BMW 320D – any good as a work car to cover lots of miles economically?

Looking to replace my ageing Audi A3. Looking around the £10k price for a low-mileage BMW.
They seem a nice car, but would I expect any problems?
Boot seems a reasonable size to get a bike in, plus the family plus work stuff?

I had one, was very good fuel wise. Seem to remember getting 650 out of a tank, that was urban commutes and Autobahn smashing. Was a 56 plate. The boot isn’t very big and is an awkward shape, that and the lowish roof means it’s probably not as bike friendly as you might like.

I would say yes. I bought one in 2005 with 17k on it. Still have it with nearly 240k on it.

I would buy one with the intention of driving it until it’s scrap. The depreciation will bring tears to your eyes if you’re doing more than average mileage.

I found mine very economical on fuel. I can get over 600 miles to a tank on mainly motorway driving but with some urban as well.

The boot is a funny shape and I would advise going for a roof mounted bike rack.

Could always look at a touring?

The touring isn’t actually that big in the boot, but it’s a lovely drive and the 3 series in general is a really good car. I don’t know what the resale values are like, but I drive a 3 GT which is perfect for bikes in the boot. It’s a longer wheelbase as well so it’s massive in the back.

Not sure if it applies to all years, but for some fold-down rear seats were only any option (rather than standard) on the saloon.. Touring is probably the better option if you want the bike inside – not actually much more room, but more height to manoeuver..

Every other car on the M62 in a morning seems to be one so I assume they must be ok. :rolls:
At least you won’t stand out.

Ooh, so snidey remarks about people’s cars are ok eh? 😐

Big step up in quality from an a4. There are far more golfs and passats around, so it could be worse.

Mine was the touring, when you said bike in the boot I assumed you were looking at the touring!

I spend more time on the M62 than I do in bed; it’s rather a lovely piece of motorway and is furnished with a full array of vehicles.

Anyhow, Dizze B is right for once, don’t be an arse. Some people have nicer cars than you, get over it 😀

I’ve got a 2004 320d touring, other than a new engine when the old one ate the swirl flaps it’s a great car. IIRC the swirl flaps thing was fixed around 2006 but check if you go for an older diesel. Easy and cheap to fix if you know ahead of time.

I can get my bike in the back with the seats down and wheels on. Two bikes, two blokes, and a weekends kit go in easily. For local trips I use a roof mounted rack as it’s easier.

It just went past 115,000 miles and I expect to still be running it after another 100kat least.

I had an 04 plate 320D Touring. Lovely car but the boot could have been bigger – which I think it was on later models.
I averaged about 42 mpg, mix of motorway miles and cross-town Rush hour traffic to get to/from the motorway, which meant a range of about 550 miles.

Beware the paler cloth trims, they stain easily and don’t clean so easily

I had a 2003 320d Touring as a company car years ago and loved it. Quick, economical and reliable.

I now run a 2011 318d Exclusive Edition Touring that does 44mpg around town and 60mpg on a run. I bought the 318 as it is only £30 a year road tax. My wife uses it more than me as I only do 12 miles a day so use her 3 litre convertible.

If you buy a pre 2011 car I have some roof rails to fit it available.

As above if you go for a saloon check the seats go down otherwise you’ll struggle to get a bike in.
I think most coupe seats go down.

I’ve got a 320d tourer , cracking car. Boot not the biggest but will get bikes in with front wheel off and seats down. I’d still rather this than on the roof etc.

Drives well and economy is OK…about £60 to fill up just under qtr full and average about 450 piles per tank with a mix of urban and small amount of motorway driving. 48mpg on motorway maybe 37 around town.

M-sport model can be a harsh ride , quite firm but handles well. Run flats will also give a harsh ride. I’ve had 4 BMW 3 series; clearly I like them!

Ford Focus would probably do the job, just not as aspirational.

How about a 1series?

Tiny. No way to get a drum kit in a 1 series (or X1)

Cracking engine, I have a 520d touring, owned for only a few months and it’s very good. Get 620 to 650 or so per tank with a mix of motorway and town driving, I did get nearly 700 on a round trip to my brother in the north west from London. As some said to me before buying, once driven a BMW you get the fuss (assuming you like cars / driving!).

There are lots on the road for a reason.

(2011 model btw)

Good cars! Check models around 2008 for rattling from the back of the engine as they did a dodgy batch of crankshafts which stretched/damaged the timing chains. I had to have my 5 series engine rebuilt at a cost of many £££££’s. Ive had 62mpg out of mine on a run a couple of times!

Had a few as company cars, all thrashed from new – never run in,. Never had any bother with them.
Great cars.

Mpg? normally get between 500 and 650 miles out of tank on my current 320d estate.

If your looking at the saloons make sure the rear seats drop down, this was an option on the E90 and E92 cars I had spec’d up.

How many is ‘lots’?

If +30k then I’d be looking at nearly new cars or be prepared to change yearly, if only 10k then sure, an older 3 series would be fine.

Previously I’ve put 160k on in four years, and then you need new/demo otherwise it’ll be costly (and need decent maintenance) and it’s still zero value at the end.

Agree with most of the above though why anyone would want a Saloon over the Touring is beyond me. Even with the flippable seats they are irritatingly impractical for carrying anything oversized / outdoors stuff.
Not sure when they introduced the Efficient Dynamics but they are very economical. Only downside is ground clearance which is pretty shit tbh. Pretty much any 3 series with a powerful engine is a very capable mile muncher. I’ve now got the 320D ED Touring and knock in > 40k p.a – few niggles but overall its a brilliant car.

Interesting,I see a lot of 3 series touring up here,(Lake Disrict),wondered why so many were using racks…. . Last car I had was Subaru Legacy Tourer and that had odd shaped “boot”.

Not sure when they introduced the Efficient Dynamics

ED came in on facelift E90’s sometime around 2008/2009.

I’ve had three 320d’s and all have been faultless. Great cars and lovely to drive.

Forgot to mention my 2004 is the M-Sport touring, the ride is firm (18s baby 🙂 )but certainly not uncomfortable. No run flats though.

I do about 30k miles a year and would have to buy something in the £10k region. Seen a couple showing 20,000 miles on the clock on an ’09 plate. Most cars will be worth nothing after 3 years of that mileage. I just don’t want a load of expensive breakdowns or parts to go wrong over those 3 years??!!

9 year old E91 320d here. Had it about 5 years now, done just over 130k.

It’s been pretty good. By far the best car I’ve owned (although I’ve only been through 5 in 23 years of driving). It’s big enough (just), it’s plenty quick, economy is decent but not exceptional (45mpg or 600miles/tank most of the time). Ride is on the firm/sporty side, although that’s not entirely a bad thing as it does make me think a bit more about how fast I go. Handling is lovely and it’s rare that a B-road blast fails to put a smile on my face.

Reliability has been good. There’s been a few niggly faults – things like windscreen washer pumps and the cabin fan squeaking, but it’s never failed to start and it’s never broken down.

I’ve no desire to replace it – mostly as I don’t really fancy anything else. Same thing with a bigger engine might be nice, but the extra grunt from a 330d isn’t really necessary.

I have one of the last of the previous shape ones.

Most stupidly long title of any car I have had:

320d M sport touring executive plus (or something)!

I do about 20k a year (current one is 48K) – mostly motorway but the odd school run etc and get 50mpg.

No problems so far – just tyres to replace (one set of rears – front OK)

This one has deprecuated quite swftly – I think due to it being a sell out model – looking around to replace it and it seems to be worth about the final value of the PCP – 15k ish

Could be for sale – I can also hand it back with no cost on the PCP as I have paid half the finance.

Get one they are good!