BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go

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Wed 14 Nov 2012 09:32
BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go - Chris on the road

Sorry for the multiple models of car, but I have acquired a few cars over the years and I just can't seem to bring myself to let go of any of them!

I really need to let go of at least one of them (if only to get some driveway space back), but I know I will get a paltry amount for each of them, so I'd like readers' advice on which one(s) to sell and not kick myself afterwards.

Here's my profile: mainly myself in the car (40 miles daily) + occasionally my wife, 3 young teenagers and occasionally 2 dogs as well.
Wife drives a 2004 Golf 1.6 SE (a bit of a squeeze, but refuses to use CRV/Volvo as feels they are less comfortable for her bad back than the Golf)

Here are the motors:

(1)Honda CRV (2002) 85K miles (so due a timing belt change at next service), full year's MOT left, driving well though occasionally front offside brake mildly binding and due brakepad change soon. Does 30/gallon. Used value approx £2K

(2)Volvo V40 (2004) 97K miles (but new engine at 62000 miles),MOT'd until July 2013, driving well. Does 34/gallon. Nice looking car, nice comfortable heated seats but not as roomy as the CRV. Used value approx £1200.

(3)BMW 535i auto (1998) 100K miles, goes like a dream but SORN off-road at present, so a bit of a pain to keep charged-up. Lovely to drive, but doesn't go in snow, and doors stick closed in cold weather and then won't close properly (is there a simple fix for this?). Does 28/gallon. Used value approx £1000.

I'd be really interested to hear what others think - if only so I can tell my wife I've asked others for their opinions. With all the permutations and combinations I keep going through, she tells me I'm now officially a 'car-bore'(!)

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Wed 14 Nov 2012 10:09
BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go - Collos25

The BWM with a set of winter tyres solves all the grip problems as does just rubbing some silicon over the rubber door seals a common problem on E39s.

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Wed 14 Nov 2012 11:07
BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go - TeeCee

Yup. So if shedding one, that's keep the Volvo (most economic for the commute and has more value than its market price due to that recent engine) and the Beemer for enjoyment value.

The CRV gets the push by a process of elimination.

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Wed 14 Nov 2012 13:35
BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go - BenG

Occasionally you need the space of the CRV to carry kids and dogs, so keep it.

The rest of the time a saloon will suffice and the Volvo is the most economical given the mileage you travel (~14k miles a year) and will be cheaper to tax and service than the BMW.

All vehicles have little value so depreciation is not really an issue.

The BMW is the most expensive to run, the most problematic and the least useful in winter, and does not really offer anything in terms of space or versatility that the other cars do, so ditch the BM.

Simples.

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Wed 14 Nov 2012 15:23
BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go - oldtoffee

Re the BMW's door seals - on a recommedation I bought a stick of Einszett Gummi Pflege Rubber Care ostensibly for the door seals on our cars but really because of the name! BTW it works a treat.

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Wed 14 Nov 2012 15:58
BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go - Collos25

But the BMW offers one thing the others don`t .

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Wed 14 Nov 2012 22:09
BMW 535/Honda CRV/Volvo 40 - Acquiring a fleet of cars - need to let one go - Avant

This one depends on your attitude to the 535. If you're getting enjoyment out of it, keep it, but as it's SORNed that suggests you haven't got the time to enjoy it. If so, flog it before it goes expensively wrong.

Second question - do you have any money to put into a deal? If so, you could consider flogging all three and getting something newer, perhaps bigger than the Volvo but smaller than the Honda if you don't need all that space.

If not, then it depends on whether the Volvo is big enough for your needs. Quite possibly, with growing teenagers and the dogs, it isn't, so the Honda needs to stay.

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