BMW 525 or 523 (E60)

Joe Hart

I'm looking to pick up one of these elegant 2.5 litre vessels. I had a 2008 520d and I got rid of it after a year as I didn't like the engine and the gear changes were too stiff and clunky.
Is it worth it to get the 525 over the 523? Auto or manual? Normally I would go with the auto box but I'm back driving a manual car and I quite like it. It might be a better drivers car in that form.

Anything to look out for, I'll be buying a 2005 to 2008.

Alanstrainor

525 surely. Can't see there being much of a premium over the 523. And seeing that nobody wants a 2.5 litre petrol, you should get a great deal.

If it were me I'd probably want a manual, but it's up to yourself really.

rebel.ranter

The 2007-2010 523i is a 2497cc engine but the 2007-2010 525i is actually a 2996cc engine. So it boils down to whether you want a 2.5L or a 3.0L, or put another way, €1,090 motor tax or €1,349.

Best of luck finding either post 2008, there's none out there. A friend of mine is looking for a 523i & even in the UK they are rare.

Seweryn

rebel.ranter wrote: »

The 2007-2010 523i is a 2947 2497 ccm engine but the 2007-2010 525i is actually a 2996cc engine.

rebel.ranter wrote: »

Best of luck finding either post 2008, there's none out there. A friend of mine is looking for a 523i & even in the UK they are rare.

I am not sure if there was any new "Non-520d" 5-series BMW sold by an Irish dealer after 2008. Are there any statistics to prove I am wrong?

Joe Hart

Seweryn wrote: »

I am not sure if there was any new "Non-520d" 5-series BMW sold by an Irish dealer after 2008. Are there any statistics to prove I am wrong?

You see the odd one up.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/523I-SE-/32113573992086900/advert?channel=CARS

Seweryn

Joe Hart wrote: »

You see the odd one up.

http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/523I-SE-/32113573992086900/advert?channel=CARS

Great, but my question was about a brand new one sold in the country. The above one may be (or may not) a private import (second hand or new one).

Joe Hart

Seweryn wrote: »

Great, but my question was about a brand new one sold in the country. The above one may be (or may not) a private import (second hand or new one).

That is an Irish car. I don't think they made great sense to import but then again they didn't make much sense to buy new here either.

Seweryn

Joe Hart wrote: »

That is an Irish car. I don't think they made great sense to import but then again they didn't make much sense to buy new here either.

If a 523i wasn't much more expensive than a 520d then it would make a perfect sense to buy one over a 520d for the same reason that OP wants to buy one himself. A smooth, 6-cylinder quiet engine which gives less trouble than a rattly overcomplicated 4-pot Diesel.

The Pontiac

Good choice of car.

Joe Hart

The higher VRT, motor tax and fuel costs made it very, very hard to justify buying a 6 cylinder petrol over a diesel. The premium just isn't worth it but they could make a good second hand buy at the right price.

rebel.ranter

I think the 523i makes a great deal of sense for someone doing low annual mileage. The issues that you read about with the n47 engine in the 520d make grim reading. That coupled with the regular modern turbo diesel woes (turbos, injectors, etc.) in my mind far outweigh the cheap tax & better mpg. The petrol engine isn't without it's own issues but I'd wager that they would be cheaper fixes than anything the Diesel engine could throw up.
As said the 6 cylinder engine is smooth & sounds far nicer than the tractor engine.

The Pontiac

How realistic is the claimed MPG figures?

Combined is 33 mpg for the 523i SE. That's pretty good. 174bhp, and 0-60 in 8.2. That should do most drivers.

rebel.ranter

I've an older M54 engined e39 525i (auto) & an e63 630i (smg) both seem to hover around 25mpg for mixed driving but get 33mpg on a Cork-Dublin run. So I'd say the 523i would in around the same.

Seweryn

The Pontiac wrote: »

How realistic is the claimed MPG figures?

Combined is 33 mpg for the 523i SE. That's pretty good. 174bhp, and 0-60 in 8.2. That should do most drivers.

I used to drive a 523i, but it was an E39 with the slightly older engine (170 PS vs 190 PS in the newer model). The car averaged during my ownership 30.82 mpg as total average. It was an automatic though, so 33 mpg in average for a manual E60 sounds about right and it will do a good bit better on a long, gentle run.

The Pontiac

Cheers guys. Impressive figures for a decent powerful petrol engine.

Ardent

I have a 2006 523i. You have to go for automatic - with the super smooth straight-6 engine they are a joy to drive - would never go back to manual. Would prefer a 525i for the extra power but the 177 bhp the 523i delivers is more than enough for me.

Look out problems with the coolant system - mine had a busted rad when I bought mine. The thermostat is a very common (but not critical) failure. The aircon blower motor is another thing to look out for - they can cause problems (become rusty and noisy) and it's a pig of a job to replace them.

They are a great car and bullet-proof once you take care of them. You should be able to pick up a pre-2008 with all the extras for dirt cheap as no-one wants to pay the tax on them.

Seweryn

The Pontiac wrote: »

Cheers guys. Impressive figures for a decent powerful petrol engine.

Yeah, but your driving style is quite important, same as the driving conditions. A large engine on a long, gentle spin does not use much more fuel than a small dinky yoke. It is going to be thirsty in city driving and anytime you floor it .

Joe Hart

Ardent wrote: »

I have a 2006 523i. You have to go for automatic - with the super smooth straight-6 engine they are a joy to drive - would never go back to manual. Would prefer a 525i for the extra power but the 177 bhp the 523i delivers is more than enough for me.

Look out problems with the coolant system - mine had a busted rad when I bought mine. The thermostat is a very common (but not critical) failure. The aircon blower motor is another thing to look out for - they can cause problems (become rusty and noisy) and it's a pig of a job to replace them.

They are a great car and bullet-proof once you take care of them. You should be able to pick up a pre-2008 with all the extras for dirt cheap as no-one wants to pay the tax on them.

Cheers, how do you find the fuel efficiency?

Ardent

Joe Hart wrote: »

Cheers, how do you find the fuel efficiency?

33 MPG motorway and 17-20 MPG around town.

The Pontiac

Ardent wrote: »

I have a 2006 523i. You have to go for automatic - with the super smooth straight-6 engine they are a joy to drive - would never go back to manual. Would prefer a 525i for the extra power but the 177 bhp the 523i delivers is more than enough for me.

I was reading a old thread and most were saying the manual were better.

Albeit, it was the 3.0 they were talking about. But I thought the 3 litre would be even more suited to the auto?

MadYaker

I think this was mentioned in another thread but there are a few 3.0 petrol Jag XFs for cheap in Ireland. You might consider that if you can't find a bmw. Example: http://www.carzone.ie/search/Jaguar/XF/3.0-Petr/32113566579227290/advert?channel=CARS

Edit: There are some 6cyl bmws on carzone: http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/525i-M-S/34213631994686580/advert?channel=CARS

bazz26

No manual option on the XF though if the OP is set on buying a manual. Hard to find a better alternative to an E60 in what the OP is looking for.

The Pontiac

Would the 2.5 litre be better suited to a manual then? I was reading an older thread and most were saying the 3.0 was revy and not torquey, thus the manual was much better. Or is it just a matter of taste?

Anyone got a LPG conversion done on one of these?

milltown

My old man had an '05 523 manual until recently.
Never had a bit of bother with it apart from the stupid run flat sensors telling him he had a puncture every time he went over a pothole.
I would normally be in the BMWs have to be auto camp but having driven his a few times I was impressed with that engine and gearbox combo. If you were lazy you could just leave it in third 90% of the time and it would pull like a train from under 30mph to well over the national limit, and sound great doing it.
Economy-wise you're looking at low 20s most of the time and maybe low 30s on a relaxed long spin.
I probably would have bought it off him but he had it traded in before I realised he was thinking of changing cars.

The Pontiac

milltown wrote: »

My old man had an '05 523 manual until recently.
Never had a bit of bother with it apart from the stupid run flat sensors telling him he had a puncture every time he went over a pothole.
I would normally be in the BMWs have to be auto camp but having driven his a few times I was impressed with that engine and gearbox combo. If you were lazy you could just leave it in third 90% of the time and it would pull like a train from under 30mph to well over the national limit, and sound great doing it.
Economy-wise you're looking at low 20s most of the time and maybe low 30s on a relaxed long spin.
I probably would have bought it off him but he had it traded in before I realised he was thinking of changing cars.

Good to hear than about the manual.

Looking at E60's for sale, and they're all auto though.

The Bishop Basher

Ardent wrote: »

Look out problems with the coolant system - mine had a busted rad when I bought mine.

+100

This seems to be a real week spot on these cars. I had to hand one back because of an oil leak coming from under the rocker cover. It was drinking coolant as well. After weeks of diagnostics they hadn't found a fault. The garage where I bought my next car had a forecourt full of them and the salesman mentioned that a few of them were returns and had to have major work done for the same fault. A mate also had similar problems. Doesn't seem to be a whole about this online other then the fact that they don't tolerate overheating at all.

If you smell burning oil when you start it up, run a mile.

Nice cars other than that but very very thirsty.

rocky

rebel.ranter wrote: »

The 2007-2010 523i is a 2497cc engine but the 2007-2010 525i is actually a 2996cc engine. So it boils down to whether you want a 2.5L or a 3.0L, or put another way, €1,090 motor tax or €1,349.

1494 actually

I'd avoid the LCI models (sometimes in 2007), they have coil packs and injector problems. The one in Beshoffs looks decent, although a bit pricey...

Mpg is a different beast altogether, I'm getting 18 mpg 100% city driving... and 35 on the motorway at 120.

Alanstrainor

Swanner wrote: »

+100

This seems to be a real week spot on these cars. I had to hand one back because of an oil leak coming from under the rocker cover. It was drinking coolant as well. After weeks of diagnostics they hadn't found a fault. The garage where I bought my next car had a forecourt full of them and the salesman mentioned that a few of them were returns and had to have major work done for the same fault. A mate also had similar problems. Doesn't seem to be a whole about this online other then the fact that they don't tolerate overheating at all.

If you smell burning oil when you start it up, run a mile.

Nice cars other than that but very very thirsty.

My dads e60 is a 523i and had the electric water pump replaced about a year or so ago. Common problem with those cars.

As for the rocker cover, surely that's a straight forward enough job? Did mine on the 325 about 6 months back now. Same symptoms, would get a burning oil smell through the vents when I put the boot down going up hill. Replacing the gasket was pretty handy.

Haven't done it on the e60 to be fair, but would have thought it'd be a similar job.

The Bishop Basher

Alanstrainor wrote: »

As for the rocker cover, surely that's a straight forward enough job? Did mine on the 325 about 6 months back now. Same symptoms, would get a burning oil smell through the vents when I put the boot down going up hill. Replacing the gasket was pretty handy.

The symptoms certainly pointed to a dodgy rocker gasket but replacing it had no effect.

milltown

Alanstrainor wrote: »

As for the rocker cover, surely that's a straight forward enough job? Did mine on the 325 about 6 months back now. Same symptoms, would get a burning oil smell through the vents when I put the boot down going up hill. Replacing the gasket was pretty handy.

Off topic, but that's good to hear Alan. I'm getting the odd whiff of oil in the cabin of my E46 320 that's hard to pin to a set of circumstances. But I do know the rocker cover gasket was fairly brittle the last time it was off and was given an extra bit of help with gasket goo at the time. It's been on my to-do list but has just jumped up near the top now I know it will solve that problem.

By any chance were you getting the occasional fuel trim error by dint of the crankcase pressure leak through the gasket? Or am I hoping for too much out of one gasket?

Idbatterim

I would definetly go for the the 525 IF you can find one, it also has the 2.5L engine, but puts out 218bhp. that tax for 177bhp is madness to me.