Anybody got or had an e60 5 series?

[GRIFF55]

Hi guys, i'm thinking about getting a 5 series touring diesel.
Anybody had one or got one and what do you think of it please?

[b4-man]

Hi
I work for a bmw specialist and they are a good sound car not alot goes wrong with them

[GRIFF55]

Is mileage a worry on the 520d?

[GRIFF55]

At the moment, its a toss up between the 5 series touring, a4 avant s line or a .......VOLVO v50 r design

[Nick Goodall]

Great minds Griff, I just got one at the start of April. 520d with DMS remap and it's lovely, 47 mpg on a run and over 40 around town, so so comfortable and looks awesome IMO. Get the M sport model though, check my gallery on detailmycar.co.uk as mine is on there along with my dads 535d, really good size car too, 3 series is just too small for my needs

[GRIFF55]

thats what i wanted to hear mate! its an msport with leather etc and fancy the look. Where did you get the remap done? Is the 520 powerful enough?

[chatts#725]

Originally Posted by GRIFF55

At the moment, its a toss up between the 5 series touring, a4 avant s line or a .......VOLVO v50 r design

Same applies with bmw as anything else really, these can cost a lot of cash if they go wrong, ive been with bmw 15 years so have seen one or two. Just look for a good honest car with a flawless service history, nothing too milagey as dpf will give problems, personally i would say re mapping is a no no as these engines are stressed enough as it is. Something to bear in mind is that you need to be saving a lot on fuel by running a diesel as potentially a 2k bill could be just around the corner. A six cylinder petrol however just does not give any cause for concern, at all. Only my opinion.

[Nick Goodall]

Originally Posted by GRIFF55

thats what i wanted to hear mate! its an msport with leather etc and fancy the look. Where did you get the remap done? Is the 520 powerful enough?

Mines done 137k so not quite galactic mileage but the oil seals failed on the turbo at 101k while under warranty so the whole engine was replaced by BMW with new flywheel a d clutch... The DPF is changed as part of the service schedule around 110k I think it is and luckily mine was done too as that's 1200 but some people remove it completely.... The car would be more then powerful enough standard, this was mainly done to smoothout power delivery but it's more like a 525 now to be fair. My car was one of our company cars that an engineer had from new so it's had full bm history which helps.. I know its had the engine but it drives hardly any different to my dads with 40k apart from the power difference lol

[chatts#725]

Originally Posted by Nick Goodall

Mines done 137k so not quite galactic mileage but the oil seals failed on the turbo at 101k while under warranty so the whole engine was replaced by BMW with new flywheel a d clutch... The DPF is changed as part of the service schedule around 110k I think it is and luckily mine was done too as that's 1200 but some people remove it completely.... The car would be more then powerful enough standard, this was mainly done to smoothout power delivery but it's more like a 525 now to be fair. My car was one of our company cars that an engineer had from new so it's had full bm history which helps.. I know its had the engine but it drives hardly any different to my dads with 40k apart from the power difference lol

Sounds spot on, the e61 itself is great and you obviously know yours and where it's been, many people won't replace the dpf as you can imagine, there's just stuff you can't account for when buying a car like that blind, if its ever had petrol through it for example, won't show straight away but you could soon be into a few injectors at 300 a piece or a high pressure pump at the best part of a grand. I'm not trying to scare anyone to death but the petrol equivalent is definitely worth considering.

[Nick Goodall]

Few pics of mine in case you didn't see them Griff ;-)

[Nick Goodall]

Originally Posted by chatts#725

Sounds spot on, the e61 itself is great and you obviously know yours and where it's been, many people won't replace the dpf as you can imagine, there's just stuff you can't account for when buying a car like that blind, if its ever had petrol through it for example, won't show straight away but you could soon be into a few injectors at 300 a piece or a high pressure pump at the best part of a grand. I'm not trying to scare anyone to death but the petrol equivalent is definitely worth considering.

Yeah i think you raise some really good points there, i know i took a risk but as i've known the car from new, and known all the history it does at least give me some confidence....

Griff maybe try and find one that still has BMW Warranty on it? It might cost a bit more and equally is really expensive to renew (£1k on a 525D) but that might be worth looking at but at the very least i would want something with Full BMW History - If you get a Reg plate you can ring the dealers to ask about any warranty work too so that might be worth doing if you find a car you like.

[Jamie.T]

Nick, that car is stunning. Love the colour and those alloys are by far the best ones. Its tempting me away from my A4.lol

[GRIFF55]

Cheers guys, great advice there. I have found a 520d touring with 80k on the clock and full service at a reasonable price. 56 plate which has just had a large ammont of warranty work just completed. We'll see if it drives nice next ;-)
Nice car that Nick, could do with a clean!! Lol

[MattADH]

I can vouch for the Audi A4 2.0TDi - I have the saloon but hindsight is a great thing and the Avant would have worth it for the extra space, etc.

Last one did 120k over 4 years with nothing required apart from a six tyres (i think) and 18k service intervals! Fortunately, Ian Boulter carried out the timing belt change at 80k when the car was out of warranty for a fraction of the cost of a main dealer.

The first A4 I had was a 2006 model and didnt have the DPF but the current one does and is definiately not as fast...

Very happy with them both so I would recommend the Audi (the Mrs has a 120d though...)

[Nick Goodall]

I think the A6 is more of a fair comparison to the 5-Series as the A4 is more 3-Series size isn't it? Not bad size wise, just not the biggest in the rear i found... I do prefer the drive of the BMW's though, the Audi's are just a bit bland in my experience... they're good at what they do but just left me a bit flat i thought, i nearly bought an A4 2.7TDi Avant that we had here so it was a choice between that and the 5-series but the 5-series just suited me better.

The Avant was good but equally you don't store stuff up that high anyway and probably don't want stuff out on show so for me there was no real benefit in going for an Estate... the boot on the 5-Series is huuuuuuge, i can get all my detailing gear including a pressure washer in there and trust me that's a LOT of stuff, far more then i used to take racing haha.

[GRIFF55]

Well, we have been loaned the car for this evening and tomorrow. So far i am quite impressed. VERY comfy, enough power and loadsa room!!!
If we do decide to buy i think it will need the Nicky G's touch
The control panel (i drive is it?)will take a bit of getting used to

[Nick Goodall]

Originally Posted by GRIFF55

Well, we have been loaned the car for this evening and tomorrow. So far i am quite impressed. VERY comfy, enough power and loadsa room!!!
If we do decide to buy i think it will need the Nicky G's touch
The control panel (i drive is it?)will take a bit of getting used to

No problem Griff, happy to do it when you come to see Lee or something!

Yeah the I-Drive takes a bit of getting used to but it's good once you do, some really clever features in there like Auto start-up of the Fans 10 mins before you leave work for instance.

Have fun with it anyway, hope you like it!