Ford vs BMW

[junglie]

Thanks for all the help so far.

One of these is being bought this weekend - the question is which?

120 motorway miles each day is the criteria.

Mondeo ST220 - Most modern, low miles, good levels of kit. Build quality not as good as BMW.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ford-Mondeo-ST220-Saloon_W0Q...

BMW 330d - Good condition and mileage, good Service History. Potential big bills for turbo, injectors etc.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2002-BMW-330-D-SPORT-SILVER_...


BMW 330i - Great engine, good build quality. Slightly higher miles.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2002-BMW-330-I-SPORT-BLUE_W0...

[jamoor]

Considered a 5 series instead?

[frosted]

The Mondeo looks slightly fresher

[5potTurbo]

120 motorway miles/day = 330D, every time.

There are plenty of independent BMW specialists in the UK that can service/repair far cheaper than a 'stealer'.
The straight 6 diesel for motorway use has greater abilities from the torque, IMO, than the 330i or the ST Mondy.

I really regret selling my immaculate 530d Touring.

[anonymous-user]

With that sort of daily mileage I would choose the 330d, plenty of grunt with a reasonable fuel economy.

[Patrick Bateman]

Ditto.

[10 Pence Short]

120 miles a day? DO you realise you're literally killing the planet with that st?

At least get a Prius, then you won't be harming our future generations through your own selfishness.

[Emeye]

IIRC the Mondeo mpg will be much worse than the BMW 330i. In my E39 530i manual I managed about 29mpg cruising at motorway speeds and I once saw 36mpg in busy but moving traffic between 60 and 70.

The 330d will have better mpg, but maybe not as great as you'd think, and whether this will out weigh the potential turbo and swirl flap issues (can't remember if manual 330ds have them though) is up to you, but I think I would go for a 330i if it was me, it is a great engine.

ETA - The suspension bushes don't wear that well on BMWs, but IIRC they are also an issue on Mondeos.

Edited by Emeye on Friday 23 April 15:44

[t84]

Emeye said:

swirl flap

Did anyone else laugh?

[5potTurbo]

t84 said:

Emeye said:

swirl flap

Did anyone else laugh?

Only at the Prius post above it.

[junglie]

I have a Z4 for a bit of fun so not that worried about not having the best 'fun' car.

I had an E39 523i but sold that last month - no reason other than I did not need the additional car at that stage.

The 330i is a great car and, although the ST220 is not quite as refined, it is newer and cheaper.

The 330d is the odd one out - I agree with everything that has been said about the great engine, torque and economy but the issue surrounding swirl flaps, injectors, turbos etc does fill me with slight trepidation!

[junglie]

I had a look at the BMW 330d:

- Very clean and well presented.
- Full Service History from a BMW Main Dealer with all the receipts.
- Recent injector replacement and lift pump.
- 4 new tyres as the only advisory from service (changed 6 weeks ago).

So far so good but I am not immediately taken by the performance. I understand that these cars are not designed to be 0 - 60 mph sprinters but have good in gear performance. On the 10 mile test drive I took it did not feel that quick, in fact getting back behind the wheel of my old E36 328i felt quicker and more muscular. It may be that it gathers spped more deceptivley?

[jon_80]

Have you test driven all of them (I mean those models not necessarily those exact cars)?

Unusual to see someone have both petrol and diesel on their shortlist.

[mikey-r]

I know it's a small point but that 330d isn't a Sport (for which you do pay a premium). The Sport will have better seats - I found the seats in my SE no where near supportive enough.

[ultrafastboy]

Go for the ST220...it is the bargain among them with really no catch (as long as ur not a brand snob) and is the most sexy looking and sounding

[russy01]

junglie said:

I had a look at the BMW 330d:

- Very clean and well presented.
- Full Service History from a BMW Main Dealer with all the receipts.
- Recent injector replacement and lift pump.
- 4 new tyres as the only advisory from service (changed 6 weeks ago).

So far so good but I am not immediately taken by the performance. I understand that these cars are not designed to be 0 - 60 mph sprinters but have good in gear performance. On the 10 mile test drive I took it did not feel that quick, in fact getting back behind the wheel of my old E36 328i felt quicker and more muscular. It may be that it gathers spped more deceptivley?

I agree with what you say, but surely this car is just for a 120mile round motorway trip, if so save some cash get a 320d and then spend more time in the weekend car when you want some fun.

[rich85uk]

ok you test drove the 330d and didnt like it, though i have a 330ci its going to be the same as the 330d you test drove just with a petrol lump(which i admit is a peach)

what year was the 330d you drove? as iirc the earlier ones where 180bhp and the later 204bhp

go look at an st220, not quite as frugal as the 330i lump( my last tank i got a calculated 28.9MPG which was a mix of gentle,town and hard driving, a guy at work had an st220 and he averaged 24MPG)but they are much better equipped and a much, much better 2nd hand buy. both offer near identical performance from 0-150mph