Reply With QuoteI would suggest a BMW 3series 325i or 330i as it would tick all the boxes.
Hi Guys,
I'm after a bit of car advice. In the new year, I'm looking to get a new (to me) car, to replace my 2005 Celica T-Sport. I love it for a blast but the daily commute is getting a bit tedious, the ride is not very comfortable and I would like something with a fair bit more torque, and power low down.
Majority of the driving is Motorway A-Roads so not too fussed with an Auto and larger engine, V6 or Straight-6.
The basic requirements:
- Ideally, at least 30mpg if I can - I get ~34mpg from the T-Sport so don't want to loose too much as I do ~15k miles/year.
- Prefer a Petrol, narrows it down with 30mpg but still
- Plenty of Torque
- 4-Door Saloon or 5-Door hatch although not 7-Series/S-Class/Jaguar XJ big
- Budget of £5k-£6k
- Ideally understated as possible, no bonnet scoops or big spoilers
So far, from my research I have come up with the following options:
- Audi A4 - Not a fan of the looks or interior to be honest.
- BMW 3-Series - I like the look of the rare 335i (2007 model) that seems to hit all the targets, the 330i might be a more sensible option.
- Mazda 6 MPS - Looks ideal, understated but just below the 30mpg target.
- Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 - As with the Mazda, looks great but just falls down on the MPG.
Is there anything else leftfield I am missing?
I would suggest a BMW 3series 325i or 330i as it would tick all the boxes.
Alfa 159?
If you’re looking leftfield, how about a Saab 9-5?
A quick look on Autrotrader shows that you’ll also save a fair bit on your £5-6k budget.
Or a mondeo 3.0L ST. Why do you want a straight 6 rather than a turbocharged 4 cylinder? Can still get comfortable cars in this range without sacrificing performance.
I know you said you would prefer petrol but a 330d or better still, a 335d would tick all your boxes, give you a very comfortable ride, more than enough low down torque and 40+ mpg on A roads and M'ways. Even a 320d doesn't feel slow in those circumstances.
Plenty about now that diesel seems to have fallen out of favour.
Lexus?
IS just above your mpg
GS just under
GS450 above mpg more poke top of budget.
Last edited by Captain Morgan; 25th December 2018 at 22:54.
Let's go a bit left-field! Suzuki Kizashi...
Bmw 330d, map it! Mine was phenomenal or even the 335 of you can find one
Alfa 159, the rare 1.75 tbi is the only one to have and economical too
I run a golf Gti and get 35mpg average all day long ... you can get the tfsi power plant in a Skoda Octavia vrs and it’s a rocket ship
You’ll get a nice 530i in budget and the build is streets ahead of the 330i
That’s it off the top of my head for now
Big thumbs up on the Mazda mps, cracking car
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Agree....go for the 6-pot if you can...330d. Not a sales advert but just to give you an example of what a bargain you can find....I’m moving on my 2006 330d with 50,000 miles, utterly immaculate, hasn’t missed a beat and has been very reasonable to own in terms of mpg and servicing. I’ll be getting £4000 for it, which is a hell of a lot of car for the cash.Originally Posted by vagabond
If your in the market it’s got to be worth a look
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I’ll use my stock answer here...Subaru 3.0R Spec B.
4-door saloon? Tick.
Fast? Tick.
Understated? Double tick.
Mine says hello (albeit an old photo, as the tax disc reveals!).
30mpg? Erm....perhaps on a run.
Still, they are amazing in the snow!
Skoda Octavia VRS, end of thread.
Honda Accord or the Lexus IS would be my choice here.
I have a lexus gs450h and would definitely recommend one. The older shape one easily in budget, totally reliable, 0-60 in 5.9 seconds and 30mpg definitely realistic.
Left field? Not sexy but very reliable, very comfortable, power variants to suit - Volvo worth a glance
If you want a reliable car go for Volvo S80. It's thirsty and boring but those are built really well.
6 cyl and 'not thirsty' is perhaps a quest... When you look here, you can figure out exactly the difference between 30 or 34 mpg and the total costs/yr. http://fuel-economy.co.uk/calc.html
Car-wise, my money would be on a Honda Accord or Legend - but I don't know if these were sold as a saloon in the UK. Added to that: large Kia saloons were never popular but are known for their high mileage as well (when properly maintained, that is... Prices of these can be low). Lexus is also a good suggestion. But given their reputation of bomb-proof, even the older models tend to fetch a lot of money.
^Handy link.
My 330d averages 42mpg. On a motorway only journey, average mpg is 49mpg.
I had an 08 plate 330i a good few years back. On the motorway at 70mph, the consumption was nearing 40mpg, which surprised me a bit. Ten years later I have a 2 litre petrol Merc that will just about do that, and it has 100bhp less.
I'd have another.
I hate to say it, but it does sound like a decent diesel would fit the bill (BMW 3 series or Mercedes C class). Stump-pulling torque and with your driving profile, probably an easy 40 MPG, maybe more. Comfy day to day but still with enough grunt to put a smile on your face when you need to press on cross-country, particularly if you go for a re-map.
Cheers,
Plug
I think you need to consider overall running costs rather than simply looking at mpg. 6 grand will buy you a nice motor thats past its first flush of youth and could cost money to maintain. My 2010 Jag XF is firmly in that category now but I’m OK with that, if I was still working and looking for reliable eveyday transport I may be less happy, especially in bad weather because the car doesn’t like snow (picture a pig on a scateboard).
Diesels will always give better mpg, and I prefer a big powerful diesel auto to drive thesedays, but they get costly as mileage piles up.
VW Passat 2.0 diesel, or possibly an A4, would probably be my choice. Fast enough for normal driving, front wheel drive for the bad weather, good fuel economy, reasonable prices to fix because plenty of garages can fix them.
I think there’s been a knee-jerk reaction against diesels, in reality they still make a lot of sense. We bought a 2017 petrol-engined Focus 1.5 auto earlier this year, its a nice car, goes v. well, but it certainly likes a drink! Diesel would’ve been a better choice if we did more miles.
Hi Guys,
Thanks very much!
From your recomendations and some research, the 330i looks to be the best compromise, I would rather the petrol just for the wider power band and not having to worry about the DPF, especially as with my budget the cars are going to be 60k-100k miles old. I gather the Timing Chain can be an issue with some of the 3-series engines? One thing I have found is that the split/fold rear seats are optional and quite rare on the E90 models, thats quite a big downside as I would require that for flexibility. I'd certainly be after an SE model rather than M-Sport just for the understated Q-Car looks and possibly better ride?
My VVTL-I gets between 31mpg (really roasting it for a week) and top around 37 I think I've hit but 34mpg average over the year I have had it. I'm happy with the current spend, and wary of offseting the extra mpg of the diesel with the higher price.
The Alfa 159, Legacy Spec-B both are not going to get anywhere near 30mpg combined I dont think, possibly the Saab 9-5 too. The Legacy does sound interesting though.
The Mazda6 MPS, like the above are not as good on fuel but offset by being quite a bit cheaper in the first place from what I can see.
Octavia VRS is not of interest, been in the Diesel and a tuned Petrol, just feels a bit boring and not a fan of the seats, far too hard.
Volvo S60/S80 I have no experience of, I shall investigate.
Thanks again guys, plenty for me to research!
You won't regret the choice I'm sure. This was mine. The Touring is more practical than the saloon, but it's still really small for an estate.
My Legacy only gets 30mpg if I’m driving Miss Daisy on a long run. At the moment I’m averaging 16mpg (!), but that’s due to rush hour Manchester traffic and a heavy Cheaney brogue boot on my right foot.
Still, all will be forgiven when it’s on its winter tyres and the snow comes!
Go for the Jag.
You’ll actually enjoy it and there are few nicer places to sit in a traffic jam.
So clever my foot fell off.
Can you pick up an older VW Scirocco on your budget, 2.0 TDi. Great Cars, mine was reliable and an absolute blast to drive.
Currently driving A5 Sportback Quattro, also a decent car, not as much fun as the Rocco but high spec for the money.
Saloon ?
For reliability and cheaper servicing costs the S80 beats both BMW and Mercedes - ask a recovery driver 😁Hi Guys,
Thanks very much!
From your recomendations and some research, the 330i looks to be the best compromise,
Volvo S60/S80 I have no experience of, I shall investigate.
Thanks again guys, plenty for me to research!
Toyota Avensis - cheap to buy, reliable and low cost parts and servicing.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Don’t disagree with that but about as exciting as gender reassignment
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Which incidentally has never been more popular.
I spy the Evo Triangle!
^^^ well done that man!
From my experience E90 BMW 330's in either petrol or diesel are superb and an absolute steal on the used market. Apart from a handful of times i've always gone petrol as I just prefer the refinement and power delivery, but I drove a mate's 330d and I was mightily impressed. Amazing mpg on motorways and with huge torque that could pull a house off its foundations.
Engines are flexible and pretty much bulletproof, and the chassis is dynamic and technically advanced so it's great to drive. Personally I would avoid 18" rims and MSport specs as although they look great the ride can be harsh (pretty subjective though so when you test drive make sure you take it along some bumpy roads). I had an E46 325i MSport Coupe and I sold it in the end for that reason as it really started to grate even though i loved the car. There is some debate about whether MSport is just styling but i was told by a Technician at my local BMW dealership that they have stiffer springs and dampers as well, at least on that model. For supreme comfort i'd go for the SE personally.
Also go for one with a good interior spec as you won't pay much more used (not around the £6-7k mark anyway) as BMW have a huge number of boxes you can tick and they come with some nice extras like nappa leather, sunroof, nice sound system upgrade, heated seats, bluetooth etc.
As usual focus on things like a solid service history (main dealer and / or specialist) and don't obsess too much about mileage as the 330i and 330d engines are so under stressed they'll go to stratospheric mileages with no issues if well cared for.
Also there's plenty to chose from so take your time, and buying a car around this time of year is always a good time as most people are skint so the buyer demographic is greatly reduced.
Last edited by WillHarris2306; 3rd January 2019 at 12:58.
Re the ride quality, mine was an M Sport. I didn't think the ride quality was bad at all, but people do moan a lot about it and many blame the OEM run flats. If you read up on Pistonheads or similar sites you'll see that many owners have ditched the runflats and fit normal tyres. I changed the OEM fit (due to a series of punctures and general wear) - to Yokohama RF's and was happy with them. The bloke who did the fitting wasn't. They are a pain to get off and on the rims.
Yep that's a good call i forgot to mention a lot is perhaps to do with the run flats. I always found these sort of things to be very subjective as some people prefer a firmer ride (ooh er). I'm just not one of those anymore (unless i'm on a track day) but each to their own and it also depends on what the roads are like in your neck of the woods.
Last edited by WillHarris2306; 5th January 2019 at 11:08.
Yes, ditch runflats on the older BMWs - made a world of difference to my e92 335d.
I believe the newer ones have the suspension more geared up and runflats themselves have improved over time.
Run flats are the devils work, ruin the ride it’s not the alloys, avoid 19s they crack and buckle easily, I had 19s on mine, csl wheels and they didn’t harm the ride at all so don’t be nervous on wheel size
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Again i think it's subjective as some like a firmer ride but the OP is suggesting he wants something a bit more comfortable after years with his Celica T Sport.
Last edited by WillHarris2306; 4th January 2019 at 18:00.
Yes certainly I would move towards comfort over ultimate sports suspension.
- - - Updated - - -
Thanks for the in depth reply, really useful!
No worries, let us know what you decide on!
The other weird thing about BMW's is the model number reference doesn't necessarily match the engine capacity (i.e. with the E90 the 325d, 330d and 335d are all 3 litre, they just run different ECU maps).
P.s. this one looks nice, i reckon that would have been around £40K new. Private sale one owner ;)
(not mine and i have no connection with the seller, i just did a quick search local to Oxford):
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...dius=50&page=1
Last edited by WillHarris2306; 27th December 2018 at 14:59.
Doesn't get more understated than one of these:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...us=1500&page=1
you wont regret the BMW. although there is plenty of choices in you age - price bracket.
usual caveat apply.
good luck
There are so many subtle differences under the skin but let’s start with the obvious ones...
325d = 1 turbo (180/200 bhp)
330d = 1 turbo (220/240 bhp)
335d = 2 turbos (280/300 bhp)
Horses depend on age and specification
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I’d still go for the Jag.
Running and service costs are very reasonable and Jaguar have the best dealerships and customer service in the business.
I speak as someone who has had numerous Jags over the years.
Ride and snowy weather grip is compromised by the UK market desire for large alloys coupled with low profile tyres.
Reduce the wheel size and get some decent quality rubber between you and the road. All season or different rims/winter tyres for anything below 10C (which is the UK for 4 months of the year).
Diesel is dead, a good time to pick up a bargain and chuck it away after 5/6 years.
Definitely. Check this out, Not sure what it's like around your way but you practically need a Landrover Defender on some of the roads around here :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46694506
Good call re the diesels as many are dumping theirs, but that's exactly the right time to buy in my opinion as it's hitting the residuals hard.
Last edited by WillHarris2306; 28th December 2018 at 08:20.
Solid info. Didn't they facelift the E90 around 2008 as well?
I was in a similar situation to you a couple of years ago, l'd run Celicas for over 30 years, from the Gen 4, 5, 6 to Gen 7 T Sport, loved everyone, but as l was approaching 60 l reluctantly decided that l needed a quieter, comfier ride, but still needed the practicality of a hatch back, low running costs, decent reliability and mpg, ended up with a Gen 8 Honda Civic, not that l'd recommend that to you but how about a Gen 9 Honda type S or R?
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