2008 Diesel

davej

Yes, it's another 2008 Diesel thread . Looking for some guidance.

First of all, I'm undecided about getting diesel or not. I do a fair amount of 'mixed' driving. Depending on work, some weeks I might do 600 KM of motorway driving and other weeks the car might sit at home for 2-3 days followed by a bit of pottering about on the weekend. I would plan on keeping it for 5+ years so the lower tax (assuming it stays that low) does appeal to me. 15K miles a year at a guess over the next few years (mostly motorway). I plan on taking it on the ferry to UK or France for holidays too. On balance, does a diesel fit the bill ?

Budget: I was thinking of spending 10K-11K.

Size wise, I would prefer midsize / compact executive - I don't really want to drive a larger car but it still needs to fit a baby seat.

Other than that, I'm open to suggestions

3 Series
I was thinking 318D SE (since I think a 2008 320D at my budget might be bottom of barrel / high mileage) ? But will the upkeep be expensive and is a bmw diesel really a false economy ? This is where my heart is but I am willing to have it overridden by logic / sense.

Passat
Not sure what model etc, maybe breaking the larger car stipulation with this ?

A4
Similar comments to BMW, also don't know much about exact models etc?

Have I just bought into the sheep mentality with the above suggestions :pac: ?

Budget-wise am I in the ballpark with the above or should i go for something around 8-9K, eg Octavia or Cee'd or a petrol and consider the leftover cash for the increased tax ?

Sorry if the above options are all apples and oranges - I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to motors..just looking for some food for thought.

davej

Cleveland Hot Pocket

15k miles per year mostly motorway certainly fits the bill for a diesel alright.

If you are looking at the likes of an octavia anyway, why not take a look at my superb?
(The 1.9 models don't have the DPF issues that the 2.0 CR models did, so you get the cheap tax without the worry of using the car in town).

I struggle to get under 48-50 mpg.

davej

Thanks for the reply.

As I alluded to in the OP, I don't want to go as large as a Superb

bazz26

You might want to google "BMW N47 engine timing chain issues".

davej

bazz26 wrote: »

You might want to google "BMW N47 engine timing chain issues".

Thanks for the info. I was aware of this issue but assumed it was not a widespread problem and that you could get it checked in advance to see if it was susceptible (not the case, so it really is a time-bomb).

Ok well I'll just do a bit more research and see where it leads me..

Cleveland Hot Pocket

If you were looking at a bmw, would getting a 530d instead of a 320/520 be an option? In the e60 the 530d was a much better car than the 520d, it is the proper number of cylinders and is not so stressed by the weight of the car - plus it has shown to be more reliable.