Hi Howard,
For around £30k you can get a very slightly used/ex-demo 3 series touring so might be worth checking out BMW's used car locator. My co-worker just recently got into a 69 reg 420d M Sport with delivery mileage at just under £30k with a new price of £46!
I've had my fair share of Audi A4 Avants in various flavours - from a 2.0 TFSI to an S4. Lovely chassis and one of the most comfortable cars in that bracket IMHO. Have a look on youtube for Carwow. Search for the cars you are pondering and enjoy Matt's reviews.
Good luck on the hunt.
P
