# Time for a new car again...lol



## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Well I've only had the Z4M 7 months, but after the summer it's got to go. 
My wife is expecting our first child so my short time with the ragtop is up.

I had thought about keeping it, but tbh I want something that the 3 of us will be able to go out in together. 
I've got loads of time to decide what to buy, but welcome peoples input.

Currently looking at 3 and 5 series M Sport variants.

Has anyone experience with 330d/335d or 530d/535d. 
Like the look of both, although probabally more the 3er.

Obviously the 335 is the quicker engine and remapped is something like 5.5 secs to 60.

Tempted to look at the 330d though, which come in about 4k cheaper, leaving room for a pot to start saving for a summer toy so I don't become a complete boring arse.


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## rustyintegrale (Oct 1, 2006)

Congratulations to you and Mrs Matt! 

No ideas on the car though mate, sorry... :lol:


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

rustyintegrale said:


> Congratulations to you and Mrs Matt!


Thanks Rich.


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## rustyintegrale (Oct 1, 2006)

Be prepared for lots of this... :lol:


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## DAZTTC (May 20, 2005)

Congratulations buddy all the best to Claire Gem sends her love too.   

DAZ 8)


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## Redscouse (Sep 30, 2008)

Hey Matt,

Congrats mate, chuffed for you   Sending all the best to you and Claire 

I think you should come back over to the 4 Rings and get an S4 or something 

Paul


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## SteveTDCi (Nov 10, 2009)

Congratulations, not sure on your choice though I'd save some money and go for a Mondeo or even a c320cdi or even a passat cc. I'd also try and sell the z4 while the sun is out you will get more for it and it should sell quicker with the sun out


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

I have looked at the more sensible options. Mondeo, Focus, Rover 75!, but every is so bloody dull. lol Only plus side is I could buy a cheaper car and spunk the rest on an elise.

At least with a decent set of rims the 3 series can look aggressive. a4 and a6 seem to also look very 'soft'.


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## conlechi (May 6, 2006)

Congratulations Matt and Claire [smiley=baby.gif]

Mark


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## denTTed (Feb 21, 2007)

You could just get a coupe TT it does us 4 fine. My choice would be the 535 or 530 in that order.

Oh and congratulations, they're great fun, incredibly frustrating, a drain on everything but sometimes its all worth it.


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## Charlie (Dec 15, 2006)

CONGRATULATIONS Matt, great news buddy.

I would def go for the 335d and remap it, apparently they are laugh out loud fast when done properly 

Charlie


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

First off. Congrats.

Second off, it is entirely surprising just how quick some of these modern diesels are. I remember being in Clive's remapped 535d and it would have eaten my then TTC (225) for breakfast.

We've had our 530d M sport for about 3 and a half years now and what I would say is that it's been the unluckiest car we've ever had.

Alongside the faults I'm about to outline below, we've also had:

Puncture about 20 yaards after picking the car up.
Blow out - on the same tyre (new).
Pothole damage to the same wheel and tyre again - new alloy and tyre needed.
Probably damaged the front wheel at the same time too.
Car been hit while parked.
Stone managed to fly up, hit the roof and dent it.
New rear screen needed as a tile fell off our roof and went through it.
New front screen needed a couple of days later after a stone chip.

But these could have happened to any car we had and shouldn't be counted against the BMW per se. What they have done, howver is probably soured the overall ownership experience and tainted my view below.

Here's what I've learned over the past three and half years.

We originally wanted an A6 and I'll make no bones about the fact that I think the Audi is the better looking car. It's also probably a nicer place to sit in too. We just couldn't afford one at the time.

That said, I've grown into thinking that the BMW is a good looking car in its own right.

The best thing about it though has to be the engine. I'd say whatever other compromises you make to get the best car you can afford, don't let it be the engine. We test drove the BMW 525d and neither my wife nor I found it to be as good as the 3.0 litre. We also drive the A6 3.2 petrol V6 back to back with the 3.0d and that was a disappointment too - it felt like hte car had a trailer on it. The sales guy at Audi suggested the 2.7d A6, but then admitted it was no comparison for the bigger engine. It's also essentially the same engine that's been doing the rounds since the Audi 100, so I discounted that.

So. On to the Beemer.

I think I managed to buy slightly the wrong car again as the Beemer got a power hike shortly after ours (ours is 218bhp) and I know the Audi did too - up to 233 from 225.

All that aside, what's it been like? Well, we've been unlucky with it. There's been quite a lot gone.

We had trouble with the iDrive and the screen for the satnav - but luckily it was still under warranty at that point. And we've had loads of trouble with the tyre pressure sensors on long trips. They kept flagging that we've got a loss of pressure which means stopping to check. As we did actually have a puncture the first time this happened, we've been more cautious than we might have otherwise been, if it had always been a no fault. That said, the last time it was a problem was putting the winter wheels on, which are non run flats, so maybe it's sorted itself out.

The biggest thing, however, has been the compressor for the rear suspension. I don't know if you've read about any of the problems we've had, but essentially the car is very prone to failure on this due to a very cheap piece of rubber hose. This is exposed and gets damaged, so you get a leak in the system. Once this happens, the compressor burns itself out trying to compensate.

The car then becomes undriveable as it's sitting on the bump stops. This has happened to us twice now - though the second time turned out to be a connector not connecting properly so it was intermittent.

Also the rear electrics are prone to failure as the wires go through the hinges in the rear tailgate. Our rear demister currently doesn't work and the wiper is intermittent.

Currently, the bonnet catch has corroded too. I actually couldn't open the bonnet some time back and had to spray it with wd40 and wait till it unstuck it all to be able to release it. I noticed the fuel consumption was high on a recent trip to France (and the car was noisier than normal too). It wasn't until we stopped for fuel that I noticed the bonnet wasn't shut properly as the catch hadn't engaged. Not sure if this is a common fault or just another one particular to me.

I've also heard that those cars with panoramic roofs leak. So I'd avoid one of those at all costs.

So, those are the big minuses. But the positives are that you get a car that is genuinely fast, not too bad on mpg (just got 37mpg on the way down to Devon this weekend and ours is auto) and is still fun to drive when pressing on.

Where it scores over the Audi is that you feel like part of the car. The Audi always felt like you were on it, rather than in it.

It's rubbish in the snow, but a good set of winter tyres will remedy most of the problems.

All in all, I'd say I love the car when it works well, but I think we bought a lemon. If I could do it all again, I'd probably go back and buy the 4.2 V8 A6 we saw (especially as it had every option box ticked and was over 60k new) and hope the extra fuel costs would have been offset by the fact we hadn't spent so much pounds fixing stuff.

In all seriousness, I think when we do replace this, it will be a toss up between an A6 3.0d quattro and a 535d. With the quattro edging it as I prefer Audis and we live somewhere fairly hilly that seems to get hit by the snow when it does come down.

In conclusion, if the car had been trouble free, both my wife and I wouldn't have a bad word to say about it. It's a great drive, it's big, it's comfortable for long trips. If only they did the x-drive in the UK.

Hope this helps.

Kell.


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

That's very helpful Kell, thankyou.

Seems you have been very unlucky with the car. It sounds almost as bad as my cursed Citroen C2 which I swear was cursed from new.

Have you any idea how running costs compare between the 3 and 5 series when comparing the same engines?

For example 335d and 535d. Does the 5er have more to go wrong, bigger brakes etc or no real difference?


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## Fictorious (Sep 15, 2009)

335i + evolve remap (390bhp), you know it makes sense. Saloons are about £17k, Coupe around £15k for an SE, 18k for an M Sport.


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

Hark said:


> That's very helpful Kell, thankyou.
> 
> Seems you have been very unlucky with the car. It sounds almost as bad as my cursed Citroen C2 which I swear was cursed from new.
> 
> ...


I think the bigger, more luxurious cars always tend to have more standard kit that has the potential to go wrong. I also think that generally the E60/E61 is more fragile than its predecessor. I don't think the 3 series has the self-levelling suspension, so that would never be an issue for you in the smaller car.


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Kell said:


> I think the bigger, more luxurious cars always tend to have more standard kit that has the potential to go wrong. I also think that generally the E60/E61 is more fragile than its predecessor. I don't think the 3 series has the self-levelling suspension, so that would never be an issue for you in the smaller car.


Also, the E60 saloons don't have the self levelling suspension.


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

denTTed said:


> You could just get a coupe TT it does us 4 fine.


Us 4??

How lol?

I've just been and had a look around a BMW and Audi dealers today. Looked at a TT coupe, but rear seats are non existent and boot isn't great. A4 Avant on 19s looked alright as did an S5 lol. Generally all very dull though an enjoyed getting in the M and hooning off to the next place.

BMW had some a nice alpina 3er which I hadn't even thought about. Looked at a 5 series, but I think it's too big tbh. 3er was lovely inside, looks great from some angles, not as good from others. I find it hard to look at a car on standard small alloys and high suspension and get excited. Try to imagine them with 19'' csls, but alas I was never very creative. :roll:


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## Jen-TT (Feb 2, 2009)

I've had a my60 320d m sport as a courtesy car a few months ago and loved it. I had a 318ci (e46) a few years ago and this is head and shoulders above that.

It was an auto and was pretty good to drive around i thought that was quite quick so the 330d or 335d would be quite a beast. The handling was decent and the back end would step out a little when pushed hard. I thought space wise it was a little tight at the front but nothing i couldn't live with.

Looks wise it does look nice and has a few nice touches (lights in the door handles etc)

Have you thought about an alfa 159? Performance wise it wont touch the bmw's but it looks sooo much better. Have a look at the TI spec which comes with the optional 19" rims and a few other extras.


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## elrao (Apr 19, 2005)

Been looking at the same dilema myself (although I have an 18m old already). The TTR never gets used as there are three of us and as the family car is an S4 Avant (3.0 V6 charged) I find myself taking that if I need to go out by myself! So have been looking at a 'sporty' 4 seater, for me it needs to be something that I want to drive more than the S4, but also be practical enough to put a car seat in the back.

Looked at the 335d coupe very seriously, nearly bought one but got beaten to a good deal on one and haven't seen any others I like. The Evolve map seems to be the best, but the 335d comes at a hefty premium over the 335i and you need to do a few miles to get the extra investment back in saved fuel. Also considered the Mk2 TT Coupe, either an 'S' or the TDi. Would love an RS, but can't justify that much money for a TT, it is nearly second hand R8 money!

996/997 have back seats, but aren't practical with baby stuff! We sold our A3 sportback to buy an A4 Avant (ended up with the S4..) as we struggled for space in the A3 with a pram and shopping etc. Worth considering an estate, you will use the space! So would say either an A4/A6 avant or a 33xd estate would be a good choice. If we were buying an A4 again then I would look again at the 3.0TDi and the 2.0T, but a fully specced 3.0TDi cost MORE than our specced out S4!


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## Dash (Oct 5, 2008)

Sell the baby and keep the Z?

Only joking  Congratulations. Good luck in your search.

Early RS6?


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## denTTed (Feb 21, 2007)

Hark said:


> denTTed said:
> 
> 
> > You could just get a coupe TT it does us 4 fine.
> ...


Matt,

The MK2 is quite practical. The boot is sizeable, isofix for rear seats and in the front too, not drivers side though :lol: . Really as far as 4 seater, relatively practical, sportyish, god looking cars go the TT takes some beating.

The key thing really is not to be swayed into thinking you need all these travel systems for the baby, their life span is short as by the time they're 9 months old you're sick of clipping and unclipping stuff and tend to end up with a £100 stroller instead. That way you don't need a huge boot, plus the mrs has a car doesn't she? so one heap load lugger (old mondeo or the like) plus a nice car is a happy compromise. Well it is in my opinion.

John


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## jbell (May 15, 2006)

I would go for a Merc CLS320 CDi, looks great (IMO) and spec wise most are loaded, awesome engine as well and huge boot


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## amiTT (Jul 24, 2007)

jbell said:


> I would go for a Merc CLS320 CDi, looks great (IMO) and spec wise most are loaded, awesome engine as well and huge boot


Im with jbell on this... I have a CLS320 CDI and for the size of the car, it is a bloody rocket, drive one, you will be totally surprised! Also looks awesome too, and now the new model is out, there are some really good examples on an 07 plate with 35k miles for around £18/19k.


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## scoTTy (May 6, 2002)

elrao said:


> If we were buying an A4 again then I would look again at the 3.0TDi and the 2.0T, but a fully specced 3.0TDi cost MORE than our specced out S4!


The 3.0TDI is only £800 less than an S4!

I went for the 2.0T ..... and spent more than a decent spec'ed S4 :roll: :lol:


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## elrao (Apr 19, 2005)

scoTTy said:


> elrao said:
> 
> 
> > If we were buying an A4 again then I would look again at the 3.0TDi and the 2.0T, but a fully specced 3.0TDi cost MORE than our specced out S4!
> ...


£800 less and you get less options, once you add those options to a TDi to bring it inline with an S4 (you can't add things like the brakes / suspension though) you are paying more for the TDi!

We also got a good deal as the S4 was in the showroom, was meant for the regional director. That and they messed it up and priced it without accounting for the £2k HDD Sat Nav system!


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