What diesel for work that's a bit of fun?

[lindopski]

Peugeot 106 1.5 diesel
chuck it around corners and hang on for dear life whilst it tripods about, far more fun than tanking around in a BMW or Merc. It will cost you about 20p a week to run as well, and bits cost pennies when it breaks - though it usually doesnt.
It will set you back about £400 and you will have over £16K to pay some of your mortgage off or for your deposit on a nice Semi-detached.
heck you could even keep a couple of grand back spare and buy an Alfa GTV 3.0 V6, burning away all of the BMWs and Merc's on your list and looking far sexier whilst doing it too - especially if you get a Red cup edition

sorted.

[kambites]

I'd have thought a 123d would be more "fun" than a 330/335. Not as practical and probably not as good on the motorway, though.

[TimmD]

kambites said:

I'd have thought a 123d would be more "fun" than a 330/335. Not as practical and probably not as good on the motorway, though.

I've had both, and I would get a 123d coupe every time. A far, far more interesting drive than a 335d.

"I believe" that they can be remapped to 258bhp too. "I believe" they are even more fun then and still frugal.

I thought it rode better than my 335d too and it was surprisingly practical, with a big boot and fold down seats.

Defiantly a 123d coupe....

Tim

[PedroB]

What about an E320/350 cdi Sport?

Perhaps not quite as quick as the 330d? still pretty fun, but a slightly more waft for motorway. Plus, if you get the estate version you can fit the entire universe in the boot

[nottyash]

The 335d is stuck with a crappy gearbox, which suits the car on motorways. But not driving enthusiastically.
Quite fast remapped although not quite as fast as it could be.

[sday12]

1 series can't hold a candle to the 3 series chassis IMHO.

335 auto only, get a 330d and map it to 600Nm for £300

[surveyor]

C350 is a nice car to be in and very quick.

Well worth a drive in one IMO.

[300bhp/ton]

Whistle said:

Hi, I am about to swap my boring my mondeo for something a bit more fun for work.
I do about 25k miles a year all over the uk.

I have short listed the following with a budget of around £17k for anything with lest than 40k on the clock and no more than 4 years old.

BMW 330 d
BMW 335 d

Merc C350 Cdi

Audi A4 3.0 Tdi
Audi A6 3.0 Tdi

I am going to test drive a 330 d tomorrow.
Anyone got any recomendations ?

Many thanks

Andy

What sort of mpg are you expecting from these? Or rather what sort of mpg/monthly fuel costs do you need?

What sort of roads will you be on mostly? You say fun, but what sort of fun? Will you ever be hooning the car or using it for anything else, or is it going to be motorway nearly all the time?

Do you need 4 doors/seats? And is the 4 year age restriction part of a company policy?

How long do you plan to keep the car and are you buying outright, as in will residuals and resale value be an important factor?

[texasjohn]

TimmD said:

kambites said:

I'd have thought a 123d would be more "fun" than a 330/335. Not as practical and probably not as good on the motorway, though.

I've had both, and I would get a 123d coupe every time. A far, far more interesting drive than a 335d.

"I believe" that they can be remapped to 258bhp too. "I believe" they are even more fun then and still frugal.

I thought it rode better than my 335d too and it was surprisingly practical, with a big boot and fold down seats.

Defiantly a 123d coupe....

Tim

Defying any suggestion of an E90!

Absolutely agree; the 1er is more fun (and agree it's practical with the folding seats but then I guess so is an E92 and even more so as a hatchback - I got a front door down to the tip in an E87), the 3er a better all-rounder and motorway car.

[The Wookie]

fake7 said:

Kong said:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Next..

wow yes! quality motoring, fits the OP's requirments (just) and would be a star in the works car park for those in the know.

Worth noting that these also seem to ride a damn sight better than the standard BMW fare IMHO

[Leins]

nottyash said:

The 335d is stuck with a crappy gearbox, which suits the car on motorways. But not driving enthusiastically.
Quite fast remapped although not quite as fast as it could be.

I think the 335d's gearbox is excellent, the problem is the car just isn't much fun to drive outside of its natural habitat i.e. the motorway. I would have hated to have a manual in mine

What the 335d was designed for it does brilliantly IMO

[nottyash]

Leins said:

nottyash said:

The 335d is stuck with a crappy gearbox, which suits the car on motorways. But not driving enthusiastically.
Quite fast remapped although not quite as fast as it could be.

I think the 335d's gearbox is excellent, the problem is the car just isn't much fun to drive outside of its natural habitat i.e. the motorway. I would have hated to have a manual in mine

What the 335d was designed for it does brilliantly IMO

Your probably right, but it wasn't involving enough for me, so it wasn't for me.

[Pablo68]

330d ...excellent blend of performance and frugality with a nice dollop of comfort. I am getting an actual average of 47.3 over a current 3700 miles from mine with a blend of motorway munching and B road blasting.

[Condi]

lindopski said:

Peugeot 106 1.5 diesel
chuck it around corners and hang on for dear life whilst it tripods about, far more fun than tanking around in a BMW or Merc. It will cost you about 20p a week to run as well, and bits cost pennies when it breaks - though it usually doesnt.
It will set you back about £400 and you will have over £16K to pay some of your mortgage off or for your deposit on a nice Semi-detached.
heck you could even keep a couple of grand back spare and buy an Alfa GTV 3.0 V6, burning away all of the BMWs and Merc's on your list and looking far sexier whilst doing it too - especially if you get a Red cup edition

sorted.

This! Or for something more refined the 306 HDi is a fantastic little car. Get it in the estate version if you dont want to look like a boy racer, but as above, costs nowt to run, reliable, and you can explore the limits of grip, power and handling well within legal parameters

[pimpin gimp]

I have to agree with the 330D reccomendation, I have a pre LCI 330D auto, and it's still fun. The torque is rad, car pulls like a train and handles nicely. It's no sports car, but it's a great commuting car.
Post LCI must be even better with the more powerful engine. I find the auto box suits it well, but then I'm lazy and I've never driven a manual one, try the auto, you might like it.

[Harji]

any beemer diesel will do as they handle pretty well. If you like bendy roads then just get a 320d and you got 50+ mpg as well. No need for a heavier 330d .

[peshwengi]

I had a 123d coupe and it was fantastic - would have another one in a heartbeat! Made my dad's 320d feel huge, slow and heavy,

[Emeye]

doogz said:

I'm sure it does, and I'm sure it's better than an 'equivalent' 320d for many reasons, and I know it comes with a spare set of winter tyres/wheels.

But it's expensive, when compared to an equivalent 320d!

I just spotted a 320d on Autotrader. Same age as that Alpina, it's covered 3k miles more, but it's £7k cheaper!

But the Alpina may hold more of its value.

[pobox205]

Slow said:

335i is a petrol twin turbo no?

Think it went back to single turbo a couple of years ago.