BMW 3 Series - Recommendations

[Sc0tchland]

Ok, so I've finally decided on a BMW 3 series for under £10k.
Preferably not a 3 litre petrol, what's the best option for a saloon? Happy for a petrol due to the miles I do..
Any suggestions from Auto Trader / Pistonheads?

Thank you

[pb8g09]

Why not a 3 litre petrol? They’re the best ones....

[Shiv_P]

If it's E90 series avoid the 4 cylinder units as the timing chains can have issues. To be honest the 325/330i are the most reliable units of the lot but iirc the 330ds are OK as well with some modifications (swirl flaps removal?)

[DaveH23]

Plenty of the 3.2 in Budget.

Am I doing this right?

[ZX10R NIN]

325i M Sport Facelift Model

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

M Sport Highline

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

330i M Sport

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

Highline

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

[Sc0tchland]

pb8g09 said:

Why not a 3 litre petrol? They’re the best ones....

MPGS

[Sc0tchland]

Shiv_P said:

If it's E90 series avoid the 4 cylinder units as the timing chains can have issues. To be honest the 325/330i are the most reliable units of the lot but iirc the 330ds are OK as well with some modifications (swirl flaps removal?)

Decent, any examples?

[HayesDC2]

I went for a 330d, get about 35mpg for reference.

[cerb4.5lee]

I'm another fan of the E90 330d and I actually preferred it to the E90 330i I had. I liked the diesel power delivery much more(the 330i is flat in comparison low down), and from inside the cabin I thought the diesel actually sounded more meaty.

The N52 engine in the E90 330i is incredibly muted inside the cabin and from the exhaust...so you can't really use the "petrol sounds better" trump card in this situation.

[Patrick Bateman]

Happy for the petrol yet not a 6 cylinder? How many miles do you do?

And on the sound front, the petrol 6 has to win just due to not sounding like a diesel at idle.

[cerb4.5lee]

Patrick Bateman said:

And on the sound front, the petrol 6 has to win just due to not sounding like a diesel at idle.

That is a very good point in fairness.

[DoubleD]

How many miles do you do? What do you need from a car? Fun, comfy, number of seats, big boot??

[Sc0tchland]

Patrick Bateman said:

Happy for the petrol yet not a 6 cylinder? How many miles do you do?

And on the sound front, the petrol 6 has to win just due to not sounding like a diesel at idle.

Around 10-11k a year, why so?

[Sc0tchland]

DoubleD said:

How many miles do you do? What do you need from a car? Fun, comfy, number of seats, big boot??

10-11k a year.. A guess something with a bit of grunt would be good. I had a 320d as a hire car a couple of months back and thought it was magic.. All be it a newer model which I wouldn't be able to afford..

[Patrick Bateman]

30mpg not good enough? Not a chance I'd be going for a 4 cylinder car.

[Sc0tchland]

Patrick Bateman said:

30mpg not good enough? Not a chance I'd be going for a 4 cylinder car.

What model is this?

[Patrick Bateman]

330i.

Assuming your 10k reflects mostly A road commuting with minimal busy town work. I could easily achieve over 30 on an equivalent e46 for commuting.

Newer engine will only be more efficient. All this is assuming manual.

Doubt you'd be getting much more in a 4 pot yet a far inferior engine.