The best car for £5000? I think so..would you?
- Thread starter Jez
- Start date
Yeah these German cars look real tempting as a second hand buy, but they are cheap for a reason - not many people can afford to run them!
Serious money, and now the BMW warrenty has changed massively for the worst they are even more serious money.
Serious money, and now the BMW warrenty has changed massively for the worst they are even more serious money.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
In my 330d, I can get 40mpg with conservative driving on 1/2 motorway, 1/2 town. However my normal driving style only gets me 35mpg - which I'm a little dissapointed with - I had a Golf TDI before which would average 45mpg at least on the same route.
My dad went out for a 20minute spin in it and swears he managed 50mpg. I'm going to be heading up north (400 mile round trip) in a couple of weeks, so will see what I can get off that.
My dad went out for a 20minute spin in it and swears he managed 50mpg. I'm going to be heading up north (400 mile round trip) in a couple of weeks, so will see what I can get off that.
[TW]Fox said:
I've never driven a diesel that will manage anything like that return, yeah if you are freewheeling down hill you will get a nice 80mpg indicator on the old BMW dial of doom, but in practice I call utter BS on people claiming to get 50+ mpg from a 3 litre turbo diesel.
I drove my 330 like a muppet and never ever ever got close to 20mpg, I also drove it like a saint (rare i know) and I was damned if I could get 25mpg from it, I cant believe for one minute that just because its a diesel you get an additional 30mpg - especially as I drove the 330d, so given that and the fact the 530 is carrying an additional 18.5 tonnes in weight I have to play the "shenanigans" card.
NickXX said:
do you guys live in area with an unlimited downhill road
50mpg in a 330d is utterly ridiculous, sorry but I cannot for one minute entertain these claims.
and for the record I've driven thousands of miles in a 330d and gone from one extreme to another, one of the only things to amuse me on the journeys was min and max MPG testing, not once did I get close to these supposed 50mpg+ achievements. unless you journey from the top of John O'groats everyday and get dropped back there at night via a helicopter I just cannot believe it, sorry.
Will Gill said:do you guys live in area with an unlimited downhill road
50mpg in a 330d is utterly ridiculous, sorry but I cannot for one minute entertain these claims.
and for the record I've driven thousands of miles in a 330d and gone from one extreme to another, one of the only things to amuse me on the journeys was min and max MPG testing, not once did I get close to these supposed 50mpg+ achievements. unless you journey from the top of John O'groats everyday and get dropped back there at night via a helicopter I just cannot believe it, sorry.
I reckon it's possible to nudge 50 on a long motorway journey - I'll try it next time I get the chance.
I reset my counter about 3 weeks ago, and have averaged 35mpg which has been a mixture of driving conditions and driven fairly hard. That would be 40 with a bit of care.
I'm very surprised you only got 25mpg max out of it with careful driving. I very much doubt I could get mine under 30 with a lot of thrashing. Sounds like you were driving it as if it was a petrol - I.e. up against the redline.
This is an extremely helpful thread, I am thinking of moving from my Leon to an E39 5 series in the next few months or so and some of this information is gold dust, cheers guys 
...oh yea and I'm also getting crazy, silly, stupid, irresponsible ...hooligan ideas about maybe going for something like a Civic Type R, which given the type of driving I do would just annoy me most of the time ...and it’s totally different to any car I've really been that interested in buying over the past 4 years or so ...but I had a drive of one not all that long ago and I think I got a bit addicted to the VTEC range (6k+ rpm baby yea!) and the amazingly nice steering and lovely gear change. Gahh I dunno, it's like sitting in a bin-liner (almost) compared to a nicely specced E39.
...oh yea and I'm also getting crazy, silly, stupid, irresponsible ...hooligan ideas about maybe going for something like a Civic Type R, which given the type of driving I do would just annoy me most of the time ...and it’s totally different to any car I've really been that interested in buying over the past 4 years or so ...but I had a drive of one not all that long ago and I think I got a bit addicted to the VTEC range (6k+ rpm baby yea!) and the amazingly nice steering and lovely gear change. Gahh I dunno, it's like sitting in a bin-liner (almost) compared to a nicely specced E39.
Will Gill said:it was a petrol, I was saying the best I ever managed in the petrol was 21-22mpg, and whilst driving the diesel I could manage maybe 35, maybe 40 at best, 50mpg is buttercups, and 38mpg at 97 is utter fantasy
Yeah - that sounds about the same as I've managed then. I've not managed to get anywhere near 50mpg.
I wouldn't say 50mpg wasn't possible on a long journey but it wouldn't be easy or particularly practical.
Will Gill said:maybe in a 330 it might be more beliveable, but this is a 5 series with another 28 tonnes of metal to move making the claims of economy utterly comical
Come on Will Gill I'm not some dude with a portable sun, I've seen it happen, it is possible, and it's not my car and I'm buying a petrol one so I've no reason to pretend
[TW]Fox said:Come on Will Gill I'm not some dude with a portable sun, I've seen it happen, it is possible, and it's not my car and I'm buying a petrol one so I've no reason to pretend
maybe yours had an audi four wheel drive conversion - thats good for an extra 10-15 mpg
*refuses to believe an 18 tonne tank can ever return 50+ mpg*
