[cinders]

Hey Guys,

I'm new here... I've been out of the UK for 15 years and moving back in a couple of months with my small family. I'm looking for a daily driver as I'm going to be buying something exotic for the weekends..

Originally I was going to go for an Audi A3 TDI, then wanted something bigger so was thinking of an A5 coupe, then stumbled across the BMW 4-Series Coupe. What a great looking car.

Anyway, I'm debating which model to go for... Now I'm sure the 420D will be fine for my needs, however I have the money, so thought I might just got for the 430D or 435D X-Drive. Looking at buying a 2019 model.

When I plugged in the MPG figures for the 430 and 435 (51.4 and 45.6mpg respectively)to an online calculator for say 10,000 miles (430D £1140.95, 435D £1286.07) - the 435D seems to only cost me another 146 quid over 10,000 miles.

Now another thing, I'll just be living in a local area and only doing small commutes, maybe only 20 miles a day and probably no motorway driving - so is a diesel still going to be economical? Or shall I just got for the M4? The thing is I'm going to buying a F430 for weekends, so I really don't need two thirsty sports cars.

Cheers in advance,
Cinders.

[James-335dx]

Originally Posted by cinders

Hey Guys,

I'm new here... I've been out of the UK for 15 years and moving back in a couple of months with my small family. I'm looking for a daily driver as I'm going to be buying something exotic for the weekends..

Originally I was going to go for an Audi A3 TDI, then wanted something bigger so was thinking of an A5 coupe, then stumbled across the BMW 4-Series Coupe. What a great looking car.

Anyway, I'm debating which model to go for... Now I'm sure the 420D will be fine for my needs, however I have the money, so thought I might just got for the 430D or 435D X-Drive. Looking at buying a 2019 model.

When I plugged in the MPG figures for the 430 and 435 (51.4 and 45.6mpg respectively)to an online calculator for say 10,000 miles (430D £1140.95, 435D £1286.07) - the 435D seems to only cost me another 146 quid over 10,000 miles.

Now another thing, I'll just be living in a local area and only doing small commutes, maybe only 20 miles a day and probably no motorway driving - so is a diesel still going to be economical? Or shall I just got for the M4? The thing is I'm going to buying a F430 for weekends, so I really don't need two thirsty sports cars.

Cheers in advance,
Cinders.

Hey, welcome to the forum.

F430 sounds awesome! Not jealous at all

On the diesel front if you're only doing short commutes I doubt you'll see anything close to 45ish mpg. My commute is 85 miles on the motorway and I get a good 44ish on average, however around town and on the B roads I get between 25 and 30. If it was my choice I'd go for the petrol and opt for the 440i

There's also a new 4 series on the way soon so you may want to hold out for the new shape? They'll likely be a M440i coming soon

[330XDave]

If you're buying "something exotic for the weekends" as you put it then just buy a well specced 430d. It's all the power you need if you have something more fun for the weekend. Plus if you buy a M4 you may find your weekend ride doesn't seem quite as exotic as you'd like it to be.

[cinders]

Hey Guys, thanks the replies. The 440i is a sweet car, but I'm really looking for the extra safety of the 4x4 xDrive as especially in the UK it pretty much rains most of the time.

33XDave - I think you're right. The 430D will be fine for me. It's about 2-3,000GBP cheaper than the same year 435D model.

Looking at one online now - 430d xdrive m sport coupe - 2019 - 8000 miles - 26,299 GBP.

[330Stevie]

Factor in getting some suspension mods done if you go xdrive. Plenty of info on here as to the whys and wherefores.

[robbiep]

Originally Posted by cinders

Hey Guys, thanks the replies. The 440i is a sweet car, but I'm really looking for the extra safety of the 4x4 xDrive as especially in the UK it pretty much rains most of the time.

33XDave - I think you're right. The 430D will be fine for me. It's about 2-3,000GBP cheaper than the same year 435D model.

Looking at one online now - 430d xdrive m sport coupe - 2019 - 8000 miles - 26,299 GBP.

If you 'need' xDrive to drive safely, then the problem isn't the weather, or the xDrive, but your driving.

Amazing as it might sound, I've done 75k+ in my RWD F31 without it falling off the road once. As have hundreds of thousands of other people.

[SkyJawa]

For that driving I’d go 440i all day long, it’s a peach of an engine. If you bother about grip just get some winter wheels and tyres for when it gets a bit cooler and wetter.

Don’t get me wrong I love my 335d it’s just effortless and remapped it goes like a rocket and being able to boot it out of junctions with the xdrive has its uses, but with 20 mile commute and little motorway use it’s gotta be a petrol (and it will sound better!).

[cinders]

Hey Guys, thanks again for the advice. I just assumed the xdrive would be a safer alternative. I have a RWD Ford Ranger 3.2 here and a few times when I've put a bit too much power down in the wet the rear end has started to slide.

Is there somewhere in the UK you can go to learn on a track how to drive a RWD car properly? i.e. learn how to correct understeer properly in a safe environment?

You guys have pretty much sold me on the 440i now. Thing is, if I'm doing for the 440i, why not just go for the M4?

[RobUK]

One thing I would say if you've been out of the country for 15 years is that Britain's roads these days are full of potholes, clogged with traffic and covered in speed cameras. May have an impact on your decision.

Might seem odd that I'm saying this from a 340i ownership perspective, but the B58 engine delivers a whole lot more than outright speed

[robbiep]

It's a car. As long as you don't drive like a complete moron on the roads, understeer and needing to correct it just doesn't happen.

Oh, and the 440i will (even on your short local commute) do 28-30 mpg. The M4 more like 20mpg. The M4 will cost a lot more to service, will cost a lot more to buy, will depreciate a lot faster, the insurance will be a lot more ...

Plus, you said in your first post you're buying an F430. If you're getting an M4, then you'll probably find the 10-12mpg in the Ferrari, for minimal extra performance, rather disappointing

[g9icy]

I have a 435d and now mostly do short trips to the shops due to working from home and get around 35->38 mpg.

If I could go back I'd buy the 440i, but I'll admit I do love the way the xDrive handles and drives.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by cinders

Hey Guys, thanks again for the advice. I just assumed the xdrive would be a safer alternative. I have a RWD Ford Ranger 3.2 here and a few times when I've put a bit too much power down in the wet the rear end has started to slide.

Is there somewhere in the UK you can go to learn on a track how to drive a RWD car properly? i.e. learn how to correct understeer properly in a safe environment?

You guys have pretty much sold me on the 440i now. Thing is, if I'm doing for the 440i, why not just go for the M4?

If you're not confident in your ability to handle a powerful RWD car properly perhaps some tuition would be a good idea anyway before you get behind the wheel of an F430?!

In terms of your other car, contrary to what others have suggested I'd go for the M4. You certainly don't need a diesel on the mileage you're doing and, nice car though a 440i undoubtedly is, it's no M4. For me one of the great strengths of an M-car is it's perfectly usable as a daily driver and there are plenty of people who do exactly that - therefore, if you can afford one, why settle for the dynamically inferior 440i? Sounds like you'll be in this other car most of the time and personally I'd rather be in an M4.....

[Hooded]

The M4 will cost more to run than the 440i, so if you are getting a more expensive fast weekend car as well I think the 440i will be good enough for a daily driver pottering around locally.

[Norris-wf]

I just traded in my 335d for an m3, but if I was in your position, I would not get an m4 as the commuting car - in cities they are just that bit rougher and the standard 4 series would be a nicer commute, more comfortable, quieter and smoother.
I averaged 39mpg on my 335d over 37000 miles and that was mostly commuting, 30 miles a day, mix of motorway and city, so you would need to adjust as required. The X-drive was nice for the days where its very wet or in the snow, but I also went with winter tyres.
The 440i sounds like a good choice

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by Hooded

The M4 will cost more to run than the 440i, so if you are getting a more expensive fast weekend car as well I think the 440i will be good enough for a daily driver pottering around locally.

But in all probability the F430 will hardly get used and the OP will spend the vast majority of the time - and do most of his miles - in his other car. If you're budget constrained I agree a 440i makes for a more than decent daily driver but if you can afford the M4 why wouldn't you just buy the better car and have done?

[Hooded]

Originally Posted by JNW1

But in all probability the F430 will hardly get used and the OP will spend the vast majority of the time - and do most of his miles - in his other car. If you're budget constrained I agree a 440i makes for a more than decent daily driver but if you can afford the M4 why wouldn't you just buy the better car and have done?

The OP was comparing MPG figures between the 30d and 35d which suggests he is at least a little budget conscious. The engine in the 40i is pretty good on gas for a 6 pot petrol engine and the M4 would be more thirsty and more expensive to service as well.

[stuboy2uk]

Originally Posted by Norris-wf

I just traded in my 335d for an m3, but if I was in your position, I would not get an m4 as the commuting car - in cities they are just that bit rougher and the standard 4 series would be a nicer commute, more comfortable, quieter and smoother.
I averaged 39mpg on my 335d over 37000 miles and that was mostly commuting, 30 miles a day, mix of motorway and city, so you would need to adjust as required. The X-drive was nice for the days where its very wet or in the snow, but I also went with winter tyres.
The 440i sounds like a good choice

What are your initial thoughts, how different is the M3 from the 335d?

[SynTom]

I'd go for the M4, just because they're great value at the moment. If you find one with a service pack the all you really need to pay is the petrol cost.

My M4 over the 5000 miles I've owned it for gets 37mpg motorway, 25mpg city, 30 mpg average.

I'm not familiar with the 440i's mpg figures but I don't think they're really any different from the M4's.

Although if you're going to modify your vehicle, modifications for the f3X vs the F8X are much much cheaper, with a few drivetrain modifications you can modify a 6 pot diesel to crazy power. You'll still get awesome mileage out of your diesel too.

I'd also consider your insurance premiums in this equation. Plugging your details into a site like GoCompare to see how reasonable, or unreasonable your quotes are. Especially after living outside of the UK for a while.

My 420i manual cost me around £700 for the year to insure, whereas the M4 now costs me around £2700, £2000 more p/a for a different engine and transmission.

Whatever the choice you make, you won't regret it and this forum is the best place to go to for any help you need.

[The0pportunist]

For that commute i'd say any petrol engine.

Even electric would be a good shout.

[Jeff123]

I would not spend £27k on any 3/4 series now as the new 3 series is out and the 4 will soon follow. These are essentially 2011 designs and (although I own one) are getting slightly long in the tooth. If I was you, I would also have a drive in one, particularly around town. The ride on runflats is "unforgiving" to put it mildly. On motorways they are fine, but on virtually any other type of road the ride can be brutal.

As mentioned, there are now speed cameras and speed checks everywhere on the UK roads. Even in my modest 330d Xdrive, there is virtually nowhere that you can put your foot down.

For your budget you are fast approaching G20 prices, new via a broker, on something like a 330i without a massive spec. Maybe consider this?

[Londoner]

I toyed with the idea of an M4 (for the occasional track day) back in June when I bought my 340. You can get some incredible deals on 3 year old M4s at the moment - 27-28k for a 16/66 plate with under 40-50k mileage. What put me off was the 3k (London postcode) insurance (opposed to 1k for the 340) and servicing looks to be a full 50% more. Fuel wise they don't however look to be "too" painful - 25 opposed to 30 mpg.

[dopper99]

There is no right or wrong answer to this ...... cars are subjective. What suits one, dont suit another. You will get dozens of different answers for your question of whats the best car to go for.

What are you main priorities?

Do you need a economical car?
Is engine noise and NVH important to you?
Looks wise, does it have to be a 4 series coupe? If you went for a saloon you should be going for the newer G20. Much better tech/interior etc.... The F3x is getting old hat now.
If you need a 4 door, you could go for the 4 series GC.

We'd assume its your daily driver, does it have to be comfortable?

If you are getting a F430 surely it would be better to get a more conformable/livable car for the daily grind?


My own personal take is that I went from a 335d to a M3 Competition Pack a few years ago. I really liked the 335d for getting the power down to the road in any conditions (bar the severe winter of course). You can hoon it anywhere in a 4WD with no danger of losing traction. It pulls like a train and pretty economical on the whole. Noise wise its acceptable for a diesel being a 6 pot. Needed ACS springs upgrade to sort the handling and ride height though.

The M3 CP on the other hand is not that comfortable on the daily grind IMO and gets tedious after a while drving around town and stuck in traffic. As do the (very noisy) cold starts in the morning. Its a brilliant car if you want to take it a blast on the open road (A or B road) but you need to drive it hard to make it feel fun. Its noisy too once on the move (exhaust/road noise) and overall, just very slightly too hard core for me.
But thats just my opinion and loads love em.


One other thing, if you've been out the country for 15 years then you'll have zero no claims bonus and your insurance will be though the roof for an M4.