Baby I love you! As the song goes. Now this car is a baby, the baby BMW 120D SE .
In shiny bright silver ,with alloy wheels ,6 gears,5 doors ,climate control, parking sensors and seats that adjust so far back that even my large frame could hardly reach the wheel or pedals, a first.!
When I picked her up from those lovely people at Manor Road Garage in Frome, I found it hard to believe she wasn’t new; such was the quality of finish and condition. She had only done 61,000 miles which is nothing nowadays.
There was a very sexy button start on the dash, which soon fired her up to tick over as quiet as a very quiet mouse. However when you pulled away she shot forward like a scalded Gabon Viper in all gears while sipping fuel like a Methodist gnat! 50 mpg is what you can expect from this pocket rocket .I’m not kidding.
And of course she is a BMW, designed and built by those people who see uncluttered motorways and efficiency as an art form.
This is the point about quality previously owned cars, a huge amount for your money, in this case a very reasonable £9,999.
What else could you buy new for your hard earned cash? A basic VW Polo, Corsa or Clio. I rest my case, and it seems that more and more people are realising the good sense of this as second hand car sales are increasing rapidly. Even the worry about breakdowns is a thing of the past with watertight dealer warranties and private ones too, taking all the risks away. And don’t get me started on comparing the depreciation between new and used. So if you are looking for a compact 5 door zippy diesel, look no further you have found your baby.
On a final note, using my many years of driving experience, can anyone tell me why when you park your pride and joy in the middle of an almost empty car park, when you return there is always someone parked right next to you, with loads of space around. !!
Rupert
