budd

Thanks for the response, yes even the petrol engines now have DPF which also is a potential issue with mainly short journeys, we currently have an Alfa GT which is a 1.9 diesel it's done around 175K and the constant short journeys cause it to loose performance in the same way you describe your sons pickup, the engine management light comes on and at this point it requires the same 'Italian tune up procedure', the black smoke it omits is something too behold and quite startling, but so far it seems to do the job performance is restored and the light goes off. But I think it only a matter of time before the situation can't be sorted by a good thrashing, hence a new(er) car is called for.

Hi Firstly this is my first post, I'm looking at buying a E90 BMW 3 series ( more specific the E93 convertible), so I'm after a little bit of guidance. My first thought is the 330d, reasonable fuel consumption with enough go. So I'm specifically interested in that at the moment, but the car will primarily be used for my wife who works locally, of course it will be used by myself at other times and for longer journeys but its main job will be ferrying my wife the short distance to work. I'm aware constant short trips aren't ideal for any car but particularly diesels which tend to get gummed up so this is slightly concerning and maybe a petrol would be preferable in this respect. Also given the regular short distance work fuel consumption possibly isn't a top priority, but if I do go petrol then I'd want a straight 6, my wife wouldn't care what engine is in it but I do like the smoothness and power of a larger engine. So that's a little background what I'm after really is an overview of the E90/93, know/common issues problems, potential issues, engine comparison and engine specific problems and so on, what do I need to pay attention to and what models (if any) to absolutely avoid. Any advice would be most welcome, also if anyone could point to a E90 buying guide that would brilliant.