204bhp 330d - Ive been reading up on this and there appears to be a common Turbo failure issue. Maybe this is due to the fact company car drivers dont check their oil levels and they wear out>?

I did some research into this as I was considering the 530d (with the same engine) and there seemed to be no reason why the turbos gave up and it was attributed to a manufacturing weakness. This problem also affected the 20d engine too. I believe turbos were replaced like with like so fun during the warranty period but a right pita outside it! I've read that these problems have been cured in the current shape 3 and 5 series, but I guess you could factor in a Warranties Direct warranty into the TCO to cover that.

When I was looking, the most reliable engine in the lineup was said to be the vanilla 3.0l straight 6 used in the 530i and 330i's.... No idea how true that was though as running costs made me give up on it!

Chris

It's apparently down to the oil change intervals being too long and burning out the turbo. Also, they suffer from heat soak a lot and people don't allow them to cool after driving them resulting in premature wear. At the indies where I took mine he was changing at least 1 a week on 320ds, 525d's and 530d's.

The 330i is a fantastic car. The poor mans M3 if you will. Very smooth, bullet proof engine, good on fuel (better than the old 318i 2.0 16v jobby apparently) and quick. They sound gorgeous too and don't suffer the same VANOS fate as the M3 Evo S50 B32 engine.

Even if the M3 Evo as been serviced at a dealer it's no gurantee that it wont fail. The dealers are buggers for not doing it as most owners don't know it exists. Not only that but can easily clog between intervals - it's just prone.

Any engine fitted with the S50 B32 engine has the potential to kill its VANOS, including the breadvan E36 M Coupe/ Roadster.

If it were me I'd get the 330i out of the lot. The E46 is a far better car than the E36 if a little less dynamic. Much more rust proof (the main thing killing E36's now) and the engine in the 330i is brilliant (230bhp).

Having had a look at autotrader the 330i M Sport230bhp models appear to be selling from

Another question what MPG will the E46 330i deliver?

Also does anyone know when it changed from 5 speed to 6 speed?

So here is the next issue - given you have selected the 3 series and in touring guise which is better 330i or 330d given its not far off

BMW started to struggle to sell the 330i because the 330d was so good.

People kept buying the diesel instead.

The 330i is not going to be as torquey obviously but still returns decent mpg. From what I've heard it's better than the 318i 2.0 - about 30mpg in normal driving.

If you're even slightly concerned about mpg though, don't buy a petrol BMW. They're there to be driven hard and the engine begs you to. A yowling 6 pot is not there to be tootled about in.

In terms of initial outlay the 330i is a better bet. also, the MPG figured wont be 'that' different. The 330d is low 40's at best whereas the 330i is low to mid 30's at best. You'd need to do some mega mileage to make up that

The eco trip is all well and good but it does need to make financial sense not just environmeltal sense.

Has anyone here driven the 204bhp 330d and the 230bhp 330i? what is the driving experiance like in both?

I know that the current 330d Touring is considered by many to be the best real world car period.

I also think that a non turbo 330i with a mere 230bhp might be not enough for me the new edition 265bhp has certainly resolved that issue.

Im just thinking will the 330d 204bhp be better than the 330i in the real world?

When I was looking, I was told that the 330i is marginally quicker on the road (in real world driving) than the 330d, but not significantly. 330d is more economical and slightly less refined, but the 330i will return low to mid 30's so not that bad for a 6-pot petrol.

330d will be more tunable, but also with the turbo issue, potentially more fragile. As said above, 3k buys a lot of petrol and road tax!

Chris

Ok just been on Bell direct getting a few quotes full comp

Golf Mk5 GT TDI 140 (

When I was looking, I was told that the 330i is marginally quicker on the road (in real world driving) than the 330d, but not significantly. 330d is more economical and slightly less refined, but the 330i will return low to mid 30's so not that bad for a 6-pot petrol.

330d will be more tunable, but also with the turbo issue, potentially more fragile. As said above, 3k buys a lot of petrol and road tax!

Chris

To be honest as much as I'd love to chip up a diesel the cost of

? No comments then>?

Brand spanking Panda 100HP - buy new for

It is interesting to see that the VAg TDi130 & Ford TDCI 130 cost me exactly the same in ins premiums.

The bigger surprise is that the M cars are much more to insure than a 996 Turbo porche.... crazy

Brand spanking Panda 100HP - buy new for

A friend with a Panda (which has just turned 3 years old) has also told me that she's had a few electrical gremlins with the radio coming on randomly when the car is parked up, and also that the air conditioning has now packed up (although they haven't found out why yet!). So about as reliable as a Fabia then

Chris

More so Chris, it doesn't leak or stutter

... a dart's player.

Rob!!! :eek::eek::eek:

Surely an 02 reg Mondy TDCI Ghia X 130bhp is better Value for money @

The bigger surprise is that the M cars are much more to insure than a 996 Turbo porche.... crazy

Not really - the BMW Ms tend to be owned by wideboys and gangsters (viz. the bullet-holed M3 that was for sale on ebay a little while back), whereas a 996 is something of an enthusiast's car that will be looked after and while it may well be driven fast, it will probably never be driven stupidly. Hence, a much lower claim rate and therefore lower premium...

Rob!!! :eek::eek::eek:

I know, I know, its indefensible...

Rob.

Surely an 02 reg Mondy TDCI Ghia X 130bhp is better Value for money @

I know, I know, its indefensible...

It's!!!!!!!!

Chris

You see my point surely