dear lanky,

8 grand is a lot of money to get a very good car. i have had an american chevorlet caprice, a japanese carina and currently german bmw 5er saloon. each has its pros and cons. americans are not available here so we will not discus those. japanese are very reliable and you could get a variety of these here. they are easy going and cheap to run as well as on maintainence. the new avensis would be a good one and would fit in your budget too. of course then is the beamer. you could get 3 or a 5er depending on your requirements. they are slightly more expensive but are robust, reliable and safe. you could always find a good one for the money you have. personally i would go for a 525 tds estate or530d saloon as its good on fuel ave, spacious, reliable and there are plenty in the market.the petrol versions 520 is good too but is under equipped and some say under powered. 523 is good on petrol as well. i have a 528 which i find heavy on fuel and a straight 6 is of no advantage on the road except burning more quids for the miles and adding more co2. if space is not an issue you could go for 3 series 320d as its more economical, the only negative is that 3 series is generally more expensive. so for the same money you would find 3 series with more miles on the clock that a 5er. best of luck.

ali