Hi my names Will. I have always loved the look of the 3 series and after 5 years of owning a Mazda RX8 think its time to get one,i work in the NHS in a pretty low paid role and the rx8 is killing me on fuel each week so im looking for a nice Black,grey or silver 3 series coupe ive scoured auto trader and fell in love with a grey 2010 model but someone got to it before I could, im a gadget geek and want one with I-drive (the later version that can be updated by usb) my budget is £5,500.It was not my original plan but I think id go automatic this time around. if anyone can help,knoows where to point me or has any advice id be really grateful! cheers guys 

Morning Will

Welcome to the Forum

Sounds like you know what you want from the car. coming from the RX8 with certain models you will miss the the go factor.

When searching the more frugal diesels will be in demand so priced higher, don't dismiss the big petrol engines the 3.0i should achieve low 20's around town and 30+ on the motorway plus 0 to 60 in around 6 secs. The 3.0d with a tuned ecu should give similar acceleration times but high 20's early 30's around town and into the 40's on a long run. Plus Plus insurance rates are reasonable. 2 years ago my brother inlaw and myself drove his 3.0d 5 series touring from the UK to Lodz Poland almost 1000 miles with high average speed and one fuel stop in each direction  In Germany a guy in a Boxter with UK plates chased us for around an hour (high 3 figure speeds) but had to pull off at a services. The Beemers mid range acceleration killed him where we had to slow to 100 110km/hr around towns but once unlimited the 5 series was more than a match. Average mpg for the trip 37 mpg, it made me a diesel convert, though I would find it hard to part with my 4.6is

Don't dismiss a well looked after BMW 6 cylinder with higher miles the straight six is one of the worlds great engines, Spec will be mainly due to original order spec from the first buyer due to BMW obsession with customers choosing options. If when looking at cars you note the Vin number you can always check BMWVIN decoder .com and see what the build sheet included. 

Good Luck with the Hunt remember the old advice Head not Heart

Dave

 

Thanks a lot Dave, Definitely food for thought, what you’ve said makes a lot of sense I was literally just telling a mate of mine that it’s so hard to find a 3 series that ticks every box, if I find one in the colour a colour I like with Idrive nice alloys and reasonable price it will then have red leather interior, or I will find one vice Versa right colour inside and out good price ......no Idrive! .I’ve been searching daily for around 2months with no luck, I think I may have to eventually forgo the Idrive but (after owning an RX8 that you have to constantly check levels on) I really love the idea of being able to see all the data that you can on the Idrive system. Don’t get me wrong I adored my RX8 it was so much fun but I’m going for something classy that Has power and won’t crucify my bank account! But something I can be proud to own too, series 3 seems to fit the bill for me, thanks again for your reply, any ideas beyond auto-trader where I can look? I’ve looked on eBay but a lot seem quite suspect! Same goes for gumtree and sphock! I’m not all that experienced buying cars so I want to be careful!