lowlander

Hi there,

With a budget of 10K which is the best bet.

Option 1 - 2001/2002 BMW 530i manual
Option 2 - VW Golf 4Motion 5 door manual.

I like smooth torquey engines, good build quality, practicality, comfort, performance and handling so these two appear to be the optimum choice.

There isn't much between them in performance, fuel economy, space, depreciation, etc.

What do you think?

Martin.

The Zohan

Not much difference in space - are you serious, the BM had a cavernous boot and rear legroom which you cannot accuse the Golf of having

I would go for the BM but i have two kids so space is an issue + it is better built and i recon will deprciate less from now on.
However buying the BM means you will never, ever be let out of a side turning but on the plus side you will not have to waste time using the indicators.

TonyBurns

iTrader: (3)

Thought that was all german cars?

Tony

cat7

I had a v6 4 mo and it was one of the worst pieces of poo I have ever owned. The build quality was absolutley awful and the damping on a typical country b road simply terrible. They have a very small boot too as the rear diff eats into the space making a very shallow boot.

My father has a 530i touring, absolutley great car, fun to drive awesome engine comfy and quick.

Saying thay go and drive both and see what you think

John57

I had a V6 4 motion for over 3 years and it was a good car. Quite quick but not rapid. The suspension though is far too soft and this was one of the main reasons I sold it. Unlike the previous poster though the build quality on mine was fine..... infact, very good - not one rattle or squeak in the time I had it. The quality of the materials was also very good.

As for the 530i .... not so good looking IMO and much bigger. I had the opportunity to thrash one within an inch of it's life for a few days at the same time as I had the V6 4motion. The experience was so good - and the 530i was an auto! - that I went out and bought a 330i auto.

I know you said 'manual' but I never believed an auto could be more fun than a manual...... the 530i changed that view. It felt noticeably quicker than the Golf and much more useable. The auto box on the BMW's is the best I have tried. It is happy to hold gears as you thrash it and as a result you get good engine braking similar to a manual. I found this on 'B' roads was great fun.

I would go for the 530i .....

hades

In your situation, I'd take the beemer. As noted before, it's quite a lot bigger than the golf. There are a few other cars I'd probably stick on my short list - e.g. Go for a slightly older 540i, and get a nice V8!

AudiLover

Theres a quite a big difference between a golf and a 5 series. What about cars inbetween?

Cocker

iTrader: (3)

You'd probably struggle to get a half decent 2001/02 530 for 10k!!!

chippy17

BMW without question, but they are built for a different purpose, if you want a smallish hot hatch with 4wd what about an Audi S3? If you want one of the best saloon cars ever made, you have to take the BMW

RRH

Here's a stupid bit of trivia for you- you can't get a set of golf clubs in the boot of a golf, so what a stupid name!

ps I don't play Golf, but my mate does. Had to put the back seats down to get his clubs in.