JimmyRB5PRO

320 d sport - Looking at one poss as a work motor need hatch or estate and must be diesel - can be had for around 16K what they like in the real world - anyone had any experience????????

cheers

Castrol

A Pal of mine had one from new. Needed 2 turbos, a clutch and a gearbox, as well as a few other bits. First 18 months were a nightmare, the second were fine. The dealer got it right in the end. It didn't stop him from buying a new 330d saloon either.

Cheers

Dave Thornton

I went from a classic Impreza STI to a 330d Touring. In my opinion, go for the 330d, it's worth the extra. Mine's an SE but I would suggest the Sport model, in manual. Torque is 302 lb ft and they can be remapped to 400 lb ft. It is slower than the Subaru as you'd expect but on short stretches of straight road (less than 100 yards) it can be quicker in the real world, as the turbo spools up from about 1500 rpm. As an estate car, the Touring is not big. On a long journey 45+ mpg is possible. Mine averages 35mpg vs the Subaru's 20mpg. And insurance is half the price. Dealer is rubbish.

Daryl

My wife has a 320D Sport Touring. Re-mapped, it is plenty quick enough and returns 40mpg on the daily commute. Had it over two years now and nothing has ever gone wrong, servicing is free and the dealer is superb. It's not huge for an estate, but is very practical for most purposes.

Rear wheel drive provides a satisfying handling balance, but I find the ride overly hard and a bit 'jiggly' on the 18" wheels.

Most importantly, it looks great!

SVVG

iTrader: (1)

My dad had a 320d SE Touring and I borrwed it on a few occassions - and wasn't that impressed to be honest... Had several problems with the handbrake/rear drum set up and found the interior was easily scratched/seats bobbled etc.

He's now got a new Vectra SRI CDTI estate (the one with the pimped up black rear windows as standard) and that is an altogether different animal. It is significantly pokier, larger and better built - and generally an all round better drive IMO. My Dad doies a significat amount of motorway miles and he says it is much nicer/more comfortable and quieter etc.

Have heard good things about the 330d but never driven one - but think they command a significant premium over the 320d?

p.s. didn't think the 320d had a turbo?

Diablo

All the BMW diesels have a turbo.

ps - you are probably the only person on scoobynet to suggest that a vecta is a better drive than, well, anything

SVVG

iTrader: (1)

I will confess to a certain level of irony in this post - As I was scanning down the list of threads in this forum I got to the one where someone's asking about DTI Vectras and thought "uch - not going near that rubbish" and then inadvertantly raved about one!

Are you sure about the 320d (re turbo) - as we asked a few times at BMW and they said it didn't have one - and we couldn't hear it or anything. Am not willing to bet more than 5p on this issue though and happy to stand corrected...

Diablo

Yup, its definately a turbo diesel.

Daryl

Perhaps someone at the garage had nicked your dad's turbo, leading to the above conclusion

Dream Weaver

We have a 320cd and it defo has a turbo - well it did until the engine exploded last week 5 days after buying it

Luckily still under warranty, so having a brand new engine and turbo fitted at the moment - have to say though, they are very quick for a diesel, really enjoyed the 500 miles we managed in it before the incident.

polarbearit

I had a vectra hire car when the a 330 I had broke! It was a much better family car (my skyline had more space in the back than the 330). Personally I wouldn't have a 3 series or a vectra though, I'd go for the mondeo (as a 2.2 TDCI) - all the space of the Vectra, easily as good to drive as a 320d, a nice engine and about £12k for a nearly new one with plenty of warranty

Suresh

My next door neighbour has a 1yr old 320d estate and to be honest the bloated lines and slab-sided design just doesn't look right to me. The low seating position and high window line is also a bit odd. I drive a Forester which is never going to win any beauty prizes, but it looks heaps better than the beemer. All IMHO of course.

carl

Like DW, we have a 320Cd. No problems so far (done about 17k miles in it) apart from the fuel pump going pop. BMW Service came and fixed it on the driveway (and avoided spilling diesel on my block paving).

Had a 320d Touring (E90 version rather than E46) as a courtesy car, and TBH the boot isn't much bigger than the E46 coupe. And it's very difficult to see out of the back with the three headrests, moreso than in the coupe because the touring's window is farther away.

In conclusion: nice enough car, but doesn't seem to offer much over the saloon or coupe in terms of load space, IMHO.

PS: definitely a turbo -- (1) can't see anyone getting 150 bhp from a 2.0 diesel without a turbo, and (2) with the windows down I can hear it whistling

Diablo

The new 3 is iincreadibly spec and colour sensitive. With the Msport kit, big wheels and a good colour they are growing on me. The more basic models look weak.

Dream Weaver

I'm not keen on the new design - ours is a Jan 04 model, the older and better looking coupe

carl

Should have pointed that out too -- ours is a 54-reg, so the E46 model. But the E90 model has separate driver and pax aircon, if that's important to you.

Baby Scuff

I have an E36 325TDS that I have been running for the last 18 months and wasn't overly impressed with the 320d after considering upgrading + all the stories of blown turbos wtc put me off. I think when mine dies (currently 252k miles and going strong) i'll gofor a Mondeo 2.2TDCI next.

Shark Man

I've just bought a my02 325touring from the company to tat about in (Paid £10K -watch out at dealers, as trade prices for 3series is alot lower than retail or quoted parkers prices).

It's a different engine, of couse so Engine-wise, I can't compare directly...

I've been driving it off on on for the past 3 years anyway, only 2 faults were duff voltage regulator on the alternator leaving me stranded (£30 part). And a worn suspension bush.

Worn tyres tend to make tramline fairly bad, this become worse when the front susepnsion joints wear (common). OE Conti-sport tyres make it feel worse (although are a good tyre, other model years are shipped with Michelins).

Performance - don't expect any thrills 190bhp 2.5 petrol is just about adequate imo. Its a heavy car.

Handling (SE spec suspension). Good and well balanced, pretty much idiot proof and doesn't have any nasty surprises. Although watch out under heavy braking at very high speeds as it can get quite unstable and way-ward.

Comfort: Still a bit jiggly at slow speed for the roads round here, but a good balance between handling and comfort. (SE suspension on 16" - sports spec on larger rims will be worse), replacing Conti-sports with Michelins helps a little.

Interior space: Limited. Rear leg room and boot spce is on par with a Focus. If you need Mondeo Estate space - buy a Mondeo estate. It's not totally useless (like a Lexus IS200 Estate), but don't go thinking it'll swallow tea-chests much and keep any rear adult passengers happy about getting leg cramp.