BMW 320i is pointless
I have been looking for a new car for over a year now, and one of those cars high on the list was a 3 series BMW. With my money ever draining out of my pocket I thought I would look into the affordability of a new 320 BMW. Recent tax law changes and current petrol prices have IMO made the 2001-2003 BMW 320 petrol car a pointless vehicle. The other engines in the range make a lot more sense to buy. For simplicity I have listed the 2001 model specifications for various 3 series BMWs (sports manual) and given the price per litre of petrol 116p and 129p for diesel, their price per mile of travel. The second hand price of each model is not considered as I have seen examples all at similar prices, in theory also the re-sale price will remain proportional to the initial price and therefore this is not a real factor in the TCO. Also I have not taken into account replacement parts costs of the vehicles. I have assumed that you will drive 10000 miles each year. I have taken 14 as the base insura...