New Family Car 16-18k

SpeedFreak said:
I can see the point on the 530d but in reality a similar spec 530d would be closer to 28k. I'd rather spend the 5k on new hardwood floors downstairs.
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What is wrong with the original one you found? Nothing more naff than sacrificing performance and refinement on an executive saloon so you can get blingy bodykits and M badges... :p
 
[TW]Fox;28893519 said:
What is wrong with the original one you found? Nothing more naff than sacrificing performance and refinement on an executive saloon so you can get blingy bodykits and M badges... :p
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lol, fair point. I'll make my mind up after Christmas, I can't do anything until I get my bonus so should avoid the pain of looking :).
 
So I can't stop myself from looking and have my eye on the below three:

530D SE 39k Miles
£20.5k - Private Seller
Mar 2011

530D M Sport 49k Miles
£22.5k - BMW AUC
Mar 2012

530D SE 59k Miles
£17.5k Trade Seller
Feb 2011

Not an easy one to answer I appreciate, but assuming I put 30k on it in the next three years and then sell, which of the above three is going to give me the cheapest motoring? If the difference is negligible, which of the above seems like the best value? Keep in mind I will need to warranty the two non AUC which adds about £800 to the effective costs in year 1.

Also, what is the likelihood that pre-Christmas I could strong arm the BMW dealer on price? Is December a good time to buy?
 
Private sellers of these seem like a waste of time. They always want hilarious amounts of money and you'd probably get told to do one if you offered thousands under asking. He cannot honestly be expecting £20,500 for that?
 
[TW]Fox;28911614 said:
Private sellers of these seem like a waste of time. They always want hilarious amounts of money and you'd probably get told to do one if you offered thousands under asking. He cannot honestly be expecting £20,500 for that?
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I assume that the current owner paid a premium for options and as such is hoping to recoup some of it given that the complete options list is uploaded as an image in the add. It seems like an emotional attachment more than anything.

The AUC seems like an good spec(for me). Perfect color, interior, reasonable mileage with xenons and at least has PDC (unfortunately not surround view). If I could get it at £21k I'd be pretty happy. The biggest negative is that it is in Hull :p.
 
[TW]Fox;28890396 said:
It can't - the tech package screen is a paltry 7 inch (The same size as the rubbish Business Advanced screen in the 5 Series).

The F10 however has a 10.2" screen if you have Professional Media. This makes it much more flexible.
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It's actually 8" as the 7" LCD is the driver's display. It's a squarer format than the BMW 10.2 so it's not as bad as it appears.

I agree is should be better but its not a hideous deal breaker like the basic 6.5" variety which plagues so many A6s along with an equally poor standard driver display.
 
SpeedFreak said:
I assume that the current owner paid a premium for options and as such is hoping to recoup some of it given that the complete options list is uploaded as an image in the add. It seems like an emotional attachment more than anything.

The AUC seems like an good spec(for me). Perfect color, interior, reasonable mileage with xenons and at least has PDC (unfortunately not surround view). If I could get it at £21k I'd be pretty happy. The biggest negative is that it is in Hull :p.
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I think I have seen somewhere that Stratstone policy is zero negotiation, but cars priced very keenly. This is why they are often random prices and always seem keenly priced. It'd be interesting to see if your experience supports this or refutes this if you decide to have a go.

PDC is standard on every 5 Series for the last 15 years btw :p
 
Hmm, that 530d is just down the road from me and I'm seriously tempted! Can't see why you would want to spend more on the other two tbh.
 
Popped into Dick Lovett Bristol today to have a bit of a look around, ensure we can fit the car seats in (thank god we can!) and the wife really likes it. They obviously tried to sell me a new one and are throwing discounts around for december completion.

530d Touring M Sport Plus from stock. £49k list, if financed pcp or hp the discounts are 11k.

In fairness to the guy, he said I should go to Hull for the the one I linked above lol.
 
That is no great special deal to be fair. I got a discount around the same as that on my factory order 2 years ago. I suspect that is the discount you can likely get just for walking in and pushing them for it, regardless of the time of year.
 
Am I crazy to make the journey to see this one tomorrow:

clicky

I doubt they will budge much on price as it's just appeared. My wife is happy with the car but prefers the M Sport. Is £22k on a 530d over the top with this spec?

Compared to the other AUC, the dark interior is a winner with three children.
 
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Looks good to me. I'm not a fan of silver personally, but it's not a disgusting colour, and I've had a few BMW's in that colour, so wouldn't put me off.

Has a decent spec otherwise though. Worth a look for sure.
 
SpeedFreak said:
Am I crazy to make the journey to see this one tomorrow. My wife is happy with the car but prefers the M Sport. Is £22k on a 530d over the top with this spec?

Compared to the other AUC, the dark interior is a winner with three children.
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Nope, not at all. Looks like a nice car. If you like it and you're in no rush, make them an offer and let them stew.

Don't forget we are 2 weeks from Christmas - traditionally not the best time for dealers!
 
That is my mindset. So far they have said it will probably go over the weekend but I'll take the risk that it won't :p . The fact is I can't get up to see it before next week but travelling from Bristol it is hard not to seem overly keen...
 
Right, so after a lot of thought I have "settled" on a 520d. Deposit has been paid and I pick it up next week.

Here

13 plate - 54k
BMW Manufacturer Warranty until July 2016 and six months of dealer (but I will extend with BMW)

Carbon Metallic
Oyster Leather with Hex Silver Trim
Adaptive Xenons
DAB
Auto Tailgate
HUD
Extended Instrument Cluster
Connect Bluetooth
Start Stop

£19.7k

I mulled it over for a while and took my wife out in a 530d for comparison. While it is a better engine without doubt, "we" decided it was an extravagance. I'm not going to lie, the M Sport looks better than an SE and I have paid a premium for that over a 530d SE, but I am comfortable with the choice. I am sure if I waited I could get something more for the money if I was willing to cross the country and wait for a month but I wanted to get things the car relatively sharpish.

So now to look for a carpenter to do the floors downstairs!
 
This thread was so encouraging, its a shame to see you pick blingy bodykit over fundamentals. It might look nice but it's noisy and unrefined. IMHO the 4 cylinder diesel is too big a compromise to make for a different front and rear bumper. I can sort of see why you did it is as the draw of the newer car is quite big I guess.

That said it's a reasonable spec for a 520d (Though annoyingly it hasn't got the Ambient Lighting or the proper climate) and you have got NBT iDrive which is another plus.

Quite a lot of those options are standard fit btw - all the '13's have Start/Stop, DAB, Bluetooth, Auto tailgate.

Do you intend to do under 6k in the next 4-5 months? Your warranty renewal is much cheaper if it's before 60k.
 
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