Hi all.

New to the forums, but heard this is the place to be for BMW advice!

Difficult question I guess, but which should I buy? 10k to spend

Considerations:

I want the most reliable (as possible) car to keep unexpected repair costs down. I had been looking at petrol, manual for this reason. And same year model patrols are considerably cheaper.
I don't drive many miles, all short trips in general, so +1 for petrol. -1 for not regen filters in diesel and no real mpg gain?
Unfortunately the 2008 petrol model has N53 engine, but have BMW finally found parts that work?
Lots of choice in diesels and limited in petrol. Resale/trade in much better with diesel. Unless gov cop on that diesels pollute more! ;-)
2008 models appear to be getting close to 10k now even in diesels.
Tax is an obvious one, 280 520d and either 1080 or 750 in petrol.
Finally, am I mad not to wait till all trade ins in jan appear with 2nd hand dealers?
My current alfa soul is not strong enough any more!

So, over to you, convince me!

Cheers, appreciate any feedback.