BMW 3 series Touring - advice please

[Big Chris]

I've been working (in IT) for a leasing company for the last 3 years and have been lucky enough to get a new Audi A3 with all the bells & whistles every 6 months for very little. However I'm thinking of relocating next year and there's no guarantee my new job will come with a car, so I'll be in the market for new one. With a baby on the way and a tendency to lug bikes around on weekends (until the baby comes...) I'm thinking it's about time I got me an estate.

I've had a look around and so far the top pick for me is the BMW 3 series Touring - 320d M Sport specifically has caught my attention. These are the facts:

Budget: £10k, possibly a bit more if required.
Annual mileage: unknown at present but around 12-15k I expect.
Transmission: always driven manuals, is it worth considering the auto, and are there any perils with this car on an auto box?
Other factors:

- never really been a fan of leather, and I like the cloth interior on the M Sport but perhaps leather would be easier to clean baby dribble/puke/spilled ice creams off?
- satnav/iDrive, I'm used to having this on the Audis and would like it my next car ideally

What are they like to live with? How much could I reasonably expect to spend on servicing, tyres etc? Are there any major issues with them around 60/70k that might kick me in the wallet?

Any advice appreciated

 

[[TW]Fox]

There are major issues with the 2 litre engine on this age of car snapping its timing chain, writing the engine off. Do some google research to throw some light on the subject.

I think £10k is going to get you a very average one of these - I think I'd probably be looking at something else, perhaps a Skoda Superb Estate.

 

[Big Chris]

That's not a bad shout on the Skoda actually, a lot of car for the money having just checked them out. Room for about 7 babies in the boot too should the wife get any ideas after no.1 arrives.

Going back to the Beemer, the ones I've seen for £10/11k looked pretty tidy, although to my untrained eye I could be missing something.

Over £11k but would try and knock them down
Again over £11k but close to budget
Top end of budget
Another one I could try and knock down
No Nav but I like the colour!

Obviously if things in the engine are going to snap and write the car off then I may have to reconsider, will do some research on that now.

 

[mjt]

With a baby on the way, I'd consider something a size bigger. The E90's boot isn't very big and there isn't much legroom in the back for someone to sit with the baby.

I went from an S3 to a 2010 A6 Avant and I'm very happy. I much prefer BMWs but there wasn't anything in my price range, which was similar to yours. E91 dodgy 4-pot diesels and too small, E60 a bit crap with the same dodgy engines and the F11 too expensive.

So yeah. Get a Skoda Superb

 

[[TW]Fox]

Or an E320 CDI Avantgarde Estate *


*I know nothing about the reliability of these.

 

[mjt]

Or an E320 CDI Avantgarde Estate *


*I know nothing about the reliability of these.

Yeah, I looked into these but I read mixed reviews regarding reliability.
Also MB servicing is prohibitively expensive, isn't it?

So yeah. Get a Skoda Superb

 

[rodenal]

The 320 cdi has some potentially expensive problems that appear to be a little bit more frequent than I would be comfortable with - you're probably better with the 4 pot 250 diesel though I think these might be c class only

MB do value servicing that isn't too pricey after 5 years old

 

[mjt]

The 320 cdi has some potentially expensive problems that appear to be a little bit more frequent than I would be comfortable with - you're probably better with the 4 pot 250 diesel though I think these might be c class only

E250 CDIs exist too

 

[Big Chris]

So yeah. Get a Skoda Superb

I did wonder about the size of the boot in the 320 actually, and I'm warming to the Superb a lot having seen what I can get for £10/11k.

Thanks for the tip fellas

 

[[TW]Fox]

E250 CDIs exist too

Not in W211 form, surely a £10k W212 is going to be crap.

 

[xs2man]

I did wonder about the size of the boot in the 320 actually, and I'm warming to the Superb a lot having seen what I can get for £10/11k.

Thanks for the tip fellas

I would go for the superb all day long.

I had an e91 and it just wasn't big enough for me. I mean, we could manage with 1 child, but because we ended up having 2 so close together, I changed up to the F11 before the second was born.

It works ok, although can still be a little tight for boot space, we now have a Seat Alhambra 7 seater for family duties / shifting stuff, which is MUCH better for this job. But the F11 or the equivalent E class / A6 are as big as you can go while still having a car really. If you need more space, then you need to be looking at 7 seats or 4x4's (some of which are surprisingly not much bigger in the back than the 5 series).

 

[Moeks]

Why is it when I was very young, my Dad used to manage just fine with one car that had a lot less space in than these options? ...my early childhood was dominated by MK2 Ford Grenadas a series 3 XJ6 and the Daimler variant and an XJ40 ...while all being big big cars for the time they actually had very little cargo space, especially compared to today's offerings.

 

[xs2man]

Because mums back then had some self control when shopping for kids stuff. And stuff got bigger.

For example, we couldn't just get any pram, we had to get the all singing all dancing pram, only catch is that it almost takes up the entire 3 series boot when folded down as far as it would go (It will fit length ways in the 5 series though, so only takes up half that boot). Of course, we then had a second quickly after, so we then needed space for a double pram. Side by side, of course, so it wont go through the doors of half the shops you come across.

It's not just the pram though. You obviously need to take a rucksack, per child, worth of consumer driven crud everywhere you go. Sure, you actually need some of it, like nappies and wipes, some water and food too. Then obviously a couple changes of clothes etc... That all takes space.

Heaven forbid you should actually want to buy anything more than a loaf of bread and some (blue) milk, as there is simply not the room anymore.

Sure, compared to the saloons, you have the space above the load cover too. But that is actually deceptively small when you consider the slope of the rear window, and the headrest positioning. And it's not like you can put anything overly bulky or heavy there for fear of landing on the kid(s).

And, of course, if you have 2 kids, both in ISOFIX seats in the back, my fat behind can't fit between them, and the, ever expanding (with more kids) wife's derriere, struggles too, so when one / both them kick off, there is nothing you can do. 5 series is better than 3 series here for sure. But the Alhambra is a god send with a full blown extra seat between them.

Surely all the cars you quoted have fairly large boots though?

 

[Voxination]

Any else get the impression xs2man's marriage might be on the rocks?

In all seriousness that makes me want to not have kids.

 

[rodenal]

I feel a little bit of his pain but tbh my only real problem fitting everything in the civic comes down to not having enough doors to easily get Gubbins for one little one and the crazy dug in the boot. Even a small estate like the 3 series or c class would/will be plenty big enough with a dog cage or boot divider

I'm feeling the all singing all dancing surprisingly large when filded pram issue, though we can still fit it in the fiesta boot, sans wheels!

 

[xs2man]

Any else get the impression xs2man's marriage might be on the rocks?

In all seriousness that makes me want to not have kids.

Ha ha, not quite. My marriage is fairly stable. It's the kids who should be worried.

That being said, I (usually) wouldn't swap them for the world. It just makes car considerations a bit different.

 

[wassap]

Because mums back then had some self control when shopping for kids stuff. And stuff got bigger.

For example, we couldn't just get any pram, we had to get the all singing all dancing pram, only catch is that it almost takes up the entire 3 series boot when folded down as far as it would go (It will fit length ways in the 5 series though, so only takes up half that boot). Of course, we then had a second quickly after, so we then needed space for a double pram. Side by side, of course, so it wont go through the doors of half the shops you come across.

It's not just the pram though. You obviously need to take a rucksack, per child, worth of consumer driven crud everywhere you go. Sure, you actually need some of it, like nappies and wipes, some water and food too. Then obviously a couple changes of clothes etc... That all takes space.

Heaven forbid you should actually want to buy anything more than a loaf of bread and some (blue) milk, as there is simply not the room anymore.

Sure, compared to the saloons, you have the space above the load cover too. But that is actually deceptively small when you consider the slope of the rear window, and the headrest positioning. And it's not like you can put anything overly bulky or heavy there for fear of landing on the kid(s).

And, of course, if you have 2 kids, both in ISOFIX seats in the back, my fat behind can't fit between them, and the, ever expanding (with more kids) wife's derriere, struggles too, so when one / both them kick off, there is nothing you can do. 5 series is better than 3 series here for sure. But the Alhambra is a god send with a full blown extra seat between them.

Surely all the cars you quoted have fairly large boots though?

I feel your pain brother. When i was a kid, me and my two other siblings and parents used to regularly go away to France for a week in our Datsun Stanza.

I took my 2 year old and 9 month old and the missus to disney for a weekend, my A4 Avants boot was filled as were the back seats and the roof box. Sheesh

Im looking at replacements for my A4 now, and as wifey still is insistant on a third, as life has been far too easy with 2 young uns, i will need to get a car that can accomodate 2 baby seats and a human being in the back, or, *shudder*, a 7 seater

But to be fair my sis went from a 3 series saloon to a Civic hatch and the hatch was a much better 'family' car.

A friend also downgraded from a E91 to a Octavia VRS estate, and that again was just as good as a family crap load lugger.

I'd try and get a bit more cash together and get a nice 7 seater, ie Q7 or Disco.

 

[blun]

Why is it when I was very young, my Dad used to manage just fine with one car that had a lot less space in than these options?

I have a 5 door 1-series and manage fine with a couple of kids on board (albeit pushchair is no longer needed).

Heck my parents took themselves and 4 kids on holiday in a Renault 5, including 4 bicycles.. (probably not recommended)

I do think it's funny when people say an e90 touring-sized car is too small!

 

[mjt]

Not in W211 form, surely a £10k W212 is going to be crap.

Ah yes course. My bad!

Why is it when I was very young, my Dad used to manage just fine with one car that had a lot less space in than these options? ...my early childhood was dominated by MK2 Ford Grenadas a series 3 XJ6 and the Daimler variant and an XJ40 ...while all being big big cars for the time they actually had very little cargo space, especially compared to today's offerings.

My parents survived with a Honda City and a 2-door Saab 900 turbo.

As above though, times have changed. I like my A6 because I can throw the pram in the back with a whole load or other **** without having to fold it.
Bigger is just easier

 

[Nathan]

I was in the same position as you 18 months ago. We however have a large German pointer too. I went for the skoda superb estate in elegance spec. It's a great family car, so much space and spec.