Got 14k to replace my Mondeo. 530d Touring?

Hi guys,

My Mondeo is about to hit me with some big bills and I feel I'm at a point in my life where I want something nice to replace it.

I have up to around 14k to spend. Initially I wanted a bit of a midlife crisis hot hatch but have decided thats probably not wise.

So I've now got my mind on a BMW 530d Touring. I don't want a BMW 3 Series (too common and a bit.. meh), and I think the 7s are probably a bit expensive for warranties and repairs.

After a short look about I've seen this one advertised

http://www.wilsonautotrade.co.uk/us...dition-touring-5dr-darlington-201605254309966

To me it seems nice but I'm not clued up on them.

I assume this one an E60? Is the F10 something I should be aiming for?

Any input from Fox etc would be appreciated!.

I think he will likely tell you that the E61 (Touring) is the worst 5 series ever, and that you should get an F11

For your budget it looks as though it would be a pretty leggy F11 so perhaps not so wise

It depends what the car is for really and the mileage it will be seeing. I know fox will have a lot of useful info to help out with when he drops in. More info on the intended use would be helpful

If you're feeling a midlife crisis kinda thing, at 14k you're starting to tread on e46 M3 prices, if you really wanted something with a more fun side to it. But obviously if its for any regular long distance mileage fuel would be an issue.

Cleisthenes said:

I think he will likely tell you that the E61 (Touring) is the worst 5 series ever, and that you should get an F10

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Oh dear lol.

So the one I linked is an E61?, and ones built after 2010(?) are F10s?

That's way too much for an E61 and not enough for a good F11, sadly.

You could perhaps squeeze an F10 in though.

It's main use will be for my 60 mile per day commute. I spend 40 mins in the car on a morning and about 50 mins on the evening when roads are busier.

Yes, that is an E61. The F11 is obviously the better car, but at your budget, you're looking at the wrong end of the market really. The mileage will be too high to get a sensible warranty on an F11.

You'll likely need closer to £17k to get a reasonable, sub-60,000 miles F11 530d, otherwise the warranty doubles. Anything over 100k and you can forget the warranty. You may manage an F10 saloon for cheaper, I don't know? But the F11 is a much better car than the E61, so I'd recommend either saving a bit more, or looking at other motors.

If my Mondeo can survive longer I could maybe save up, I've never spent so much money on a car before and I want to make sure I don't make a stupid decision.

I suppose maybe things like Skodas and Mondeos are more sensible options but I want to feel like I actually drive a nice car as opposed to a nice for the price car. If you get what I mean

Hedge said:

If my Mondeo can survive longer I could maybe save up, I've never spent so much money on a car before and I want to make sure I don't make a stupid decision.

I suppose maybe things like Skodas and Mondeos are more sensible options but I want to feel like I actually drive a nice car as opposed to a nice for the price car. If you get what I mean

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It looks like it might be wise to save up a little more, the newer model does seem like a good jump

So what should be my target? There is obviously a limit on my budget, so where do the new ones become a viable choice?

Year?
Spec? (M sport, Pro Nav etc)
Mileage?

I could save for a couple of months I guess but I'm not sure how much I can justify pushing my budget.

Hedge said:

If my Mondeo can survive longer I could maybe save up, I've never spent so much money on a car before and I want to make sure I don't make a stupid decision.

I suppose maybe things like Skodas and Mondeos are more sensible options but I want to feel like I actually drive a nice car as opposed to a nice for the price car. If you get what I mean

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I get what you mean.

The Skoda superb is an excellent car, and I'm sure the Mondeo is too. But neither of them have that great 6 cylinder diesel engine in them. If you want a diesel, its a 4-pot, and that doesn't really feel special enough. The 530d is an excellent choice. And no-one will blame you for wanting one.

So save up a little more, and fingers crossed the Mondeo survives a bit longer. Try and get the right spec. So Pro Nav is basically a must, and the visibility pack too on pre-LCI is a good shout. M-Sport does make the car look much better, but you do pay more for it, so up to you. If you can get the 19" M351's too, they make a big difference. Sports Auto is definitely worth getting. Beyond that your looking at "nice-to-haves" rather than must-haves though.

Under 60k for decent warranty.

Hedge said:

Hi guys,

My Mondeo is about to hit me with some big bills and I feel I'm at a point in my life where I want something nice to replace it.

I have up to around 14k to spend. Initially I wanted a bit of a midlife crisis hot hatch but have decided thats probably not wise.

So I've now got my mind on a BMW 530d Touring. I don't want a BMW 3 Series (too common and a bit.. meh), and I think the 7s are probably a bit expensive for warranties and repairs.

After a short look about I've seen this one advertised

http://www.wilsonautotrade.co.uk/us...dition-touring-5dr-darlington-201605254309966

To me it seems nice but I'm not clued up on them.

I assume this one an E60? Is the F10 something I should be aiming for?

Any input from Fox etc would be appreciated!.

Click to expand...

If you thought about a hot hatch....then push out a little and get a Boxster. Plenty of time to drive mundane saloon cars. I love the F10/F11, they are superb cars and as I have said many times the 5 series is probably the best all round car on the planet. But don't be a shoulda, woulda, coulda. If heart says get something fun, if only for a while, then get something fun.

I think the below 60k is gonna be the hardest part. I get the impression these might be pushing my budget too far

I guess its understandable that a car of this standard would cost a lot of money to buy. Damnit.

Housey said:

If you thought about a hot hatch....then push out a little and get a Boxster. Plenty of time to drive mundane saloon cars. I love the F10/F11, they are superb cars and as I have said many times the 5 series is probably the best all round car on the planet. But don't be a shoulda, woulda, coulda. If heart says get something fun, if only for a while, then get something fun.

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I'd thought about a Porsche Cayman at one point too, but I was kinda wanting a Renault Megane rs250 until yesterday.

I can almost get away with a 3 door hatch, but I think my lass would actually murder me if I came home with a Porsche.

This sensible BMW/barge idea is probably more wise for me

I was going to keep the Mondeo alive and get a hot hatch for fun, but I think running two cars is probably equally dumb too.

Hedge said:

I think the below 60k is gonna be the hardest part. I get the impression these might be pushing my budget too far

I guess its understandable that a car of this standard would cost a lot of money to buy. Damnit.

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Possibly. Something like this is what you should be aiming for I guess: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...searchad=new,nearlynew,used&logcode=p&adPos=1

As you can see, £14k isn't really going to get close to it. But a few more grand and you are just about there. Remember, don't try to save a few quid and go over 60k. That doubles the warranty cost, and depending on how long you keep the car for, will quickly wipe out any potential savings you might have made by going for the higher mileage motor. (You can opt to pay monthly on your warranty when close to 60k, which means that you pay the same per month, almost regardless of how many miles you do, so it doesn't go up once you break 60,000 miles).

So if you start the warranty below 60k and you continue to pay it, then it just rolls on regardless of mileage? Because within a few month I'd be over 60k and after a year isn't there a renewal?

The renewal is only if you pay annually. If you pay monthly, there isn't a renewal, and it just rolls on. So you really do want it below 60k to half the warranty price.

Thanks, that's good to know.

Definitely explains why people always say go below 60k.

Do any cars come close to the BMW in this segment? For the quality and good engine.

I've driven Mercedes c220 in past and it looked nice but interior was bland and pretty average. I dunno how the rest of their range fares.

Loans are cheap at the moment, e.g. £5k over 2 years will cost you £220 in interest if you have a good credit rating, [man maths]you can save more than that in Mondeo bills[/man maths] so you could consider a loan to get the car today and convert saving more money into loan repayments.