I could not turn off auto braking.

 

[AlS3BE]

Does that not only all apply to auto cruise, speed, lane control and I had turned that off but I could not turn off auto braking.

I was told applies to all by salesman

 

[NevMan]

Exactly my point mate, sometimes a bigger more expensive car on paper isn't that more expensive per month on a deal!!! Even if it's not getting used, I suppose it looks pretty on the drive lol

I'll also look at BMW, what put me off before was all their deals were over 4 years where Audi's were over 3, now Audi have followed suit and what you used to be able to get over 36 months for you monthly £££ has to now be done over 48 months for the same monthly payments!

I have tried and failed a few times before to get into a BM, they always seemed to want massive deposits, but not this time

 

[davc]

You need to indicate before moving out of lane

I guess you won't get many BMW drivers moving to them then

 

[S32B]

I have tried and failed a few times before to get into a BM, they always seemed to want massive deposits, but not this time

Ohh just looked at your new car niceeee Is the carbon black under your name the BMW or your Audi colour?

 

[Adam14]

I have tried and failed a few times before to get into a BM, they always seemed to want massive deposits, but not this time

Briefly considered an M2 before the S5 but as you say needed a significant deposit to get it in to negotiable territory to begin with Can't wait for the pics of your X3 mind Not sure I've seen one! (A M40i edition that is)

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[NevMan]

Ohh just looked at your new car niceeee Is the carbon black under your name the BMW or your Audi colour?

The colour is the BMW, @Sandra was kind enough to create a couple tiles for me

 

[NevMan]

Briefly considered an M2 before the S5 but as you say needed a significant deposit to get it in to negotiable territory to begin with Can't wait for the pics of your X3 mind Not sure I've seen one! (A M40i edition that is)

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

you would certainly hear one especially in Sport Plus

 

[Jassyo06]

If you can afford it go for the Aston, it’ll be an occasion every time you turn the key, just do the diligence on cost of upkeep.

I’m still none the wiser where to go from after the S3, initially I was wanted to go Boxster/cayman route or may be a BMW 440i, now none of them are floating my boat.

New 1 series looks very nice indeed Audi are ******

 

[Bells]

New 1 series looks very nice indeed Audi are ******

You like the new 1 series? I was hugely disappointed based on their recent designs, it looks like an mpv!

 

[Jassyo06]

You like the new 1 series? I was hugely disappointed based on their recent designs, it looks like an mpv!

Yeah the new M135i looks aggressive and the interior is classy without it looking like a laptop display shelf in PC world ...see where ye get the hints from a small SUV ie x2 Audi has been left behind
Also the engine sounds far better than audis recent attempts

 

[oli356]

Aggressive? Have you seen the grill? It's kinda hard to miss with the new BMWs...

Front looks horrible.
Current Fiesta ST looks nicer imo.

 

[Jassyo06]

Aggressive? Have you seen the grill? It's kinda hard to miss with the new BMWs...

Front looks horrible.
Current Fiesta ST looks nicer imo.

The new fiesta looks better....???if they where doormen on this forum you'd be asked to leave immediately Sir lol
Wait til you see one in the metal you'll change your mind,also ain't Audi's getting out of hand with size of their front grills

 

[oli356]

I meant new focus but still haha. And well not a fan of a1 either .

 

[TYb]

New 1 series looks very nice indeed Audi are ******

I really do think Audi have lost the plot. A6 is ok but interior is tacky, TT best of the bunch and only one I’d have after the S3 but really can’t see myself sticking with the brand.

Really like the new 3 series but going 2nd hand/non pcp so will be earlier models.

 

[Jassyo06]

I meant new focus but still haha. And well not a fan of a1 either .

Again new focus is not in BMW's league my sister has a new ST Line X ,my Mrs has the same model variant in the fiesta...almost identical to the ST models and to be honest they're junk,not a patch in build quality compared to the previous MKs

 

[Jcbmally]

Got a phone call from BMW with the old " deal of the century blah, blah, blah." So thought what the hell and myself and the missus went off to see a new ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, drum roll,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, X3. £4k discount on a M Sport 2.0 X Drive and offered £32k for my 68 plate S3 WTF !!!.
I took the demo out and was really impressed with it even though the interior is a little dated compared to the new 3 series, but seemed better than my S3. It was really good to drive and the wife was quite smitten. Wife wants us to go back for another look tomoz and who knows what will happen.
Like many others have stated on here, I think Audi are going to loose a sack load of customers due to pricing, design etc, such a shame.

 

[Adam14]

Got a phone call from BMW with the old " deal of the century blah, blah, blah." So thought what the hell and myself and the missus went off to see a new ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, drum roll,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, X3. £4k discount on a M Sport 2.0 X Drive and offered £32k for my 68 plate S3 WTF !!!.
I took the demo out and was really impressed with it even though the interior is a little dated compared to the new 3 series, but seemed better than my S3. It was really good to drive and the wife was quite smitten. Wife wants us to go back for another look tomoz and who knows what will happen.
Like many others have stated on here, I think Audi are going to loose a sack load of customers due to pricing, design etc, such a shame.

In my humble opinion I always found the interior of BMWs to appear quite "basic" which put me off when the exterior looked stunning. Like the M2, looked and sounded great, but the interior and seats seemed quite lacking.

On the other note sounds like a good initial deal there, this forum turning in to X3 people now. First @X3man and now you

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[Jassyo06]

Been saying for the last year or so on here about BMW getting their **** together with the interiors of their cars

 

[NevMan]

Got a phone call from BMW with the old " deal of the century blah, blah, blah." So thought what the hell and myself and the missus went off to see a new ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, drum roll,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, X3. £4k discount on a M Sport 2.0 X Drive and offered £32k for my 68 plate S3 WTF !!!.
I took the demo out and was really impressed with it even though the interior is a little dated compared to the new 3 series, but seemed better than my S3. It was really good to drive and the wife was quite smitten. Wife wants us to go back for another look tomoz and who knows what will happen.
Like many others have stated on here, I think Audi are going to loose a sack load of customers due to pricing, design etc, such a shame.

They do seem to be more willing to “do a deal”, probably smell blood with what Audi is delivering...diesel S’s, touch only screen etc etc.

I just swapped my Q5 2.0 for a X3 M40i, similar deposit to you, almost £10k off a £55k specced Car. I personally love the interior and dash (I know it isn’t quite the “latest” coming in 3 series, but MASSIVE step up from previous BMW’s and much nicer place to be than my Q5 was, and extra 100bhp..all for about £20 p/m more...result