2009 520D or newish Passat or similar

veetwin

OK a friend has a dilema. She has approx €24K to spend. Needs a diesel saloon for a 90 mile round trip commute on country roads. She has been looking at either a 2011 Passat or Pug 508 asking around 24K from main dealers.

However she now has the option of 2009 BMW 520d with lowish mileage from a family member for €20K

She has asked my opinion and I reckon the BMW is a better buy. Downsides are the costs of the run flat tyres and driving on icy roads in the winter will not be fun. She would service it at an indie and probably buy a spare wheeel and regular tyres.


She is also looking at Passats in the UK and thinks there may be value over there.

Any opinions?

AltAccount

520D all day long

GERMAN ROCKS

i would get the 508. its newer and a fresh design.

Nonoperational

The 520D for me, but at the end of the day the newer car can have a case made for it too. With modern diesels a warranty with a guaranteed trouble free 2/3 years is a big consideration. You'll probably loose less on the 520 depreciation wise though...

veetwin

Thanks lads. TBH I advised her in the past to get an AWD Subaru Legacy or Forester. I still think it's the right car for her because she battles icy roads for three months of the normal year. OK this year was different but normally it's a big part of her daily commute in the winter months.

mickdw

If she doesnt want to spend any cash on unforeseen problems, get the newer car specially if she plans to change every few years.