Ask an expert

I'm a 16 year old girl and am looking to buy my first car and I've had my heart set on an old school beemer (318i around 1990) for as long as I can remember.

With the latest booming fuel prices I want to find out what type of beemer is the most economical fuel wise. The 3 types I'm looking at are the 318i (E30) around 1990, 318ti hatchback, the more recent 318i (around 1994) and the 320i (which I can't actually tell any difference between this and the 1990 318i)!

Would really appreciate your advice!

Thanks!

Steff

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 21 January 2009

By the sound of your email there is little point suggesting you re-consider the make of vehicle you are looking at buying.

Good on you for having your heart set on a BMW, for many people they are a desirable car to own.

Be careful though, there are a lot of these vehicles on the market and potentially they can all empty your bank account very quickly.

As far as fuel consumption is concerned I would definitely go for the latest model you can afford regardless of engine size (1.8 v 2.0 litre).

The later the model the more upgraded technology and in theory the better fuel economy.

Remember the novelty of owning these types of vehicles can soon wear thin when you have them parked up in the garage while you save up the money to pay for expensive repair bills.

Don't take that as a criticism of BMW's, it's the same with any high spec'd vehicle. The more technology the more chance for things to go wrong and most 16 year olds have enough trouble affording the petrol for a basic small car without having to worry about large repair bills.