Firstly I would like to introduce myself, My name is Carole and I'm of a certain age (getting old lol) I currently have two Volvos and a Porsche Boxster on my drive but I'm looking to change from Volvo to a first time buyer of BMW.

As a Volvo owner it would take a lot to move me from Diesel to Petrol and there is now wat I'm going electric! 😜 But if anyone could give some pointers of what to look for that would be brilliant.

I have a budget of up 8k and my partner can only drive auto's so no manual shift for me anymore, I have had a look on Autotrader and there seems to be a shed load in my price range the problem is as always when you see a lot of cars at a certain price it becomes a bit of a nightmare.

So what am I looking for. First and foremost something with a lot of life left in it (used to getting 200,000+ miles from my Volvo diesels) and apart from regular servicing easy on wear and tear. I have seen a lot of reports of bad engines (timing chain, turbo other issues) I would also like something with a bit of space in the back but obviously the rear seats won't be occupied very often so two or four door would be OK. but comfort and and reliability are a key factor (a little get up and go would be nice too).

So over to the experts....

Looking forward to finding the right car first time , Carole 😀

Morning Carole

Welcome to the Forum

We started our Volvo period in the early 80's when I had a business it began with a Volvo 760 Estate room for the dogs at weekends and great Motorway car that was followed by a 960 Estate then in the 90's 850 T5 850R V70 T5's and V70 T6 all petrol gave reasonable economy loads of go and very reliable. Late 90's I moved to Mercedes owned 2 AMG E55 Estates and an AMG CLS 63

Then 2002 after selling our Horse Lorry (wife is a rider still) I brought my first BMW X5 E53 4.4V8 to tow a Horse Box and be a reliable everyday car for Business and Pleasure that was followed by an X5 E53 4.6 V8 and the current daily drive is an X5 E70 3.0d brought with 48k on the clock currently at 135k

During the early 2000's many Manufacturers were selling Extended service periods as the norm often 30k+ which I have never agreed with. BMW at one point were even telling buyers that the Gearbox was "Sealed for Life" that translated as around 3 years/60k miles end of Warranty responsibility. Mid 2000's there were a whole rash of failures Gearbox, timing chain (mainly 4 cylinder models) which in my opinion were caused by the extended service periods. I have always serviced my own cars every 5k engine oil and filters 80/100k Gearbox and Diffs as my cars are outside Warranty the Dealer never sees my £££ 🤣

As said I have X5 due to its (a) 4x4 (b) Towing ability (c ) Space inside for people and Dogs (d) reliability and reasonable running cost and oh performance (I love a car with some go)

BMW produce probably the best straight six engine in the world great power and reliability in either Petrol/Diesel flavours they will mainly have a ZF automatic attached ( serviced properly tough as old boots) M sport models will probably have paddle shift as well (but check specs) Depending on your space requirement a 330i or 330d with a good trim level is a great car comfortable quick and quiet a 330i should give high 20's around town 40+ on a run 330d early 30's around town 50 on a run. Check general condition and tyre wear plus evidence of regular servicing (receipts invoices etc) Suspension bushes need checking if there is signs of odd tyre wear

Hope this Helps Good Luck with the Hunt

Dave

Thank you Dave Quite a bit of information there. I have had quite a few Volvo's in my time they are great work horses as you say but I'm really looking for something more in the saloon stye although I do like the 2 series active tourer.

Interesting what you say about the 4 cylinder engines though are they all the same?

Morning Carole

Check the 2 series posts on here regarding early Gearbox issues also check the Internet. BMW used Aisin Warner boxes in the 2 series and there have been a number of catastrophic fails recorded here ! Beware

BMW also in the early/mid 2000's redeveloped the 4 cylinder engines there were a number of well publicised timing chain fails (even made Angela Ripon's program on TV) also a number of Fuel pump fails either problem resulting in Dealers recommending a new engine £££££ Remember like most Dealerships BMW don't repair anything they change complete parts/units

If looking at 4 cylinder engines the N20, N26, were affected so service history is vital plus any invoices that show whether the timing chain has be replaced. In the same period BMW introduced changes in their 6 cylinder engines N52, N54, N55, and B58 were affected so also need careful vetting. Any noises rattles, misfires walkaway

Dave