BMW 330i M sport or Volvo S60 d5
Discussion
I have a 330i msport tourer which is a beautiful car..... BUT i work overseas for seven months of the year leaving the beemer in the hands of the wife who uses the throttle pedal like its a button. Because she is the one always filling the tank she now wants a dirty diesel (hang my head)
I hear lots of good reports about the Volvo s60 d5 and have seen plenty for sale for under 4k. If i was at home more then i would sell the wife and keep the car but she has me cornered on this one.
Are the Volvos any good? I know the spec levels are good for the money but will i regret it in the long term?
Maybe an ugly divorce is the answer?
I hear lots of good reports about the Volvo s60 d5 and have seen plenty for sale for under 4k. If i was at home more then i would sell the wife and keep the car but she has me cornered on this one.
Are the Volvos any good? I know the spec levels are good for the money but will i regret it in the long term?
Maybe an ugly divorce is the answer?
We have a '55' V70 D5 AWD sport. Its a great car at what it does. Seats are really comfy + heated electric is always nice! Not amazing on fuel (36mpg average) its pretty quick once you get it on the turbo. Seems to stand up to the beating it gets at work, only problem we have had was a clutch master cyl. Currently on 66k. Its a bit wallowy but seems to have decent grip levels. Stereo is also very good.
Either get a divorce or stick with the petrol.
Having had petrol cars I've recently switched to a 330d, as my mileage was on the rise. It’s a good car, quick, frugal (37mpg) and does all the things the 3 should.
However, no matter how much a try to love the oil burner you can't away from the fact that the throttle response is slow and you do have to wait just a split second longer for anything to happen sometimes. Perhaps mine being an auto doesn't help, but I'm comparing auto to auto (diesel to petrol).
If you really can do without a diesel, then do without, more expensive to service (potentially much more), fuel more expensive to buy as well.
If she gets another 100 miles to a tank, will that offset the loss you’ll make on selling one for another?? If she's doing sub 15k miles p/a is it really worth it?
Expects diesel appreciation society to turn up any second now....
Having had petrol cars I've recently switched to a 330d, as my mileage was on the rise. It’s a good car, quick, frugal (37mpg) and does all the things the 3 should.
However, no matter how much a try to love the oil burner you can't away from the fact that the throttle response is slow and you do have to wait just a split second longer for anything to happen sometimes. Perhaps mine being an auto doesn't help, but I'm comparing auto to auto (diesel to petrol).
If you really can do without a diesel, then do without, more expensive to service (potentially much more), fuel more expensive to buy as well.
If she gets another 100 miles to a tank, will that offset the loss you’ll make on selling one for another?? If she's doing sub 15k miles p/a is it really worth it?
Expects diesel appreciation society to turn up any second now....
dave144 said:
I have a 330i msport tourer which is a beautiful car..... BUT i work overseas for seven months of the year leaving the beemer in the hands of the wife who uses the throttle pedal like its a button. Because she is the one always filling the tank she now wants a dirty diesel (hang my head)
I hear lots of good reports about the Volvo s60 d5 and have seen plenty for sale for under 4k. If i was at home more then i would sell the wife and keep the car but she has me cornered on this one.
Are the Volvos any good? I know the spec levels are good for the money but will i regret it in the long term?
Maybe an ugly divorce is the answer?
Do you need a biggish car? Would a more economical petrol car not be an alternative too?I hear lots of good reports about the Volvo s60 d5 and have seen plenty for sale for under 4k. If i was at home more then i would sell the wife and keep the car but she has me cornered on this one.
Are the Volvos any good? I know the spec levels are good for the money but will i regret it in the long term?
Maybe an ugly divorce is the answer?
My S60 D5 Does at least 650 Miles to a tank full. I have never averaged less than 47mpg and on a run it goes to about 50 ish. A 4K one will be good if you are lucky. Find one with history and if the mileage is 120k plus make sure its had a cambelt and clutch already. The clutch can cost a grand or more if the dual mass fly wheel needs replacing. Excellent cars, comfy and pretty fast on the motorway etc and have the best stereos of any car I have had.Look boring but are nice inside with leather etc.
I think we are doing about 6k a year most of it town driving. Ive given up trying to educate the wife over her "girl racing" attitude to driving, when im back in the UK I take over the duty of driving thank god!
As for the exta price of a diesel, my 330i is worth about 5k and I can pick a S60 d5 up for 3-4k so im getting extra economy and a grand in the bank?
As for the exta price of a diesel, my 330i is worth about 5k and I can pick a S60 d5 up for 3-4k so im getting extra economy and a grand in the bank?
delmatt said:
My S60 D5 Does at least 650 Miles to a tank full. I have never averaged less than 47mpg and on a run it goes to about 50 ish. A 4K one will be good if you are lucky. Find one with history and if the mileage is 120k plus make sure its had a cambelt and clutch already. The clutch can cost a grand or more if the dual mass fly wheel needs replacing. Excellent cars, comfy and pretty fast on the motorway etc and have the best stereos of any car I have had.Look boring but are nice inside with leather etc.
+1I've had mine since Friday and have now done 620miles on the first Tank of diesel with more to come...average so far is showing 55.9mpg, I've not been going steady though (you know what it is like when you first get a new car
) mine was £3k for a 2002 S60 D5 SE, fully loaded.... 13 speaker Pro-Logic stereo, guide you home headlights, rain sensitive wipers, parking sensors etc. etc.
comfiest seats I have ever sat in
and quicker than some might think 
Edited by y2blade on Tuesday 27th July 07:28
Good value, mostly due to the horrendous depreciation! I bought a 04 plate @ 2.5 years old and 60,000miles under its belt for £10K, was probably around £30K new.. Since then and 50,000 extra miles) its only needed due to failure:
top engine mount (poor design, replacement items are a different design) £40
intercooler, a weak spot, £230
headlight adjustment motor £100
rear mount on exhaust £10
balljoint and new alloy thanks to a pothole
plus all the usual service parts and tyres, its quite heavy on tyres...
cambelt service @96K was about £220 at a main dealer
weak spots are front wishbone bushes, intercoolers, powersteering fluid reservoir, top engine mount on early cars.
Rica or MTE can remap the early 163bhp engines to around 200, and the later 185bhp engines to around 220, and a whole shedload of torque. (theres even a rica map that takes the later ones upto a torquesteer-tastic 250..)
At 110,000 mine feels a little wallowy and wandery on uneven roads, I suspect the suspension has seen better days, the engine seems a little rumbly, but its a very quiet comfortable place to be (and as mentioned, the sound systems are awesome. I`ve "only" got the 11 speaker system, but its got 6 x 8" drivers plus tweeters and centre speaker in the dash for the prologic..)
top engine mount (poor design, replacement items are a different design) £40
intercooler, a weak spot, £230
headlight adjustment motor £100
rear mount on exhaust £10
balljoint and new alloy thanks to a pothole
plus all the usual service parts and tyres, its quite heavy on tyres...
cambelt service @96K was about £220 at a main dealer
weak spots are front wishbone bushes, intercoolers, powersteering fluid reservoir, top engine mount on early cars.
Rica or MTE can remap the early 163bhp engines to around 200, and the later 185bhp engines to around 220, and a whole shedload of torque. (theres even a rica map that takes the later ones upto a torquesteer-tastic 250..)
At 110,000 mine feels a little wallowy and wandery on uneven roads, I suspect the suspension has seen better days, the engine seems a little rumbly, but its a very quiet comfortable place to be (and as mentioned, the sound systems are awesome. I`ve "only" got the 11 speaker system, but its got 6 x 8" drivers plus tweeters and centre speaker in the dash for the prologic..)
.:ian:. said:
Good value, mostly due to the horrendous depreciation! I bought a 04 plate @ 2.5 years old and 60,000miles under its belt for £10K, was probably around £30K new.. Since then and 50,000 extra miles) its only needed due to failure:
top engine mount (poor design, replacement items are a different design) £40
intercooler, a weak spot, £230
headlight adjustment motor £100
rear mount on exhaust £10
balljoint and new alloy thanks to a pothole
plus all the usual service parts and tyres, its quite heavy on tyres...
cambelt service @96K was about £220 at a main dealer
weak spots are front wishbone bushes, intercoolers, powersteering fluid reservoir, top engine mount on early cars.
Rica or MTE can remap the early 163bhp engines to around 200, and the later 185bhp engines to around 220, and a whole shedload of torque. (theres even a rica map that takes the later ones upto a torquesteer-tastic 250..)
At 110,000 mine feels a little wallowy and wandery on uneven roads, I suspect the suspension has seen better days, the engine seems a little rumbly, but its a very quiet comfortable place to be (and as mentioned, the sound systems are awesome. I`ve "only" got the 11 speaker system, but its got 6 x 8" drivers plus tweeters and centre speaker in the dash for the prologic..)
What Ian says. I had one for about 8 months to replace an Accord Type-R for my 400-mile weekly commute. I had it remapped (went from 163bhp to about 195bhp) and it made a world of difference. Plenty of low-down grunt for overtaking, the most comfortable seats ever, and a fantastic Pro-Logic stereo system. You can get a kit to connect your Ipod through the cd-changer interface, so I had my driving environment pretty much perfect. I averaged around 44mpg.top engine mount (poor design, replacement items are a different design) £40
intercooler, a weak spot, £230
headlight adjustment motor £100
rear mount on exhaust £10
balljoint and new alloy thanks to a pothole
plus all the usual service parts and tyres, its quite heavy on tyres...
cambelt service @96K was about £220 at a main dealer
weak spots are front wishbone bushes, intercoolers, powersteering fluid reservoir, top engine mount on early cars.
Rica or MTE can remap the early 163bhp engines to around 200, and the later 185bhp engines to around 220, and a whole shedload of torque. (theres even a rica map that takes the later ones upto a torquesteer-tastic 250..)
At 110,000 mine feels a little wallowy and wandery on uneven roads, I suspect the suspension has seen better days, the engine seems a little rumbly, but its a very quiet comfortable place to be (and as mentioned, the sound systems are awesome. I`ve "only" got the 11 speaker system, but its got 6 x 8" drivers plus tweeters and centre speaker in the dash for the prologic..)
It's not a chuckable car though, and I soon got a little bit bored and bought a 147 GTA.
If I was looking for a comfortable, cheap, economical barge I'm sure I'd have one again.
How much are the remaps? and do they put much of a load on insurance?
Not too fussed about the difference in cornering as I have a fireblade to scratch that itch.
As for common faults, all cars have there weak points its all part of the fun of ownership i guess???
I previously had a passat tdi shed that never dropped below 45mpg and the wife loved that....until the electrics packed up.
Not too fussed about the difference in cornering as I have a fireblade to scratch that itch.
As for common faults, all cars have there weak points its all part of the fun of ownership i guess???
I previously had a passat tdi shed that never dropped below 45mpg and the wife loved that....until the electrics packed up.
dave144 said:
How much are the remaps? and do they put much of a load on insurance?
Not too fussed about the difference in cornering as I have a fireblade to scratch that itch.
As for common faults, all cars have there weak points its all part of the fun of ownership i guess???
I previously had a passat tdi shed that never dropped below 45mpg and the wife loved that....until the electrics packed up.
Remap is around the usual £250 mark. I can't remember who I bought it through, but the guy came to the house to do it.Not too fussed about the difference in cornering as I have a fireblade to scratch that itch.
As for common faults, all cars have there weak points its all part of the fun of ownership i guess???
I previously had a passat tdi shed that never dropped below 45mpg and the wife loved that....until the electrics packed up.
dave144 said:
How much are the remaps? and do they put much of a load on insurance?
Not too fussed about the difference in cornering as I have a fireblade to scratch that itch.
As for common faults, all cars have there weak points its all part of the fun of ownership i guess???
I previously had a passat tdi shed that never dropped below 45mpg and the wife loved that....until the electrics packed up.
£00-£400 for the remap, and mine didn't load the insurance by much (admiral is who I am with)Not too fussed about the difference in cornering as I have a fireblade to scratch that itch.
As for common faults, all cars have there weak points its all part of the fun of ownership i guess???
I previously had a passat tdi shed that never dropped below 45mpg and the wife loved that....until the electrics packed up.
after the remap the S60 D5 should be around
223bhp and 461nm (depending on who you go with)
with those figures it should keep up with the "look at me
" cars if you feel the need too Edited by y2blade on Tuesday 27th July 11:14
Truckosaurus said:
Now then.
I currently have a 330i and previous had an S60 D5.
They are very different cars in terms of character.
The S60 is an excellent all-rounder but isn't as fun to drive as the 330i.
I'm not sure it would be worth changing for fuel economy reasons for 6k miles a year.
Agreed. They are both excellent cars but their strenghts lie in different area. As an all rounder, I'd take the S60, it is an incredibly easy to live with car day to day. However, it doesn't drive like a BMW (and nor should it) but if you chose a 330i Sport in the first place presumably you wanted a car which did so consider carefully.I currently have a 330i and previous had an S60 D5.
They are very different cars in terms of character.
The S60 is an excellent all-rounder but isn't as fun to drive as the 330i.
I'm not sure it would be worth changing for fuel economy reasons for 6k miles a year.
At 6k a year it is very marginal anyway. That sounds like a lot of short journies with cold starts which will give the worst possible fuel consumption per mile of any car.
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