BMW VIP event (replacing 2012 520d)

Summer wind

Hi everyone. I recently received an invitation to a BMW VIP EVENT and it promises big discounts on cars from 2010 upwards to 2015. I've been thinking of trading my '12 520d for a '15 X3 20d for awhile and I was wondering has anybody ever attended one of these events and have any information about what I should expect. I know BMW are in the business of making money and any discounts won't be massive but what do you guys think?

bazz26

I wish I got once cent for every "VIP event" type invitation I got from car dealers through my letter box, I'd be a rich man. Was tempted to go once just for the free cheese and wine.

Oafley Jones

bazz26 wrote: »

I wish I got once cent for every "VIP event" type invitation I got from car dealers through my letter box, I'd be a rich man. Was tempted to go once just for the free cheese and wine.

Had to get on to Keary's to stop sending us the fecking things.

ofcork

Got one from them last week for their Hyundai event,was in an i40 taxi last week at night and was lit up blue inside ott.

Summer wind

What do you all think of changing my F10 for the F25?. I love my car but it's a manual and I was thinking of trading to an automatic because of a problem I have with my left knee. Would you consider it trading down because I know some of my friends do.

colm_mcm

5 series to x3 would be considered trading down, regardless of cost.
You're doing it for yourself though!
f25 is getting on a bit now.

MuppetCheck

Unless you need a Jeep would you not be better off with an f10 auto?

HandsomeDan

Summer wind wrote: »

What do you all think of changing my F10 for the F25?. I love my car but it's a manual and I was thinking of trading to an automatic because of a problem I have with my left knee. Would you consider it trading down because I know some of my friends do.

First world problems eh?

First of all BMWs are heaps of **** beyond anything a rational person would consider spending money on.

Pick up a current gen 450h and experience a genuine superior by every measure and auto car - you might even get some of your money back in the process.

Summer wind

MuppetCheck wrote: »

Unless you need a Jeep would you not be better off with an f10 auto?

Yes I do need a jeep because I've a disk in my back leaning on a nerve and it causes a bit of pain bending down to get in and getting out. I would just change to an F10 auto if I hadn't this problem cos I really love my car and I will probably end up keeping it and just putting up with the pain:)

HandsomeDan wrote: »

First world problems eh?

First of all BMWs are heaps of **** beyond anything a rational person would consider spending money on.

Pick up a current gen 450h and experience a genuine superior by every measure and auto car - you might even get some of your money back in the process.

Hi Handsome Dan I have to disagree with your first point cos I really love my car but on your second point I have to say I know where you are coming from and agree with you to a certain degree. I think Japanese cars are fantastic most of my previous cars have been Japanese and never missed a beat. I was in a car park lately and a 450 drove past and I couldn't believe how quite it was. It was almost soundless compared to my 520d. But I really do need a diesel so unfortunately it's not the car for me.

mickdw

To be fair the 450h is a beast in terms of out and out acceleration while the 520 is pretty standard fare powerwise.They don't really compare in any way.
The one event I did decide to go to was an audi day where they were to make a selection of performance models available to drive. Unfortunately, most of the cars were flooded in an underground car park in Cork before the event. Audi never even notified the cancellation even though I had arranged a weekend around it.

ian87

Herselfs mother has a 13 x3. I thought it felt identical to sitting in my 3 series just up higher. Nice to place to be but maybe be a disappointment coming out of a 5er.

What about the new x4? Saw an m sport version during the summer and it was one handsome thing. Or the new Lexus nx?

Summer wind

Well I've test driven one and thought it was a nice drive. I've never had an automatic before but I'm strongly considering changing when I trade my F10. I don't think I'd consider the X4 because to get more power than I'd get in the X3 I'd have to buy the 30d and that's around €75,000. That's way beyond my budget.:)

I think the new Lexus NX is only available in a petrol hybrid so as I need a diesel it wouldn't be any good for me. Thanks for the suggestions though.

ian87

Merc gla?

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Mercedes-Benz/GLA-Class/2014-(141)?searchsource=browse&cacheBuster=1413674067060809

A bit left field but cheaper than x3. Spend the difference on spec ing it up/bigger engine.

Edit: Christ they're ugly. Forget I suggested one!

ba_barabus

What type of driving do you do? I wouldn't discount the Lexus so quickly, they're actually pretty economical.

Summer wind

I do about 18,000 miles a year mixed back roads, city and motorway. I had a 2 ltr petrol jeep for 6 years and I was putting €60 every 3-4 days but now I'd only spend about €45 a week on diesel. I would be interested in finding out more about the new petrol hybrids though.

porsche959

What puts me off Lexuses is actually that they're too quiet!

Pedestrians and cyclists are dopey f****** at the best of times, I like them to hear me coming so they don't do anything silly like throw themselves into the road.

Summer wind

Oh they definitely hear my car I think some of them think it's a tractor:)

ba_barabus

Summer wind wrote: »

Oh they definitely hear my car I think some of them think it's a tractor:)

If you're doing mixed driving it should work out cheaper to run. In traffic it won't be running when you're stipped and if you adapt your driving style you should be able to run it on electricity during stop start traffic ( where diesel isn't economical).

I'd research more tbh op, hybrids are very economical and don't suffer DPF or injector faults. Don't get me wrong I drive a diesel but in hind sight a petrol/hybrid would probably have been a better choice........... I do love the manual box and torque however

Summer wind

I have Eco pro on my car and it drives me nuts so the first thing I do on every trip is disable it. Even though I know I shouldnt:) I love the manual box too. The only time I drove an automatic was a Mercedes Viano and it was only for 30 miles and I kept forgetting and kept trying to change gear. The only reason I'm thinking of changing is cos I'd an operation on my left knee and when I'm in heavy traffic it can be fairly painful.

SpannerMonkey

lexus 450h and bmw 520d shouldn't really be compared . while they are in the same class they are massively different engines and very different to drive
i have had many bmws of all models and have driven the F10 520d on many occasions and had the use of one for a month .
i also had a Gs450h for nearly a year so im happy i can compare them. for me the differences are



Lexus
lovely looking car , great acceleration, quiet , comfortable and reliable .and its a bit rarer on the road

cons
Boring handling , very tacky interior compared to bmw , nowhere near stated fuel consumption figures lucky to get 30 mpg , Higher tax costs


BMW
Msport model is very pretty car , good acceleration for a 2 litre engine in a big car , super smooth 8 speed automatic in one i drove , handles like a dream and very modern classy interior, fairly good mpg , easily over 50

Cons
very rattley noisy engine at idle fine on the move though, SE spec is very bland looking , you see them everywhere

personally id say if your worried about running costs get an Auto F10 , the 8 speed auto in them is very smooth and efficient . the lexus despite its claims is heavy enough on fuel in comparison . its still good economy for its performance though but will be a lot more to run



As for an X3 the are in my opinion more of a soccer moms car , if you want a bmw SUV get an X5 or X6 the X3 is more of a Quasqai excuse for a suv

HandsomeDan

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

lexus 450h and bmw 520d shouldn't really be compared . while they are in the same class they are massively different engines and very different to drive
i have had many bmws of all models and have driven the F10 520d on many occasions and had the use of one for a month .
i also had a Gs450h for nearly a year so im happy i can compare them. for me the differences are



Lexus
lovely looking car , great acceleration, quiet , comfortable and reliable .and its a bit rarer on the road

cons
Boring handling , very tacky interior compared to bmw , nowhere near stated fuel consumption figures lucky to get 30 mpg , Higher tax costs


BMW
Msport model is very pretty car , good acceleration for a 2 litre engine in a big car , super smooth 8 speed automatic in one i drove , handles like a dream and very modern classy interior, fairly good mpg , easily over 50

Cons
very rattley noisy engine at idle fine on the move though, SE spec is very bland looking , you see them everywhere

personally id say if your worried about running costs get an Auto F10 , the 8 speed auto in them is very smooth and efficient . the lexus despite its claims is heavy enough on fuel in comparison . its still good economy for its performance though but will be a lot more to run



As for an X3 the are in my opinion more of a soccer moms car , if you want a bmw SUV get an X5 or X6 the X3 is more of a Quasqai excuse for a suv

Current 450h is considered by many journos the better handling car. Is it the current model or the older one you had for the year?

Summer wind

Thanks a million for your review. You have hit the nail on the head about the F10 it's a fantastic car and I do get 54 mpg. The handling is fantastic too especially on the back roads where I live. I feel the same about the X3 I'm not too fond of its looks and would of course prefer an X5 but I couldn't stretch to a new one and the second hand models would have a lot of mileage. I really love my car and any replacement will have to last me about six years so it will be a big decision.

colm_mcm

If the only gripe is the manual box, then another 520d is the obvious choice. Maybe get a Touring if you want to feel like you got something different.

1500 5 series regged in 2014 so far, Lexus 62 GSs

Summer wind

I'd have an auto F10 in a heartbeat but as I said before my back drives me nuts getting in and out several times a day. It will be a tough decision and at the moment I don't really know what to do.

colm_mcm

Summer wind wrote: »

I'd have an auto F10 in a heartbeat but as I said before my back drives me nuts getting in and out several times a day. It will be a tough decision and at the moment I don't really know what to do.

Oh, sorry, I thought it was the clutch that was troubling you.

bazz26

The 8 speed Sport steptronic box in the F10 is a fantastic gearbox, super smooth, very intelligent and quick at shifting to the right gear. The paddles on the steering wheel are very nice too when you drive it in manual mode. I'm searching for an F10 at the moment myself and the Sport box is a must for me, I've driven both the non sport auto box too and imo it's not as good.

bazz26

OP what about the Volvo XC60?

Summer wind

It's a bit of both to be honest. That's why for my next car I think I need an auto SUV ideally. My F10 is fantastic but it's using the clutch in heavy traffic combined with getting in and out lots of times a day that's quite painful. It's great to get all the feedback as to what you all think. Thanks a million.

bazz26

I found my old E90 the same, it had a heavy clutch pedal too.

Summer wind

bazz26 wrote: »

OP what about the Volvo XC60?

I don't really know much about Volvos but if I was to try one I would like it to have four wheel drive. If you rate it I guess it's another to add to my list.

bazz26

Summer wind wrote: »

I don't really know much about Volvos but if I was to try one I would like it to have four wheel drive. If you rate it I guess it's another to add to my list.

Volvo make some of the most comfortable cars out there. Try and get either a D4 (2.0 litre) or the D5 (2.4 litre 5 cylinder).

Example:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Volvo/XC60/D5-AWD/88914122517133170/

mickdw

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

lexus 450h and bmw 520d shouldn't really be compared . while they are in the same class they are massively different engines and very different to drive
i have had many bmws of all models and have driven the F10 520d on many occasions and had the use of one for a month .
i also had a Gs450h for nearly a year so im happy i can compare them. for me the differences are



Lexus
lovely looking car , great acceleration, quiet , comfortable and reliable .and its a bit rarer on the road

cons
Boring handling , very tacky interior compared to bmw , nowhere near stated fuel consumption figures lucky to get 30 mpg , Higher tax costs


BMW
Msport model is very pretty car , good acceleration for a 2 litre engine in a big car , super smooth 8 speed automatic in one i drove , handles like a dream and very modern classy interior, fairly good mpg , easily over 50

Cons
very rattley noisy engine at idle fine on the move though, SE spec is very bland looking , you see them everywhere

personally id say if your worried about running costs get an Auto F10 , the 8 speed auto in them is very smooth and efficient . the lexus despite its claims is heavy enough on fuel in comparison . its still good economy for its performance though but will be a lot more to run



As for an X3 the are in my opinion more of a soccer moms car , if you want a bmw SUV get an X5 or X6 the X3 is more of a Quasqai excuse for a suv

Guessing the gs is the last model. I tried one of those for a weekend and your observations would be accurate. I've only so far had a quick spin in a new type gs and to be fair, the interior is now nice, power is still unreal but I couldn't really comment on whether it handles any different as I literally drove it down the road for about 60 seconds.
The last gs handled fine but lacked feel.

RandomAccess

I would vote XC60 or maybe an Audi Q5, not that keen on the X3.

SpannerMonkey

HandsomeDan wrote: »

Current 450h is considered by many journos the better handling car. Is it the current model or the older one you had for the year?

to be fair it was the last model (2010) . havent driven the new one although it looks great to be fair . dont know what reviews youve seen every review ive seen of it says its german rivals handle better than it ?

carsfan

I would guess you will get a better trade in offer for your own car versus a new X3.
The revised X3 has the new BMW 2.0 diesel engine that is supposed to be very smooth and quiet and the interior has been improved so it now resembles that of the 5 series.

Summer wind

Yes they say if you trade like against like you get a better deal alright. The new engine is supposed to sound less tractor like too:) I'm still not a fan of its looks though so don't really know what to do. I will probably have a better idea if I go to the event on Friday and have a chat about the money side of things.