Tell me about the 330d.....for my dad....

Firstly if you choose a BMW then there is little point paying a premium for an x30d. Everyone wants one of those so you will pay dearly - and whilst it will be worth more when you sell it, you'll have paid more in the first place.

For wafting about I suspect an x30i or an x25i is probably the best compromise. Nice quiet smooth Straight Sixes which go well with an autobox.

The 330i was discontinued a while back so there are less than a year worth of facelift 330i Saloons to find. This is FAR too much money to be spending on prefacelift E90's. Don't discount the 325i - they still make it, there are quite a few of them around and at 204bhp they are hardly slow. The newer petrol engines are also pretty economical - about 20% more economical than the older engines, and I have just driven all the way from Inverkeithing above Edinburgh to Worcester on a single tank of fuel with 200 miles of range left in the tank on my older 530i..

A word of warning.

If you want a comfortable wafter, think carefully whether a BMW is the answer. My parents car is a 525i SE LCI. On paper, a comfortable wafter from BMW. In reality, the runflat tyres RUIN the car. The ride is excessively firm and the tyre roar is hopeless - it dominates the cabin and spoils any chance of a comfortable quiet drive.

Personally I think he'd be better off in a Merc or a Jaguar XF if he can find one in budget, though the early petrol XF is a bit pants (In a performance:economy kinda thing - ie its thirsty yet slow).
 
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[TW]Fox;18115785 said:
Firstly if you choose a BMW then there is little point paying a premium for an x30d. Everyone wants one of those so you will pay dearly - and whilst it will be worth more when you sell it, you'll have paid more in the first place.

For wafting about I suspect an x30i or an x25i is probably the best compromise. Nice quiet smooth Straight Sixes which go well with an autobox.

The 330i was discontinued a while back so there are less than a year worth of facelift 330i Saloons to find. This is FAR too much money to be spending on prefacelift E90's. Don't discount the 325i - they still make it, there are quite a few of them around and at 204bhp they are hardly slow. The newer petrol engines are also pretty economical - about 20% more economical than the older engines, and I have just driven all the way from Inverkeithing above Edinburgh to Worcester on a single tank of fuel with 200 miles of range left in the tank on my older 530i..

A word of warning.

If you want a comfortable wafter, think carefully whether a BMW is the answer. My parents car is a 525i SE LCI. On paper, a comfortable wafter from BMW. In reality, the runflat tyres RUIN the car. The ride is excessively firm and the tyre roar is hopeless - it dominates the cabin and spoils any chance of a comfortable quiet drive.

Personally I think he'd be better off in a Merc or a Jaguar XF if he can find one in budget, though the early petrol XF is a bit pants (In a performance:economy kinda thing - ie its thirsty yet slow).
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, all seems to make sense. Not really interested in a Merc or a Jag tbh. So I think its time to test drive a 325i and see where that takes us.
 
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