Haven't been bothered to drop by here for a long, long time. IMHO, this forum is the ultimate 220d hatemongerers' club. I think about 99 % of all the negative comments I have ever read or heard on the 220d have been posted in here. I have absolutely no interest going down the all too familiar is not / is too road, so this is my only post on this thread.
I went through a very thorough car selection procedure in 2006/07, tested just about all the diesel alternatives and a few petrol ones too (from Skoda Octavia to BMW 5-series, and yes the IS 250 Auto as well), and ended up buying the 220d Sport. After almost two years and 38k miles, I have had no problems whatsoever. The mileage is very consistent at 48 MPG overall, 50+ easily achievable on a run. For urban driving the 220d is a poor choice, but as a cruiser it's very good. The standard gearbox is the real Achilles' heel of the 220d, the gearing on that one is very untraditional, to say the least.
I'm pretty sure there are some real bargains to be found among the 220d's, as it has gotten a lot more bad press than I think it deserves. My experience and the experiences of other 220d owners I've come across in real life are most definitely not at all in line with the consensus on this forum. Luck can't cover it.