A4, 3 series or something else?

goingsolo

Hi all, I'm changing my car early 14. Have max of 13-15k to blow along with current trade in, giving me 20k tops to spend.

My Daily commute of 70 kms (return) motorway to work, often with another 10 city centre driving. My city centr driving can increase for time to time but while joy coercing great distances, Its naturally stop start, so not sure if petrol / diesel is the better option but that really doesn't bother me.

So approx 30-35k kms per annum taking weekends into account.

So far I'm looking at a4 / 3 Series as I honestly like the look of them, and feel like driving an exec car.

I'm currently getting 35 MPG from my petrol car, and hope my re car will give 50+ mpg as I'll have it for 5 years or so and don't want to be stopping at the pumps every third day!

Feel free to throw options, thoughts, abuse my way!

Moocow100

Well for what its worth I changed to a Renault Grand Megane GT 110bhp diesel ,It would be what you'd call exec but for MPG and its quick enough and I get a Minimum of 800km per tank 75 fill from empty ,the service intervals are every 30000km
The handling is good and the list of extras is great ,key-less entry and start( you don't take the key out of your pocket just get out and walk away) ,auto lights auto wipers parking sensors ,built in sat nav, built in hands free phone kit. 17" alloys .
Before you diss the Make ,The electrics are from Nissan so no issues there and the Renault engine is one of the best diesel's being made at the moment its being used in a number of other cars.Just make sure if you test its the 110 not the 90bhp
I have nothing to do with Renault just my tuppence worth unless you don't like the style its definitely worth a test .

The Dagda

Moocow100 wrote: »

Well for what its worth I changed to a Renault Grand Megane GT 110bhp diesel ,It would be what you'd call exec but for MPG and its quick enough and I get a Minimum of 800km per tank 75 fill from empty ,the service intervals are every 30000km
The handling is good and the list of extras is great ,key-less entry and start( you don't take the key out of your pocket just get out and walk away) ,auto lights auto wipers parking sensors ,built in sat nav, built in hands free phone kit. 17" alloys .
Before you diss the Make ,The electrics are from Nissan so no issues there and the Renault engine is one of the best diesel's being made at the moment its being used in a number of other cars.Just make sure if you test its the 110 not the 90bhp

I have nothing to do with Renault just my tuppence worth unless you don't like the style its definitely worth a test .

43/44 mpg doesn't seem to be a great return from a modern 1.5 td?

Moocow100

I find it better than the Volvo 400 miles per fill or the merc I had before that 380-400 per fill the 800Km is for city driving and thats with 100km still in the Tank the best Ive seen was 1060km with some not much to spare .

The Dagda

Moocow100 wrote: »

I find it better than the Volvo 400 miles per fill or the merc I had before that 380-400 per fill the 800Km is for city driving and thats with 100km still in the Tank the best Ive seen was 1060km with some not much to spare .

In that case you're more likely getting 50/55 mpg which is what would be expected.

bazz26

I'd have a look at the Honda Accord and VW Passat CC too. You will probably get both with higher spec for less money than a bog standard A4 or 3 Series.

mickdw

There is nothing particularly special about 3 series or A4.
I'd look elsewhere to be honest.

goingsolo

thanks for all the quick replies.
Mickdw i know some don't see the attraction of an a4/3 series, but i've been driving corollas, Focus, Avensis, and similar machines since i could drive so they stand out a fair bit to me! what would you consider if you were in my shoes?
took a spin of a friends s40 last year and liked that aswell to be honest. not sure about reliability though?
accord and passat's are lovely, most accords seem pricey but seem to hold their value quite well though.

renault off the radar thanks, took some for a test drive when the "carculator" adverts began on the radio. I really didn't like the interior to be honest. if i'm spend a few quid on it i'd like something that i'm enjoying to jump into!!

limpopo

In fairness OP, 3 series or an A4 are both lovely cars and they're as popular as they are for a reason! A fair alternative could be the Lexus IS220/200d but they don't seem to get the best reviews and there's the head gasket issues with the 220d which could prove costly.
My own experience is with a 07 318D which I've put 80000miles on in the past 4 years I've owned it. In terms of fuel consumption I average approx. 48mpg with about 70% open road/dual carriageway driving and the rest short stop-start journeys, which works out at about 580miles/ c.1000km from a full tank. I had the clutch replaced under warranty but other than that and regular servicing it has been utterly reliable and has proven to be a safe and efficient car!

I know this mightn't be much of a help but it's an insight into a positive owner experience - sometimes it's a lot of the negative issues that gets posted in here.

mickdw

goingsolo wrote: »

thanks for all the quick replies.
Mickdw i know some don't see the attraction of an a4/3 series, but i've been driving corollas, Focus, Avensis, and similar machines since i could drive so they stand out a fair bit to me! what would you consider if you were in my shoes?

Well I bought an A5 so thats a bit contradictory but nothing special about A5 either.
I would rarely consider an old model car but the last A6 would be a hell of alot of car for the money now. In the right spec, it would be a lovely place to be, spacious, luxurious and while it could be argued that it doesnt drive as sharp as current model, I think in the real world, the old version copes better with poor roads than current model although some versions were particularly harsh too.

You would get nice accord within budget too I would have thought or even Jag XF.

Idbatterim

at that budget in relation to the BM, Id go for something like the below...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201311099797571/sort/default/usedcars/model/3_series/maximum-age/up_to_1_year_old/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/radius/1501/page/2/fuel-type/diesel/postcode/bt39jp/make/bmw?logcode=p

also the F10 (current 5 series, are going for peanuts in the UK now also)...

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

Was looking at similiar cars myself a few months back but decided on an Accord in the end, for my money that or a Passat CC are as nice, better spec, and way rarer than an A4 or a 3 series. Passat CC in particular is a classy looking car.

Point in case, a mate of mine, when I was talking about my budget (similiar to yours), said "Sure for that money why don't you get an Audi" -within 20 seconds of him saying it I counted 6 Audis drive up the street.

Edit: My Accord gets 47mpg on average and thats a mix of Urban driving, main roads and some motorway. My OH has a Passat 1.9tdi (Not a CC) and gets around 52mpg and does similiar mileage to you.

bazz26

mickdw wrote: »

There is nothing particularly special about 3 series or A4.
I'd look elsewhere to be honest.

There are some nice examples of both out there with proper engines, spec, etc but the majority of them are bog standard entry level versions which as you say are nothing special and are very average.

It really boils down to what the OP's priorities are. Coming from a Corolla or Focus then even a bog standard A4 and 3 Series would give the impression of being better.

Personally I'd rather drive a high spec "lesser" brand than a low spec "premium" brand.

mickdw

IMO, lesser brands have not a clue how to do interiors. Shiny plastics and loads of buttons make for a terrible interior.

Moocow100

I dont know Ive had Golf's grand BMW handle great unfortunately crap reliability ,to a top spec merc which had awful reliability also the comfort was great but the money to keep it good was crazy it ruined the experience. I find the what is being called premium brands over priced especially for what you get in Ireland the only time they seemed worth while was when they were imported with luxury extras.

Tea 1000

mickdw wrote: »

IMO, lesser brands have not a clue how to do interiors. Shiny plastics and loads of buttons make for a terrible interior.

Yes, but BMW with the E90 went the other way... bland and straight dash with a kind of a bubble stuck where the dials go. Basic and bland.
The F30 is in a different league.

TheBigGreen

Skoda Octavia vRS.

mickdw

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Yes, but BMW with the E90 went the other way... bland and straight dash with a kind of a bubble stuck where the dials go. Basic and bland.
The F30 is in a different league.

Yes, poor dash in the e90. Improved marginally with idrive display on higher spec versions.