Do you need anything more than a 320d?

[iSore]

Tractor lad said:

Why not cut down on patronising everyone else and go and polish your USS Nimitz?

Is the garage in a 7 bedroom* Barratt house actually big enough for such an endeavour?

• more bedrooms that you have.

[Tractor lad]

iSore said:

Is the garage in a 7 bedroom* Barratt house actually big enough?

• more bedrooms that you have.

Yep; only 5 here. And a garage so stuffed with God knows what that a car won't fit in it.
Direct sea views and a two minute stroll to the beach help soften the blow. I don't think Barratt bothers with this county.

[iSore]

Tractor lad said:

Yep; only 5 here.

You poor lamb.

[Tractor lad]

iSore said:

You poor lamb.

Thanks. We get buy with our tin bath, outdoor loo, a mangle and a nearby stream to wash our meagre clothing. Some lambs might be a good idea.

[iSore]

I used to DREAM of an outdoor loo.

We have electricity though - such ostentatioussnessess.

[anonymous-user]

This thread is embarrassing.

[Tractor lad]

iSore said:

I used to DREAM of an outdoor loo.

We have electricity though - such ostentatioussnessess.

Show off.

[Sump]

Ares said:

Fastdruid said:

Ares said:

Fastdruid said:

Ares said:

Fastdruid said:

The only reason for a diesel is because you do lots of miles[1]......

No it's not. Try again without blinkers on

Nope. Apart from RobM77 throttle requirements I can only think of a single reason why you'd get a diesel over a petrol that isn't related to doing lots of miles and that's tax related (and even then personally I'd take the tax hit to not drive a diesel).

If you 'like' diesels because of the torque you're really saying you like turbocharged engines. In which case turbocharged petrols are nicer (but of course worse on fuel which doesn't matter unless you're doing enough miles to make it worth it).
If you 'like' diesels because of the range it's because you're doing enough miles in one hit to make it worth it.
If you 'like' diesels because of the cost it's because you're doing enough miles to make it worth it (for low mileages the equivalent petrol will almost always be cheaper, of course there are exceptions).

There are no good reasons to own a diesel (apart from throttle lag for RobM77 and even then that's only a specific to the engines in BMW's he's interested in) over a petrol apart from because you're doing enough miles to make it worth it putting up with them.

The only exception is the person who gets a company car as a perk rather than a need and for who the badge is more important than how it drives and wants to limit the BIK costs.

Wrong again. Just because YOU can only think of a single reason doesn't mean it's right. It's called an Opinion.

Go on then. Enlighten me rather than just spout "You're wrong".

I chose a 640d over a 640i. Drove both. Preferred the diesel. It drives better, goes better, is smoother, quicker, suits the gearbox better...etc etc.

I do 8-10k per year. 16 months on, I still can't see a car that can do what it does, as well as it does let alone does it all whilst looking as good. The fact that Schnitzer have now made it even better just extends it's lead.

No matey, you just couldn't afford the petrol. It is honestly that simple.

[anonymous-user]

cerb4.5lee said:

Fastdruid said:

it's all about where you're sat and for the same money I would be rather sat in a top end Mondeo with a nice engine than a base 3-series with the bottom of the range engine.

You are the same as me and I have had three Mondeo`s and three 3 series and I would much sooner have a top end mondeo than a bottom end 3 series, I know I always get laughed at for saying it but for me the mondeo does exactly the same job as a 3 series anyway.

It does but the BMW is a better drive. I had a 118d as a courtesy car couple of years and even in that you could just feel how good the chassis was. They are just a better drivers car.

[Tractor lad]

Unless you push a car, a Mondeo will feel similar. And they do have a great chassis.
RWD only shows advantage once you reach a certain level of chassis capability; to 90% of people, a Mondeo full of toys probably feels as good if not better.

The 180bhp is enough to have a bit of fun with RWD but really it should be made law that 3 series have six cylinders.

[cerb4.5lee]

St John Smythe said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Fastdruid said:

it's all about where you're sat and for the same money I would be rather sat in a top end Mondeo with a nice engine than a base 3-series with the bottom of the range engine.

You are the same as me and I have had three Mondeo`s and three 3 series and I would much sooner have a top end mondeo than a bottom end 3 series, I know I always get laughed at for saying it but for me the mondeo does exactly the same job as a 3 series anyway.

It does but the BMW is a better drive. I had a 118d as a courtesy car couple of years and even in that you could just feel how good the chassis was. They are just a better drivers car.

The 3 series is nice to drive I agree but so is the Mondeo and when all said and done a family saloon/hatch is mostly used to cover a few miles in comfort so in that sense both do exactly the same job, one is FWD and one is RWD.

Neither will raise many smiles and if you want that you would buy a different type of car anyway, for getting from A to B or blasting up and down a motorway I just don't think you can separate a 3 series from a Mondeo.

[SidewaysSi]

Ares said:

SidewaysSi said:

Ares said:

Tractor lad said:

Ares said:

You need to try a new M3 or M4. I did alongside both M135 and M235, on track and road. Different league.

So it should be for double the price. More or less the same engine, terrible traction issues and saloon/faux coupe shape rules it out. I'd get a 911 if I raided the bank funds in a rather reckless way.

Bullst. In every regard. HTH.

Still makes your initial point utter nonsense.

I think the M3/M4 traction issues have been well documented so hardly bullst. The current car is not as good as what has gone before - I am not sure many people will argue against that.

And for £50k ish I would be looking at a 911 too.

Documented by who? I've driven both, on road and track, and made my own mind up. What did you think when you drove them?

I've yet to find someone who HAS driven them, that doesn't think the M4 is better than the I6 & V8 M3s, perhaps CSL excluded.


....and a 911 starts about £25k north of £50k. Unless you are being silly and comparing 3yr old cars with new???

Let's just say I think our tastes in cars are probably quite different. And why on earth would I consider a 991?!

[cerb4.5lee]

Tractor lad said:

Unless you push a car, a Mondeo will feel similar. And they do have a great chassis.
RWD only shows advantage once you reach a certain level of chassis capability; to 90% of people, a Mondeo full of toys probably feels as good if not better.

The 180bhp is enough to have a bit of fun with RWD but really it should be made law that 3 series have six cylinders.

Agree with both sentences!

[ORD]

Sump said:

No matey, you just couldn't afford the petrol. It is honestly that simple.

Not quite. He could afford the petrol but is, like a lot of people, obsessed with mpg.

[p1stonhead]

ORD said:

Sump said:

No matey, you just couldn't afford the petrol. It is honestly that simple.

Not quite. He could afford the petrol but is, like a lot of people, obsessed with mpg.

Or he just doesnt want to spend more on petrol for no reason when he sees the diesel doing the same thing as the petrol and actually, prefers it.

Personal preference is literally all that matters. Preference to a particular car cannot in any way be measured mathematically.

[Fastdruid]

cerb4.5lee said:

St John Smythe said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Fastdruid said:

it's all about where you're sat and for the same money I would be rather sat in a top end Mondeo with a nice engine than a base 3-series with the bottom of the range engine.

You are the same as me and I have had three Mondeo`s and three 3 series and I would much sooner have a top end mondeo than a bottom end 3 series, I know I always get laughed at for saying it but for me the mondeo does exactly the same job as a 3 series anyway.

It does but the BMW is a better drive. I had a 118d as a courtesy car couple of years and even in that you could just feel how good the chassis was. They are just a better drivers car.

The 3 series is nice to drive I agree but so is the Mondeo and when all said and done a family saloon/hatch is mostly used to cover a few miles in comfort so in that sense both do exactly the same job, one is FWD and one is RWD.

Neither will raise many smiles and if you want that you would buy a different type of car anyway, for getting from A to B or blasting up and down a motorway I just don't think you can separate a 3 series from a Mondeo.

Exactly which is best dynamically is neither here not there when you are tooling back and forth down the motorway, neither has a bad chassis and both have good handling. That the 3-series might be better at 10/10's is irrelevant to 99.9% of all drivers 99.9% of the time.

Then again it's not that fair when comparing them because the Mondeo isn't even in the same size class as the 3-series, it's 5-series sized. The only equivalent sized car I can find to the 3-series is the Alfa Romeo 159 and that's not even made anymore. Maybe it's time for Ford to bring back the Escort as a RWD car at a size in-between the Focus and Mondeo!

[braddo]

"Do you need anything more than a 320d?"

Judging by how popular they are and how much they outsell Mondeos and any other competitor, the answer for much of the UK population is, "No."

[cerb4.5lee]

Fastdruid said:

Maybe it's time for Ford to bring back the Escort as a RWD car at a size in-between the Focus and Mondeo!

Now that's an idea!

[cerb4.5lee]

braddo said:

"Do you need anything more than a 320d?"

Judging by how popular they are and how much they outsell Mondeos and any other competitor, the answer for much of the UK population is, "No."

That is a fair comment.

[RobM77]

ORD said:

Sump said:

No matey, you just couldn't afford the petrol. It is honestly that simple.

Not quite. He could afford the petrol but is, like a lot of people, obsessed with mpg.

He's already explained very clearly why he bought the diesel and it's neither of those things.