best bmw for Â£1750

Post Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:17 pm

my mate is looking to spend 1750 on a bmw 5 or 3 series, wants 25-30mpg min, and wants it to be quite nippy! would consider engines up to 2.8's what do you think would be the best model to buy any why?

Post Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:25 pm

an E36 328i would fit the bill for price, mpg and pace.

Post Fri Mar 13, 2009 5:02 pm

h7fal wrote:an E36 328i would fit the bill for price, mpg and pace.

+1. I'm not a fan of e36s, but 328is are a bargain at the moment if you find a nice one. You can get a very, very tidy e34 525i for this sort of money though - that's what I'd go for, touring with all the kit.

Post Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:20 pm

e34 540's can be frugal if you try hard. certainly not much more juicy than a 328i

For 1750 DEFFO a 34. the build qualities far better than a 36.

Post Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:33 pm

B7 wrote:e34 540's can be frugal if you try hard. certainly not much more juicy than a 328i

For 1750 DEFFO a 34. the build qualities far better than a 36.

540i

I'm getting around 22mpg at the moment and that's nearly all driving in town at 30mph or less. So not bad at all considering.

Post Fri Mar 13, 2009 11:06 pm

oakey wrote:
B7 wrote:e34 540's can be frugal if you try hard. certainly not much more juicy than a 328i

For 1750 DEFFO a 34. the build qualities far better than a 36.
540i
I'm getting around 22mpg at the moment and that's nearly all driving in town at 30mph or less. So not bad at all considering.

Is that an auto? I'm impressed. What can you get out of it on a run?

Post Sat Mar 14, 2009 7:35 am

djk wrote:
oakey wrote:
B7 wrote:e34 540's can be frugal if you try hard. certainly not much more juicy than a 328i

For 1750 DEFFO a 34. the build qualities far better than a 36.
540i
I'm getting around 22mpg at the moment and that's nearly all driving in town at 30mph or less. So not bad at all considering.
Is that an auto? I'm impressed. What can you get out of it on a run?

I got 28mpg from a 540 auto touring e34 on a saturday afternoon after picking it up from Aldershot and delivering it back to Horley for a mate (so not exactly a long journey but sets the scene). Awesome chariot when you gave it the beans as well.

Post Sat Mar 14, 2009 10:30 am

Yup auto saloon. I've had it over 29mpg on a 60 mile round trip to Farnham but not over 30 yet.
It can be kept at 100mph without the mpg gauge dipping below 30mpg.

Post Sun Mar 15, 2009 9:24 pm

Interesting stuff. Seems they're not a car to dismiss on the basis of fuel consumption at all - I imagine their contemporary competitors, mercs/jags etc were and are nothing like as good in this respect. Presumably the economy of an e34 530i is reasonable too - I know people slag them in the same way as people knock e30 320s for not being the full monty, but I keep seeing them for silly cheap money. A bit of sub 1k luxury, drive it into the ground and then break it, hmmm, I could have a plan....