Goodbye S6, Hello...

[DRZ]

So, the S6 was just starting to become more and more of a liability. The gearbox had a moment about 12 months ago, I had it rebuilt and it went again a couple of weeks ago (thankfully still in warranty!).

Last week it started to have various little things happen that made me worried, like the interior lights flickering on and off, the CC turning itself up to max in both zones at the same time plus a few other little bits and pieces. Nothing actually broken, but a clear indication of the worst kind of bills to come.

I'd been considering a few cars such as the Honda S2000, E46 M3 SMG Cab, Golf R32 and so on but I figured all of these would be older and starting to creep into the realm of where the running costs were going to creep right up as they start to age.

Turned my attention to E90 M3s and that sort of thing but for the mileage I actually do, which is mainly a 6 mile jaunt down a congested country lane morning and evening, twice or three times a month to Heathrow Airport and once a month 500 mile round trip. I didn't want to do those long trips with a 19.6mpg long-term average.

Cutting a long story short, I decided I wanted comfort and refinement over performance plus I wanted to eliminate the boredom of regular £400+ and semi-regular £1000+ bills and go for something that would be completely bulletproof.

Ladies and gentlemen, my new car:

December 2010 F10 520d SE Auto in Deep Sea Blue with Cream leather.

35k on the clock and so perfect for the BMW Comprehensive Warranty I will be attaching to it. It has BMW Service Inclusive so I won't have to pay for the next service and maybe the one after that depending on how things work out.

Not the most highly specced car in the land but it has enough to keep me happy. Most importantly it has the awesome 8-speed autobox and doesn't have the M-Sport suspension.

It has been hailing/raining since I picked it up so I have no good photos of it, but I really like the colour inside and out!

 

[DRZ]

S6 was the V10?

S6 V10 to 520d?

....

V8. Honestly, as nice as it really is to have 340bhp under your right foot you really don't get to use it all that often. I reckon I would have lost my licence very quickly if I'd spent similar money on an M3 or M5! I came close a few times in the S6 tbh.

I plan on putting all the money I'm not wasting running an older performance car into something like an E36 318iS (a la NickXX), where it'll just be taken to a track a few times a year - much better for my licence!

 

[DRZ]

Nice car and appreciate the thought process behind the change.

Can the larger Nav screen be retrofitted? The small screen looks odd.

No idea but not something I'd want to do if it affected the warranty.

My thoughts too tbh.

Seems an odd choice to settle on, that sàid, he's now one of the many many many other 520d's out there....

Good car, but the last thing I'd have thought you'd opt for tbh.

If you'd have asked me 6 months ago, I'd have agreed with you. Unfortunately, stuff breaking is phenomenally expensive not only for the actual repair but if and when it causes you me to miss a flight (which has happened to me twice). I guess I'm just getting to the point in my life where I'm past being prepared to spend thousands upon thousands running a performance car just to have a performance car. I could have got an M car for this money but I'd just be signing up for even more expense for very little gain day to day.

Having something that will be as comfortable and suited to 'getting around' as that F10 520d will be is perfect for DRZ. He doesn't want to get off another one of his european work related jaunts, get into his car and listen to rattles and buzzes as he drives back home. He wants to just get there and go to bed. Probably.

Getting a second car to go with this and trash within an inch of its life on track is the perfect combination for him.

Not everyone wants a fire breathing day to day car. I totally 'get' this purchase, even if some will question the engine choice.

The issue regarding engine choice - as Fox will support - is there really are a handful of cars that aren't 520d's. This means finding a decent example that is appropriately priced is challenging.

Pretty much spot on.

Probably best suited to what you want, but I personally couldn't live with the lack of spec.
Could you not source one with at least pro nav?

Probably but this car was very near, the correct gearbox, in my preferred colour combination (the interior colour was non-negotiable) and with a mileage that qualified for the better warranty, has Service Inclusive, they didn't flinch about taking the S6 off me for what I'd consider to be reasonable and as I think I posted about above, I didn't feel like I could have taken the time to wait it out for the unicorn car with all boxes ticked without the S6 scrapping itself. I was less than 7 days away from that last gearbox episode being out of warranty.

The spec isn't suicidally terrible, sure its got the small-screen Nav but for the actual things you just can't live without these days (which admittedly are mostly standard) like bluetooth, auto lights/wipers, parking sensors, dual-zone climate etc its just fine.

 

[DRZ]

Sensible purchase in honesty man and the F10 does look lovely.

Interested to see what economy you get.

Fingers crossed for no more bills!

I went from 340BHP to 125BHP so you will probably have to get used to the adjustment but once you are used to it, it's like you haven't driven anything else.

Thanks Nath!

I don't need to cross my fingers too much, I'm just in the process of arranging the BMW Comprehensive warranty for it which will alleviate almost all the risk

 

[DRZ]

So... a 1000ish mile update!

I've been driving to and from work, Heathrow a couple of times and up to the Lake District and back once including country lanes up and down hills etc, so a fairly mixed bag of distances. I've averaged about 47mpg over all of this driving which is pretty good when considering the S6 would have been around 19 at the most.

The 8-speed autobox and huge quantities of insulation go a long way to "hide" the 4-cyl diesel engine. The torque is easily enough for the car - moderate to brisk acceleration is about the same as I'd have driven the S6 without feeling like I'm thrashing it. Obviously if I floor it, there is a world of difference, especially above 70mph but this is probably a good thing, I've hit silly, silly speeds in the S6 because it was so enticing/fun... No danger of this now!

In many respects this car is right up there with my W220 S-Class. Its almost the same size but feels a bit bigger inside, it is nearly as comfortable, the AC is almost as good, it has similar features etc etc. The ride is very smooth (compared to the S6 it is like riding a magic carpet!) and the driving dynamics are really an awful lot better than the Audi or Mercedes.

Can I live with the "low" spec? Absolutely. Honestly, even if I'd had a higher spec car in the past (which I haven't really, maybe a car on a par with this) then I guess I might feel like I was missing out but I haven't so I don't miss it at all.

In summary: Happy!