Choosing a new car

[Maximum]

Hi guys I’m new to piston heads and I wanted to put a question out there hoping I can get some guidance on what path to take haha ,Right so I’m looking for a new car my choices are
.320d m sport auto 2007-2009
.325d m sport auto 2007-2009
. Mercedes c220 amg pack (sat nav/heated seats) 2007-2009
These are the cars I’m looking at that I can afford and insure I tried a 330d and it’s not happening mainly I’m looking for good mpg but fancy a bit of power to I’m currently in a 130bhp Bora so nothing special haha what is the best out of those 3 I’m looking for reliability too as I do between 15-20k a year with work which is a mixture of long dual carriageway and town driving. If anyone could share some info on what I should do I would be very much appreciated thanks guys

[Mr Tidy]

I have no experience of the Merc, but if you go for a BMW avoid the 320d as it will have the N47 engine.

If you google "BMW N47 engine cam-chain" you'll see why!

I bought a 57 plate 123d with an N47 engine in January 2008 so there were no issues then, but the longer I had it the more I worried!

I bailed out of it after 6 and a half years at 81K miles while it was still running OK - I've only had BMW straight 6 petrols since then.

And they are great!

[Maximum]

Haha thanks for the reply with my miles that I’m doing I’ll have to get a diesel iv also seen a nice Passat cc thats on 11 plate but my top pick would be bmw or merc haha so stay away from the 320d is it mate I’m looking for auto too haha lazy driving and there supposed to be more reliable from what I’ve heard of people

[Smuler]

Maximum said:

Haha thanks for the reply with my miles that I’m doing I’ll have to get a diesel iv also seen a nice Passat cc thats on 11 plate but my top pick would be bmw or merc haha so stay away from the 320d is it mate I’m looking for auto too haha lazy driving and there supposed to be more reliable from what I’ve heard of people

If you want more power, forget a 320 and the Mercedes. You'll end up driving them hard and consequently the mpg will drop to a small and likely insignificant margin over the 325 or any other six cylinder car.

As an example, my newer B48 (I think) 20d saves me only 5 p/ a mile in fuel compared to my previous runabout a 2002 325i petrol!

That's because I'm used to 6 cylinder cars and drive accordingly

[Maximum]

Ahh rifht okay haha I’ll forget the 320d and merc then haha what cars would you Recommend I’m looking German diesel and fancy an auto lazy driver yes 😂 but needs to be good on fuel and be faster then the pd130 Bora that I’m in deffo German not really fussed on petrol coz I do a lot of miles

[alorotom]

07-09 cars to do 15-20k a year in and you want something reliable and cheap to run ...

Honestly this is just crackers IMHO - cars that are a decade old already and will likely have 100-150k on the clock already will not necessarily be cheap to run (outside of fuel) big bills will likely be imminent (timing, suspension, bushes, etc...)

Edited by alorotom on Thursday 26th April 11:10

[Maximum]

Ahh rifht okay my Bora is good on fuel just fancied something that looks nicer and drives nicer but bit more power really as I said I’m looking at the Passat cc 2011 I think that’s Only 135bhp tho

[alorotom]

Why the need for it to be German??

What’s actually driving the desire to change. Is it the seek for something newer, something faster, something more luxurious, etc.?

[Toed64]

I recently replaced my modified 135i with a totally standard 130i. It's 10 years old, absolutely mint and had 49000 miles on the clock. For the same price I could have bought a 4 year old Vauxhall Insipider...for me, I lnmow that I've mad ethe right choice.

OK, so it's fun, 265bhp, 3 litre straight six and has that big engine/small car feel. All the bells and whistles that I appreciate, whilst still being a bit sporty.

It's returning 27 to 30mpg locally and around 40mpg on any run of more than 20 to 30 miles on A roads and motorway.

The point? I don't think that diseasel is always the answer for higher mileage users, especially when you have to consider the likely maintenance costs too.

Edit: If you want a diesel, the 6 cylinder BMW diesels are nice, but not problem-free, the 4 cylinders are best avoided unless you are going for a car post the most recent BMW cam chain mod in 2013/14 .

Edited by Toed64 on Thursday 26th April 11:20

[Maximum]

Thanks for all your response guys I just like German cars so I wanted to stick to German I’m 20 and just about to get my 3 years ncb now and my insurance is sill high. I can still see where your coming from tho iv never thought about a petrol bmw I fancy something that’s quicker then my pd130 but has more luxury and nicer to drive but still gets good mpg the clock on my Bora says I’m doing around 45 round town and bettween 55-60 on a run could Be wrong I’m not too sure, iv tried to insure a 330d and it’s not happening the closest I can get is a 325d auto iv heard you don’t get the problems as much like the chain but the turbo is still an issue in some cases.

[ZX10R NIN]

Not sure what your budget is but take a look at the CLK320cdi:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Obviously dependent on insurance costs.

[Maximum]

Thanks Mate I’ll check those out now my budget is around £5,500 £6000 if need be what other cars couldn’t be thrown into the Mx heard Volvo are okay and jap stuff is good too I like big cruiser car but with power only thing that’s lets it down is the insurance bracket and my age

[ZX10R NIN]

In which case these three are the ones to look at:

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

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

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

Or you could also look at the CLKS320cdi:

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

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

[Maximum]

I’ll deffo try insuring these models now haha thanks for all the response everyone greatly appreciated