Buying BMW in London

crazydave

Hi guys,

I'm looking into buying a bmw in london. After doing a lot of research i've found the cars to be of much better value even after adding the vrt. As well as that the specs are of a higher standard. Basically I am looking at a 5 series 97-03 model. I absoluetly love this car and i plan on spending no more than 8 grand in total. I'm just wondering if anyone here has had any experience of buying a BMW in London and if they have any tips. Below is a link to a car I'm thinking of buying. It has everything I'm looking for except for the high mileage(not too fond of the alloys either but what can you do?!). Ideally i would like a car witha mileage under 100,000.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/BMW+5+SERIES/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146,N-10-14-192-4294967178-4294967202/advert.action?R=200816307940107&distance=36&postcode=W1C+1BY&channel=CARS&make=BMW&model=5+SERIES&min_pr=2000&max_

Thanks in advance

Dave

LFCFan

What about going for a Diesel with high milage? Would be in better shape than a petrol with the equivalent miles on it.

Cmar-Ireland

If I was going to the hassle of traveling to London to buy, I would want substantially less mileage than that. And no disrespect, but its a very plain looking car. Try to get one with the M kit.
Also, a 2.5 petrol engine would put off a lot of people when the time comes to sell. €900 road tax!!!:eek:

Having said that, BMW six cylinders to sound lovely

Eoin

LFCFan wrote: »

What about going for a Diesel with high milage? Would be in better shape than a petrol with the equivalent miles on it.

They tend to command a higher resale value, so there may not be any savings to be made there.

I've been keeping an eye out for a while, and I reckon 10-11K would get a very nice 2000 (maybe 2001) M-Tech 525/528/530 with around 100K miles on the clock.

The VRT site gives an OMSP of about €10,500 which is quite low in my opinion - you are very unlikely to find the same spec'd car in Ireland for that cash.

The exchange rate at the moment is making it very good value.

crazydave - don't get too hung up on mileage. For a start, much of the mileage could well be easy motorway mileage, and secondly a car with more than 100K on the clock may already have had a lot of the expensive long-term consumables replaced, while a car approaching the mileage may need them done soon.

Tails142

Last year I got a 00 528i with 150k miles for £3,500 - with sat nav and tv and some other extras such as msport steering wheel but otherwise the same as your model.


I bid for mine on ebay which resulted in the good price. I had a bit of trouble with it initially, kept losing coolant, but after getting the head reskimmed it hasnt missed a beat in that past 9 months. Would defo reccomend it. Great place to do it too as I was able to get a tube from the airport and be a 5 minute walk from where I was picking up the car.

Eoin

Cmar-Ireland wrote: »

Try to get one with the M kit.
Also, a 2.5 petrol engine would put off a lot of people when the time comes to sell. €900 road tax!!!:eek:

Having said that, BMW six cylinders to sound lovely

I agree that M-Tech kit is the way to go, but not necessarily that a 2.5 will put people off. The smaller two engines are the 520 (2 litre) which isn't the fastest, and the 520 2.2, which is a bit nippier, but I think was only available later on in its run. Obviously the 525TDS (apparently not too refined) and 530d will be as much or more to tax because of the latest change in the road tax rules.

crazydave

Hmm i guess I'm just being a bit impatient with regards to getting a BMW. I wanted one for ages and now that i have the money I'm itching to buy it

Idedally what i want is a 520-523 with beige leather interior with the same wheels as the one on the car shown below

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/5-Series

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/i-SE/849970/

That car has been for sale for months and i wouldnt touch it. Who puts a fake M5 badge and gets twin exhausts on a normal 5 series?!Ridiculous. Other than that its a lovely example of a 5 series

@ LFC Would buying a diesel not be more expensive to run?Plus the performance wouldn't be as good

@eoin-s Thats a great point you have made about mileage. I'm planning on going to Maxwell Motors over the weekend to ask about what work a car should have done and expect to have done after a certain mileage

Eoin

crazydave wrote: »

Hmm i guess I'm just being a bit impatient with regards to getting a BMW. I wanted one for ages and now that i have the money I'm itching to buy it

Idedally what i want is a 520-523 with beige leather interior with the same wheels as the one on the car shown below

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/5-Series

---

/i-SE/849970/

That car has been for sale for months and i wouldnt touch it. Who puts a fake M5 badge and gets twin exhausts on a normal 5 series?!Ridiculous. Other than that its a lovely example of a 5 series

@ LFC Would buying a diesel not be more expensive to run?Plus the performance wouldn't be as good

@eoin-s Thats a great point you have made about mileage. I'm planning on going to Maxwell Motors over the weekend to ask about what work a car should have done and expect to have done after a certain mileage

M-tech is the way to go on the e39, though even putting clear indicator lenses on the normal versions instead of the standard orange ones can freshen up the look a little.

The performance from a 530d is pretty good, especially when re-mapped. I'd be slow to rule it out. Match it with the tiptronic auto box, and it's a lovely ride. While diesel is about 5% more expensive at the pump, you will obviously get more MPG than a 530i, so you just have to work out if the higher purchase price is worth it, based on your annual mileage.

Personally if I was offered a 530i and 530d with the same spec for the same price, I'd take the diesel and put up with the sound.

bonham23

you'll find it hard to get an mtec pre 00. the wheels shown on this car are 7 series msport wheels..probably replicas

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/...-/i-SE/849970/

Eoin

bonham23 wrote: »

you'll find it hard to get an mtec pre 00. the wheels shown on this car are 7 series msport wheels..probably replicas

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/...-/i-SE/849970/

I've seen a few 99 ones, but they may well be after-market kits - so that could mean standard suspension?

bonham23

yes the mtec spec comes with body mouldings,msport wheels,mtec door sill plates,and mtec suspension
on the inside they have sport seats,mtec steering wheel and gear stick