Older BMW or Newer Alternative?

Tilt

Here's one you possibly havn't thought of;

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410047937463/sort/default/page/3/usedcars/radius/1500/make/alfa_romeo/postcode/wv46hb/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/159?logcode=p

Unfortunately can't find an auto in your price range. I have the V6 3.2 Q4 version. Fantastic car.

OnanTheBarbarian

For £4k I'd be getting a very smart E36 328i Sport and for that budget you will get a very good example. The E36 has about bottomed out in value and nice unmolested ones with good bodywork and mechanicals will rise in value.

The gearing on the autos mean they are barely ticking over at motorway speeds and they aren't bad on juice for a 2.8 6 pot.

That's where my money would go. They are not bad to work on, parts prices are decent and plentiful and you don't need a laptop to fix everything.

Iceweasel

A 318i BMW will need to be revved hard to get any performance from it.

A better bet is the 320d - with an M47 engine.

Sound engine - no problems with DPFs & swirls-flaps had been sorted by 2004.

Great mpg and allied to the auto-box it can get off it's mark.

Plenty grunt at low revs.

Only thing to check is that it has the latest type of vortex oil-separator.

Spicy_McHaggis

Shame that darkmatter chaps gone, right up his street this one.

Richard53

macfanuk wrote: »

but as I say, the automatics are awful on Ford cars.

All Fords? My wife's Focus has the dual-clutch automatic and it works brilliantly well. It's the only auto I have driven that knows to keep a lower gear to hold you back on a long hill. It seems to make pretty much the same decisions I would make, but quicker, and there is a manual over-ride if you don't agree with it.


Maybe too new for your price range, but I can't agree that Ford auto = awful for one minute.

gazfocus

Richard53 wrote: »

All Fords? My wife's Focus has the dual-clutch automatic and it works brilliantly well. It's the only auto I have driven that knows to keep a lower gear to hold you back on a long hill. It seems to make pretty much the same decisions I would make, but quicker, and there is a manual over-ride if you don't agree with it.


Maybe too new for your price range, but I can't agree that Ford auto = awful for one minute.

I would disagree with you. Similar to the OP, I have had awful experiences with Ford automatics. I've got a 2012 Ford Fiesta sitting on my drive waiting for the finance company to come and collect due to it having a transmission fault that Ford seem incapable of fixing, where the car seems to forget which gear it needs to be in, then forgets it has a fourth gear altogether, revs to 5000rpm to get to 70mph on a motorway, etc.

The previous car was a 2003 Ford Fiesta Automatic and that too had issues with transmission where it jolted if I tried to put my foot down in 1st. One time, the auto gearbox locked into 1st gear at a petrol station so I couldn't start the car (as it needed to be in Neutral to start), which resulted in having to find a dealer with the correct equipment to reprogram the transmission.

I agree it might well be that Fiesta's are poor quality, and I admit I haven't tried any of the bigger Fords as automatics, but I have very good reason to have been put off.

OP, I have just bought a 1999 BMW 520i (E39). It's a little slow to get going but the engine is much smoother than the fiesta. I've only had the car for a few days but considering it's 13 years older than my Fiesta, it's a much better drive so far.

Richard53

gazfocus wrote: »

I would disagree with you.

And you are free to do so Our experiences obviously differ. My wife has had three auto Focuses and her current car is an auto C-Max (basically a Focus in a fat suit). All the autoboxes have been brilliant with no faults at all - and I say that as someone who is not a fan of autos and prefers a manual box.

thescouselander

If it's reliability you want don't buy a BMW - despite all the bluster about German engineering I've found them to be very unreliable. If you can stretch to it get something that is still in warranty.

kwmlondon

This would be one I'd definitely want to try out:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201412059471971/

I'm sure you'll find something top notch - some good advice.

Oh, by the way, just beware that with a big capacity BMW (328i) you'll have very hefty vehicle excise duty and the insurance could be an issue. But... you'd have a very fun car in exchange (just be really careful when buying, a lot of damage repair 3 series cars out there). You pays your money, you takes your choice.

Tobster86

BMWs went a bit unreliable and naff in the mid 2000s. If you must have one, get a late E39 5-series or E46 3-series (though the latter is prone to door and arch rust).

E39's running costs are suprisingly not as bad as you'd think and a 530d should see around mid 30s to low 40s to the gallon. My 540i does 30mpg on the motorway and no less than 23 everywhere else which isn't bad for a 4.4l V8!