Switching from e39 to e60/f10 advice

positivenote

HI all,
Ive driven e39's for the past 8 years or so and I think its time to move on to newer models. My current e39 is a 2003 msport 530d and has served me well over the past 2 years but as the prams have now gone i want to move back in to a saloon, its a touring. My budget is approx 10k but that would getting my touring moved on as part of the trade in.
Any advice out there regarding making the upgrade, what to look out for etc...
My main criteria is:
A service history (The timing chain is an issue that I keep reading about....)
A warrenty of some sort... so from a dealers
a decent tax bracket (im sick of paying out for a 3lt pre-2008 rate)

Id prefer an f10 but if an e60 msport was working out similar in cost Id go for that.

Any help would be great
thanks

Stallingrad

Most e39 owners are disappointed by the E60 and the F10 is over budget. I'd stay where you are!

Idbatterim

yeah one member on this forum bought an e60 and switched back to E39. Also I work beside a bmw garage, employee there said E60 not as good as E39 or F10... Id stick where you are, maybe wait for the F10 to come into budget and switch then...

bmwguy

I just moved to an e60 523i from 2 e39s in the last 10 years. I had a 530i sport and a 525i sport. Loved the e39s and I actually started a thread about going back. Haven't done anything just yet.
Don't get me wrong, the e60 is a very good car and in sports trim with its big 19 inch spider wheels it looks great ( i didnt always like e60 looks but I do now. In sports trim only though). But it's just not an e39 but nothing is. I drove f10 as well and it's closer to e60 feel than e39 feel.

The feel of the e39 is great. The e60 is so refined, so grown up in comparison but it's just not as nice a car to drive. Kind of regret it but hey that's life. Be prepared to have a tough time selling the e39 as well. Very hard to shift apart from at rock bottom prices. Any questions let me know about how the 2 cars compared in certain areas.

What engine model e60 would you go for?

bazz26

E60 and F10 are both bigger, heavier and wider than an E39. Unfortunately that means they are not as good a driver's car as the E39. I'm on my second F10 which is big and heavy to really be chucked around twisty roads compared to the E90 I had years ago. If you want superior refinement and comfort then yes go with an E60/F10 but if you want more of a driver's car then stick with what you already have or downgrade to an E90/E92.

positivenote

Cheers so far guys... to be honest with the e39, the amount of driving I'm doing is catching up on them. Recently I'm constantly in the mechanics and as he said himself,they are all 15yearold cars at this stage.
I have seen this but I think something maybe a miss ... opinion?
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-5-series-520d-f10-huge-savings/15665256

Idbatterim

Auto far better suited to 5 series in my opinion. I wouldn't buy a 5 that was manual. Also auto far better suited to the diesel

Idbatterim

http://m.carzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/5-Series-520-D-F10-SE-4DR---New-Addition-/802942294879732851

commited

The 520d to go for is mid-2011 onwards, apparently improved the 2.0 diesel engine and reduced risk of chain damage. Best F10 is the 3.0 of course.

I moved from e39 -> e92 -> e60 with a few other cars in the middle. I still love the e39 but finding a good one is very tricky and you're looking at a mini-restoration on any car you buy now - need to budget for suspension and cooling system overhaul as well as vanos seals, PCV, DISA etc etc depending on what model. Ultimately you have to spend e60 money to get a good e39 and then you have to contend with increased insurance premiums etc.

In the end, I went for the best example of the e60 I could find and it's absolutely superb to drive. I wasn't a fan of the e60 until I owned a good one! E90/92 feels like a major step back but I would consider an F30.

bmwguy

commited wrote: »

The 520d to go for is mid-2011 onwards, apparently improved the 2.0 diesel engine and reduced risk of chain damage. Best F10 is the 3.0 of course.

I moved from e39 -> e92 -> e60 with a few other cars in the middle. I still love the e39 but finding a good one is very tricky and you're looking at a mini-restoration on any car you buy now - need to budget for suspension and cooling system overhaul as well as vanos seals, PCV, DISA etc etc depending on what model. Ultimately you have to spend e60 money to get a good e39 and then you have to contend with increased insurance premiums etc.

In the end, I went for the best example of the e60 I could find and it's absolutely superb to drive. I wasn't a fan of the e60 until I owned a good one! E90/92 feels like a major step back but I would consider an F30.

What e60 did you get? I think I got the best example I could too regarding spec and condition except it's a 523i which isn't the best of the engines in the range. Still a very good looking, capable car and probably wouldn't swap it for much out there to be honest. Just don't love it like either of my e39. But overall pretty happy with it.

bazz26

positivenote wrote: »

Cheers so far guys... to be honest with the e39, the amount of driving I'm doing is catching up on them. Recently I'm constantly in the mechanics and as he said himself,they are all 15yearold cars at this stage.
I have seen this but I think something maybe a miss ... opinion?
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/bmw-5-series-520d-f10-huge-savings/15665256

3 things,
1. It's a manual F10 which is not very desirable.
2. Your budget only reaches bargain basement jaded F10s.
2. The garage sells cars as trade sales ie no warranty (the garage name is a hint. ).

I'd rather a decent older E60 to a jaded newer F10.

For example:

https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/e60-525d-msport/15823807

commited

bmwguy wrote: »

What e60 did you get? I think I got the best example I could too regarding spec and condition except it's a 523i which isn't the best of the engines in the range. Still a very good looking, capable car and probably wouldn't swap it for much out there to be honest. Just don't love it like either of my e39. But overall pretty happy with it.

I didn't want a diesel so was aiming for an N52 525i or a 08-on N53 525i/530i. In the end I got a '07 N53 530i as it was the best example I could fine. The engine has plenty of fizz and isn't too much slower than the 335i I had and definitely faster than my previous e39 530i. I test drove an '06 523i and it was one of the most disappointing drives I had!

bmwguy

commited wrote: »

I didn't want a diesel so was aiming for an N52 525i or a 08-on N53 525i/530i. In the end I got a '07 N53 530i as it was the best example I could fine. The engine has plenty of fizz and isn't too much slower than the 335i I had and definitely faster than my previous e39 530i. I test drove an '06 523i and it was one of the most disappointing drives I had!

Sounds lovely. Yes the 523i is a bit like the 520d in that it's disappointing when you see what else is out there. I did year drive a 530d and really liked it but the excellent condition and good spec and great price of the 523i swung it for me in the end. Just doesn't set the world on fire performance wise.