Category : General
The public are demanding ever more practicality from the car market. With Fuel prices soaring and insurance premiums more expensive than ever, the consumer has a keen eye on the running costs of their prospective purchase.
It may seem unlikely that BMW offer a practical entry level vehicle in the 1Series, that’s enjoying growing popularity with students who may also seek out the advantages of a university student car insurance policy.
BMW is a brand synonymous with quality and status, but with their new lean burn diesel engines and low insurance groups, the BMW 1Series is becoming one of the most practical vehicles on the road. Since its conception, the 1Series has enjoyed sales figures well over the 1 million mark, making it a highly available second hand option.
The 1 Series still exudes class but is also blessed with insurance groups ranging from around 10 to 16 making it one of the cheapest cars to insure in its class. Insurance prices for young people can be burdensome at best so any car that falls beyond the ‘City Car’ bracket tends to involve a mighty premium. Not so much with the 1Series, especially when the low insurance grouping is combined with specialised university student car insurance.
The student/new driver market can therefore enjoy the status of a car that sports the BMW badge whilst reaping the invaluable rewards of a relatively low insurance grouping. Car tax for the 1Series is reasonable and the diesel engines can achieve over 60mpg on a combined cycle. Prices start at around £18,000 brand-new with decent deals available second hand.
In order to cut costs, it may be best for students to seek out university student car insurance policies like those on offer at Endsleigh, which offer up to 23% discounts depending on the university.
BMW is a brand naturally inclined towards high profile drivers. The BMW badge has been a status symbol for a long time and it puts forward an image of style, edge and performance. It seems that the BMW is popular with movie stars and footballers – young drivers with a lot of money make it their number one choice – maybe it’s not as safe or stately as the Audi, Jaguar or Mercedes. BMW’s image is perhaps more cutting edge, fashionable.
Wayne Rooney drove a BMW X5 which is the big SUV type vehicle. The X5 is a large car that delivers high performance – a reflection of Rooney’s big on field presence and tendency to attract the media spotlight.
David Beckham drove a BMW M3 when he played for Man United. The M3 is appropriately a dignified understated BMW which has been a leader in its class for years. He shares his taste for M3’s with former Man United goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Scarlett Johansson was the owner of a BMW Z4 and an advertisement for BMW’s safety standards. She crashed the car and claimed to have been saved by the airbags.
Amy Winehouse drove a BMW 7 Series. The 7 Series is one of the biggest saloon cars on the market and comes complete with BMW’s trailblazing gadgets.
The themes gathered from this list of famous people are high celebrity and youth – people who have made money at a young age and demanded a car with status, style and performance. BMW seem to have laid claim to the young professional type market.
The BMW owned Mini is possibly the most popular celebrity vehicle. Madonna, Simon Cowell and David Hasselhoff have all owned one. Ageing stars who all have an interest in youth culture – the sensible but fun Mini reflects their status.
If you enjoy open top motoring, then you will love the BMW Z4 Roadster and this latest version is just as good, if not better than the Porsche Boxster or the Mercedes SLK which are in the same sector.
There are a number of options when it comes to the engine. The basic model is a 2.5 litre 204 bhp unit which will take you from 0 to 62 mph in just 6.6 seconds. It also has the advantage of good fuel economy and will return 33 mpg.
If you would appreciate a little more power you can select the sDrive30i. This packs a powerful 3 litres of punch which delivers 258 bhp and which will propel you from 0 to 62 mph in 5.8 seconds. It also has good fuel economy.
If you want to out-drag a Porsche Boxster S, then you will have to shell out for the magnificent 306 bhp sDrive35i power unit which comes with twin-turbochargers and which will propel the car from 0 to 62mph in 5.2 seconds. This version also has twin exhausts and the sound that they generate when accelerating hard out of corners is truly awe inspiring.
If even that is not enough “umph” for you, then there is the sDrive35is which delivers 340 bhp taking you from 0 to 60 in a stomach churning 4.8 seconds.
The standard drive train on the first three models includes a six-speed manual gearbox or a semi-automatic version with a steering wheel mounted paddle shift. However with the sDrive35i there is also the option of a seven-speed double clutch automatic box and this gearbox is standard on the sDrive35is and includes launch control for getting away smartly at the traffic lights!
As you might anticipate the handling is quite excellent and thanks to the rear wheel drive power sliding round twisty roads is a lot of fun, especially when you turn off the traction control. You can set the car up for normal, sports and sports-plus driving and there is optional adaptive sports suspension.
From a practical viewpoint, there is a reasonable amount of boot space when the roof is down, but much less when driving with the roof up. Naturally this car comes with all the trimmings and extras that you might expect.
The entry level BWM is the 1-series, but the Coupe version can be so much more than that.
The first thing you will notice about this car, apart from its styling which some might consider to be a little quirky but others will love, is its zipping performance, which is not too surprising considering that the most powerful version, the 135i, has a six cylinder twin turbocharged power unit which delivers 306 bhp. There is no car in this class which is faster or more powerful and you can get from rest to 62 mph in just 5.3 seconds. What is more, even with all that power you can expect to average 31 mph.
If that is just a little too much for you to handle, then you can opt for the somewhat tamer 125i version. This has a 3 litre engine and delivers 218 bhp giving a 0 to 62 acceleration time of 6.4 seconds. There is also a 120i engine with a 0 to 62 time of 7.8 seconds and a fuel consumption of 48 mpg.
There is also a number of a diesel powered versions. The 123d which is also twin turbocharged, delivers incredible torque at low revs and as a result you can reach 62 mph from rest in only seven seconds and with a top speed of 148 mph; pretty good for a diesel that has a fuel economy of 54 mpg.
You can elect to go for a single turbocharger which will reduce your 0 to 62 time to 7.6 seconds but will also reduce your fuel consumption to 59 mpg, or the 118d which delivers 63 mpg.
Thanks to the rear wheel drive and excellent front/rear weight balance the BWM 1-series Coupé handles extremely well. It sticks to the road like glue and corners as if it was on rails. This car really is the ultimate small coupe.
The more advanced versions of this car come at a price, in fact the top of the range model costs almost twice as much as the entry version, however if you can afford it then you will be driving the most powerful production car in this class. You could always try your luck and look for a used car too.
Consumers have many expenses that they are obligated to pay. Some of these expenses they incur are much greater than others. One of these larger expenses would of course include car insurance. With insurance premiums often being high, many consumers seek ways in which they can secure cheaper rates. By taking advantage of some of these methods, consumers find that they can keep a little more of their hard earned money in their wallets.
One of the best ways to save on car insurance is simply to shop around. Many people settle for renewing their current policies year after year without even looking to see what else is out there. This can often be a costly error. The Association of British Insurers reports that by comparing premiums of at least five car insurance companies can save you about 35% on your car insurance. So, next time, your car insurance policy is up for renewal, shop around first. Also, if you’ve been paying your premiums monthly, think about paying them annually. This will save you money on installment fees.
When determining your car insurance premiums, insurance companies like www.hastingsdirect.com
look at a variety of factors. The combination of these can set the price. For instance, if you live in an area with a high crime rate, you will typically pay more. Certain occupations end up paying different insurance rates. Many consumers fail to keep their insurer up to date with information which could actually save them money.
Paying a higher voluntary excess on a claim will also help keep your policy cost lower. Some car insurance companies may offer an excess as much as £800 which results in a much cheaper insurance premium.
If you are insuring a young driver, there are ways in which to make this expense cheaper for this high risk driving demographic. Young drivers who take a Pass Plus training course can often receive special discounted premium. Another way to save on insurance premiums is to add the young driver to the adult’s policy if the car is mainly driven by the parent. Don’t attempt to list a young driver as the secondary driver when they are actually the primary. This is called fronting and could cause in claims being denied.
Car ownership has for many years been considered to be a status symbol and the better and newer the car the higher was the associated status. It seems that in many quarters the general view on this is undergoing a process of change. Car leasing is a viable alternative to ownership and is one that can provide many advantages.
First let’s look at how it works. First you need to decide how much you can reasonably afford to spend on your car. Car leasing deals can vary from a couple of hundred pounds a month to well over a thousand pounds a month, so there is plenty of choice. You also need to think about how long you want the lease to last (two or three years is typical, though you can opt for shorter or longer periods if you wish). You also need to have a reasonable idea about the amount of mileage you intend to do annually. Once you have decided this you need to look at a few car leasing dealerships to see the types of card you can afford.
If you have not done this before you are likely to be very surprised about how much you can get for your money compared to how much it would cost you to purchase the same vehicle using a car loan. In some cases the repayments on a car loan are twice as much as the monthly payments on car leasing deals, and in many cases they are 33% higher. You might be able to get a much better car that you had thought, such as with the BMW leasing deals from Frontier.
To get the best deal going it plays to be flexible. Car leasing dealerships often offer quite amazing bargains, so it pays to be proactive in this respect. The reason why contract hire is relatively cheap when compared with car purchase is that the dealer is recouping from you only the amount that the car devalues during the course of the lease. When the lease has expired and you have returned the car, (and in all likelihood you will have collected another brand new car), the dealer will liquidate the capital tied up in the returned car’s residual value by selling it on.
Nowadays, the average price of a brand-new car is around £9,000, that’s a hell of a lot of money. And, yes, some people prefer to shell out on a top of the range shiny motor. However, many people are turning to used-cars as a cheaper alternative. Used cars, such as those from http://www.motors.co.uk/buy-a-car cost less than new ones, considerably less. That’s a fact. Always has been. However, in recent years, the standard and quality of used-cars has risen incredibly, and now individuals who are looking for their next vehicle are picking up their dream cars in the classified ads, and online, and what’s more, they’re picking them up for half the price! 
As well as the actual car costing less, the insurance generally costs less as well and will probably fall the older the car is; a most unusual practice. Insurance dealers such as Carole Nash can give you more information.
It is now common knowledge that used cars depreciate less after purchase than new cars do, therefore why buy a brand new motor just to see it almost half in price within the first few years? It simply doesn’t make sense, and the future of vehicle buying is definitely turning to the second-hand market. A very appealing reason to buy second-hand is the negotiation process. Now, if you head down to your nearest showroom, you’ll be pressured by the nearest dealer within minutes, maybe even seconds.
Many people feel so pressured that they end up buying a car that they didn’t particularly want, and because showroom ‘executives’ work on a commission basis, they are less inclined to let you browse around, and are more likely to hover over you immediately. However, when buying second-hand, the pressure is off, and the seller – despite wanting to sell the car – will seldom exert any sort of pressure on a deal being made. If the car in question is in good condition and is available at a good price, a sale will be made eventually, therefore it makes little difference to the owner whether a deal is made or not.
The public are demanding ever more practicality from the car market. With Fuel prices soaring and insurance premiums more expensive than ever, the consumer has a keen eye on the running costs of their prospective purchase.
