BMW and M Power Owners
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My father is looking into a 2015/2016 era BMW 5 Series (F10?), he's not sure if the 520 or 530 is his preferred option but he does crunch a few miles per year (18-25k) so I'd assume that it would be a dag dag - happy to explain to him that 520i/530i is a better option if it is? He mainly drives to the golf course on the weekend so it needs to "look good in the carpark", I think it looks great anyway.
Is this era of 5 series a good car for motorway cruising and general comfort and drive? I've seen some with a very small satnav and some with a much larger one in the dash, which spec comes with the larger? Is it the MSport?
If anyone could suggest some "must have" options in the spec list so he can refine his choice that would be great, I know there are a few 5 series fans on the forum. I have almost zero knowledge of BMWs aside from the no indicators trope so seeking help from you wise ones.
Is this era of 5 series a good car for motorway cruising and general comfort and drive? I've seen some with a very small satnav and some with a much larger one in the dash, which spec comes with the larger? Is it the MSport?
If anyone could suggest some "must have" options in the spec list so he can refine his choice that would be great, I know there are a few 5 series fans on the forum. I have almost zero knowledge of BMWs aside from the no indicators trope so seeking help from you wise ones.
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The 520i is very rare (and not very good either, not quick but not economical) and the 530i was discontinued at the facelift, so all are 13 plate or older now. The most common petrol option is the 528i whcih is a 4 cylinder turbo with 245bhp. They are very rare so its unlikely you'll come across one. If you particularly dislike diesel, it's a reasonable choice, but when I test drove one years back in an attempt to get away from driving a diesel I ended up with another 530d instead, so read into that what you will.
In 2014, the 2 litre diesel changed from the N Series to the B Series. The B Series is newer, slightly more powerful and hopefully more reliable. I think at this point I'd not want a 520d without the B Series engine.
Absolutely! It's great for that.
The only trim level which comes with the Professional Navigation screen as standard is the Luxury - otherwise, its optional. So you'll need to pick a car with it fitted as an option if you want an M Sport. Even if you're not particularly going to use the nav its probably worth finding, it doesn't add a huge amount to the price and the silly little screen spoils the interior a bit.
With the facelift, you don't need THAT many options. Obviously a fully loaded car is a wonderful thing but these are few and far between and almost everything you'd actually want is standard anyway (heated seats, better instrument cluster on post April 2014 cars, dual zone climate etc). So I'd probably stick Professional Navigation as the only must have - everything else is nice to have if you can find it but don't compromise on condition or engine choice to get more spec beyond Pro Nav. It's unlikely you'll find one with only Pro nav anyway, if somebody optioned Pro nav they likely added a few more bits too.
Soldato
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He's pretty much covered it all in that post.
Pro nav is all I'm trying to stick with as a must have, I've found cameras and folding mirrors are more common on the 520d over the 530d.
They are quite highly priced at the moment for a car that was last made on a 66 plate but the whole market is a mess.
Pro nav is all I'm trying to stick with as a must have, I've found cameras and folding mirrors are more common on the 520d over the 530d.
They are quite highly priced at the moment for a car that was last made on a 66 plate but the whole market is a mess.
It astonishes me how expensive they are. I'm a huge F10 fan but £20k for an F10 5 Series just seems crazy now. When I bought mine I projected that after 5 years of ownership - when it would be 6 years old - it would have a residual value of £12k. It's somewhat overshot that, which is nice, but then anything I'd replace it with is even more, so it's of no real use. I'll just keep it!
But then I look at how much people are paying for an F30 3 Series - a car that is inferior in every way - and I guess it doesn't seem so bad after all
But then I look at how much people are paying for an F30 3 Series - a car that is inferior in every way - and I guess it doesn't seem so bad after all
I bet your future Grandchildren are to going to love your reminiscent stories of past 5 Series.
Afternoon.
Just a query for other G20/M340i owners and the heated seats. How warm do they get, and how long did this take? My last BMW (and the previous one) the seats heated up relatively quickly and actually got to the point you had to change the setting to low/turn off, but in my current one I am not sure the drivers one is doing much/anything.
If they should be obvious that they are working I will pay a visit to BMW.
Thanks in advance for any replies
Just a query for other G20/M340i owners and the heated seats. How warm do they get, and how long did this take? My last BMW (and the previous one) the seats heated up relatively quickly and actually got to the point you had to change the setting to low/turn off, but in my current one I am not sure the drivers one is doing much/anything.
If they should be obvious that they are working I will pay a visit to BMW.
Thanks in advance for any replies
Afternoon.
Just a query for other G20/M340i owners and the heated seats. How warm do they get, and how long did this take? My last BMW (and the previous one) the seats heated up relatively quickly and actually got to the point you had to change the setting to low/turn off, but in my current one I am not sure the drivers one is doing much/anything.
If they should be obvious that they are working I will pay a visit to BMW.
Thanks in advance for any replies
It gets too hot to be comfortable for me on the highest setting but my daughter says it’s just right so I guess there is some subjectivity in it. It’s at least as hot as my previous F36.
The steering wheel is just right, warm but never hot.
Ideally though you want the highest setting to be too hot on both. Then you can switch it onto to that when its freezing inside your car as you set off first thing and dial both back to the medium setting when it gets too toasty.
Ok, something isn't right then, the steering wheel is lovely and quick to heat up, looks like a trip to BMW.
Why not just leave it at medium? I wouldn't have thought putting it on the hottest setting would magically make it warmer faster.
When its really freezing though having that extra heat warms your cold hands up quicker but after 10 or 15 minutes its too much for a base level esp since the interior cabin will have got up to temp.
The steering wheel and seats are pretty instant heat, less than a minute to warm up.
My mercedes does this automatically
Soldato
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- 23 Nov 2004
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Just having a look on AT and it looks like the dealer has stuck another grand on my bosses old car. They gave him £39-40k and they've had it from mid October at £42k and now they decide to stick £950 on it for it so sell quickly...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-de...searchad=Used&make=BMW&postcode=ml36aq&page=1
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-de...searchad=Used&make=BMW&postcode=ml36aq&page=1
Wait, they added £950 to it after 2 months now? I was hoping prices were slowly going back down from now...
Soldato
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- 23 Nov 2004
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Aye, my boss mentioned it today so had a look.
It was worth about £31k about a year ago I'm sure when discussing what he owed and the value of it.
It was worth about £31k about a year ago I'm sure when discussing what he owed and the value of it.
And a week after buying the service plan, the car tells me it's time for a service!
When looking online it's only showing me options to tick and the price, how does it work if I have a service plan? Guessing I have to call the retailer and mention this?
When looking online it's only showing me options to tick and the price, how does it work if I have a service plan? Guessing I have to call the retailer and mention this?