I'm not sure what it proves either, thats why I asked! It may mean plenty get to that mileage, it may mean they all have their boxes re-furbed at 80-100k miles...
I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean much at all. Cars are not killed by mileage, they are killed by owners deciding it is no longer worth repairing them. This only tends to happen once the value sinks very low so it's therefore only natural you are going to find higher mileage examples of once more expensive cars - the longer it takes them to depreciate to the point whereby its not worth fixing them, the higher the miles they'll accumulate in this period.
People often cite big mileages as testement to reliability, IMHO it doesnt say that at all.
You've contributed no facts to this thread whatsoever.... I'm looking for information. Theres very little info around on the reliability of auto's in mid sized cars, because most people buy manuals. I dont have that option on her car!
To be fair, I've given my opinion on used 320d's. If you are looking for 'fact' you wont find it anywhere, there are no facts as such as nobody has compiled a detailed survey of exactly what goes wrong and how often with every £2-3k used car, so all you'll get is opinion.
I know 3 series are great, but have a few issues (ive had two), none of the issues scare me, but I have no experience of the auto, in terms of reliability or refurb cost. It may well be academic, as I'll think its too big anyway, but its worth exploring. and there must be poeple on here that have...
My point is that as cars age, they get niggly and annoying. This is especially true of faded prestige cars. Cars that were once expensive and desireable and are now inexpensive yet, amongst some, still desireable. So they get bought by people who can't see the past the idea of being able to get a 3 Series for the price of a Fiesta, who then lavish increasingly variable amounts of care and sympathy on them.
Therefore often running an older BMW becomes faffy and irritating. This is fine if the car in question is something you enjoy enough to be worth it. I like my 530i, it's in lovely condition and I'm a particular fan. Therefore when something goes wrong - again - I'm not that bothered. It's a hobby. I didn't buy it to save money so it's less of a problem. But when the car is purchased as a tool for the wife to go from A to B the situation changes. It's not a hobby, its a car. It's job is to go from A to B.
The 320d is selected for perceived low running costs. That is pretty much the only reason you'd want one. But the older they get the more troublesome they get and more pointless, in my opinion, buying one is. What use is a saving on fuel that is then eaten up by a turbocharger replacement or gearbox refurbishment?
I understand the position you are in - buying a small automatic car is an absolute minefield. Autoboxes are more complex and therefore inherently less reliable than manual boxesand the autoboxes found in smaller cars tend to be cheaper to make and therefore, well, even less focused on longevity as the ones you'll find in much bigger cars. Add in manufacturers obsession with 'lifetime fill' gearbox oil and it remains my opinion that an automatic gearbox on most cars is simply a timebomb waiting to ruin the day of the average buyer of 10 year old cars.
The gearbox in the 320d is a GM box - which tend to be more prone to letting go than the ZF boxes in the petrol ones. A rebuild generally runs into 4 figures, who honestly wants that risk with a cheap diesel?
As for what I'd recommend instead - in this particular case I genuinelly don't know. The autobox requirement is the real issue - if you were after a manual I'd be suggesting something with the generally reliable (well, as much as anything turbocharged can be) VW 1.9 TDI 110 engine in it, perhaps a Golf or a Seat, but my only experience with the autobox in a VW is a 1.6 Golf auto I once test drove my sister which was broken, so I'm really struggling to think of a credible, reliable, no hassle sub £3k automatic.
Especially diesel - diesel autos are reasonably new in terms of popularity. Traditionally manufacturers did not offer diesel autos in anything but the largest of cars. As a result you'll find most of the sort of cars you are finding for about £2k are not even offered with a diesel + auto in the range.
You mention finance - I'm actually starting to wonder whether this wouldn't be a better idea. Are you in a postion to finance something newer with a decent warranty? This would remove the worry about the autobox and allow you to benefit from the additional economy of a diesel engined car without needing to be concerned about when the high pressure injection system is going to cause problems, when the turbocharger might go or when the dreaded gearbox issues appear.