Part 1 - 20/4/18
So, the Cadillac had left and the resulting cash was burning a hole in my pocket. But I'd promised myself that this time I'd be more sensible: keep the car interesting but keep the price to around £500-£600. That way, there'd be more budget to spruce it up, but also less guilt.
The search began, and initially, it wasn't looking good. Of course, nobody expects a perfect motor down at the depths of this price level, but the difference between the choice of cars at around £1000 and £500 is nevertheless surprising. I trawled through various Mercedes CLKs, early Audi A8s and just missed out on a couple of temptingly cheap Honda Legends. As usual, you can't be fussy with this budget, and with that little list you can probably tell I was being anything but.
Bangers that work - 20 bargain cars that won't let you down
But then it struck: a 1993 E32 BMW 730i in Glacier Blue metallic paint with a price tag of just £775. OK, so the miles were high at 175,000, but ever since owning the E34 5 Series I'd had a hankering for more '90s BMW ownership. The E32, in particular, is a car I've always thought is superb to look at, and to these eyes at least, one that has only improved with age. The trouble is, there are very few about these days and the ones that do go up for sale tend to be low-miles and in great condition. And therefore, way out of my budget.
K78 HHJ appeared on a Sunday morning and I made the journey across to east London the very same day. Upon arrival, there was more rust than the advert had let on, but after a quick test drive, I'd decided I wanted it. Despite it being rough-round-the-edges cosmetically, it was brilliantly tight to drive, and a quick look through the mountain of receipts and impressive service history showed it had been well looked after mechanically. The MOT history suggested the rust was surface stuff, too.
Join the debate
Add your comment
Used to know....
used to know a guy who bought back then a Car to do him a year, he’d pay £150.00 or so do all his own spannering and so on, other than Road Tax and fuel at the end of the year he’d scrap it get his money back just by scrapping it and would then repeat the process, now if your prepared to do that?!
My father at one point bought
My father at one point bought a sub-2k E28 728i, what a car! Like having your own limo, it still looked classy when it was moved on as the Bangle 7 series never quite had the same elegance.
Though it was succumbing to rust, and there was a subframe shake that resonated at 50mph that was borderline dangerous...
Beautiful car