BMW 318CI M-sport vs Audi A4

adocholiday

This isn't a performance thread but moreso what is the 'better' car in terms of reliablility, economy, comfort etc.

I am looking to spend between 3-4k on a car and I am looking for a fairly big car. I had initially been set on getting an Audi A4 but I have now seen a 02 BMW Ci M-Sport 2.0l petrol 86k miles NCT until Jan 14.

At least 85% of my driving is motorway so I don't think Diesel v Petrol is a huge issue. I'm just wondering how the cars compare? What would be more reliable? What about MPG comparison (say 1.8 or 2l Audi vs BMW)?

Speed etc is not important to me at all. I am upgrading from a 1.4 Ford Focus so anything would be an improvement

bazz26

adocholiday wrote: »

This isn't a performance thread but moreso what is the 'better' car in terms of reliablility, economy, comfort etc.

I am looking to spend between 3-4k on a car and I am looking for a fairly big car. I had initially been set on getting an Audi A4 but I have now seen a 02 BMW Ci M-Sport 2.0l petrol 86k miles NCT until Jan 14.

At least 85% of my driving is motorway so I don't think Diesel v Petrol is a huge issue. I'm just wondering how the cars compare? What would be more reliable? What about MPG comparison (say 1.8 or 2l Audi vs BMW)?

Speed etc is not important to me at all. I am upgrading from a 1.4 Ford Focus so anything would be an improvement

The 318ci is a coupe and both it and the A4 are not big cars by any measure, in fact legroom and boot access is tight in both cars. Reliability on a 10/11 year old car is relevant to how the individual car has been maintained and its current condition rather than by brand reputation. However both cars tend to be expensive to put right if something major goes wrong.

Rowley Birkin QC

I was in a similar situation, coming from a 1.3 Corolla. I now have a 318Ci M-Sport and my dad drives an 07 A4. Neither are that big though the Audi feels bigger on the inside. That said, I much prefer the driving position, dash layout, steering wheel etc. in the BMW.

Backseats in both are grand as long as you are only carrying 2 people back there. I would say they are more comfortable in the BMW but with less legroom if front occupants are tall. I covered about 700 miles last weekend with my girlfriend, another (quite tall) couple and all of our luggage. No complaints in terms of space or comfort.

In terms of driving, the BMW wins hands down. That said, I only noticed the difference after I had my car for a while and then went back and drove my oul lads one.

If you go for the BMW, hold out for a good one with good spec and good condition. Condition moreso than spec. I was looking for well over a year before I bought and still had to spend some money upgrading bits and pieces. For example, the car came with a tape dec and CD changer. I upgraded this to a Dynavin unit. Chances are that both Audi and BMW will mostly be poverty spec unfortunately.

Finally, there is a lot of scrap out there. Take your time.

Feel free to ask if there's anything you're curious about.

adocholiday

I should clarify when I say a big car I meant bigger engine! That was the culchie coming through in me. The phyiscal size/capacity of the car is not a huge issue.

The BMW I am looking at looks to be in good nick and well cared for. Of course that doesn't mean it was mechanically well maintained. I am buying from a reputable dealer however that will give me a 3 month guarantee so hopefully that's indicative of the car being well maintained. I'm not very mechanically minded so I will have a mechanic give the car a once over anyway.

Rowley Birkin how do you find the fuel economy in the 318?

bazz26

I would not put too much faith in a 3 month dealer warranty on an 11 year old car. It probably only covers the minimum as there is very little profit it putting comprehensive warranties on cars of that age. I'd actually recommend buying private in that price range as you at least get to meet and talk to the owner rather than a dealer who knows nothing about the car as he only took it as a trade in.

adocholiday

Fair point Bazz I know where you're coming from but I don't have the funds for anything over 4k. Plus the dealer will give me a trade in on my focus which needs a lot of work. I would never sell it privately in its current condition the only option is scrapping it. No matter who I buy from, there is a chance that it will pack in after a few months.

The relatively low milage is a plus for me though because most cars in that age are 100k+.

Rowley Birkin QC

adocholiday wrote: »

I should clarify when I say a big car I meant bigger engine! That was the culchie coming through in me. The phyiscal size/capacity of the car is not a huge issue.

The BMW I am looking at looks to be in good nick and well cared for. Of course that doesn't mean it was mechanically well maintained. I am buying from a reputable dealer however that will give me a 3 month guarantee so hopefully that's indicative of the car being well maintained. I'm not very mechanically minded so I will have a mechanic give the car a once over anyway.

Rowley Birkin how do you find the fuel economy in the 318?

It's ok. In that it's not as bad as I was expecting and that I'm sorry I didn't take the plunge and buy a 6 cylinder petrol one!

These are from the OBC; Motorway is usually 34MPG / 8.32 l/100km. Urban, not so great at about 27 MPG / 10.46 l/100km.

For what it's worth, I started out looking to buy privately aswell. There's an awful amount of dreamers out there who stick an M-Sport bumper on a bog standard 3-series coupe and call it "top spec". These people think their car is worth market value & 50%. They will wreck your head. I travelled early one Sunday morning to look at an "immaculate" M-Sport. Pictures looked great. It's a pity that they were 6 years old from when she had originally bought the car. I also had a deposit on a beautiful black M-Sport that turned out to be an insurance write off a few years ago, only found out when I did a Motorcheck report.

I ended up finding what I was looking for in very small dealership. He also gave me on trade-in as much as I was hoping to get for privately. Had a small oil leak about a month after purchasing, parts were replaced for free, old ones supplied in a box. He also noticed two bulbs dead that I was meaning to fix and replaced them for free.

adocholiday

Well I had a Mitsubishi FTO 2l MIVEC so I'm used to having a thirsty car. I was getting 27mpg on the motorway in that and the 1.4 focus is working hard at 120 kmph so I wasn't getting fantastic fuel economy anyway.

I think I'm trying to justify my desire to purchase this car What would be the fuel economy of an A4 in comparison? Will be doing car check and all that anyway on whatever I decide to buy.

Are there other cars that someone would recommend of a similar nature?

Rowley Birkin QC

adocholiday wrote: »

Well I had a Mitsubishi FTO 2l MIVEC so I'm used to having a thirsty car. I was getting 27mpg on the motorway in that and the 1.4 focus is working hard at 120 kmph so I wasn't getting fantastic fuel economy anyway.

I think I'm trying to justify my desire to purchase this car What would be the fuel economy of an A4 in comparison? Will be doing car check and all that anyway on whatever I decide to buy.

Are there other cars that someone would recommend of a similar nature?

I spent far too long doing exactly this!! If anything, my advice would be to start looking at 320 & 325 M-Sport Coupés.

SPG > MPG

adocholiday

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

I spent far too long doing exactly this!! If anything, my advice would be to start looking at 320 & 325 M-Sport Coupés.

SPG > MPG

Well I don't want to be paying a grand in road tax so the 2l might be the max for me!