Are 318s hateful machines? Which engine for 3 series?

[BE57 TOY]

Friend is looking for a sub 5 year old 3 series - which is the best engine to go for?

Are 318's hateful things?

The budget is around £15-16k which will get a nice looking m sport plus edition with the 1.8 petrol engine from a main dealer.

For a 320d he would have to go older / higher miles. Is it worth it?

Will be used for mostly motorway!

Thanks

[BE57 TOY]

Thanks both.

Sounds like the safest bet for a good all-rounder will be the 320d then.

What kind of mpg do the 318i's get, if you know?

[BE57 TOY]

BMWNICK said:

My dad has a 2008 318i automatic, it is perfectly fine to drive around town and sits on the motorway fine at 70mph. Gets about 45mpg on the motorway and about 28 in town.

What does your friend want other than that?

The car is not fast, but my dad says it meets his needs for a car.

Sitting on the motorway

Low running costs

And something fun with a bit of poke for when the need arises

[BE57 TOY]

BMWNICK said:

325i is probably fine 218bhp. My 330ci (E46) with 230bhp is quick enough to be fun.

I think any 6 cylinders may have already been discounted based on economy and VED but will check.

[BE57 TOY]

Welshbeef said:

+1 you could spend half that amount on a really nice 320d M Sport or even an E90 330d M Sport and save the £7k for anything else you'd like.

VED savings well the old 231330d is £280 a year v £130 a year or even )30 for the newest ones that's not a lot of saving given how much more you have to pay to buy a newer car.

Fuel savings will be minimal per annum and you will find he 3ltr is really surprisingly frugal on M ways plus he may keep it longer due to the good performance thus saving more in depreciation.

Are you talking E46 era cars? Certainly worth a look

[BE57 TOY]

Welshbeef said:

BE57 TOY said:

Welshbeef said:

+1 you could spend half that amount on a really nice 320d M Sport or even an E90 330d M Sport and save the £7k for anything else you'd like.

VED savings well the old 231330d is £280 a year v £130 a year or even )30 for the newest ones that's not a lot of saving given how much more you have to pay to buy a newer car.

Fuel savings will be minimal per annum and you will find he 3ltr is really surprisingly frugal on M ways plus he may keep it longer due to the good performance thus saving more in depreciation.

Are you talking E46 era cars? Certainly worth a look

No E90 330d.

£7.5k will easily get you a E90 330d M sport auto with all the toys - mine sold for £6.5k with full main dealer service history and in superb condition.

Are we talking mega miles? Everything we have looked at has been £15k upwards.