BMW 520, Saab 9-5, Lexus IS200, Nissan Maxima QX or Honda Accord

Eric Cartman

Its polling time , Im buying a car a the start of next month and i want to know overall (rated in the areas of reliability, power, comfort and fuel economy) what to buy between :

BMW 520d (e39)
Saab 9-5 (2.0 Petrol)
Lexus IS200
Nissan Maxima QX (2.0 V6)
Honda Accord (2.0 petrol) = The Audi in poll option

(Keep in mind im buying an automatic when you cast your vote) , comments on these cars please , all cars will be 2000-2002 year, irish registered

colm_mcm

you need to be a bit more specific. what kinda 520d is gonna fall within budget?

Eric Cartman

fixed ,

colm_mcm

don't bother with an IS200 auto anyway.

520d was only available from 2000 I think. If you can get a nice one within budget, then that would be my choice.

Eric Cartman

cheers

Tipsy Mac

In the current climate and bang for your buck I would go with the Maxima.

Gypo

OP, I don't believe the 520d was available until 2005 in E60 guise.

Edit: At least in the UK or Ireland

L-M

Gypo wrote: »

OP, I don't believe the 520d was available until 2005 in E60 guise.

Edit: At least in the UK or Ireland

Lol, fair play. Didn't cop to that for some reason. So it's the 520 petrol or the 30diesel OP.

reggiethefirst

Well I'm a fan of saabs so I'll say that.
But don't get an automatic, they're ****e. Unless it's aa tiptronic, which are class.

Barr

reggiethefirst wrote: »

Well I'm a fan of saabs so I'll say that.
But don't get an automatic, they're ****e. Unless it's aa tiptronic, which are class.

I've never had a problem with the SAAB autos , they dont "hunt" for gears the way some others do

Eric Cartman

you people are quite right, its the 520i so :P , but now you all have me puzzled, i always thought beamers werent great on the reliability front, is there some magic immunity with the 5 series ?

L-M

Eric Cartman wrote: »

you people are quite right, its the 520i so :P , but now you all have me puzzled, i always thought beamers werent great on the reliability front, is there some magic immunity with the 5 series ?

I think no matter what you buy, besides a Toyota(lol) is going to have it's problems. It's all the luck of the draw. Have driven a 01 520 auto and thought it was lovely yoke to drive but my god, the interior, was oh so very basic and boring. No leather in it though.

Unlce has a 01 Aero Se Saab 95 and it's a bloody rocket of a yoke. Lovely to look at, great spec in it, and a cracker of a car. For some reason i'm changin my mind on my vote. I'd go for the Saab. He's in love with it anyway. Make sure you get top spec in the Saab though, something like this
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Saab/9-5/2.0-VECTOR/1191141/
Seems good value, although i can say nothing for auto's as his is manual. Some else may be able to shed light on this.

Eric Cartman

limerick i was considering that very one but these engine sludge issues seem to be a hazard, would i be wise to trust one that says 'engine replaced'

L-M

Carzone Add wrote:

Comes Fully Serviced,Warranty Included

I'd say bargain a better warranty, and let that be that. Althought it does have a towbar, which could of been used to tow the boat back and forth (lol). But seriously that car looks the business and seems to be good value for money. I would judge anything on pics thought, only use them to see the colour and the wheels and that's it. For anything else you have to see the car.

colm_mcm

Be very careful with that Saab.

L-M

colm_mcm wrote: »

Be very careful with that Saab.

That Saab, or them in general. Ah f3ck there's nothing i can spot in the add lol.

Eric Cartman

is there anything except the engine id need to be worried about with the saab ? , also i plan on only buying one with FSH and a warranty from a SIMI dealer

L-M

Maybe of interest.
http://www.thesaabsite.com/95/2001-Saab-95-Specs.jpg
I know there is a site like honestdave or something that will show any problems etc.

TJJP

Limerick-man wrote: »

Lol, fair play. Didn't cop to that for some reason. So it's the 520 petrol or the 30diesel OP.

Or the 525d, quite common in the UK and a few have appeared over here. Cheaper roadtax than the 530d and slightly better economy than the 520i. Did see a 520d in France last week, first one I ever came accross.

L-M

TJJP wrote: »

Or the 525d, quite common in the UK and a few have appeared over here. Cheaper roadtax than the 530d and slightly better economy than the 520i. Did see a 520d in France last week, first one I ever came accross.

Could of been a badge. But ya the 525 is another option.

geoff29

Despite the issues, I'd still go Saab before the BMW. Yes there are issues, but that straight six beemer isn't exactly bullet-proof (over-heating and head gasket etc. in my own experience but I haven't had an E39) - and also - the Maxima isn't as reliable as you might think. I have no experience with the IS200 and that's because I don't like them - though at least they are rwd.

Maybe go to Faichney Ringwood:
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Saab/9-5/2.0-(LPT)/1204995/
or
http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Saab/9-5/SE-2.0/1141865/

Vastly over-priced IMO, but, 2 year warranty? It's definitely at least worth a call in to see what kind of money can be knocked off. My guess is quite a lot in this day and age. The estate has 3 owners though and yet 50k miles - doesn't quite make sense - but nice looking car apart from dodge wood wheel which although is original factory-spec, Saab never matched it to the burr walnut! Used to annoy me...

Also, at least the Saab is 2.0 litre, which is still ok for tax. I'd find it hard to justify paying more than 600 for tax on a (relatively) cheap car.

galwaytt

colm_mcm wrote: »

Be very careful with that Saab.

Nonsense.

My brother is a Saab fan, and is on his third - For Sale, btw... and that's his third. And it's the lowest mileage one he's ever had. The last 2 (both 2.0LPT), iirc, all got to 130k miles, and were auto, and never gave an ounce of trouble. Which is a better average than I'm getting on my cars.......:(

...which is why in March, I gave up fighting it, and bought a Saab too..........

Mind you, mine is 1.9 Diesel, and fab and all as it is with the 150bhp engine............I want his......;)

Like all cars, an turbo's in particular, it needs regular oil checks and changes, preferably in advance of the book intervals. Do this, and you should have no reason to expect trouble.

But, I think your choices are a bit....mixed? For a start, I'd dump the A4, and possibly the Lexus, too. Reason ? They're both small in the back - the others are a class larger, and no more expensive, either.......the 520d is too new, as other's have pointed out, so if the 5-series is on the cards, it's probably the 520i. Which is nice. But, if you look at a few, you'll find the majority are poorly specc'd, e.g. cloth seats, manual, etc.

You get more for your money in either the Saab or Nissan.

I don't see anything wrong with the Faichney cars, bar one item: overpriced. Mind you, the warranty is worth something.(it's why I bought mine, tbh......) The fake wood one is horrible, though...........I'd say the 99 one is particularly expensive.

Saab Ed

Pros and cons of the above cars (in my opinion) 1) The A4 is a glorified Golf and although the interior might look great even after plenty of miles , there is no room at all up front or in the rear. 1.6 petrols have poor performance and the diesels tend to be over priced at dealers. One of the problems that I see with the A4 ( and the Golf, Passat and other VW group diesels) is that due to how popular they are many are coming in from the UK with huge mileage. Once they arrive here they are clocked and sold on at a very large profit. DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESES WITHOUT A FULL UK SERVICE HISTORY. 2) Nissan what? 3) The Lexux IS200 is bomb proof , full stop. I personally dont like them and performance wise the 2.0 litre 6 Cylinder engine feels weak and has to really be worked hard to get the best out of it. But they really are a Toyota under all that lingerie so that means it will last forever. Only thing I could say against the IS200 is that the auto version in semi auto mode takes longer to change gear than the tide takes to go out. 4) The BMW 520 is probably the best drivers car here ( although this would be blunted by the autobox) and probably has the most space and probably has the loudest badge. I have seen horror stories with these cars. Remember alot of people who bought these cars bought them to drive hard. And by the time they get to their third and forth owner , they tend to be people trying to live the dream but without the budget to maintain them properly. If anything goes wrong on one of these its a lot of money. I have seen the the 6 cylinder engines loose compression and need totally new blocks. ( It was re-call in the early ones but some slipped through). Part of the injection systems plays up, warning lights come up on the dash, gear-changes get stodgey. Lovely car when all is well but it would not be one for me. Too scary. 5) Im a Saab man at heart and it would be my choice, but thats not going to shade my opinion. These cars suffer from engine sludge build up which blocks the strainer in the sump to feed the upper parts of the engine with oil. This can leed to all sorts of trouble ie. knackered turbos , noisy timing chain and worst of all a blown engine. A friend of mine who worked on saabs told me it was because the oil change interval was set to long by Saab, so even a car with a FSH with Saab could be a time bomb. Radio displays also die early and I think I would stick with a manual (just opinion no reason). Id also have to say that of all the cars here (excluding the Nissan taxi) it surely offers the best value for money, just get it well checked out before you buy...sorry if i went on a bit and I hope its of some help. Ed

Eoin

The Lexus GS300 would be closer to the 5 series in size - the IS200 is quite a small car. I really like the GS300, and nearly went for one over a 5 series.

Nice 2000 sport model here for example.

Edit - I think the e39 came in both a 525d and 525tds model. I believe one of them has a pretty old, and quite a rough engine. Can't remember which one though.

L-M

eoin_s wrote: »

The Lexus GS300 would be closer to the 5 series in size - the IS200 is quite a small car. I really like the GS300, and nearly went for one over a 5 series.

Nice 2000 sport model here for example.

Edit - I think the e39 came in both a 525d and 525tds model. I believe one of them has a pretty old, and quite a rough engine. Can't remember which one though.

I think i'd be right in saying the tds is the oooold engine.

Eoin

Limerick-man wrote: »

I think i'd be right in saying the tds is the oooold engine.

That sounds about right, going by the old 318tds.

L-M

eoin_s wrote: »

That sounds about right, going by the old 318tds.

Aye, i think a fella i knew had an old 525 and i remember seeing tds on it. That lexus looks the right job, 3.0 is a bit sthhheep i'd say

Eoin

Yeah, Lexus aren't great at providing a selection of engines for a model. A lot of car for 10K though - very comfortable. I haven't been in the sport model, but the standard one feels a little vague to handle.

L-M

eoin_s wrote: »

Yeah, Lexus aren't great at providing a selection of engines for a model. A lot of car for 10K though - very comfortable. I haven't been in the sport model, but the standard one feels a little vague to handle.

I've driven an rx-300 which is probably the same engine, nice bith of poke. Don't think i've even sat in a gs, only the new model. But true, it's alot of car for 10k. Looks the business

geoff29

nice to see from the poll that so far the Saab is giving the BMW a right run for its money! 10 to 15!

Go SAAB! As driven by men of mystery...

galwaytt

geoff29 wrote: »

Go SAAB! As driven by men of mystery...

...ah yes.

Saab, the Thinking Man's BMW......:D

Eric Cartman

wish i could pay the insurance and the fuel on a gs300 but i cant, thats whats keeping me away from one of them (ive wanted one for years) but i think the verdict is in lads, its a saab 9-5 with FSH and a warranty for me

Cyrus

whats the budget?

Get a bmw 525/530i sport if its in or around 10-11k,

i can believe people are spouting nonsense about unreliable bmw 6cyl engines while telling you to buy a saab turbo'd engine :pac:

the e39 bmw is possibly one of the greatest saloons ever made, none of the other cars in the list really compare.

and 520is were bought to be driven hard, WTF

DublinWriter

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

In the current climate and bang for your buck I would go with the Maxima.

Hmmm don't think so. The 2.0 petrol Maxima is quite sluggish, you'd really should be looking at the 3.0 litre. Plus the depreciation on Nissan Maximas is horrific.

Eoin

DublinWriter wrote: »

Plus the depreciation on Nissan Maximas is horrific.

Which can be a good thing if you buy an older one that someone else has taken the hit on. It would still be the last one on my list though.

kce

Defintely go for the 9-5, and go for the top speced aero version. Fantastic engine and good mpg to match.

SEPT 23 1989

the 528i is the greatest car i have ever owned you will never look at another car again after owning a 5 Series

Ferris

The oil sludge issue isn't too much of a problem on the 4cyl Saab engines. it just means that you have to change the oil every 6k mls. Also the oil has to be taken out via the sump bung and not vaccumed out the dipstick tube.

For complete piece of mind set a few quid aside and get a mechanic to pop the sump off and clean out the engines bottom end and replace the oil return and pickup pipes as these get blocked by the sludge.

The Saab 9-5 Aero is the one i'd go for out of the OP's choices. It will out accelerate a porsche 911 turbo between 30 and 70mph which means you can just about overtake anything you want safely.