Petrol E60 for 5k - good idea / bad idea?

colm_c

Thinking of changing to an E60 520i, there's a few 04/05 popping up around the 5k mark on DD and carzone.

Not really interested in diesel -- doing less than 10k miles a year at the moment, and rather not pay the premium or maintenance costs.

Worth it? or just a money pit?

deandean

Probably a better bet than a 520D for that mileage.

The petrol is coming in at, what, half the price?

Mully_2011

No it will be worth half that next year wait a bit longer get one with a bigger engine

colm_c

Mully_2011 wrote: »

No it will be worth half that next year wait a bit longer get one with a bigger engine

I'm moving from a 1.4 petrol fiat stilo, I think the jump to a 520 will be more than enough power!

CharlieCroker

good to see someone not obsessed with diesel when they don't need it. try to get an SE or M-Sport, have a much nicer spec.

With that mileage, then work away. just make the same precautions as you would with any 8 year old used car.

partyatmygaff

If you can get a car with a good spec at a bargain, it's not a bad idea. That said, depreciation is going to be massive and reselling it will be difficult if petrol prices stay as they are or get worse.

The worst for it will be a bog standard 520i with cloth seats, manual transmission and the like. Go for one with a few extras and it should hold its value better.

Chuck_Norris

Kinda thinking along the same lines myself actually.

Won't be needing my daysul, so annual mileage will be dropping. So contemplating a 525 or 728 for the future.

If you don't need a diesel, don't go for one.

colm_c

colm_c wrote: »

Thinking of changing to an E60 520i, there's a few 04/05 popping up around the 5k mark on DD and carzone.
..............

partyatmygaff wrote: »

.......... depreciation is going to be massive and reselling it will be difficult if petrol prices stay as they are or get worse................

Can't be any more massive than €5k to be fair

ShadowHearth

I love e60, but I would not touch it. I was thinking of 530d myself, but after a good bit of research I got back in to my senses.

Problems are not even in the diesel part of the whole bundle, but the whole electronics and iseis thing. I am prett sure stuff like e60 will be gone of the roads before e39. Fixing up e60 is just more expensive then buying one at this stage. No wonder those are tanking in value.

Lovely car, but if I would go for one I would make sure to have good few grands just in case.

Fuh Q

Go for it, I would do the same if I had any cash or could get finance, my Corolla 1.3 as economical and reliable it is just wrecks my head.

colm_c

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I love e60, but I would not touch it. I was thinking of 530d myself, but after a good bit of research I got back in to my senses.

Problems are not even in the diesel part of the whole bundle, but the whole electronics and iseis thing. I am prett sure stuff like e60 will be gone of the roads before e39. Fixing up e60 is just more expensive then buying one at this stage. No wonder those are tanking in value.

Lovely car, but if I would go for one I would make sure to have good few grands just in case.

Any more info on the electronics and iseis?

eth0

Daysul is fashionable and people will ridicule you for not buying one because everyone is getting them for the efficiency and low road tax but these people can't exactly notice the soul slowly being drained out of them each time they start up that daysul QashQai so take no notice and go for the petrol one.

Tis really your duty to go against the trend here because in 10 years kids will be saying 'where did all the fun cars go?'

SpannerMonkey

ShadowHearth wrote: »

I love e60, but I would not touch it. I was thinking of 530d myself, but after a good bit of research I got back in to my senses.

Problems are not even in the diesel part of the whole bundle, but the whole electronics and iseis thing. I am prett sure stuff like e60 will be gone of the roads before e39. Fixing up e60 is just more expensive then buying one at this stage. No wonder those are tanking in value.

Lovely car, but if I would go for one I would make sure to have good few grands just in case.

as somone that has had 9 bmws and knows a stupid amount about nearly every model bmw have ever made , this is news to me , every car has a few faults but to my knowlege the e60 petrol has very few faults especially electrical ones.

if you said diesel id say the potenial for dual mass fly wheel , turbo failure ,dpf filter clogging , swirl flaps on the earlier ones , timing chains rattle , automatic transmissions lumpy etc but these are all on diesels

, the only common electrical fault across the E60 range was due to a faulty battery cable and this has been changed out by a worldwide recall that bmw did last year , so it should not be an issue .

and the only other common fault is on the newer efficient dynamics models where there can be trouble with injectors , but none of these apply tothe model the OP is talking

on another note
people only have this "must have diesel" mindset and its nuts , they are usually far more troblesome , far more expensive to fix and far more expensive to buy .


@OP one thing i would say is dont get a 03 model the E60 came out in late 03 and from experience i would always say dont buy a car in its first year of production as there are usually a few issues that get ironed out over that year for every car manufacturer

but for 5k , relistically how much can it depreciate . if its clean and you keep it clean then it wont be too bad .

ongarite

Common faults with that vintage e60 would be passenger occupancy seat sensors and suspension bushings.
Electronics/iDrive problems aren't unheard of so check for water ingress through the boot into the space wheel well as thats where the electronics are.

I presume its the same engine of the 520i in the E39 so make sure it has some service history on the VANOS.

Here is a nice 520 with excellent specs for that year for good money:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3830537

Got any links to the ones you are looking at?

MuppetCheck

I'd much rather find a nice, well kept e39 with some change. Find a good one and you're laughing. Although saying that I think the e60 is aging well.

Jimbob 83

E60 is aging alot better than the F10 will, even though i think it looks nice

The Pontiac

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

but for 5k , relistically how much can it depreciate . if its clean and you keep it clean then it wont be too bad .

+1. A lot of new cars would depreciate this much in the first, if not definitely the second year. The OP will lose feck all on it.

MuppetCheck wrote: »

I'd much rather find a nice, well kept e39 with some change. Find a good one and you're laughing. Although saying that I think the e60 is aging well.

The E60 looks way more modern IMO. The E39 looks really, really dated now.