BMW 5 Series 2011 - 2013

Irishder

All,
I am thinking about buying a 5 series, budget will allow one somewhere between 11 -13.
I know there has been issues with timing chains etc. is there anything else to look out for?

Am i throwing away money, would i be better off coming up the years for a non premium car?

Any links to good examples would be appreciated?

Irishder

Also came across this which looks good:

https://www.donedeal.ie/adview/view/26146057

Heres Johnny

Irishder wrote: »

All,
I am thinking about buying a 5 series, budget will allow one somewhere between 11 -13.
I know there has been issues with timing chains etc. is there anything else to look out for?

Am i throwing away money, would i be better off coming up the years for a non premium car?

Any links to good examples would be appreciated?

Depends....if you are into cars getting a run of the mill A to B machine will have you wanting a new car all the time...like me, I am a massive fan of big premium saloons in the 5 series/A6 kind of class, also the 6 series and A7 types of cars. So, thats what I buy, although a few years old.

Driving a Toyota Corolla or an Astra is not going to cut it for me. I often wish it would, but it won't. So, depends on whether it will for you or not.

BTW I deliberately moved away from BMW in the years you are talking there and into Audi, the timing chain thing just turned me off

shnaek

Irishder wrote: »

All,
I am thinking about buying a 5 series, budget will allow one somewhere between 11 -13.
I know there has been issues with timing chains etc. is there anything else to look out for?

Am i throwing away money, would i be better off coming up the years for a non premium car?

Any links to good examples would be appreciated?

I'm driving a 2012 520d - had it a year and a half, zero problems, but the chain had been done and the seller had the receipts for the job so I had no worries there.

Idbatterim

Id go for an a6... ive owned several bms, the similar age audi are better looking in my opinion and dont have the chain issue to worry about...

Idbatterim

Irishder wrote: »

Also came across this which looks good:

https://www.donedeal.ie/adview/view/26146057

Lovely car!

Mechanic actually had 520d in next door now. He is sick of the yokes, bms in parricular, oil leaks very common, timimg chain situation is a joke. When these cars come up to 15/1_ years old, the timing chain issue if ot arises, will write them off. modern cars in general, charge a fortune and the parts supplied from china to the cheapest bidder...

What are you driving now op and whats the motivation to change?

Irishder

Idbatterim wrote: »

Lovely car!

Mechanic actually had 520d in next door now. He is sick of the yokes, bms in parricular, oil leaks very common, timimg chain situation is a joke. When these cars come up to 15/1_ years old, the timing chain issue if ot arises, will write them off. modern cars in general, charge a fortune and the parts supplied from china to the cheapest bidder...

What are you driving now op and whats the motivation to change?

Sold a 2011 Passatt CC couple of weeks ago and i have a bit of sellers remorse. Loved the comfort, heated seats etc. It was a gt model so was really nice.

My thinking was i didnt need a car as i am working from home, wife has a nissan Juke but i hate driving it.

I have a few trips planned later this year and next year, waterford to dublin a few times and donegal.

I want a nice comfortable car but i dont need one if that makes sense. budget around 10-12k.

Heres Johnny

Idbatterim wrote: »

Id go for an a6... ive owned several bms, the similar age audi are better looking in my opinion and dont have the chain issue to worry about...

I am biased but I have a black edition A6 S Line, black paint and think its one of the nicest looking cars on the road despite being 6 years old. Let down very slightly by Moving it on next year but will be going for same thing, just upgrading to c8

Heres Johnny

Irishder wrote: »

Sold a 2011 Passatt CC couple of weeks ago and i have a bit of sellers remorse. Loved the comfort, heated seats etc. It was a gt model so was really nice.

My thinking was i didnt need a car as i am working from home, wife has a nissan Juke but i hate driving it.

I have a few trips planned later this year and next year, waterford to dublin a few times and donegal.

I want a nice comfortable car but i dont need one if that makes sense. budget around 10-12k.

What you have said there about the juke probably means you should get yourself a nice upmarket car, something along the lines of a premium model already discussed. I drove a Qashqai once and a Toyota CHR and I didn't like them one bit.

Only danger about having a premium car in the older bracket is they have the potential, and I stress potential, to go wrong and cause headaches.

10-12k is in the lower end of BMW F10 and Audi C7 probably higher mileage too and I wouldn't go back to the previous models as the tech is too old at this stage. Since you said you don't actually need a car you might get more value in something like a 3 series or A4, or go again and look at the likes of A3 and nicely engined and specced golf, all the time coming up the years and down in mileage without going up in price.

bazz26

Like you I came from a Passat CC to a 5 Series and while the Passat CC was a nice looking comfortable car the 5 Series is just on a different level around refinement. This is my actual experience of owning three 5 Series, all bought second hand. First one was a 2011 520d SE, had it two years and in that time all it needed was a replacement oil sensor. Then had a 2014 520d M Sport, that needed a new idrive system but was replaced under warranty, mechanically it didn't give me any hassle. 3rd one was a 2015 530d which I moved on about a month ago. Mechanically that car never caused me any issues either, the only problem I had was the Harman Kardon amplifier in boot blew on it and I eventually sourced a second hand one for €450.

All these cars had around 80k miles on them when I moved them on. Timing chains are a well documented problem on early ones especially on the 520d, so best find one that has receipts for it being replaced already. BMW also did a big recall for the EGR valve cooler so make sure it has been replaced. Servicing can be expensive especially if using OEM parts. These cars are big and heavy so like to go through brake discs and pads, the front discs are quite expensive for a proper branded part and cheap ones tend to be a false economy. If your going 2013 then aim for a LCI (facelift) model as they got better standard equipment such as xenon headlights, etc. Also the likes of the A6 are not without their problems, none of these German premium saloons are pinnacles of reliability especially as they get older. They are all still expensive cars to fix despite suffering from heavy depreciation over time.

Lleyn elec

bazz26 wrote: »

Like you I came from a Passat CC to a 5 Series and while the Passat CC was a nice looking comfortable car the 5 Series is just on a different level around refinement. This is my actual experience of owning three 5 Series, all bought second hand. First one was a 2011 520d SE, had it two years and in that time all it needed was a replacement oil sensor. Then had a 2014 520d M Sport, that needed a new idrive system but was replaced under warranty, mechanically it didn't give me any hassle. 3rd one was a 2015 530d which I moved on about a month ago. Mechanically that car never caused me any issues either, the only problem I had was the Harman Kardon amplifier in boot blew on it and I eventually sourced a second hand one for €450.

All these cars had around 80k miles on them when I moved them on. Timing chains are a well documented problem on early ones especially on the 520d, so best find one that has receipts for it being replaced already. BMW also did a big recall for the EGR valve cooler so make sure it has been replaced. Servicing can be expensive especially if using OEM parts. These cars are big and heavy so like to go through brake discs and pads, the front discs are quite expensive for a proper branded part and cheap ones tend to be a false economy. If your going 2013 then aim for a LCI (facelift) model as they got better standard equipment such as xenon headlights, etc. Also the likes of the A6 are not without their problems, none of these German premium saloons are pinnacles of reliability especially as they get older. They are all still expensive cars to fix despite suffering from heavy depreciation over time.

In a similar situation myself, after driving a few different A6, 3, 4 and 5 series over the last while a 330d my friend has bought convinced me that one of them ticks all the boxes.
Now to make it some what less of a risky purchase I’m looking for a non xdrive one. As you say there’s enough to go wrong in these premium models with out the complication of an AWD system or another turbo from a 535/335d.
Insurance is very reasonable on them compared to the 2ltr models aswell.

Stallingrad

I had a bit of a let down with a 2014 F10, performance and economy were fine, but came from petrol so the engine refinement was a let down, moved it on a year later for a petrol Superb which I far prefer and have never really missed the BMW.

I had a few problems, all sorted out under the excellent BMW warranty, but it would have been €4000 plus in that first year were it not for the warranty. And this was a low mileage, 4 year old car. My iDrive also failed and that was €1000 alone.

Main issues are chain and EGR as pointed out, but also door corrosion and water ingress via the bulkhead, it has very poor drainage design.

One other irritation was bluetooth but no streaming (extended bluetooth), BMW cheapskates, though it may be able to be coded in if you can find someone to do it. Also lumbar adjust is an option, so enure you get on with the seats.

Idbatterim

You could rent a car op if its really occassional ? If your budget is 12k you could get s class if its comfort you are after... that s60 you linked to is lovely ... if its orivaye sake, could be scope for some movement on price..