I have a BMW 3 Series Touring (320d X Drive) with P7 runflats. I value the security they provide in being able to continue driving, albeit for a limited time and speed. However, in under two years I’ve had one destroyed rim & tyre and one destroyed tyre resulting in being off the road for 2-3 days for each incident while replacements could be found. It seems that the P7 run flats are not only expensive, they’re difficult to find. I drive to the South of France and back three times a year and feel that I’m gambling on being able to complete the journey when I have no spare tyre, and yes, one of the tyre incidents was in France. I’m considering the options to solve this problem. BMW will sell me a space saver, or a full sized spare, but it would have to live in the boot. If i’m travelling with dogs in the back that’s not a solution that would work. A space saver would probably fit in a top box, but I doubt I’d be able to lift a full sized spare that high!

I do have European breakdown cover, so I wouldn’t be completely stranded.

I’m very unhappy with the car for a number of reasons, namely poor fuel consumption, notchy gearbox, lack of pedal box space, soft paint which seems to scratch very easily, tyre deflation system giving false alarms, poor visibility etc.

I’d dearly love to replace the car with one which has a full sized spare tyre, if such a thing exists. My requirements are: four wheel drive, occasional towing, room for dogs in the back, rails for attaching a top box, capable of doing 600 miles a day in comfort, 20k miles per year. Budget - I could stretch to £30k, maybe a little more if I could find perfection.

Any ideas to solve either the spare tyre problem or options for a suitable replacement for the car?

Many thanks for a great web site.