I bought this car from Bowker BMW Blackburn when it was 7 months old with 1700 miles on the clock, trading in a 330D Sport Touring e46 (previous shape) to do so. The car is a 330i SE Touring with bluetooth prep, front and rear PDC, leather, 18" alloys and that's about it for options.

Its purpose is to be a practical family car that can also raise a smile without costing a fortune and - to give the game away - it absolutely hits the mark for me.

Living with the car is easy. It has been utterly reliable with not a fault. I've covered 30,000 miles in it so far, and intend to keep it for another 3 years if not longer.

Going from diesel to petrol has been an interesting experience, which mandates a completely different driving style. The 330D will go anywhere, any time, like its on fire whereas the 330i needs a little more warning: you need to work the engine to get the best out of it. I enjoy this, but suspect the 330D is quicker in the majority of situations! Economy has dropped from an average just over 40 to around 27: quite a difference...

The servicing is 'different': the car tells you when it wants various bits doing. Typically, these tend to not coincide with oil changes or otherwise. I did have a sense of humour failure when asked to pay 90 quid for an inspection service "which is like an MOT" and then also pay 60 quid for an MOT: if I hadn't paid the 90 quid, I wouldn't have had the service indicator cleared...

Runflats. I'm convinced on the idea, but not yet convinced on the application. See downsides below.

The good
- seems well built if not quite as over-engineered as the E46. No rattles, no odd noises.
- Engine has enough power to make it fun: can hitch up its skirts and be quite playful
- enjoyable induction and exhaust noises!
- handling is good for its size, fun RWD bias but ultimately benign even if you over cook it slightly
- practical family car able to take family of 4 + associated stuff.
- good default specification
- 30+ MPG on a run

Downsides?
- The front seats aren't great. I'm on the lookout for a pair of "M Sport" seats to replace the normal leather items.
- Runflat tyres and 18" wheels. Even on SE suspension it's quite harsh. Lack of compliance in suspension means unintended direction changes when hitting a bump mid corner.
- The engine isn't terribly torque-y. A competent 2.0 TDI will leave it standing lower in the rev range. Of course, dropping down 3 gears will sort that out but all the same I'd have expected a little more lower down.
- No space for spare tyre. I went to standard tyres and enjoyed the ride a lot more, but then got a puncture. I'd prepared for this by carrying a can of tyre weld, but I wish I had a camera to see the look on my face when the contents of the can went into the tyre and came straight out the bottom due to the size of the puncture. I think it would be amusement, horror and then dread as I had my 2 year old son in the car at the time and we were enjoying potty training... Back on runflats after that experience.

I now own the car and am in the strange situation of not wanting to change it for something else. Nothing has quite the all round appeal.