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Which family estate is the most reliable - Ford or BMW?

I am an expat returning to the UK in a few months and need to buy a large car for my wife that we will keep for about two years. I have approx £10,000 cash to spend.

It will need to do a long motorway trip (750 miles round trip) every 4-6 weeks with tjree people in and sometimes a full boot. Other than that it will do routine suburban trips but not for commuting. It needs to be reliable. I'm thinking Ford Mondeo or BMW 3 Series Touring

Asked on 15 January 2016 by Andrew Higgs

Answered by Honest John
With the 3 Series you'll be paying for prestige and getting an older, mire mileagey, less reliable car. The N47 diesel engine has a timing chain tensioner problem. A Mondeo 2.0TDCI is your safest bet.
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