Daily driver recommendation - BMW

[ripped_fear]

Ok guys I've been considering changing my daily driver which is currently a b5.5 vw passat. I want a similar car just a touch newer with a few more extras. I would go for a b6 passat, but they come with alot of horror stories mechanically.

 

What ever it is, it must be a comfy bus but happy to downsize a bit in storage room, but must return at least 50mpg and seat 4 ideally.

 

I fancy a audi a4 cabriolet diesel, but a bit expensive curently, this has led me to a 05 BMW 520d or 05 bwm 320d not interested in the 2.5l as the engine is a bit thirsty for my commute think the 2l should suffice.

 

Is there anything I should know about either model of BMW? They are not a platform I'm familiar with, although I have briefly driven a couple.

 

I will be looking at high mileage examples, as budget is limited. Anyone have any input regarding these cars? or even some recommendations on anything else that may fit the criteria.

 

 

UPDATED ON POST 23

 

[ripped_fear]

Anyone able to help?

 

 

This is the sort of example im looking at-

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201608267164310?search-target=usedcars&make=bmw&model=5_series&price-from=1500&price-to=3500&year-from=2004&maximum-badge-engine-size=2.0&searchcontext=default&sort=default&postcode=so532jt&radius=1500&page=1&onesearchad=new%2Cnearlynew%2Cused&logcode=p&adPos=8

[Guest Twiglett]

an E90 320d will return decent mpg no matter how you drive it. my E91 averaged about 55mpg ( dpf and egr delete and a remap) and it went surprisingly well too. it was on 224k miles when i sold it and it was still going strong.

 

i bought it for £3000 and sold it for £2800 after a year of almost trouble free driving.

 

the person that sold the E91 to me replaced it with an a4 cab 2litre diesel. he spent a fortune on getting a water leak fixed and countless dpf issues and sold it at a loss after only 6 weeks.

 

i now drive an E61 535d (that you have seen) and the mpg is about half of the 320d but it is like stepping on a landmine when you press the accelerator.

i think the 2 litre diesel in a 5 series will be a bit overworked due to the weight that it will be lugging around.

 

if you do get a bmw make sure you get it mapped as soon as possible. mpg will increase along with enjoyment behind the wheel.

[ashloys]

My mum had an E91 320D Auto for 5 years there and it averaged 35mpg although she drives like a dick. Solid cars though, hers never gave her a bit of bother. I wouldn't get a 5 series with a 2.0 myself though.

[Axl]

I will never recommend a bmw as long as I have a hole in my........

Especially that shape 5series I'm sure that as with every make of car you get good and bad but a very close friend had one of these and it was a nightmare

Injectors at 75k

The butterfly flappy thingys in the manifold at 76k

Wish bones and run flat tires every year

Two cracked alloys

The last two you could argue are down to heavy use and potholed roads

And the final straw was the info center dying

All of these issues were expensive to rectify

[el_bandido]

I'm going for an is300h I think. Got a 250 at the moment but I need to do better than 27mpg combined

[formatzero]

Lexus is a good call .

[johnny g]

I've had numerous BMWs, and will most likely continue to do so. I'd say anything in the range with the 2.0d engine will see you right for the economy you want.

[fastcar]

I would go Lexus all day. Have a mk1 IS300 sportscross and can't fault it. If you get the sport they are even better on the handling side and a better mapped auto box, all are Triptronic to and that works a treat. Wouldn't touch a bmw if you payed me!

[Style]

I've got a Seat Leon 1.6 TDi at the moment. Bags of space for a hatchback, easily the most room I've had in a driving seat (I'm 6ft7) and it returns a hair over 50mpg for my 120 mile round daily commute on the motorway. Loaded with extras too, sat nav, cruise control, parking sensors, top of the range media center etc. I'm wondering if I can get it remapped for better MPG as I'll soon see the remap costs back with the mileage I do.

[ShawnPreece]

I do a huge amount of miles and for a daily have a 07 plate Honda Civic 2.2 diesel, with a £200 remap from radical remaps it makes 186bhp and 270ib/ft torque aswell as returning mid 50's to the gallon and very spacious (back seats go forward and down so you gain extra space from a flat surface all from the boot into the car. Depends what you like though as it is very comfortable to drive and very driver friendly in how the dials/speedo etc are set up but in my view is a very ugly car and the interior is ok but not my kind of thing generally. does me well though for what im after from it

[Action Jackson]

Bit of a curve ball, but my wife drives a Golf GTD and drives about 15k miles a year.

Hyper comfortable, did a 200 mile round trip to Wales and averaged 55mpg, but can still crack the whip and get you out of lights quick.

Every extra under the sun (because VW) so adaptive cruise, parking sensors all round, different engine modes, the lot.

 

ALSO diesel VWs are dead cheap right now on finance deals due to their little diseasel scandal... might be worth a look if you fancy something with a slight punch to it. It even has a baffled exhaust so it makes grumbles above 2500RPM

[supra joe]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]214702[/ATTACH]

 

Make sure you check these cars through properly... I just payed for this one... Managed to contact the previous owner etc and it had been crashed twice ! Twisted chassis ! Twisted up etc (not recorded) and when I went to pull out when I was supposed to be collecting the car last night... They said ohh well someone will buy it, let's just leave it at that... And I would have had my newborn in there too ! Even after telling them the garage that repaired it wouldn't pass it through an MOT ! It was meant to have a fresh 12 month and they didn't do that either. I'm gutted !

[Burna]

Skoda Fabia VRS 57 plate here, hands down the best runabout I have ever owned. It's fugly, but the thing is stupid quick for a little car, and try as hard as I can I can't get it to go much below 40mpg lol. When taking it easy I've seen as much as 70mpg out of it!

[slugger1]

Lexus is a good call .

 

Don't go for the IS220D though. Engine is a load of crap!

[el_bandido]

Lexus no longer make diesels. Having test driven the is300h. It's very sterile but it's a very nice place to be.

[ibby]

Toyota aristo

 

 

[johnny g]

Toyota aristo

 

/QUOTE]

50mpg?

[ibby]

Lpg!

 

 

[Pudsey]

I have an E39 3.0d 2002, and delivers 43 mpg all the time no matter what.

 

I also have a 335d 2008, deliverers 36-7 all the time, but slightly better on long distance trips.

 

335d Performance is day and night difference, probably faster than my supra in my opinion.

 

The E39 is an amazing car, solid, reliable, classic almost, and so far I have never driven a another bmw to match it.

 

Both of mine are as immaculate and we'll cared for 1 owner, 2 owner from new, and I have always kept on top of all servicing etc on the button.

 

Never had anything go wrong with them, but they aren't 50 mpg jobs.

 

Difficult one, but I would try and avoid depreciation if you can

 

Nb: The 3.0d BMW engine won best engine for years and years, and if serviced correctly will last a very long time.

 

I believe even all the new 3.0d engines are derived from the original first released, just the tech and bolt ons are different.

 

Great engines, I'd never buy a 2.0.

[johnny g]

Completely agree. The 3.0d range of BMW engines are superb. The 3.0d in my 7 series is 120,000 miles now, uses no oil, gives 245bhp and 44mpg in a big barge like that. The 3.5d engine in the 535d (still a 3.0d just twin turbos) was epic. 42mpg on a run, 335bhp, 560lb/ft of torque, 186,000 miles now. And my old X6 had the same engine, newer revision and gave 37mpg in a 2 ton 4WD monster.

A 330d or 335d really is the ultimate, sensible daily.

[wrighty338]

Another vote for BMW's 6 cylinder dervs. I have an E46 330cd msport coupe and its superb. I dont worry about mpg but im mid 40's and imagine it would be more if i drove on cruise control more often

 

Only things to note are inlet manifold swirl flaps - you can blank these before they collapse/get sucked in. EGR bypass - £90 just bought an allard item. Im going for an exhaust and remap but keeping conservative power wise. They drive great, pickup in any gear and have all the goodies - A/C, leather, Sat nav. As theyre upto 2006 theres no DPF to worry about "recharging" either.

 

Had 2 VAG 2.0 diesels and would not go back to them little 4 pots

[ripped_fear]

Hi guys thought I'd give this a bump. Decided om going to get somthing this April and I have now decided on the five series.

 

I have done some research on the 525 and 530 and they seem good engines but the 520 still appeals to me as the mpg looks great. Does anyone know any common faults on the 2l?

 

 

[ibby]

Swirl flaps, injectors, turbo's dual mass. Mad / sensors

 

 

[Burna]

My mechanic use to have a scrap bin full of BMW suspension arms, he swore he'd never work on my daily again if I ever bought a BMW lol