[Torque of the Devil]

Personally I'd rather take a 6 pot diesel over a petrol 4

[Fewie]

Thanks guys, nice to hear the varied opinions.

Whilst the 6 pot diesel perhaps more like a traditional BMW I'm not adverse to a 4 pot turbo. Good to hear that the 30i can return 30 plug mpg for my type of usage as being from Yorkshire any less would trouble me greatly!

One last variable to throw into the mix, does a nicely spec'd 430i (or 430d) come in below £40k list? I'll be buggered if I am paying £500 a year road tax after the changes in April!

[Zero71]

Hi Fewie

I just took delivery of a 430i M Sport Auto with the M Sport Plus pack. Originally I wanted the 430d but by the time I came to order they weren't available on Alphadrive so I decided to go with the 430i instead since outright performance isn't too different. I'm actually glad I did.

I'm really enjoying the quieter, smoother sound over my previous 320d, and when you open it up there's a nice rip from the engine and exhaust, and it really shifts. Couldn't be happier. A 440i would have been nice, but I didn't think the minor performance bump and terrific noise was worth pushing the boat out further.

[neo61uk]

Originally Posted by pmgreenwood

That to my mind makes petrol the better option. They warm up quicker and the dpf needs longer runs to regenerate. The 6cylinders take a long time to get to operating temperature than the 4 cylinders. My 320D takes 7 miles typically before temp needle vertical and a 330D takes longer.

If you look at the temp gauge on the speedo than its an oil temp not a engine temp.
Operating temperature is classified as coolant temp and modern bmw cars don't have it on a speedo.
Only way to find out what's the real operating temp is to open a service menu in odometer section.

My 330d goes from start to 90* (ideal operating temp) within 2 miles of driving.
At that time the oil temp on a speedo is showing circa 74* hence people get confused.

Engine (coolant) Temperature needed for dpf to start regeneration is 74*
So my 330d is ready to start regeneration after about 1.5 miles trip.

I'm doing 10k a year mileage with 10miles one way commute.
Driving it for last 20 months and love it.
No issues with dpf ever.
Torquey like a bullet
30mpg city driving with M performance power kit fitted
Pushing it hard every corner

330i wont get even close with torque figures
Sounds cheap under load
And being a 4 pot engine is on top of Cons list for me

But each to their own of course

[Fewie]

Originally Posted by zerolight

Hi Fewie

I just took delivery of a 430i M Sport Auto with the M Sport Plus pack. Originally I wanted the 430d but by the time I came to order they weren't available on Alphadrive....

What's Alphadrive? (Sorry if it's a noob question!)

[MrChumley]

Originally Posted by Fewie

One last variable to throw into the mix, does a nicely spec'd 430i (or 430d) come in below £40k list? I'll be buggered if I am paying £500 a year road tax after the changes in April!

I guess if your well spec'd car lists at £40,500 your dealer will be expecting some poker face. You can't change the list price but you'll be looking for freebies (GAP, service pack, SMART etc etc).

[neo61uk]

Originally Posted by MrChumley

I guess if your well spec'd car lists at £40,500 your dealer will be expecting some poker face. You can't change the list price but you'll be looking for freebies (GAP, service pack, SMART etc etc).

Is it acctually the listing price or price you pay that matters?
I'm sure they can give you some dealer discount to easily drop below £40k mark.

[225]

Its list price for tax so regardless of actual price paid.

[Ronstein]

Originally Posted by Fewie

What's Alphadrive? (Sorry if it's a noob question!)

It's the BMW Staff/Dealer car scheme which was REALLY good and is getting less attractive by the year to the extent that this looks like it'll be my last one :-(

[neo61uk]

Originally Posted by 225

Its list price for tax so regardless of actual price paid.

Well ok
But is the basic price that matters?
Before all the goodies are added to it?

If that's the case than most 3 Series are below £40k mark.
The additional extras make them go above the limit.

[225]

Originally Posted by neo61uk

Well ok
But is the basic price that matters?
Before all the goodies are added to it?

If that's the case than most 3 Series are below £40k mark.
The additional extras make them go above the limit.

No its the total list price of the car on the invoice before discounts.

[MrChumley]

Originally Posted by 225

No its the total list price of the car on the invoice before discounts.

^^ this.

Which is why I think borderline cases will be more about negotiating extras, as opposed to discount.

[neo61uk]

Oh shit

Looks like the right time to start looking at classic E30 rather than new F series than.

[goodbyalfa]

I think regardless of negotiating skills for extras, these options will be on the official list price of the car so the extra rip off tax will be due.
Basically no mater what you add to a 430d, it will take you over the 40k pricing.. Welcome to rip off Britain. Not only do the better paid within the population pay ~90% of all income tax received by the tax office, they also then have to pay yet more tax when attempting to spend the 58% that is left (simple maths version)... The tax man should wear a mask!

[neo61uk]

Originally Posted by goodbyalfa

I think regardless of negotiating skills for extras, these options will be on the official list price of the car so the extra rip off tax will be due.
Basically no mater what you add to a 430d, it will take you over the 40k pricing.. Welcome to rip off Britain. Not only do the better paid within the population pay ~90% of all income tax received by the tax office, they also then have to pay yet more tax when attempting to spend the 58% that is left (simple maths version)... The tax man should wear a mask!

So true and so sad...

[Fewie]

It's looks like no new 4 series will be delivered before the new tax rules kick in so I might be screwed. Stock car might be the only option.

Is it only brand new cars that get the 2.9% finance, or can you get that on pre reg/ex demo vehicles?

[dopper99]

You wanna watch this.

Then buy a 440i

[thaalrasha]

I'm in the same boat 430i vs 430d. 430d has greater buying price and higher running cost where I live due to the car insurance which depends on the engine size, that's a 50% increase over the 430i... And no I can't stretch for a 440i because where I live it's 20k€ more than the 430i
The only thing that make me hesitate is if the enormouse torque and 6 pot would make the car more "fun" than the 430i.

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by thaalrasha

I'm in the same boat 430i vs 430d. 430d has greater buying price and higher running cost where I live due to the car insurance which depends on the engine size, that's a 50% increase over the 430i... And no I can't stretch for a 440i because where I live it's 20k€ more than the 430i
The only thing that make me hesitate is if the enormouse torque and 6 pot would make the car more "fun" than the 430i.

What you'll pay extra on insurance on the 430d .... you'll probably save on fuel consumption over the 430i over the year.

Then put an MPPK on the 430d, and it'll be close to 435d performance. You can't do that with a 430i.

[stefan4]

out of your choices, I'd go with the 340i ???

surely that's the only answer to this thread. lol

[deebee]

Originally Posted by stefan4

out of your choices, I'd go with the 340i ???

surely that's the only answer to this thread. lol

Really if your going to stretch it a bit then don't bother with 340, M3 is the way forward

[jnismith]

Every time I buy a car which doesn't have the best engine in its class, I then spend the next 2 or 3 years wishing I had forked out that extra couple of grand for the bigger/faster engine. Its not a question of whether/how much you use the performance, its just the feeling of having the "best car". So go for the 440i, its a superb car. (Now why didn't I buy a M3?)