Opinions?

[domsmart]

Hello Bimmerforum...

I'm a newbie here, and thought that this sounded like a good place to seek some advice and opinions on a few BMW models

I've been the proud owner of an '02 E46 325Ci MSport for 4 happy years now and I love it. Time moves on however, and with a 120 mile/day commute starting in September, I'm thinking about trading it in for something slightly more modern which is a) zippier and b) more economical (having my cake and eating it, I know)

I'm looking at either an E9x 3-Series' or a 1 Series (Saloon), somewhere around the £10K - £12K mark. Thoughts so far:

123D - the sensible option my girlfriend would want me to get
330D - another sensible option
135i/335i - both look like great fun, (but probably a little impractical)
335D - looks like a winner on paper: fast, and relatively economical.
330i - attractive, not least because of reasonable 2nd hand prices.

I'm going to aim to test drive them all of course, but I'd be interested to hear your opinions in the meantime :-)

[SpeedsterBek]

1 series hatch diesel or a new fiesta

[Rudolph320i]

i say 335d in stick

[BimmerBreaker]

335d if you can swing it those are really quick cars, personally though I'd take the 1 series.

[montaillou]

This is not what you asked, but have you ever considered 2 cars? Maybe you can't afford 2, don't have the room, or just don't want two, but this way you could get a really good commuter car, and keep the car you love. I was watching an old episode of Top Gear recently and Jeremy commented about a VW diesel something that he got 75mpg on a commuter run.

[domsmart]

335d if you can swing it those are really quick cars, personally though I'd take the 1 series.

Yes the 335D is looking like the best option at the moment.

I do like the look of the 1 series coupe as well (not the hatch). A lot of praise is heaped on the 123D, and although on paper it's the slowest of the bunch, I'm wondering if a remap could put it's performance closer to a 3L diesel 3-series but with better fuel economy.

Were fuel costs not so much of an issue I'd be getting one of the '35s, but well....I live in the the UK!

- - - Updated - - -

This is not what you asked, but have you ever considered 2 cars? Maybe you can't afford 2, don't have the room, or just don't want two, but this way you could get a really good commuter car, and keep the car you love. I was watching an old episode of Top Gear recently and Jeremy commented about a VW diesel something that he got 75mpg on a commuter run.

It hadn't crossed my mind. The cost of owning 2 cars would probably negate the fuel savings, plus I'd prefer something that's fun to drive, to make that daily commute palatable! Fortunately it's usually a fast drive, not stop-start traffic, so there are plenty of opportunities to open up on the the motorway

Might end end up just sticking with the e46...it's just that one gets itchy feet after owning the same car for 4 years....