Which BMW for up to £12k max for fun + family duties

[billyb]

I am new to BMWs and am having a nightmare working out which models I should be considering for my main car which will have to do the odd commute to work, 200 mile motorway trips up the m40/m6 with the wife and baby and general fun driving. My budget is £12k max but I am toying with the idea of getting an older, cheaper car e.g. late 90's 5 series. Touring models are tempting for the extra boot space for baby crap plus throwing my mountain bike in the back.

I have been hunting around and am having trouble narrowing down my search. I have only test-driven one - a 2003 330d Touring which was too expensive but I wanted to get a feel for the 330d.

The list of cars I have drawn up so far includes everything from 540i to 330d. Anyone offer any suggestions? Perhaps the question boils down to should I be looking at a newer 3 series or an older 5 series? Is the 5 series as fun to drive?

[Vee]

E39 5 series is a hell of a lot of car for the money - 530i Sports are within your budget. You'll find 523/528s give similar mpg to the 530.
Then again, E46s are also great value for money - 330, either petrol or diesel).

Do you need the space a 5 series gives ?

[billyb]

Don't really need the space now for a 5 series - a 3 series seems big enough for now - but imagine I might need to 'upgrade' in a year or two's time. The other thing going for the 5 series is that it sometimes seem that they are actually cheaper than the corresponding 3 series...

[wrn]

Billy - you are right, many 5s are punished harder on the used markets than 3s, often making them a better buy. 3 coupes and cabs hold up particularly well relative to others.

[RacingTeatray]

I would be (am) seriously tempted by the prospect of an E34 M5 Touring. I know of two for sale, both metallic grey and low-mileage, for around the GBP10k mark.

But then you'd need to be cool about having LHD. It doesn't bother me remotely but I know some people can't hack it.

[billyb]

I am happy with LHD but the wife isn't!

At the other extreme to an M5, is a 1997 328i likely to be reliable and reasonably fun or old, knackered and slow? They seem to be had for less than £5k and might be a cheap option.

[raceboy]

Can't make a link work to AutoTrader, but....
£10k gets you an 99 'V' Alpina B10 estate, very rare, very cool, and very fast, what more do you need.
£12k gets you a minty late E36 M3 saloon, or an Alpina B3 in whatever shape you fancy.

[xm5er]

billyb said:

I am happy with LHD but the wife isn't! At the other extreme to an M5, is a 1997 328i likely to be reliable and reasonably fun or old, knackered and slow? They seem to be had for less than £5k and might be a cheap option.

You seariously cant beat the old 328, I bought one as a cheap runabout/city hack a couple of years ago and to be frank its more fun than the M5 I got rid of. Its also completely bullit proof, make sure you get a sport with a slippy diff if you go down this route. They are quicker than the e46 328 and about as quick as the 330 as they are considerably lighter.

[billyb]

xm5er said:

billyb said: I am happy with LHD but the wife isn't! At the other extreme to an M5, is a 1997 328i likely to be reliable and reasonably fun or old, knackered and slow? They seem to be had for less than £5k and might be a cheap option. You seariously cant beat the old 328, I bought one as a cheap runabout/city hack a couple of years ago and to be frank its more fun than the M5 I got rid of. Its also completely bullit proof, make sure you get a sport with a slippy diff if you go down this route. They are quicker than the e46 328 and about as quick as the 330 as they are considerably lighter.

Is the sport the same as the "SE" option pack or is this something different?

Edited - I have discovered "Sport" and "SE are unrelated so have answered my own question.

>> Edited by billyb on Saturday 15th April 15:55

[RedOctober]

Watch out for Nikasil engine bore wear problems on 1995-1998 328i's & 528i's. Many will have had their engines replaced now so check sevice history. If you get saddled with a ropey Nikasil engine it'll completely ruin your day as there's no quick fix and only a new engine will totally cure the fault. It's a well known issue with certain BMW models and doing a Google search using 'Nikasil' will turn up all the info you need to make your choice.

Tourings are great cars-I've got an old E34 525i touring and it's great fun to drive and can carry loads of stuff in the back. They really are as much fun to drive as the saloons.

Yes, the 5 series does get savaged by depreciation more than the 3-series, so the 5 is a better buy as it's cheaper and more spacious and doesn't use that much more fuel than the 3 series. Other road users seem to hate the 5-series less than the 3-series so you might get let out at junctions more in a 5 series!

E39 5 series is the best car on your budget-530i petrol a great car. Diesel's ok too but more expensive and harder to find & have been known to eat turbos on occasions.

The most sensible car for you is without doubt a late model E39 540i Touring. Big, lazy 4.4 litre V8 & 5-speed autobox gives grin-inducing performance yet will top 25mpg on long motorway run, maybe up to 28 mpg with a light foot Loads of space for family things and great to drive. All this for just 8k, although 12k should get you a minter-long live depreciation

I've had BMW saloons and the estate, and they both handle great but you'll come to appreciate the virtues of the estate more often in family life-I wouldn't be without my BMW estate now, it'd be like losing a limb

Good hunting!