bmw 3 series vs audi a4

moonfish

Going to invest in a new motor in the next few weeks ..im set on either a audi a4 or a bmw 3 series..are the 3 series way more expensive to maintain then the a4..id be looking at a 06 or07

bazz26

Maintenance costs are similar for both. 3 Series would be a fresher design as that model was launched in 2005 whereas that A4 while receiving a major revamp in 2005 was really the same model since 2001.

Stojkovic

A4.

joe 77

BMW 3 series

moonfish

Which is more reliable ..is it true the bmw gives more problems

bazz26

Depends what you want from a car. The 3 Series is more a driver's car being rear wheel drive than the A4 unless you go for an A4 Quattro. A4 interior would probably give you a better quality feeling than the 3 Series.

Presuming your looking at diesels. 1.9 TDi in the A4 is reliable but very old and unrefined for a premium branded car. 2.0 TDi is still unrefined and suffer from injector problems though there was a recall on these. BMW diesel is more refined than the VAG diesel but can have issues if owners don't adhere to the preventative measures. Turbo failure and swirl flap issues being the most common problems.

bazz26

They are probably around the same when it comes to reliability but if something goes wrong then you can be looking at large bills with both models. You have to remember that you are looking at 6 to 7 year old cars so reliability will depend on how they were looked after by their previous owners.

Reliability wise the 1.9 TDI A4 would probably stand out but it is old, noisy and has a narrow power band.

Boskowski

Bloody hell, has petrol gone out of the picture altogether, everybody talking diesel as if thats a given?

moonfish

Yeah definitly looking at the diesels alright.....although i love the bmw to drive and look at i did hear some bad reports about them

moonfish

Yeah definitly looking at the diesels alright.....although i love the bmw to drive and look at i did hear some bad reports about them

Idbatterim

Yeah definitly looking at the diesels alright.....although i love the bmw to drive and look at i did hear some bad reports about them

what exactly have you heard about them? what is your budget and how long do you intend to keep the car for?