Ok here it is - planning on buying my first proper car and the thought of it scares me a little. Now don't get me wrong my first car was a fiesta 12 years ago and since then I have had a h22 prelude, a m3 kitted 318, an escort van and I currently have a mk2 and mk4 fiesta, a vw bug, my inca runaround van and a mk4 escort rs turbo in restoration mode. But the time has come to buy a middle management motor way cruiser of sorts. I'd love a 350z but it has to have 4 doors, work off the cheap tax if possible, be diesel if possible and be fairly reliable. On my short list would be 520d, Lexus is220 or 250, a4 or a6, mondeo or insignia. Also open to other suggestions here. The budget would be 10 or 11k ( this is euros not pounds) but if I could get something to meet my needs for less then even better as means more money to restore the mk4, mk2 or get something newer for the misses. The plan would be to sell the bug and inca and id say it would be private sale as a dealer wouldn't be into these. Right so what I'm looking for is some advice on what car should meet my needs ? I'm reading about the hassle from these new age diesels with turbos and fly wheels going? The misses would love a a4 but I'm liking the Lexus myself

 

BMW 330d I have had mine for 100,000 miles now and love it. You will need a set of winter tyres for it!

pulls like a train, good MPG and room for family and even looks respectable!

 

^

What he says !

 

A 330d is going to offer good economy with plenty of grunt. Just buy the BEST and not the NEWEST for your budget.

A4's tend to be a pretty reliable motor, tried and tested sort of thing but wont have the grunt but still a nice car in s-line guise.

 

Go and see the cars and road test them yourself. Just cause one person reckonmends a car doesn't mean you will like it.

 

This ^^ However a BMW 320D will be all the car you ever need. Look decent in M Sport trim too.

 

is this a new bmw forum i dont rate them there always stuck in snow and are very basic inside unless m sport toys

 

All you guys recommending 330s you do know there nearly 1600 euro to tax for the year in ireland, How about a 2.0 volvo s40 R design or x type sport better specced than most german stuff we get over here too

 

if going for the lexus go for the petrol, the diesels can give alot of trouble. the petrols are fairly bullet proof and nice cars to drive

 

Mondeo Titanium X TDCI Sport 2.2. I think this is what I'll be getting next. You should get a 2009 one for that and they've got everything you'll ever need. Don't just buy a BMW for the badge and thinking they'll be bombproof, I had one a while back and it was nothing but trouble. Like every car it depends how they've been treated beforehand.

 

this year I bought a 2005 mondeo 2.2 tdci st with 147000 miles on the clock for just Ł2700! its now on 154000 miles still going great, there a lot of car for the money imo and the missus loves it which is a bonus

 

Yep, my 2005 ST TDCI has just over 150,000 miles on it and it's still going strong, and I still love it. Great cars. I bought mine with 17k on the clock 7 years ago so just over 130,000 of that mileage I've done and I can honestly say its the best all round car I've ever had, and I've had a lot.

 

You will get loads of different opinions on what is a good car, my advice is to go and look at and test drive what YOU think is going to suit you. No one can do it for you.

 

This is what makes me laugh. BMW.s are just like any other car they still have faults. I know loads of people who have them and have had loads of problems with them. There just brain washed by thegerman reliability shite lol. A few years ago people were saying Japanese reliability.

im not saying fords are the best. Ive had fords all my driving life and haven't had problems with them,well apart from the 23 year old cossie but that's just an old car ha ha.

 

I agree with you. These threads make me laugh. Only the op can decide which car they like best. My friend has a bmw alpina 5 series fook knows what shape it is cause im not a bmw botter. Anyway i drove it round silverstone. I love his car to bits and would have it but it felt to numb to me. I drove my cossie on track and it was a far better car. I know this has nowt to do with driving them on the road.

 

I have a BMW 530d E39, over three years I have taken it from 141k to 234k, best motor I have ever had, and I include my E46 M3 & 911 turbo in that, the BMW diesels are brilliant daily drivers in my eyes, head & shoulders above anything French or VW/Ford/Vauxhall etc. Don't get me wrong the mondeo tdci's are great cars, but I much prefer the drive of a BMW.

 

They always say the bmw is the ultimate driving machine.

 

Well I don't like BMW they are pants my son had a M3 Evo & like all the others it was pants. My saying is the M3 is like the motorway it was named after very boring. Audi or Mercedes if you want quality. There are no Fords of the same quality so forget them. My bro has a Lexus its like being in a luxury flat but has the heart of Simon Cowell not for me I would fall asleep.
Audi all day if you are younger a good compromise. I have a Merc mainly because im older & too much excitement is not good for the ticker.

 

My dad had a Audi A1. It got recalled cause there was a fault with the auto box. In the letter it said something about if a fuse blows the auto box wont work and the car will just end up free wheeling.

 

Thanks guys, lot of food for thought. Gonna start hitting a few show rooms and do a few test drives. Il report back

 

Good lad.

 

Looked at 3 series myself but rear legroom isn't brilliant and the boot size is tiny! Going for a mondeo petrol as it's something I can fix and they very rarely have faults.

 

Im sure it wad in fast ford mag that Fords reliability had took over BMW.s.

 

To match the mondeo for size I'd need a 5 series estate. And I've done enough bmw turbos and inlet manifolds to know they have problems.

 

As trev said A Mondeo titanium x sport 2.2 is a great car, I bought mine a month ago after owning an ST TDCI for 5 years and it a great upgrade


steve

 

Do you work for bmw then matey. What other common problems is there. A lad i know works for at a back street garage and he had a 320d in for a gearbox fault. He said bmw only supply a complete box which was 3.5k. He does a lot of bmws and he tells me some stories about them.

 

No ,work for a Ford dealer but we do other stuff as well.