3 series vs 5 series (2007)

Associate
OP
Joined
7 May 2009
Posts
837
Maybe I should have made it clear that its not much driving, commuting to work and maybe a drive into central London once a week or so.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
159,534
What exactly do you want here - you don't seem very interested in any of the feedback and each post appears to attempt to justify the choice rather than genuinely seek advice.

Are you just waiting for somebody to tell you that a £4k 2007 520d is going to be proper good and totally reliable or something?

People have told you that it's probably not a good idea, some have explained why and alternative better suggestions have been made but you seem uninterested in any of that.
 
Permabanned
Joined
9 Jun 2009
Posts
11,904
Location
London, McLaren or Radical
Just get a 545... then you have the 5 series you want and you can get one for the price, or near the price, that you want to spend that isn't a complete lemon :)

No-one wants one, so they tanked in price a good few years ago.

Plus... V8

I was about to buy one when I got a stupidly deal on my E46 320d, so went the "sensible" route due to the business mileage I was doing.


EDIT: Hmmm... there aren't that many on autotrader anymore.

4 years ago you could get a half-decent 2006 545 for £6k... now I only see one 2004 for £5.5k with 80k miles :(
 
Last edited:
Associate
OP
Joined
7 May 2009
Posts
837
[TW]Fox;29500675 said:
What exactly do you want here - you don't seem very interested in any of the feedback and each post appears to attempt to justify the choice rather than genuinely seek advice.

Are you just waiting for somebody to tell you that a £4k 2007 520d is going to be proper good and totally reliable or something?

People have told you that it's probably not a good idea, some have explained why and alternative better suggestions have been made but you seem uninterested in any of that.

Honestly, the question should be directed to you, it seems like you're about to cry, the other replies on this thread were appreciated and good replies, but it sounds like something has struck a chord, did a 5 series break your heart?

Don't worry, things will get better I'm sure, but until then, could you tell me what you think about a 2006 5 series?
 
Permabanned
Joined
9 Jun 2009
Posts
11,904
Location
London, McLaren or Radical
His advice isn't wrong though BiGT-... he just has a certain "way" about presenting it.

When it goes wrong, and at this end of the market there's a reasonable chance that it will... it will cost a whole heck of a lot more than your Corolla to fix.

He's just trying to make sure that you realise that. The 3-series will be noticeably more expensive than your Corolla too... but it's less likely to be more expensive than the 5 series.

Who knows? You might be lucky... you might get a great deal on an awesome car and have a few years of relatively cheap premium motoring.

You just have a better chance of that with the 320i.

Plus petrol is nicer than diesel.

If you're going diesel... try to get the 6-cylider engine though - it's a heck of a lot nicer than the 4-cylinder... so look for at minimum the x25d engine.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
9 Jan 2003
Posts
6,801
Location
Darlington
This thread has potential.

I don't post in motors, but I read enough to know Fox knows his BMWs. Mate, honestly the advice Fox has given is sound and he's spot on when he says you're pretty much just ignoring everything said that doesn't fit what you want to hear.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
159,534
The point is this - a 2007 5 Series is worth more than £4k. Therefore the ones that sell for £4k tend to be examples you do not wish to own. If they were good examples, they'd sell for more. They are too new to be £4k.

A 2004 5 Series, or perhaps a similar 3 Series, is not worth more than £4k. Therefore there are probably quite a few examples that are nice enough but are £4k simply because thats all they are worth.

You need to work out what you want and then work out what to aim for in your budget to ensure you get a good example. If you want a 'fun car' then a cheap 520d is not it. However a similarly priced E46 330Ci Sport, or a Z4 3.0i or something will both be fun *and* not a total nail.

Frankly you could get a really rather good E46 3 Series with pretty much any engine bar the M3 for £4k quite happily. It's still going to go wrong, and it's still going to cost money to keep on the road, but it's far less likely to be a dodgy abused heap of crap than an 07 5 Series for the same money.

Alternatively look at what £4k gets you that's fun and isn't an old BMW - there are plenty of fun yet reliable cars around for £4k.

But whatever you decide, buy a car thats generally 'worth' the budget you have, don't buy a car that in reality should be worth much more because thats how you end up in nightmare scenarios with just thoroughly bad examples. Ask Acme for more details about buying cars for less than they are worth..
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,339
Location
In acme's chair.
BIGT- you sound like me. Ignoring peoples advice ended badly for me. I bought a car which should cost £5500 for a decent example, for under £3000, and I got what I paid for shall we say...

Fox can come across as a little... Well... Know-it-all-ish at times, but when it comes to BMW's he does know rather a lot. :)
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Feb 2009
Posts
14,814
Location
Exeter
4k buys a nice 330i, I don't know why you think they're out of budget

If you want reliable and a 2.0 is enough to keep you entertained then don't buy a BMW. If you want an entertaining BMW don't buy a ropey 2.0.

If you just want a BMW for the badge then just say so
 
Last edited:

mjt

mjt

Soldato
Joined
31 Aug 2007
Posts
19,996
Me? nope.

There is another BIGT on these forums but without the '-'
Ah yes :o

My 2p: unless you want to spend a lot on repairs, get something else.
At this budget i'd get an E46 but I'd be prepared to fix things as they crop up.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
7 May 2009
Posts
837
Ok, sorry to continue this convo :D

What would you guys say is a good 3 series to go for? I am seeing 3 series with FSH and 60-70k milage from a dealer with warranty, for around £5k, you guys seem to know a lot more than me, what should I look for when buying a 3 series?

Thank you
 
Soldato
Joined
31 Jan 2004
Posts
11,292
Location
Matakana New Zealand
If you are looking at a 5 series diesel with over 100k on it, make sure the DPF has been changed as that's an easy £2k bill alone. Not sure if the 3 series diesel has a DPF though.

My personal opinion though, with £4k budget, i'd be looking elsewhere, not BMW, why not consider a mondeo ST220? Looks good, it's quick with a V6 engine and it won't cost a fortune to keep on the road.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
7 May 2009
Posts
837
No, I'm not looking for a 5 series anymore, I'm going to go for a 3 series with around 60-70k on the clock, but I want to check with some of the guys here :D they stopped me before buying something 'fragile'. so I wanted to see how good a mid milage 3 series would be.

I don't like the look of the Mondoe, I've searched through a lot of cars but I keep going back to the BMW.
 
Soldato
Joined
28 Sep 2008
Posts
14,123
Location
Britain
[TW]Fox;29499971 said:
A £4000 2007 5 Series is going to be an absolute nail.

On that basis I'd pick the 3 Series because although it's not exactly amazing it's less likely to be a house of horrors at this budget.

Truthfully I don't think £4k is enough money for either of these cars especially if you are keen on reliability and running costs.

I'm not sure this is accurate. The trade in value of my 168k virtually perfect 530d was £5.5k It was far from a nail.
 
Back
Top Bottom