Fun to drive, reasonable economy up to 5K, please help!

[gingerbeard]

Hi all,

I know there are lots of threads about this and I have tried to look at them all but am still a bit stuck.

I am a BMW fanboy but after my divorce I lost everything and now have a cheap Honda CR-V 2L petrol that gets appalling MPG.

I am looking at spending 5k, perhaps could stretch to a little more if really needed but has a list of very different cars I am looking at.

I do approx 300 miles per week motorway driving and then the rest around town in slow traffic (Oxford!)

Looking for something a bit luxurious but fun to drive when I want to have a bit of a hoon but with decent MP and servicing costs etc.
I had a Jag XF 3L Diesel for a while which was lovely and decent MPG but plagued by gearbox and other problems so I got rid.
Problem is BMW interiors are a bit bland but I could live with it.
Do not need a big car and am tempted by the BMW 123D as seems a good balance between MPG and RWD/power so a bit of fun.
Here is a list of cars I have found and I would really appreciate any owners or opinions on these cars of which to avoid given the mileage I would be looking at for £5k
Thank you so much for sparing your time to help and Happy Easter all

Ave. MPG taken from Honest John

Lexus G450-H £5k 28-42mpg
Lexus RX400H 305. mpg avg - have had before and very nice
Merc E220 (2.1D) 39-55mpg avg 46.7
Merc E280CDI 34.5
ES350 36.2 avg
Merc S320 (3L) 27-45 avg.36
Merc c320 (3L) 34.2 avg
BMW 123D 446. avg

Any other suggestions would be welcome, Cheers, Chris

[trevalvole]

Is ride quality important to you? If so, then I expect that the BMW will be a fair bit firmer than especially the larger Mercs.

I note the number of diesels in your list and wonder if at this age/price you'll be into DPF and other older diesel problems?

[OutInTheShed]

Racking up 15k miotorway miles a year, then hooning about at weekends could soon throw you some alarming bills in a lot of 'up market' £5k cars.
How long do you expect it to last, what's your ongoing budget for repairs, depereciation, replacement fund?

Does Oxford have ULEZ you need to deal with?

[ZX10R NIN]

When you're doing 15k a year comfort reliability & a decent amount of go would be my main focus, with this in mind I'd recommend the E250/350 Coupe as they're a very good place to be & a decent steer:

250:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403217...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401205...

350 SE:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308020...

Sport:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311153...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403308...

325d:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403087...

[georgeyboy12345]

Out of all those on your list I'd probably pick the E220 CDI. Not sure how fun they are to drive though. The most fun on your list will be the 123d, but they had the unreliable N47 engine in them. Best to get a post-2015 BMW with the B4/57 in them, but you'll need more money for that.

Some suggestions from me

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - fun to drive with their quick steering, nice inside, good on fuel and reliable

Petrol
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403057...

Diesel
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403257...


BMW 320d - mileage is a tad high, but these B47 motors are capable of over 250k miles if looked after
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403197...

ED Plus - capable of high mpg and still have most of the performance of the above
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403298...


For more performance, try this C350 CDI - again quite leggy, but these OM642s are capable 500k if looked after. Go for a post-2010 model as earlier ones suffered from oil leaks.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402246...


How about a smaller car? These DS3s are fun to drive, shouldn't be too bad to do loads of miles in, unless you are geriatric. Go for the Euro 6 models, the earlier ones had issues.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202402126...

[gingerbeard]

some good suggestion there thank, I think it would have to be the C250 power the extra power, Is there anything particular I have to look for reliability wise on these?

TBH I had my heart set in a 123D with a stage 1 re-map but looking at the timing chain issues does worry me a bit and not to say the Merc would be fare more luxurious.

Repair cost are not too much of a problem s long as they are not £1000s each time.

I am assuming a higher mileage merc is not to much to much to worry about and are these suitable so a stage 1 remap just for that extra bit of power?

Thanks for the replies and examples, most appreciated, Chris

[GreatGranny]

Weird list with all big luxury cars apart from the BMW which is the one you really want

Get the best 123d you can afford, be happy with the 200 bhp and 295 torques and enjoy it.

It will be fine for the 300 miles motorway driving and fun for a weekend blast.

I took our knackered Fiesta 1.4 TDCi to the Lakes last year and it was great fun.

[bodhi]

If you're set on a 1 Series Coupé and are concerned about the timing chain on a 123d, how about a 125i? Book average MPG for them is around 34, dropping to 25 in town but 40 on the motorway is fairly easy to achieve if you stick to speed limits, and over 30 is achievable if you don't.

A remap can easily get them up over 260 bhp, they sound brilliant and don't have any reliability issues that are too concerning - biggest concern is the water pump which is over £300 for the part, and the odd oil leak.

[DM8000]

Its not just the chain issues with the N47 - quite a few other bits go wrong - EGR system, DPF, Oil consumption problems. Don't get me wrong - nice engines to drive and great fuel economy but not built to last (although this may be at least in part due to BMW ridiculous 19k service intervals - finding one that's been serviced more often with proof will be a needle in a haystack). A more stressed twin turbo version even worse I imagine. I imagine you could get 30 mpg from a 130i or is that too low? Could be hard to find under 5k though in good shape.

Edited by DM8000 on Wednesday 3rd April 13:13

[pb8g09]

bodhi said:

If you're set on a 1 Series Coupé and are concerned about the timing chain on a 123d, how about a 125i? Book average MPG for them is around 34, dropping to 25 in town but 40 on the motorway is fairly easy to achieve if you stick to speed limits, and over 30 is achievable if you don't.

A remap can easily get them up over 260 bhp, they sound brilliant and don't have any reliability issues that are too concerning - biggest concern is the water pump which is over £300 for the part, and the odd oil leak.

+1 on this. Can also get as either manual or auto.

[gingerbeard]

some good suggestion there thank, I think it would have to be the C250 power the extra power, Is there anything particular I have to look for reliability wise on these?

TBH I had my heart set in a 123D with a stage 1 re-map but looking at the timing chain issues does worry me a bit and not to say the Merc would be fare more luxurious.

Repair cost are not too much of a problem s long as they are not £1000s each time.

I am assuming a higher mileage merc is not to much to much to worry about and are these suitable so a stage 1 remap just for that extra bit of power?

Thanks for the replies and examples, most appreciated, Chris

[gingerbeard]

Hmm, I'll have a look at the 125i as potentially with a remap could be nice. I'd love a 235i but the MPG puts me off a lot.
TBH I'm stuck between a smaller car as possibly more fun to drive but the E350 does make a good impression on me. Are they genuinely reliable?

Some great suggestions here, please keep them coming if you have any alternatives.

Thanks,

Chris

[ZX10R NIN]

gingerbeard said:

Hmm, I'll have a look at the 125i as potentially with a remap could be nice. I'd love a 235i but the MPG puts me off a lot.
TBH I'm stuck between a smaller car as possibly more fun to drive but the E350 does make a good impression on me. Are they genuinely reliable?

Some great suggestions here, please keep them coming if you have any alternatives.

Thanks,

Chris

They're very reliable & i'd take a 350 over a 250 the difference is small fuel wise & imo the 350 is smoother too remap a 350 & you'll be around 300bhp with around 550-600lbft.

[gingerbeard]

Hmm, I'll have a look at the 125i as potentially with a remap could be nice. I'd love a 235i but the MPG puts me off a lot.
TBH I'm stuck between a smaller car as possibly more fun to drive but the E350 does make a good impression on me. Are they genuinely reliable?

Some great suggestions here, please keep them coming if you have any alternatives.

Thanks,

Chris

[pb8g09]

M235i is obviously out of your original budget but if it’s just the fuel consumption that puts you off stretching upwards then it shouldn’t be. Mine gets easily over 35mpg on a run- I average 28mpg but I don’t drive economically. There are others on here that manage up to 40mpg out of it. The real kicker is the insurance on them at the moment- I can insure a Cayman for less.

125i would be the pick for me on your current budget, or the Merc barges if you’re just concerned with motorways.

[ZX10R NIN]

gingerbeard said:

Hmm, I'll have a look at the 125i as potentially with a remap could be nice. I'd love a 235i but the MPG puts me off a lot.
TBH I'm stuck between a smaller car as possibly more fun to drive but the E350 does make a good impression on me. Are they genuinely reliable?

Some great suggestions here, please keep them coming if you have any alternatives.

Thanks,

Chris

Yes they are, the whole 350d drivetrain is well proven. One thing is that if you have the pan roof you need to lube it twice a year otherwise they can develop a squeak or two.

[survivalist]

gingerbeard said:

Hmm, I'll have a look at the 125i as potentially with a remap could be nice. I'd love a 235i but the MPG puts me off a lot.
TBH I'm stuck between a smaller car as possibly more fun to drive but the E350 does make a good impression on me. Are they genuinely reliable?

Some great suggestions here, please keep them coming if you have any alternatives.

Thanks,

Chris

Real world mpg on the 235i will likely be better than the 125i. I went from a. 325i to a 335i and then 340i. At best the. 325i was similar on a relatively slow run, worse in most other scenarios