Mercedes W204 or BMW E90 for £5k

[anonymous-user]

Ideally looking for feedback from people who have driven both of these, but which would be the best car to buy for £5k ?

Only criteria is that is must be automatic, would probably prefer a petrol but certainly not ruling out a Diesel although fuel economy around the 35MPG mark and above would be nice. These are my thoughts so far from what I have read on the internet.

1)If it is a BMW with a four cylinder engine diesel engine, the cam chain will fail and destroy the engine in the first week. If it is a four cylinder petrol engine the cam chain will also fail and it will get an impossible to fix misfire at some point.
2)The BMW will be the better drive.
3)The Mercedes interior plastics look a little cheap in places but it is solidly built.

Now here are my thoughts.

1)I drove a brand new W203 C180K when they came out and loved it. Drove a 10 year old one with 90k on the clock and it was a saggy, noisy pile of junk. The older E46 318 I had at the time was miles better.
2)The W204 in anything other than Sport trim looks a little boring.
3)I prefer the look of the E90 interior
4)If I get the E90 the engine I really want is the 325d or 330d which is going to be fairly high mileage.

So which do you think would be the better buy for £5k?

[ZX10R NIN]

I agree the non sport W204's are a bit bland to look at but they're nice inside getting one for your budget with sensible miles on it will be the hard part, I'd go for a 320 but they'll be hard to find for your budget but they're worth seeking out:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

They ride better have a bit more space & are a good choice

[AllyBassman]

I've gone from a E90 320d to a W204 earlier this year,

E90 was a 2011, W204 is a 2012.

I wont compare engines as the w204 is the V6, the E90 was the 20d.

The E90 is a better steer, but the ride is worse (in M Sport trim)
The W204 is built better and interior is nicer (this will depend on trim I suppose)
The W204 has more toys as standard and the seats are more comfortable
The E90 is quite a low car, elderly relatives struggled to get in and out of it.
The N47 20d engine is a ticking time bomb (Cars 08 and newer)

Edited by AllyBassman on Tuesday 18th December 10:50

[ollyh1988]

For a bit under your budget I bought a 2006 325i touring, with an auto gearbox. I was specifically looking for an E90 and didn't want the 4 cylinder, for reliability reasons.

I think it is a fantastic car for the money, and in SE spec it is one of the most comfortable cars I've driven. I don't think the 6 cylinders are great on fuel (I'm seeing 24mpg urban and just over 31 on a long run) but it is a nice engine.

Mine has been really reliable.

[Mr Tidy]

Earlier this year I bought a leggy E91 325iSE (manual) for just under £3,000 and I like it. Very refined so great on longer trips.

The only issue so far was a few months ago when the electric water pump died, but I suppose at 12 years I shouldn't be surprised. But they aren't cheap - just the pump is usually £250ish even at Euro Car Parts.

And at least now I know it's done!

Because 95% of the time mine does 30+ mile trips outside of the rush hour, the OBC is showing an average of 35.3 mpg.