Occasional Observations

The BMW?s health has taken a turn for the worse, and the timing isn?t good: winter has arrived, and the train strikes in Germany are threatening to cause further chaos. But the train is the sensible option, as the Beemer seems to have had some kind of computer brain aneurism, and I know that whatever the cure, it?s going to be expensive.

We?re not quite sure what?s wrong yet but we know what the symptoms are ? the ABS/ASR light comes on and the ABS and traction control systems shut down. That?s normal if there?s a dodgy ABS sensor but this time we?ve been through that, and the car ECU seems to be blaming a different sensor every time. No sign of any cables having been chewed by our pine marten, either. What?s really worrying though is that the automatic gearbox is playing up now as well ? sticking in third gear and refusing to provide its usual silky-smooth shift.

We?ve been through the calculations and it?s just about break-even for me to get a company car (for the company, it?s a far more positive story because of the costs that can be offset and the sales tax reclaim). So the choice is now either to rejig my package so that a car is included, or to allocate a decent amount of money to buy a two- or three-year-old replacement for the Beemer.

In the six years since I bought it, car prices have crept up. I?d need about 50 percent more cash now to buy a newer 5 series of the same age/mileage that mine was in when we first met. It?s clear that the EUR10k to 20k bracket is the mid-market battle ground where prices are most keen. Cars tend to hang around for ages above 10k before plummeting to ground like a rock. My Beemer is getting into the ?pocket change? territory now ? even in perfect working order it has a trade value of under EUR5k.

To update the car shopping list:

Company car ? probably a Ford Mondeo diesel. Yeah, I know it?s a boring family hatchback but that?s what we need.

Private car ? sensible option is to look for a tidy used BMW 320d ? late old shape with lots of kit or a Spartan new shape. Alfa resale prices aren?t to be trusted ? they hold up ok for three years or so, then plummet, and even the run-out 164s are on the precipice now. I?ve dropped the idea of a Disco, a 740d or an SLK ? and the Astra was the bogey car.