To any BMW owners out there

[MWISimmer]

Dear Craig and Matt

[Ivan]

Insurance: dont ask me

Diesels are more suited to high mileage, but a well-kept petrol should not have any problems.

Parts are expensive, just have the pre-buy checkout at the BMW retailer then go to a service shop with a good reputatio

[Craig.]

My car is 80 miles short of 130K, I got it at 124,000 over a year ago. While it's not a huge amount of mileage in such time, anyone who knows my driving style knows any normal car would probably have died by now. Mine just keeps going. The only problems I've had are generally minor things, but being a beemer they are a bit pricey to fix.
I've never heard a bad thing about the 5 series, what year are we talking about?
Servicing, get an independant to do it and you should be okay, BMW will charge you through the roof. I know Paul (scania) swears by them but I just cant justify paying double the price for an oil change. You also with bmw have inspection intervals, again too expensive for my budget but if you can afford it.

My 3 series gets about 38mpg if I really am careful, I'd imagine the 5 gets a little less maybe 30 if your careful.

In reality its a love hate thing with me, I love the car, every time I drive it I just know it'll do what I want it to. But I hate it when it goes wrong, the costs of fixing it just make me want to sell it. But then once its back and fixed I'm in love with it again.

Just make sure if you buy one it has a service history if the mileage is higher.

[TSC.]

Hi Rob,

I had a 5 series which I got at 118k on the clock & used it for frequent blatts up & down the country until the head gasket went at 150k - everything I ever needed mechnically for the car was a lot cheaper than expected (a bonus of expecting a high price). I even managed to get the entire propshaft refurbished for under 200 pounds (BMW wanted 400 plus labour (90 p/h) to fix just one part of the propshaft - it comes in three parts). As Craig has said, find a good independant specialist & your laughing. The car was awsome to drive & I would take the old 5 series over many cars that were a lot newer any day of the week. Fuel consumption for the 518 was about 30mpg around town, although I'd imagine that the newer 528i would return about the same figures, given the 1.8 engine is really to small for a car of the 5's size.

Since the 518 I've moved onto my current 730i, which is in another league, a stunning car for long journeys, very comfortable & unbelievably quiet. It'll return 30mpg on the motorway & 20mpg around town, however on really short trips like a mile to the shops, you'll get about 8mpg with a cold engine - but that's a 3 litre V8, so it's not going to be the most economical - does sound good though.

[expat]

I have a 525d Tourer automatic (Tip Tronic) The BMW diesel, well one word comes to mind (touching wood never the less), bullet proof (170,000kms)
I drive 100 miles to and from work each day. It it all country roads and I just bimble along at 80kph (50mph) and I get between 40 and 42 to the gallon (6,5-ish litres per 100km). On the autobahn I am never really under 160kph (100mph) and I am generally running at 8,5 litres per 100km (30-ish per gallon).
The six cylinder (2,5) is as smooth as a Kashmir cod piece. I always said I would never drive an automatic, this one is my first and think not my last. The BMW diesel is easy to "chip". Not to get extra power, but it will increase the miles per gallon, litres per 100km due to the mapping being smoothed out. It is a little know fact that you can get up to a litre per 100 km better consumption and that is also my experience. As long as you do not ream the motor each time you drive it and buy some cheap product, it should make no difference to the engine life. Mine has been running chipped for about 130,000kms and never missed a beat.
If you plump for an E39, all the parts you will ever need are easy to come by and no that expensive. Type E39 into ebay and you could just about build a car with the parts on offer.
Can't comment on insurance or road tax etc as I am in Germany.

Matt

[ozzy72]

I used to have a 3-series and will NEVER buy a BMW car again (their motorbikes are another matter).
However that said diesel engines tend to be bomb proof

[ozzy72]

Rob check your PMs

[Sir_Crashalot]

Darn, we are going to lose another one to the dark side......

Crash (Mercedes-Benz forever)

[ozzy72]

I personally will never own a Mercedes or Volvo. Being a biker I view them as the arch enemy of all motorcyclists and they must be destroyed with chainsaws [smiley=evil.gif]

[expat]

Darn, we are going to lose another one to the dark side......

Crash (Mercedes-Benz forever)

Crash, hope you have one of these. A must for the discerning Merc driver



Matt

[Sir_Crashalot]

No I don't own a hat like that. I have one made of straw.......

Crash (just driving along at a modest speed like you should drive in a limousine....)

PS. Mark, being a biker myself I never had bad experiences with Merc's or Volvos. Only with small white, women driven Toyota Starlet type of vehicles and VW Golfs driven by 'look how cool I am with my 5000W speakers blasting away' useless punks......

Crash

[MWISimmer]

Cheers everyone, I'm off out tomorrow to have a look at a few estate cars, BMW being the preferred marque (still) but as has been pointed out to me I can get, for instance, a Mondeo estate on a "54" plate (September 2004) for the same price as a BMW 5 series tourer on a V-W (2000) plate.

[TSC.]

I can get, for instance, a Mondeo estate on a "54" plate (September 2004) for the same price as a BMW 5 series tourer on a V-W (2000) plate.

True Rob, but you'd always wish you'd bought the beemer.  ;)



TSC.

[C]

Dare I say the Vword...

Modern (late 90s onward) Volvo estates will have had someone pay off the best part of 90% of their devaluation. I was looking at a V40 earlier this year (admittedly you'd be looking at a larger model), and was surprised at what I'd get for

[eno]

You cant beat the Volvo T5 ...... why do you think half the police forces in the country have them as their main pursuit vehicles? Even without the police modifications they are up there.  The image of your typical Volvo driver seems to have been shook off by the V40 onwards, replaced by the Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris, WagonR wielding pensioner who can't see, can't hear and who drives constantly 25mph below the speed limit braking not only for predestrians on the pavement but vehicles heading in the opposite direction also.