Used 6 Series

Dwarf.Shortage

I'm seeing a lot of 2006/2007 BMW 6 Series' on DoneDeal for €7,000, €8,000 when these cars were €70,000+ new. Have they a bad reputation for reliability/running costs or are they just horrible depreciators? I'm looking to buy something in the next 5/6 months and I've about €10k to spend, want it to last 3-4 years and they seem a lot of car for the money, other than the high tax what am I missing?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-6-series-630i-coupe-sport/10194250?offset=1

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-630i-sport-coupe-2006/10425181?offset=6

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/06-bmw-630i-erm-motors/10374490?offset=14

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-6-series-3-0-litre-petrol/8488239?offset=9

bazz26

If your looking at the cheapest examples then you could be buying tired old dogs that will burn a hole in your wallet, buy the best example you can rather than the cheapest. A full service history is a must.

SpannerMonkey

i had a 645Ci for 4 years . loved every second of it . but they are shocking expensive to repair if anything goes wrong . i spent thousands upon thousands on mine and that wasnt a main dealer . just be aware of it . i hate to use the saying but its right .

They are cheap to buy but the running costs are of its price day 1 . they dont really go down

Dwarf.Shortage

I'm not, it's the going rate for them at that age it seems, the third linked example specifies it has a full service history and is actually the cheapest of the four albeit with the most miles on the clock. I'm nearly spooked by how cheap they are, just wondering if they've a bad name for lasting the tests of time. They're a 3 litre coupe so I wouldn't be surprised if they've all had the stones driven out of them, not really a Sunday drivers car.

Dwarf.Shortage

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

i had a 645Ci for 4 years . loved every second of it . but they are shocking expensive to repair if anything goes wrong . i spent thousands upon thousands on mine and that wasnt a main dealer . just be aware of it . i hate to use the saying but its right .

They are cheap to buy but the running costs are of its price day 1 . they dont really go down

Tax isn't great on them either (€1,500 - €1,800) but it's still tempting, such a beautiful car for that money.

FortySeven

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

I'm not, it's the going rate for them at that age it seems, the third linked example specifies it has a full service history and is actually the cheapest of the four albeit with the most miles on the clock. I'm nearly spooked by how cheap they are, just wondering if they've a bad name for lasting the tests of time. They're a 3 litre coupe so I wouldn't be surprised if they've all had the stones driven out of them, not really a Sunday drivers car.

Parts for these cars start at high and go much higher. Then remember any labour costs are added to by the complexities of access. To give you an idea, a set of front brake pads will set you back close to €150. No labour. That is a consumable item.
If you get into bigger parts like suspension arms, (consumable item, BMWs are heavy on these) you are looking at around €250 per arm. (There are quite a few) No labour.

These costs can be mitigated some by aftermarket parts but due to the lack of a large market you will find yourself at the dealers more often than you expect. Larger parts and more complex parts, you're looking at over a thousand. Highly complex electronics can fail, very expensive.

Full BMW service history is a must, you will pay more initially but save in the long run. Walk away from anything with issues. You need exceptionally deep pockets for these cars. That is why they have depreciated so badly.

Great cars though, you need to love them to buy one.

bazz26

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

I'm not, it's the going rate for them at that age it seems, the third linked example specifies it has a full service history and is actually the cheapest of the four albeit with the most miles on the clock. I'm nearly spooked by how cheap they are, just wondering if they've a bad name for lasting the tests of time. They're a 3 litre coupe so I wouldn't be surprised if they've all had the stones driven out of them, not really a Sunday drivers car.

They have a limited market and as running costs are high demand is low making them cheap second hand. The 630i is the smallest engine in them too, some people go the whole 9 yards and go for the v8 645i/650i.

SpannerMonkey

the 3 litre engine was pretty reliable but not much more economical compared to the 4.4 V8 i had .
its bmw Engine code is N52 if you google it you will see for yourself

heres a page covering its reliability
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1098268

i had that engine in an E90 330i and it was fantasic . loved to rev and sounded great


and i would definately not agree that bmw service history counts for anything here . i went to the main dealer 3 times with mine and they messed up all 3 times . they arent used to dealing with them at all . total disasters .
a service history is a must though

Dwarf.Shortage

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

the 3 litre engine was pretty reliable but not much more economical compared to the 4.4 V8 i had .
its bmw Engine code is N52 if you google it you will see for yourself

heres a page covering its reliability
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1098268

i had that engine in an E90 330i and it was fantasic . loved to rev and sounded great

Yeah these things are all important. I arrived at the 6 series because I was looking at 320's and 520's that are 08 or so and under the new tax rules then I seen I could get a 630 for the same money and my imagination ran wild. I'll probably do the sensible thing and buy a 320 or 520 and leave the dreaming for another time. I'm only 22 as well so the insurance companies would bankrupt me on top of all the rest.

SpannerMonkey

haha i was 25 when i bought mine . and be aware that the 2 litre diesel engine in 320d and 520d can be very troublesome

Dwarf.Shortage

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

haha i was 25 when i bought mine . and be aware that the 2 litre diesel engine in 320d and 520d can be very troublesome

You're not selling your six series on Done Deal at the minute or anything are you :P

Ah no all jokes aside I've €8,000-€10,000 to spend, could probably get to €12k/€13k for something special. Very fond of BMW's and Audi's and want to get 3/4 years out of it without having to spend my life in and out of garages. Would anything jump out at you as a recommendation given all that?

SpannerMonkey

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

You're not selling your six series on Done Deal at the minute or anything are you :P

Ah no all jokes aside I've €8,000-€10,000 to spend, could probably get to €12k/€13k for something special. Very fond of BMW's and Audi's and want to get 3/4 years out of it without having to spend my life in and out of garages. Would anything jump out at you as a recommendation given all that?

you doing much mileage . how do you feel about high tax? and haha no i sold mine nearly 2 years ago now miss that car

bazz26

E92 325i?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-3-series-auto-se-coupe-feb-201/10099779?offset=10

Dwarf.Shortage

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

you doing much mileage . how do you feel about high tax? and haha no i sold mine nearly 2 years ago now miss that car

Average mileage, 15,000 or maybe a tad over and I don't mind paying €700/€800 a year but to go over that I want something that would really get the heart pumping. Unfortunately anything heart pumping is going to get me fleeced on insurance so have to stay calm enough for now. Being under 25 is a big loading with insurance companies, it's a pain.

Dwarf.Shortage

bazz26 wrote: »

E92 325i?

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-3-series-auto-se-coupe-feb-201/10099779?offset=10

That is absolutely f**king beautiful, exact kind of thing I'm looking for.

SpannerMonkey

bazz hit the nail on the head :cool: . tax be about 1200 a year but the same revvy good sounding engine as in the 630i just a slightly smaller displacement .

be a lot better relibility than a 2 litre diesel aswell

Dwarf.Shortage

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

bazz hit the nail on the head :cool: . tax be about 1200 a year but the same revvy good sounding engine as in the 630i just a slightly smaller displacement .

be a lot better relibility than a 2 litre diesel aswell

I'll probably look around for a manual but it's a beaut, thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

bazz26

Tax is 1,080 per year but it seems a good mid point between the diesel you were originally looking at and the 6 Series you were dreaming about. Don't discount the auto, they are very nice to drive with the larger engines. Manuals become less popular when you go about 2.0 litre.

Idbatterim

the 2.5 is best all rounder on our tax system IMO... also the E92 will be a lot cheaper to run, maintain and insure...

AhHaor

Idbatterim wrote: »

the 2.5 is best all rounder on our tax system IMO... also the E92 will be a lot cheaper to run, maintain and insure...

As an owner of 2.5 L totally agree. But if you plot cost per cc versus tax cost you get a stair case and 1.9 appears to be the cost sweet spot. Not surprisingly it increases nowhere near linearly! Large engined cars are screwed. All pretty 08 mind you.