E39 530 auto to E46 330d manual

[Jimmer]

Newbie here. Although been lurking for far too long!! Just looking for peoples thoughts re the above car change. Have currently E39 530 Auto & E46 330d Auto company car. Job change means I'm giving back the 330d auto & running the 530 on a car allowance, but doing approx 40k miles pa. I want a manual (control & fuel economy benefits)as good as steptronic is. My thoughts are this.


1. I prefer the E39 to the E46 as a car. More roomy.
2. E39 530d manuals are rare as rocking horse... although 330d manuals arent that common.
3. E46 330d facelift ie 204hp are still very strong money. You can buy an M3 for less for god sake.
4. Is 40k pa going to payback the outlay of the car change ie fuel economy of the 3 litre petrol auto vs diesel man (25 vs 45 mpg approx)
5. My 530 has 89k on the clock & I'm nervous about breaking the 100k mark due to residual effect. However car owes me nothing & is 100% reliable.

All comments appreciated. Even if its dont be so gay & buy an M3

[rassi]

How old is the 530d? If you are the first owner then I would keep it - you know the car, and how it has been driven and changing cars (in your case to a manual 530d) would not be worth the hassle for economy reasons, IMO.

[jimmer]

Thanks for the reply Rassi. The 530 is petrol not diesel hence concerns over the fuel economy & benefits of changing to a manual diesel.

[laingy]

work out how much you woudl save a year on petrol v diesel, then compare this to the cost of changing cars. I have a 530 e39, and keep thinking of changing it, but it is great and would cost me a lot to change, It is also bomb proof.

[anonymous-user]

I suspect that at 40kmiles a year you would just about start to break even on the diesel vs the petrol, more so if you drove them both similarly hard (my 330d sport tourer does 32mpg when thrashed, the 330i loaner i had did 22 over the same journey at the same speeds)


For me the reason to get a diesel was 2 things 1) it's just more relaxed to drive over long distances, and 2) with a range of approx 550miles i only have to fill up once a week, as opposed to 2x a week with a petrol

The manual 6spd cars are pretty good to drive, except for the low 1st gear, which i hate normally, but is great when i have my rally car and trailer on the back! lol!