5 Series E39 for 4k possible?

Soldato
Joined
12 Mar 2006
Posts
23,070
Location
N.E England
As per title, wondering if it's possible at the moment. Are prices crashing on these?

Reason being I found out I can get insured on one for £1400, £600 more on my current policy with the Focus. Which is better than I expected @ 18, that quote was done on a 520i SE. I believe the insurance and running costs is the same throughout the range?

I'd more than likely only have a budget of 4k atm for a new car possibly more depending on if I sell or PX my Focus

Fox?
 
what are you actually expecting from a 4k e39?
have you even looked on any of the normal sites to see what is available.
 
I seem to remember £4k being banded about as the minimum for a decent e39 a good few months back so no doubt you can still get a decent one for £4k. Make sure you can afford to keep it on the road as well though, it will cost more to run than a focus.
 
Absolutely more than available for £4000 now even through places such as autotrader.

This sort of money wont get you a facelift Sport as Fox, Peter, and Olly (amongst others) have and post on here, but it will get you a nice sensible mileage example of a prefacelift SE with plenty of options. You can update the asthetics later too with new lights and even the sport bodykit, as the body is the same.

Get a 6 cylinder pre facelift SE, with leather and as many options as you can find. Cars to go for are the 523i and the 528i depending on how your insurance fares.

The older 520i is only a 4cylinder engine and although reliable, its not hugely powerful and is eclipsed by the much better 6cylinder models. Running costs between 523 and 528 will be largely the same.

Remember that any cars you will be looking at will be getting on for 9-10 years old, and thus they WILL break and they WILL cost you reasonable money to keep running. Prices that the other guys seem to quote for repairs seem quite reasonable however, there are loads of specialist BMW places which will carry out repairs relatively cheaply. Just dont expect Ford Focus running costs, these are a much heavier more substantial car, suspension components will need doing, tyre wear will be heavier, fuel consumption will be higher.
 
Random mutterings really, but what sort of repairs budget would you recommend being set aside for something like this. 50%, so with the car being worth £4k, having £2k in the bank for repairs, servicing and consumables?
 
Just after a bit of an upgrade really and have been for a while but trying to research all my options..

The other option is

Ford Focus ESP 2.0

5 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Petrol, 73,000 miles, Blue, 1 Owner. ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints, Folding rear seats, Immobiliser, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Remote locking, Radio/CD, Rear headrests, Traction control, Metallic paintwork. Insurance Group:8,

mediawh5.jpg


They said they would be up for a straight swap with my car, only disadvantage is the 2.0 has part service history only a couple of stamps in the book apparantly and 73k is approaching the cam belt change area. The mileage doesn't really phase me so that's not an issue.
 
Just seems really daft selling a Focus to buy... another Focus.

Trust me, i did it with 3, yes 3 Astra's, and they all felt the same after the novelty (if there is such a thing) wore off!

How about...

- 306 GTi-6
- Xsara VTS
- Golf GTi 1.8T
- Mondeo ST24/200

?
 
All in a totally different league to a 5 series BMW. Seems a bit bizarre to even compare them really :)

Not really.

He's still looking at 2.0 Focus's, so why not throw in similar cars?

I think realistically if he's still looking at Focus's, a large BMW might be slightly above his finances (don't shoot me down, just what i think.)

Ask yourself if something went wrong, could you afford to get it fixed?
 
Not really.

He's still looking at 2.0 Focus's, so why not throw in similar cars?

I think realistically if he's still looking at Focus's, a large BMW might be slightly above his finances (don't shoot me down, just what i think.)

Ask yourself if something went wrong, could you afford to get it fixed?

You are right in that cost of running a higher end car such as a 5-series should not be underestimated when compared with the likes of those that you have mentioned. Wasnt meaning to shoot you down, but the sheer difference in these two categories needs to be emphasised. :)
 
get a golf 1.8t amazing ride quality and comfort compared to a focus, e39 costs mega to run and fix and it will break. i'd never get a car with no s/h it's obvious it's not been looked after
 
Just seems really daft selling a Focus to buy... another Focus.

Trust me, i did it with 3, yes 3 Astra's, and they all felt the same after the novelty (if there is such a thing) wore off!

How about...

- 306 GTi-6
- Xsara VTS
- Golf GTi 1.8T
- Mondeo ST24/200

?

306 GTi F T W!

Quicker and more fun to drive than any Focus. Can get one in mint condition for £3.5k
 
Back
Top Bottom