BMW 320D, 80k or VW Passat 40k

Steve_NLD

Hi guys,

I have been driving BMW's for most of the time and some VW experience as rental cars. My current vehicle will have some work coming up next year for the MOT therefore looking at some other options as well.. Talking about a BMW 525i E61 model now with 160k on there, so you can estimate the costs....

What I am looking at is either a BMW 320D from 2012, 80k mileage, 1 owner, FSH, and some nice options.. I don't see the mileage as a bad thing, with a good service history it should still manage another 80k without a doubt.
The other option I found that I really like is the VW Passat 2.0 TDI from 2012, which I usually see in the same price range but with only 40k mileage, sat nav, leather, etc etc... But reading reviews I see a lot of bad reviews about this car (clutch/gearbox, electrical, etc)... Anyone who can share some experience with any of the two cars?

I am also aware that most of the Diesel VW cars are impacted by the emission scandal, however I don't hear anything about that impacting the quality of the car itself..

bowlhead99

The Passat feels more spacious than the BMW 3 and you won't suffer the on-road prejudice of being a BMW driver. Friend has one about that age with no transmission issues or serious faults but they would have been in warranty anyway, only being a 3 years old car.

If you want a higher mileage car for the same money, why not go the whole hog and get an M3. Or if you want to spend more money for a better diesel executive saloon get an XF.

lemontart

get the vw, they have working indicators

Steve_NLD

Thanks bowlhead, would love to go for an M3 but looking for something a bit more economical which won't really work that way. XF would also be an option just don't like the interior that much. Will book a test drive in the Passat first and see how it feels when driving.

lemontart - Thanks for the advice, however I usually check that BMW has the 'non-moron-pack'

Marktheshark

Had the passat 2.0TD, worst car we have ever owned by a very long way, every day something was wrong with it, after thousands in repairs sold it to the next mug, it only had 38k on as it was never on the road.
The old 1.9 was so reliable like a mug I went for the 2.0, big mistake, lousy unreliable electrical fault ridden junk mobile.

Buy the BMW.

chrisw

I've had both and the BMW is quite a bit smaller but much much better to drive.

I had a few annoying minor issues with the Passat such as faulty alarm, radio speakers, etc, but the BMW was faultless. The slight concern I had with the BMW was the N47 engine which has a tendency for timing chain failure. I think the number of cases dropped dramatically after 2011 and they might even have done a recall, but the thought of a six grand bill made me nervous even though mine seemed fine.

I still miss my BMW so it gets my vote.

bigjl

An older BMW that just gripped the road?

BMWs are quite well balanced but for most people a fed chassis is easier to exploit.

Of the choice between a BMW 320d or a Passat 2.0TDi I would buy neither.

They are both expensive to fix when they go wrong, and they do go wrong.

A Mondeo 2.0 TDCi is a better bet in almost every way apart from not having a pseudo prestige badge attached to it.

Camchain problems seem to be a huge issue on the BMW Diesel engine, I known of people that have had to change the camchain at huge cost in 2011 and 2012 BMWs. Considering the engine has had trouble in this area for years it is surprising that such a "well engineered" car has this common and expensive fault.

The fact it usually occurs after the warranty has ran out is significant, as I have no heard of anybody that has managed to get BMW to pay a contribution out of warranty.-

If you really only want those two cars VW/BMW then the Passat is he one to go for as it has more room and at least VW attempted a fix with the oil pump problems, even if it wasn't a 100% fix.

force_ten

some interesting views here again

as already said both of the cars could be expensive to fix if they go wrong but that could be said for any car on the road now

the BMW seems high in the miles at 80K in three years over twice the average miles so it has done a lot of work already, as mentioned the BMW 2.0L diesel engine did have issues between 2009-2011 when a mod was made to try and cure the chain issue, there have been some reports of post 2011 cars snapping chains and this may go up as more cars start to get up in the miles

motorguy

Marktheshark wrote: »

Had the passat 2.0TD, worst car we have ever owned by a very long way, every day something was wrong with it, after thousands in repairs sold it to the next mug, it only had 38k on as it was never on the road.
The old 1.9 was so reliable like a mug I went for the 2.0, big mistake, lousy unreliable electrical fault ridden junk mobile.

Buy the BMW.

And that was a 2012 car was it?