Which BMW 3 series/other equivalent?

[OlberJ]

Old man is looking for a new car. Wants a saloon/coupe. Has to be sub 10k miles. Will do ~15,000 miles a year as using it for work.

Budget up to about £20-25k but the cheaper the better obviously.

Have been to see a few 3 series today and they are top of the bill so far. So which one would you go for and why, 318d or the 320i? Remap is almost obligatory so take that into consideration.

Only other thing that's caught his eye is a Passat CC tdi jobbie.

Worth trying to find a 325d?

There's a 408 mile 320i locally for £21k. Whaddya think?

[PaulFontaine]

Why not consider a Volvo?

[LukeSi]

If he can find a 325d LCI then tell him to go for it. 2009 onwards (model year) 325d is mechanically identical to the 330d and a £400 remap will get it to 300bhp.

[OlberJ]

Aye, did look at them too. Seem to all be 2.0D rather than the TD. RWD is a big bonus though.

[LukeSi]

One better.

Hows this?
330d M sport - £23,250, 5,822 miles, 09 reg. Still got BMW warranty remaining, no iDrive but it isn't needed anyway. If I had £23,000 I'd be buying it
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Edited by LukeSi on Saturday 23 July 17:34

Edited by LukeSi on Saturday 23 July 17:36

[KB_S1]

Is the 320i an actual 2.0 i4 job now?

I get confused with them all.

How about something less obvious?

Legacy

[Baryonyx]

PaulFontaine said:

Why not consider a Volvo?

Thats what I did. Better car for less money was what I found when I was searching for a saloon.

[jimnicebutdim]

Mazda 6?

[Zp]

Alpina D3?

(not quite 10k miles, but close)
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2910724.htm

[OlberJ]

jimnicebutdim said:

Mazda 6?

Looked at the estate, Looks very like the 3 series estate. very like it profile at least.

Given the 2, 3 series wins.

That 330d is a bargain! He has been notified.

Keith, are you sure? a 4pot?

[LukeSi]

OlberJ said:

Looked at the estate, Looks very like the 3 series estate. very like it profile at least.

Given the 2, 3 series wins.

That 330d is a bargain! He has been notified.

Keith, are you sure? a 4pot?

Yep he is right. The 320/318i/d is a 2.0l I4

325i/d onwards (2009 model year) is a 3.0 I6

[OlberJ]

Well there you go then.

330d it is

[LukeSi]

OlberJ said:

Well there you go then.

330d it is

If my dad is anything to go by (first BMW is a 325d) He is going to love it. Good residuals on the derv Beemers as well. And as I was saying a remap will get it around 300bhp. Oh and he will like the 0-62 of 6.1 seconds http://bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/pricesandspecifications_tec... tech specs for you to show him. Oh and iirc RFL is only £160 for them. The M sport pack (which is what the 330d I linked has) is much better. Nice grippy sports seats and firm but not too hard suspension. And this one has Xenons which is a good option.

Edited by LukeSi on Saturday 23 July 19:01

[V6Alfisti]

I will throw in the Alfa option

Alfa 159's are a good steer, personally find the interior quality to be leaps and bounds over the equivalent BMW and well...just look at it!

PS: Not my postcode

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/cars/alfa_...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Bet you could get this for under £20k http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Edited by V6Alfisti on Saturday 23 July 19:08

[Zwoelf]

S60 D5? 2.4 litre twin turbo five cylinder with 205PS & 440Nm (the revised version now out has 215PS at higher rpm, but a bit less torque IIRC) as standard, also possible to remap via Polestar - which is manufacturer approved and doesn't affect the 3yr/60k new car warranty.

http://www.selektvolvocars.co.uk/selekt-search-res...





That one looks to have just about every option box ticked which would have made it near enough £40k new, active chassis, 18" alloys and accessory styling kit, Driver Support pack - active radar cruise control, blind-spot info system (the cameras under the door mirrors), lane departure warning, city safety with collision mitigation and pedestrian detection with auto braking etc.

As close to a balanced chassis as it feels possible to get with a FWD layout, sporty enough, but far more "grown up" and comfy in general than a Three Series. At least as well built as a BMW Five, let alone a Three too...

Edited by Zwoelf on Saturday 23 July 19:15

[Lancs Jag Boy]

Just make sure the 3 series is a 6 pot. The 325d will be fine.

Having both a 4 and a 6 BMW in the fleet, I speak from experience. The 4 pot problem gets even worse in auto form as well.

[Dr Boxcat]

Lancs Jag Boy said:

Just make sure the 3 series is a 6 pot. The 325d will be fine.

Having both a 4 and a 6 BMW in the fleet, I speak from experience. The 4 pot problem gets even worse in auto form as well.

Has Auto and 4 pot - not out of choice mind you Has had 6 coil packs in 2 years from new

[williamp]

How about the...


...Ford Mondeo. Cheap, huge, very well equipped. It'll depreciate like a ...well a Ford Mondeo, but thye are a nice place to be.

[LukeSi]

williamp said:

How about the...


...Ford Mondeo. Cheap, huge, very well equipped. It'll depreciate like a ...well a Ford Mondeo, but thye are a nice place to be.

Apparently the Beemer is cheaper to get serviced.

Who'd have thunked it :P

Oh and not many cars where you could walk away from this. http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=562...

[OlberJ]

Well after all that he has gone all sensible.

2011 plate 1.6 Focus which he can run into the ground and £10k for the project!