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General => General discussion => Topic started by: Gabriel2202 on 23 November 2013, 01:50
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I'm looking at a new car as I'm doing around 2k miles a month now and can't decide between the A4 and 320d, or even 330d to put a spanner in the works! :grin:
On my budget I have narrowed it down to:
Audi A4 (B8, 143ps) 58-09 plate, around 70-80k miles
or
320d/330d 07 plate, around 100/120k miles
I'm off to look at a few this weekend but wondered what you guys would go for? How are the maintenance costs on each? I like to work on my cars when i can too - I heard bmw's aren't to DIY friendly?
any advice/previous experience on either is greatly appreciated!
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330d all day long 230 bhp standard get a remap and it's in m3 territory but a lot better mpg than a m3 of course
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also regarding maintanance I have a 2005 bmw 120d remapped to 200 bhp and it's never put a foot wrong,I had a e46 330d and that was the most reliable car I have had,I have also had a mk5 golf tdi and had nothing but problems,don't get me wrong I'm not dissing the vag brand but if you want a reliable diesel go bmw,also another car you want to look at is a bmw 535d for your budget you will probably get a 05/06 one but it will be worth it my work mate has one it was 270 odd bhp standard it's now pushing over 300 bhp and 700nm of torque and trust me it's f**king mental and still does over 40 mpg lol
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also regarding maintanance I have a 2005 bmw 120d remapped to 200 bhp and it's never put a foot wrong,I had a e46 330d and that was the most reliable car I have had,I have also had a mk5 golf tdi and had nothing but problems,don't get me wrong I'm not dissing the vag brand but if you want a reliable diesel go bmw,also another car you want to look at is a bmw 535d for your budget you will probably get a 05/06 one but it will be worth it my work mate has one it was 270 odd bhp standard it's now pushing over 300 bhp and 700nm of torque and trust me it's f**king mental and still does over 40 mpg lol
Thanks for your reply. I was leaning towards the 330d, I drove one for a week and the 6 cylinder has such smooth power delivery - I had a drive of the 535d which even as standard throws you back in the seat! I'm just really not that fussed on the auto boxes. I mean they're great and have become far more 'intelligent' but I still like the control of the manual box.
Would you be put off a high mileage 330d though? I've gone on the bases that getting one that's done low mileage for its age is likely to be a run around town driver
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as long as the car has fsh history big miles are not an issue,my e46 330d had 180,000 miles when I sold I got it at 120,000 mine still drove like a 40,000 mile car at 180,000,just make sure you get one with fsh and you can't go wrong
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Cool thanks for the advice, I've seen a few I'm keen on so hopefully should have one in the next week if they check out! I'll post up the results :-)
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no problem you won't regret it
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BMW is as useful as a chocolate tea pot in snow and ice!
The BMW would give best first impressions over an Audi, but the Audi would be the better car to live with once the novelty had worn off... been there, done that etc
Thom
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BMW is as useful as a chocolate tea pot in snow and ice!
The BMW would give best first impressions over an Audi, but the Audi would be the better car to live with once the novelty had worn off... been there, done that etc
Thom
+1 on this rwd in the winter is not the best idea :smiley:
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A4 would be my choice, way too many engine / turbo problems with BMW dervs.
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BMW is as useful as a chocolate tea pot in snow and ice!
The BMW would give best first impressions over an Audi, but the Audi would be the better car to live with once the novelty had worn off... been there, done that etc
Thom
I couldnt disagree more. Having had a 528i for two winters and not getting stuck once and driving past stuck vw's and audi's going up hill says enough for me.
Yes I had winter tyres but I still never got stuck.
Oh and not buying a bmw because of snow? What about the other 50 weeks of the year?
Ive also been there done that and the bmw was much better than my b6 audi.
All boils down to personal preference. I feel BMW has much better build quality and also much more reliable electronically and mechanically.
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BMW is as useful as a chocolate tea pot in snow and ice!
The BMW would give best first impressions over an Audi, but the Audi would be the better car to live with once the novelty had worn off... been there, done that etc
Thom
I couldnt disagree more. Having had a 528i for two winters and not getting stuck once and driving past stuck vw's and audi's going up hill says enough for me.
Yes I had winter tyres but I still never got stuck.
Oh and not buying a bmw because of snow? What about the other 50 weeks of the year?
Ive also been there done that and the bmw was much better than my b6 audi.
All boils down to personal preference. I feel BMW has much better build quality and also much more reliable electronically and mechanically.
My daughter worked at Sytner BMW in Leicester on reception for 4 years. When it snows, the phone lines are inundated with disgruntled owners that simply can't move their cars! exactly what they want the dealership to do about it I'll never know!
My daughter is now a Sales Executive at Audi Leicester (still Sytners) and bumps into old BMW customers on a regular basis, with most vowing never to buy RWD as a main car again, especially over the last 2 winters! and a 3rd bad winter expected.
I've been in the Motortrade for many years, and I know plenty of the Techy guys, as well as management, people that have worked at either Sytner BMW, and/or Leicester Audi, and I can tell you that their is nothing between an Audi, or BMW reliability wise... both manufactures have issues, like any other! Though VAG seem to come across worse, because there are so many shared components across the different Marques, literally from a Porsche to Polo
When my daughter had her 1 series Motorsport, on various occasions over the last couple of years, I had the dreaded phone call on more the one occasion, for me to go and rescue her, as she was stuck in the snow
So yes, BMW's can be fun in the snow, but as a main car, then I would have to choose something that was at least FWD
As for build quality, really theirs nothing between them
Thom
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Winter Tyres make a big difference to RWD cars seemingly...they seem to cope over on the continent with harsher winters.
330d seems a good shout...wouldn't say it was up there with an E46 M3 after a remap though.
Run Flats aren't popular and a number of owners remove them. Watch out for clocking too.
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A4 would be my choice, way too many engine / turbo problems with BMW dervs.
I've heard about issues with the 320d, especially the turbo, but I thought the 330d was pretty bullet proof, especially once you remove the swirl flaps...
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Not blowing my own trumpet but I guess im a much better driver than most bmw owners then.
I guess any enthusiast thats done many driving days/schools and races at msa level will be able to have more control over a normal driver that just drives a to b.
I obviously cant see how people think bmw are worse over any other car.
I bet 99% of the bmw owners that ring the dealer have not got winter tyres and most likely got worn out summer tyres on.
Still after owning vag cars and a 5 series and a 3 series the build quality is better.
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Or a worn suspension.
Some of these BMW owners may be unaware they are RWD? :lipsrsealed:.
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Winter Tyres make a big difference to RWD cars seemingly...they seem to cope over on the continent with harsher winters.
330d seems a good shout...wouldn't say it was up there with an E46 M3 after a remap though.
Run Flats aren't popular and a number of owners remove them. Watch out for clocking too.
I will definitely be more concerned about a decent set of tyres on a RWD, and my mate bought a clocked bmw, 100k miles below what it should have been! So I'll definitely have my guard up on that.
I'm still going to look at the a4 and 3 series before drawing any conclusions. I'll have my 1.8t golf as well if the snow gets that bad (keeping it as a run around while I work away) so I'm not massively concerned on the winter front as I can always swap over for a few weeks.
My concerns really are the cost of parts, the reliability and the ease of working on the car
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Clocked miles relates to any car and im sorry thats your mates fault for not getting the car history. If it didnt have service book and past mot certificates then a hpi check will tell you everything recorded including mileage.
Ive seen a picture of a 1 series with snow chains fitted to the front wheels :shocked:
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Clocked miles relates to any car and im sorry thats your mates fault for not getting the car history. If it didnt have service book and past mot certificates then a hpi check will tell you everything recorded including mileage.
Ive seen a picture of a 1 series with snow chains fitted to the front wheels :shocked:
Oh yeah massively his fault, he's an idiot and bought an e46 dirt cheap spur on the moment at an auction hoping for a quick turn around - that didn't happen! Haha
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Winter Tyres make a big difference to RWD cars seemingly...they seem to cope over on the continent with harsher winters.
330d seems a good shout...wouldn't say it was up there with an E46 M3 after a remap though.
Run Flats aren't popular and a number of owners remove them. Watch out for clocking too.
I will definitely be more concerned about a decent set of tyres on a RWD, and my mate bought a clocked bmw, 100k miles below what it should have been! So I'll definitely have my guard up on that.
I'm still going to look at the a4 and 3 series before drawing any conclusions. I'll have my 1.8t golf as well if the snow gets that bad (keeping it as a run around while I work away) so I'm not massively concerned on the winter front as I can always swap over for a few weeks.
My concerns really are the cost of parts, the reliability and the ease of working on the car
Well the only reason I mentioned clocking was I looked at E90's on Auto Trader and there are some shabby looking examples which don't appear cared for or they haven't 'aged' well. Also there are so many in resale black and silver :rolleyes:.
Service history can be forged if invoices for work aren't available or documented. A stamped book on it's own should not be considered 100% proof. As for servicing I would try and find a decent indy as BMW will bend you over, but then again VAG probably aren't far behind (Peter Cooper Chichester £102/hour).
Parts will be expensive just like VAG and there is no Software available for the price of VCDS.
Any idea what spec you're after? I would try and get Xenons/Leather and Pro-Nav. Most of the cars will be slush box, what do you think of this?
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I'm definitely going manual, as for extra's I've been looking at black leather seats and xenons, would love the I-drive display/satnav but isn't essential. I've been looking for a few months to see what's about for my budget, and whittled it down to my choices in the first post.
The two 330d's I'm going to look are an Msport e90 with all the extras you mentioned above and an SE e92 (coupe) with xenons and leather seats.
I'm leaning towards the SE coupe as it has less owners, less miles and is a grand cheaper - both claim full mot and bmw service history so just a case of going to see them now.
I've also found two 2009 a4's (143ps) that look very nice.
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All the 330d owners have all bottled it when it comes to crunch time and either not answered their phones or decided they want to keep it 2 hours before I'm meant to view it, I love the power in them but don't know if this means the 330d owners I've seen are unreliable or they are such a good car people have a hard time letting go!
I'm not adverse to an a4 still, but I would have to throw on a few mods to get it looking how I want which is added costs. So I'm now throwing a mk6 golf gt tdi into the mix (strictly 3 door)
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I wouldn't be surprised if they want to keep them :grin:
Has audi sorted their piston rings out yet? They are known for their oil consumption.
Dealers are saying it is normal for a engine to do 1litre to every 1000km :shocked:
google search b8 a4 high oil consumption. You be shocked at how many there are. Put me right off them.
I was doing 1litre to every 500 miles in my b6 with 120000
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So after messing around with the loans company and seeing plenty of cars I've decided to go with a 57/08 plate golf gt sport tdi 170, although am yet to find one as there was an issue with my loan being paid out - sorted now.
My reasons for this over the above mentioned cars are that manual 330ds are rare, and even rarer for a decent example in my price range. Parts and the lack of a similar vcds also plays a part. I know the 330d would be lovely, but it looks like I can pay less for a lower mileage, better condition, newer golf tdi 170. I looked at many a4's and they just stopped exciting me really and looking into tweeds comment on the oil issue, it doesn't sound too good.... I know all about the dpf and injectors issues with the 170 tdi, but I will eventually remove the dpf and get it mapped (and the injectors have been recalled) so hopefully this will be the right move! Thanks for everyone's input, I'll get some images up once bought!
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I've actually driven a 330d which has been remapped before. Insane torque, really fast. Had i not gone for my GTD i would've certainly considered a 3 series
J