2012 BMW 520d ED or BMW 320d

pete6296

Lookin at a nes Bmw 520d ED for 43k and also considering Bmw 320d for same price.
5 series is a bit big, i currently have a 320d so i like its size etc.
520d give a bit more spec but the new 320d arriving in Feb could be a good option.
Have to make up my mind by Sat.
Any opinions appreciated

PARKHEAD67

pete6296 wrote: »

Lookin at a nes Bmw 520d ED for 43k and also considering Bmw 320d for same price.
5 series is a bit big, i currently have a 320d so i like its size etc.
520d give a bit more spec but the new 320d arriving in Feb could be a good option.
Have to make up my mind by Sat.
Any opinions appreciated

My opinion is your a lucky b*stard:D.Choose wisely.I wish I had your dilemma:)

166man

The new 320d for me anyway, far better looking than the 520d and quite a quick car on paper anyway.

Nissan doctor

I'd use my imagination and get something different to everyone else.

You can get a new Lexus IS200d F-sport for less then 40k....

http://config.lexus-europe.com/openInLargeWindow.asp?settings=xml/IE/EN/cc_lexus_settings_is.xml

Blazer

Have the previous 520d (e60) and love it.
The 320D is a lovely looking car as well but from what I can the current F10 520D and the 320D both have the same engine or specs anyway....
So whatever you get more for your bucks?
Whichever you fancy..both are fantastic cars

pete6296

520d has leather as standard, unfortunetly 320d is cloth so to get this at cost of a 520d.
My current 320d is a 09 and only gettin 20k for it, will the new 320d hold its value as good as the 520d

colm_mcm

If they're both the same price, then the 5 wil definitely hold it's value better

I'd totally get the 5 over the 3

colm_mcm

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I'd use my imagination and get something different to everyone else.

You can get a new Lexus IS200d F-sport for less then 40k....

http://config.lexus-europe.com/openInLargeWindow.asp?settings=xml/IE/EN/cc_lexus_settings_is.xml

Theyre out donkeys years, they weren't a class leader in 2005, and they aren't now (with a detuned engine now as well)

pajo1981

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I'd use my imagination and get something different to everyone else.

You can get a new Lexus IS200d F-sport for less then 40k....

http://config.lexus-europe.com/openInLargeWindow.asp?settings=xml/IE/EN/cc_lexus_settings_is.xml

That yoke's a full generation behind the F10/F30. There's a new IS due out soon - that might be a more suitable contender?

Gophur

A man is torn between a 320d and a 520d and he gets a recommendation to buy a Toyota? :rolleyes:

Go for the 320d, something a little left-field.

unkel

520d is spectacular value for money, because of the new VRT regime. As Colm said, it will hold its value better than a same price, lower spec and obviously smaller 320d. Get the autobox though!

And I get the impression the Nissan Doctor somehow hates BMWs. Did one of them bite you when you were younger?

Nissan doctor

unkel wrote: »

520d is spectacular value for money, because of the new VRT regime. As Colm said, it will hold its value better than a same price, lower spec and obviously smaller 320d. Get the autobox though!

And I get the impression the Nissan Doctor somehow hates BMWs. Did one of them bite you when you were younger?

I don't hate them at all, its just that if I was spending 40k+ on a car I wouldn't want to see 20 other identical cars in every car park I go to.

There is a certain image and attitude that sometimes goes with BMWs too, a certain unjustified owner superiority complex.

I would never say they aren't good cars, but their percieved greatness is 50% car and 50% owners ego in many cases.

Just an opinion/observation though. I'll prepare to be banned or something:P

BrianD3

I'm not a BMW fanboy either and like things that are a bit different than the norm. But the excellence of a car like the new 520d can't be ignored in my view. It's not like the old days when many new BMWs were poor value, poorly equipped cars with bare minimum warranties that were bought for driver appeal and the BMW badge.

How much was an E60 520d in, say, 2007? It seems to me that the F10 is both significantly better and significantly cheaper than the E60.

That Lexus, even if it is a few grand cheaper, is old hat and isn't at the races. Even the warranty is inferior to the BMW one now - 3 years unlimited with the BMW vs a 3 year/60k mile with the Lexus.

OP, any interest in a 328i?

Blazer

BrianD3 wrote: »

How much was an E60 520d in, say, 2007? It seems to me that the F10 is both significantly better and significantly cheaper than the E60.

€60,000 approx

I purchased mine recently (07 520D) and cost me about 19k. You can get them cheaper still but without the 2 year warranty I got.
Back in 2007 a 520D was 60 grand..so it's a lot of car for that money
I absolutely love it...and there isn't too many of the newer models out there...still out range of most people really at 43K so you're not going to see them as much as the older model.


I'd go for the 520D seeing as it's more specced out than the 320D and engine spec is the same.
You can add in the extras for the 320D but it's going to cost you as much by the time you finish configuring it...and as we all know extras get you fúckall at the end of the day when you go to trade it in.
The 520D would get you a better deal.



And PS...get the auto..I'm sorry I didn't

Tea 1000

colm_mcm wrote: »

Theyre out donkeys years, they weren't a class leader in 2005, and they aren't now (with a detuned engine now as well)

The IS250 was a better car than the 325i according to Autocar, who usually have good road tests, and given their BMW (and Ford) bias, that's certainly heavy praise!
The IS220d came out behind the 320d, mainly because the BMW economy was better. The IS was criticised for a harsh engine, which is odd given that it's no harsher than the 320d's one, but they never mentioned the poor gear ratios and the rather audible transmission which I would criticise it for.

Gophur wrote: »

A man is torn between a 320d and a 520d and he gets a recommendation to buy a Toyota? :rolleyes:

Go for the 320d, something a little left-field.

2 points: Nothing wrong with a suggestion of a car in equal class as an alternative, so the "Toyota" as you put it wasn't that much of a roll-eyes suggestion. And the second point is that there is absolutely nothing left-field of a 320d. It's the most friggin right-field car in existance. Also, do you go around to people who suggest Audi's and come out with "why are you suggesting a Skoda?".

To the OP, the 5-series is definitely better value, and does feel like a proper class up from the 3-series, but given that the new F30 looks good and got a fantastic review, and finally has a decent interior, then I'd probably test drive one of those first. E90 vs F10 though and no comparison, F10 every time.

Gophur

Tea 1000 wrote: »

.......

2 points: Nothing wrong with a suggestion of a car in equal class as an alternative,

.........

Apart from the fact the OP didn't ask for such a suggestion? (The Toyota is nothing close to the BMW, IMO)

Tea 1000 wrote: »

.......

........ And the second point is that there is absolutely nothing left-field of a 320d. ........

.........

There is, when 90% of the 3-series will be a 316d or 318d.

Tea 1000 wrote: »

.......
......... Also, do you go around to people who suggest Audi's and come out with "why are you suggesting a Skoda?".

.........

What?

Tea 1000

Gophur wrote: »

Apart from the fact the OP didn't ask for such a suggestion? (The Toyota is nothing close to the BMW, IMO)

The Lexus is close enough to the BMW E90, but won't be to the F10.
Lets stop calling it a Toyota, makes you sound a bit silly.

Gophur wrote: »

There is, when 90% of the 3-series will be a 316d or 318d.

Hardly 90%, but even still, it's not as if the 320d is so much better than slightly detuned versions. A 335Cd might be considered left-field, a 320d is not and never will be. It's the default 40k car suggestion.

Gophur wrote: »

What?

Calling an Audi a Skoda or Volkswagen is just as childish as calling a Lexus a Toyota. I was just wondering if you did that too. A Skoda is closer mechanically to an Audi than a Toyota is to a Lexus.

Gophur

Tea 1000 wrote: »

The Lexus is close enough to the BMW E90, but won't be to the F10.
Lets stop calling it a Toyota, makes you sound a bit silly.


...........

Read the OP, again.


He asks for peoples' views on either a 320d or a 520d, nothing more, nothing less. He doesn't want suggestions on any other marque, Toyota or Audi, or anything else.

He's actually choosing between BMW F10 and F30 cars, the E90 doesn't come into the equation.

Tea 1000

Gophur wrote: »

Read the OP, again.


He asks for peoples' views on either a 320d or a 520d, nothing more, nothing less. He doesn't want suggestions on any other marque, Toyota or Audi, or anything else.

He's actually choosing between BMW F10 and F30 cars, the E90 doesn't come into the equation.

It's a discussion forum. Someone wanted to post an alternative. They're entitled to do so. You obviously have an issue with Lexus, which is why you keep calling it a Toyota. That's your business, but in any case the OP had his question answered.

pajo1981

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVrhPYKamxI

Brown toyota?

Coffee coloured lexus.

R.O.R

I haven't driven a 520ED yet, nor any decent sort of mileage in a manual F10, but the Manual box in an E60 just isn't very good. Seems better in an E90, so should be ok on an F30 too.

If those are the only 2 options on the table, I'd be favouring a high spec 320d - possibly an auto if in budget.