Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sat 6 Dec 2014 12:36
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

I have a budget of £3.5-£4.5k and really keen on BMW 520d, 525d or even 530d (after speaking to a friend who convinced me to go for the 530d but a fuel guzzler??).

Any recommendation? What car?

I need an auto for definate, has to be comfortable as I had a merc e220 before but being in my 30's i felt kind of old in the merc (no offence) . The car was fantastic although not good on bends as my kids would often complain they are sliding all over the place.

Comments and advise would be appreiciated.

Thanks in advance

Abs

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 13:00
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - iFocus

At your budget I wouldn't even consider a diesel luxo-barge. If something went wrong the cost would be astronomical!

You don't say how many miles you do, does your mileage warrant a diesel?

What do you need the car for etc?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 13:10
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

Hi,

thanks for the advise,

We will be doing around 9-10k miles per year or even more.

Mosty city driving with occasional road trips via motorway.

Most driving will consisit mrs dropping off kids to school , shopping, the usual palava i guess...

Abs

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 14:47
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - pd

If you like the Mercedes drive, why not just get another? Maybe a C-Class if you want something a bit nimbler than an E.

Something like a C220 CDI Auto should just about be obtainable in your budget and can be pretty economical and has a good auto gearbox. You'll probably be looking at the facelift W203 range with 80-100k ish in that price bracket.

The 525d and 530d are nice cars but like a drink around town as they take about 12 miles to warm through (and the 525 used as much fuel as the 530). The E60 generation can be pricey on repairs if the electrical bits go wrong as well. Some of the 520d's haven't the best reputation for engine longevity either depending on year.

I wouldn't recommend a W211 E-Class unless your budget can stretch to a post 2006 one.

Edited by pd on 06/12/2014 at 14:49

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 15:08
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - RobJP

At that price bracket, for those sorts of cars, you're more likely buying trouble than not.

If the badge on the front of your car is more important to you than the car being reliable ... well, good luck !

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 15:13
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

Hi,

to be honest ive always liked the BMW 5 series but the badge is not so important. if you think there is something worth looking then please advise?

regards

Abs

Edited by abs982 on 06/12/2014 at 15:13

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 15:19
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - pd

Any car worth a relatively small percentage of its new price will cost money to maintain and repair. That's why used cars are cheaper than new ones.

An oldish high mileage BMW will need money spent on it at some point but that is sort of part of the deal. So will a Mondeo at some point.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 15:15
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

Not to keen on the c-class for some reason and i have sat in the back of them and legroom seems to be a problem ...

Also another factor decent legroom...

Edited by abs982 on 06/12/2014 at 15:17

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 15:24
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - pd

Not to keen on the c-class for some reason and i have sat in the back of them and legroom seems to be a problem ...

Also another factor decent legroom...

For rear legroom some of the VAG stuff (Passat, Superb etc.) are pretty good. On average, front wheel drive cars tend to be a bit bigger in the back. You could also look at the 2006-on Volvo S80 which is good value and has good diesel engines.

I'm not a big fan of the A6. Unisnspiring to drive and every one I come across has annoying niggles - usually things like heater not working or something small but expensive to fix.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 15:27
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

Does the Passat auto DSG give trouble,,, just going off reviews i read in the past... any advise

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 15:54
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - mss1tw

Hi,

thanks for the advise,

We will be doing around 9-10k miles per year or even more.

Mosty city driving with occasional road trips via motorway.

Most driving will consisit mrs dropping off kids to school , shopping, the usual palava i guess...

Abs

No advantage to a diesel whatsoever for these journeys

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 16:00
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

A Volvo S60 auto any good? any advise anyone?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 16:51
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - gordonbennet

If your kids were sliding around on the seats then you were cornering quite rapidly in the E Class, old man image or not a well driven well shod MB takes some keeping up with on the twisties.

If this was my quandry i'd try to find a low mileage FSH peachy E39 BMW with a 6 pot Diesel, or a similar condition but rust free (rare but can be found) W210 with the 300/320 Diesel.

You might be lucky and get a facelift W211 in budget, if you can find a good one buy it, private hire versions i know of get sold on after 400k virtually trouble free miles.

The pre facelift 211 is in budget but have a read of HJ's reviews above for the list of problems, most of these were addressed when facelift arrived, if you have the services of a good MB indy the 211 would be a possible.

Edited by gordonbennet on 06/12/2014 at 16:52

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 16:52
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - corax

S60 is a good car, but best bought with FSH, and early ones suffer from electrical gremlins, better after around 2004.

Autobox can go wrong at hgher mileage because the oil never gets changed - Volvo never included it in the service schedule. Saab 9-5's use the same gearbox. Guess what, the gearbox is reliable because there are oil changes in the schedule.

So if you buy an auto and it's working well, then change the oil straight away.

Handbrake shoes MUST be examined on a new purchase. They can delaminate and wreck the whole hub.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 17:27
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - scot22

I always feel compelled to warn people with your motoring needs NOT to buy a diesel. My current car was bought before I became aware of motoring forums as a source of information.

My motoring is similar to yours and I bought I bought a Volvo C30 1.6 diesel. For some diesels are perfect cars but they must do the mileage and the engine get properly hot. I have had a number of expensive bills.

I would have been far better off financially and hassle wise with a petrol.

Obviously it is your choice. I strongly advise not to buy diesel. Next time for me it will be a petrol.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 21:29
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982
If I was to buy a family saloon/hatchback then a lot of them tend to be 2.0 petrol... Which means less mpg??

I am currently driving a Honda civic 1.8i-vtec 2006 model with 141k miles which seems to doing fine but don't enjoy the drive as such maybe because it's been modified with alloys and lowering springs...

Besides I think when I had the Mercedes auto that has made me fall for autos...

So I'm confused especially hearing reviews on bmw 5 series diesel 2004+ models... Volvo s60, passat, c class???

Want to see what the general concensus is...

And thanks to everyone for their advice so far... I guess one thing is clear to maybe not to go for bmw 5 series.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 21:41
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - gordonbennet

Ebay 141466816782 might be food for thought.

For those who don't want to search its a nicely specced 2004 W211 E 320 petrol with quality LPG conversion (just look how that tank has been braced in the spare wheel well), and the right gearbox the bomb proof 5 speed.

Not the best years for Benz but if it's been looked after as well as stated...and do check if the SBC pump has been renewed...and you have a good MB indy it could be a viable choice for you.

I have two LPG converted 6's, one MB one Subaru, have to be one hell of a bargain to get me back in a modern Diesel.

I doubt the Benz will appeal to you, but if LPG is considerable it opens up many unusual and affordable choices.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 21:48
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - scot22

I am not anti diesel. Indeed having spent the big money I'm keeping for a while longer to benefit and enjoy excellent m.p.g. However, when you factor in the additional costs involved buying and running a diesel for the lower mileage drivers ( in my view around 10,000 a year ) then it is more economical to have a petrol.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 6 Dec 2014 21:51
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - RobJP

Following on from mine (and others) posts ...

Audi A6. For a 2005-2007 A6 (going by your budget, the 'new' A6 of that age) any auto will be a DSG. Avoid like the plague. In addition, the 2.0TDi engine in those has a list of problems that make horrific readings. Certainly not one of Audi's finest cars. If anything, I'd say to go for the last of the earlier generation A6. The 2.7TDi is a lot better, chain cam, but still DSG gearbox.

The 'E60' BMW 5 series is a decent car, but they've had their share of problems too, especially with camshaft chains failing/stretching. The biggest thing with those is servicing. Unless you've got a sheaf of invoices, be very cautious. Their autoboxes from then aren't that great, in my opinion.

The Merc E-class : not a bad car. This was one of the first good cars they made after they started working on quality again, rather than just building the cars to a minimum standard. Again, servicing is key, however, and Merc dealers are very expensive.

In total, if it was me : I'd only go for an Audi if I wanted a manual box, and a 2.7TDi. Any of them, I'd want to see more than just a stamped book for service records (invoices, etc). If you want a comfortable ride, then don't buy anything with big alloys or a 'sport' spec (S-line, M-sport, AMG). Do all that, and you might get it right.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 7 Dec 2014 08:14
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

After a lot of good advice and comments on this forum I am possibly going to consider 2 options - E39 BMW with low mileage or Volvo s60 2004+.

I think going off the budget and comments they probably my most viable options.

Any comments welcome?


Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 7 Dec 2014 08:53
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - Hamsafar

Following on from mine (and others) posts ...

Audi A6. For a 2005-2007 A6 (going by your budget, the 'new' A6 of that age) any auto will be a DSG. Avoid like the plague.

But if a quattro it will be the ZF 6HP, a proper 6 speed autobox.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 7 Dec 2014 10:05
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - pd
The S60 is a fine car but not much space in the back. Look at the S80. The new 2006 on model is in budget and is a decent car and very good value used.

E39 a fine car but they're all getting old so will need a bit of tlc to run.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 7 Dec 2014 22:25
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - Avant

What you want is a premium German marque - what you need is a Mondeo. You'll get a newer one for your budget and there are lots of them around. Find one with average mileage and a service history.

But you probably won't thank me for that advice.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2014 09:06
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - abs982

After much thought and feedback from various people... I've decided not to pursue a diesel - I am now thinking of BMW 525/530 E39 PETROL AUTO... Any thoughts? What sort of mpg will I be realistically looking at (mostly town driving).

My main factors when buying: enjoyable and comfort when driving, auto, have a bit of torque, 10k mileage per year,

Any advice?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2014 10:11
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - oldtoffee

My local BMW independent rates the 525i very highly for long term reliability, the best of any of their engines in that regard. He told me to avoid the 2 litre diesels, only go for the 3 litre units with full service history and they should be ok.

At your money I'd also look at a Subaru Legacy with the 2.5 litre/auto combination, very hightly regarded for reliability, 4wd handle well, if a little thirsty.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 13 Dec 2014 11:27
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - corax

After much thought and feedback from various people... I've decided not to pursue a diesel - I am now thinking of BMW 525/530 E39 PETROL AUTO... Any thoughts? What sort of mpg will I be realistically looking at (mostly town driving).

A good one that has been looked after will be a very nice thing, but if mainly driving around town you can only expect late teens to mid twenties mpg. It's a heavy auto 3.0 petrol. To be honest these are perfect for long distance cruises, not town work. The mpg can then be surprisingly good on BMW sixes.

The 3.0 petrol is a great engine, smooth and torquey. One thing to look out for at higher mileage is the crankcase breather system - the hoses start to perish and there are quite a few of them.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Mon 15 Dec 2014 11:53
Audi, BMW, Merc - Best family size diesel auto - budget £3k-£5k - Alby Back
>>What you want is a premium German marque - what you need is a Mondeo.

Yup.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Choosing a child seat can be a quite baffling experience – there are so many sizes, types, brands and price points available that you might not know where to start.

How to choose the right child seat