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Post by Tim on Jul 27, 2022 16:27:48 GMT
For comparison according to the OBC I'm getting about 43 with the 430 compared to 44/45 with the 320. The latter was an xDrive which might dent things a bit. Otherwise the driving is similar between the 2 cars. xDrive is definitely OFF the want list, due solely to the issues you experienced! I find with 2-ltre vs. 3-litre, there is very little difference in mpg when cruising on a run, but a significant difference when driving 'around the doors'. That was my thinking, though without any sort of back-to-back comparison. I was also thinking that servicing costs would be higher for the 3-litre option, bigger bills if things go bang, etc. It does sound significantly better though, along with the extra 'shove'. Not really doing a good job of talking myself out of it, am I? It's exactly why the 430 ISN'T an xDrive  The 430 has only had 1 service so far but it was cheaper than the 320  . Could be because I took it to Grassicks rather than John Clark of course. Things like brakes and tyres are the same (at least on my 2 cars) so no difference there. One of the reasons we ended up in a 430 was that the 6 cylinder coupes all have electric seats as standard whereas the 4 pots don't and apparently nobody added them to a 320 or 420! Having said that I did look at quite a few 335d estates and ignoring the xDrive issue I found that the majority of those didn't even have heated seats let alone electric ones so there are oddities in BMW basic specs. 6 pot 3 series don't appear to have a higher base spec than the 4 pot ones. Maybe worth looking to see what a 530 estate got as a minimum compared to a 520? |
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Post by Boxer6 on Jul 27, 2022 20:21:42 GMT
Now that is a lovely thing; excellent spec, looks great and a nice (to me) colour. It is very near my top end of my budget, but I've saved it and will look more closely against the others in my garage. That's a good looking car too, but although it's fine size-wise, not keen on the Skoda red (or any red these days really) and I've just got rid of one (well, nine months ago, but, y'know!) |
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Post by Boxer6 on Jul 28, 2022 11:06:22 GMT
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Post by Big Blue on Jul 28, 2022 11:48:52 GMT
I wouldn't even consider that white one against the grey one the M Sport spec is well worth the difference. Good to see you've moved up to G31 models.  |
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Post by Martin on Jul 28, 2022 17:18:56 GMT
I wouldn't even consider that white one against the grey one the M Sport spec is well worth the difference. Good to see you've moved up to G31 models. I’d rather have an F11 530d/530d than a basic G31 520d and spend some of the saving on fuel. BMWs should have a minimum of 6 cylinders….  |
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Post by Big Blue on Jul 28, 2022 17:41:21 GMT
I always find it amusing that BMWs must have a 6 when the gold standard BMW in terms of driving, desirability and race results is the E30 M3. Then the car that saved the company was the 2 cylinder Isetta which spawned the 700, also a two cylinder. Even the E36 318iS is a better steer than the E36 M3.
Anyway as any fool knows real BMWs have boxer twin engines and two wheels.
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 20, 2022 22:57:31 GMT
Moving away from 5's, to 3-tourings.
So, with that in mind, collective thoughts on this please?
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Post by Alex on Aug 21, 2022 6:18:35 GMT
My father in law has one (a 320i not a 330d) of similar age and does rather like it. It is obviously smaller inside than a 5 but if it does all you need then it's a nice enough car and that engine will be much smoother than the 320d. Can't comment much on the spec but it doesn't look like a particularly loaded example. But that depends how much such things bother you.
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 21, 2022 19:33:09 GMT
As above. Good cars and a good engine, but that looks a bit basic in terms of FG.
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Post by Martin on Aug 21, 2022 23:24:14 GMT
I agree with Alex and Racing, it would be worth waiting / looking for something with a better spec.
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Post by PetrolEd on Aug 22, 2022 7:29:23 GMT
Its very a good car but as others have said in a bit of a dull spec. Just as well it has the small wheels as we had the M sport Plus pack on our old Touring and it had a woeful ride. Check you sit comfortably too as the seats are offset to the right of the steering wheel and gives you a very unnatural seating position and they sit too high. Deffo get a 6 Cylinder if you can.
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Post by Tim on Aug 22, 2022 7:51:33 GMT
Nice car, weird to see a Touring without the pimp glass though. It has the puny sat nav screen though - that doesn't matter for actually using the sat nav but the rotary controller always looks a little undernourished compared with a car fitted with the Pro Nav. In addition it doesn't have the Harman Kardon stereo. Having tried cars with and without back to back if you like listening to music then you definitely need the HK. I know someone who would be happy to sell you a set of genuine BMW F31 roof bars for £50 as well |
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 22, 2022 8:19:16 GMT
Thanks all. Forgot about the offset driver's seat in these tbh, which might well be a deal-breaker for me at my advanced years - my back and shoulders are a bit knackered as it is, so I don't need any more issues. Tim, I'd spotted the lack of HK speakers, so that could be an issue too. As for wheels, anything bigger than 18" on a 3 OR a 5 is out for me, they start getting silly money from 19" upwards. Nto massiely fussed about the Nav pack, though better is better, right? |
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Post by PetrolEd on Aug 22, 2022 8:38:39 GMT
I'm sure the Anoraks will clarify but our F31 came with 19's. HK sound, bigger brakes and pimp glass as part of the M Plus Package. It might be hard to find a car that has these options separately.
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 22, 2022 9:00:27 GMT
I'm sure the Anoraks will clarify but our F31 came with 19's. HK sound, bigger brakes and pimp glass as part of the M Plus Package. It might be hard to find a car that has these options separately. It's proving to be harder than I'd have thought to find a car that ticks the boxes I want anyway!  |
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Post by Tim on Aug 22, 2022 11:47:42 GMT
M Plus also gets you swish blue 4 pot brake calipers I've never had a problem with the offset driving position. I'm not sure if this feature is standard but my F31 had a seat tilt lever, i.e. the whole seat (including backrest) tilted round whatever the point was. It turned out to be quite a handy feature. There was a separate lever (manual seats) for this. |
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 22, 2022 12:07:51 GMT
Never noticed an offset driving position in my 4 series and I’ve done some long drives in it.
As for pimp glass, I was never a particular fan until I had it here in Italy and then the term “sun protection glass” made total sense. It’s much better in hot weather.
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Post by PetrolEd on Aug 22, 2022 12:24:42 GMT
Never noticed an offset driving position in my 4 series and I’ve done some long drives in it. As for pimp glass, I was never a particular fan until I had it here in Italy and then the term “sun protection glass” made total sense. It’s much better in hot weather. Maybe its just a touring feature but it was massively pronounced. The steering wheel was over to the left, and the seat was pointing towards the A-Pillar. I rarely have any trouble driving anything for long distances. I was in the 911 for 4 hours a few weeks ago for example and got out of that as if I'd just popped down the road but the 3 Series caused havoc to my wrists, ankles and gave me a numb leg and arse. |
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Post by Tim on Aug 22, 2022 12:45:22 GMT
Never noticed an offset driving position in my 4 series and I’ve done some long drives in it. As for pimp glass, I was never a particular fan until I had it here in Italy and then the term “sun protection glass” made total sense. It’s much better in hot weather. Maybe its just a touring feature but it was massively pronounced. The steering wheel was over to the left, and the seat was pointing towards the A-Pillar. I rarely have any trouble driving anything for long distances. I was in the 911 for 4 hours a few weeks ago for example and got out of that as if I'd just popped down the road but the 3 Series caused havoc to my wrists, ankles and gave me a numb leg and arse. It must just be you, perhaps you're simply not BMW shaped |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Aug 22, 2022 14:18:54 GMT
Never noticed an offset driving position in my 4 series and I’ve done some long drives in it. As for pimp glass, I was never a particular fan until I had it here in Italy and then the term “sun protection glass” made total sense. It’s much better in hot weather. Maybe its just a touring feature but it was massively pronounced. The steering wheel was over to the left, and the seat was pointing towards the A-Pillar. I rarely have any trouble driving anything for long distances. I was in the 911 for 4 hours a few weeks ago for example and got out of that as if I'd just popped down the road but the 3 Series caused havoc to my wrists, ankles and gave me a numb leg and arse. Are you sure it's not you being a strange shape or the 911 being a poor RHD conversion that you've got used to? I've driven dozens of saloon and estate 3 series (E90, F30) and I can assure you the driving position isn't offset. I do remember someone saying something similar about the Lexus IS and being a bit puzzled about that too. Maybe some people just sit strangely. |
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 22, 2022 15:06:35 GMT
Maybe its just a touring feature but it was massively pronounced. The steering wheel was over to the left, and the seat was pointing towards the A-Pillar. I rarely have any trouble driving anything for long distances. I was in the 911 for 4 hours a few weeks ago for example and got out of that as if I'd just popped down the road but the 3 Series caused havoc to my wrists, ankles and gave me a numb leg and arse. Are you sure it's not you being a strange shape or the 911 being a poor RHD conversion that you've got used to? I've driven dozens of saloon and estate 3 series (E90, F30) and I can assure you the driving position isn't offset. I do remember someone saying something similar about the Lexus IS and being a bit puzzled about that too. Maybe some people just sit strangely. Cheers guys, make things easier why don't you! |
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 22, 2022 15:14:24 GMT
🤣
Honestly, I’ve done some 3-4 hr stints without stopping across France and Italy in the last couple of years and haven’t noticed anything untoward.
Possibly the 4-series has a more reclined seating position compared to a 3-series?
Either way, I’ve found our 4-series a brilliant all-rounder. If you could stretch to a 340i Touring, do it! The engine/gearbox combination is truly excellent and it’s astoundingly frugal on a motorway run for the performance on tap.
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Post by Boxer6 on Aug 22, 2022 15:43:19 GMT
🤣 Honestly, I’ve done some 3-4 hr stints without stopping across France and Italy in the last couple of years and haven’t noticed anything untoward. Possibly the 4-series has a more reclined seating position compared to a 3-series? Either way, I’ve found our 4-series a brilliant all-rounder. If you could stretch to a 340i Touring, do it! The engine/gearbox combination is truly excellent and it’s astoundingly frugal on a motorway run for the performance on tap. The only way to know for sure is to get a test drive in one, or preferably more. I'm struggling to find decent 330d Tourings, and really not keen on a large petrol for daily use however frugal it might be on a run. I simply don't do enough long, or even medium-length, journeys to justify it to myself, never mind Herself. Also, while she doesn't drive my car(s) very often, it's often enough that she's managed to kerb at least one wheel on every car I've had since we've been together! On that basis, a 5 would be a better bet, as she's already described that as "far too big". (Except, oddly, the Alfa, which she hated! Work that one out). |
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 22, 2022 17:36:58 GMT
Is a 335d too much?
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Post by racingteatray on Aug 22, 2022 18:04:42 GMT
Must it be an estate? 4GCs are quite practical and cost less “like for like” than Tourings as a general rule.
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Post by Alex on Aug 22, 2022 18:09:35 GMT
I think the trouble with 330ds is that sometimes those buying are just able to stretch to one over their natural choice of 320d and hence they don't have much budget for options. 335ds tend to have more added to them as the buyers were more likely to be in the market for 6 cylinder model.
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Post by ChrisM on Aug 22, 2022 19:48:02 GMT
What do you actually want on your next car? Write down a list of the essentials, e.g. heated seats, parking sensors F&R and make sure that any potential purchase has all these fitted. It's basically the only way to ensure that you won't be disappointed. When I was looking for a Galaxy in 2003, I worked out that t had to be a Ghia diesel manual, and only looked at such cars. OK it did take me almost 6 months to find what I wanted, but at least I didn't feel short-changed by not having any "essentials" missing
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Post by PetrolEd on Aug 22, 2022 20:52:01 GMT
Maybe its just a touring feature but it was massively pronounced. The steering wheel was over to the left, and the seat was pointing towards the A-Pillar. I rarely have any trouble driving anything for long distances. I was in the 911 for 4 hours a few weeks ago for example and got out of that as if I'd just popped down the road but the 3 Series caused havoc to my wrists, ankles and gave me a numb leg and arse. Are you sure it's not you being a strange shape or the 911 being a poor RHD conversion that you've got used to? I've driven dozens of saloon and estate 3 series (E90, F30) and I can assure you the driving position isn't offset. I do remember someone saying something similar about the Lexus IS and being a bit puzzled about that too. Maybe some people just sit strangely. Sometimes I need to check I haven’t stumbled onto a BMW forum rather then our site. Offset driving positions on BMWs isn’t exactly New news. A quick google Will provide plenty of similar comments. Ours was a manual so might accentuated the issue even further. As for Porsche the dodgy offsets haven’t been a thing since the 90’s thankfully. I’m just surprised that manufacturers can’t get seats, peddles and steering wheel perfectly aligned. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Aug 23, 2022 7:36:02 GMT
Funnily enough I did Google offset driving positions and the Porsche forums are full of people complaining about the offset driving position on, particularly, 993s and RHD models.  |
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Post by Tim on Aug 23, 2022 7:43:05 GMT
I think the trouble with 330ds is that sometimes those buying are just able to stretch to one over their natural choice of 320d and hence they don't have much budget for options. 335ds tend to have more added to them as the buyers were more likely to be in the market for 6 cylinder model. You'd think so wouldn't you but when I was looking pre-lockdown I was astounded at how many 335d Tourings were on smaller wheels, standard brakes, had no upgraded satnav, no-Harman Kardon, no pimp glass and no heated seats. I'd say at least 75% appeared to have zero options ticked. |
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. Could be because I took it to Grassicks rather than John Clark of course.
