Reply With QuoteOn long runs you might be very surprised by the economy! Don't put cheap tyres on them, and treat yourself to 4 wheel alignment.
Well, the Qashqai was sold for a good price and tomorrow I pick up our BMW 530i automatic from a gentleman in Knutsford. The car is a '51 plate with 86k. He owned it from new and it has a full history, half BMW and half independent.
Has anyone had experience of these cars? Apart from the obvious fact that I will need a fuel tanker to follow me around, any other observations about the car? I gave it a good test drive and it went like a rocket!
Will post pictures tomorrow after a good clean and valet.
Cheers,
Jonathan
On long runs you might be very surprised by the economy! Don't put cheap tyres on them, and treat yourself to 4 wheel alignment.
Friend had one - the dash looks like the bridge of the Deathstar at night !
I'd second this - these cars drift over legal limits very easily and tend to want to drive fast - which they handle superbly. Budget tyres mean budget handling - especially in the wet, when these like to get a bit frisky - traction or no traction control. Wheel alignment at fitting will save you a few quid in the long run too.Originally Posted by andrew e
Keep an eye on the Brakes as well - I had a judder on one side where the caliper was catching - unfortunately I couldn't get to the Garage in time and it cost me 2x Discs and a caliper- not cheap.
I have a 530d Sport Touring on an 03, which I love. The only thing that has disappointed me is some of the Interior plastic - notably cup holders and heater switches - they've all broken. Maybe some ham fisted b'stard had it before me, who knows, but it seems pretty common.
Oh 1 final thing - just check all the lights light up on the display at start up. Always helps to know the warning lights will actually warn you about any problems.
Enjoy! 8)
Picked up the car this morning. Drove it straight to the valeters and will post some pictures later. It drives like new! Keeping my fingers crossed that it will serve us well :)
You can't go wrong with a BMW, just maintain it and service it when needed, and it should be fine.
Any pics?
I had the valetter round today too as I wanted every inch of previous owners dead skin and hair removed and a nice layer of quality wax applied, 4 hours later I had the smoothest car which took little claying and a full internal degunge, it is like the day it left the factory
RIAC
I bought a 530i off another TZ-UKer a couple of years ago - still going strong. Great car, never let me down (apart from duff battery one could morning, but that was just a quick trip to Euro car parts for a new Bosch). I normally get 21-26mpg but can go upto 32 on a run. Always runs Shell - I dream that I get another 50 miles out of a tank with it!!
I'm lucky where I am as there are a few very good BMW indie specialists, which has saved me a bit of money *. Mine had 83k on it and now has 106k, and I had all new OEM suspension fitted (shocks, springs and all bushes) and the weighted 4-wheel alignment. Dash pixels went recently - the guy everyone recommends on bmw forums lives a few hundred yards down the road so that was also easy to get sorted one evening last week.
Only things I've changed on mine was to remove the trafficmaster unit and fit the OEM cupholders in its place, and get a newer CD for the sat nav (I haven't bothered updating the drive to DVD as the price is outrageous - I got a new iphone with sat nav on that cheaper!)
bmw5.co.uk has a lot of useful info and so has pistonheads (like http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/to ... y%20advice). All the gremlins are well known, documented and easy to find on the web and get solutions for (rads, water pumps, hedgehogs, pixels, door seal rubbers, shimmy, bushes, rocket cover gaskets, battery discharging, lights going mad due to ignition switch, auto gearbox oil, plastic under engine trays)
* when compared to main dealer prices!
Ours went for a service today and passed with flying colours! Will need new front pads in a few months but that is all. Thanks for the encouragement and advice so far.
Here are the pictures:
Looks great - love the turbines :)
Looks clean, have fun with it
A nice classic colour combo SE with early Sport Steering wheel and Roulette wheels.
Looks good :thumbright:
I do like the 18" parallels, it changes the look of the car.
As a bit of a BMW fanboy I've always liked the e39, especially in sport trim although the se probably rides better on the smaller wheels.
My BMW weekend toy is just to the left
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I wish the spring would hurry up and arrive so I can get more use out of it as the rear end can get a bit lively on the greasy winter roads.
Looks fabulous!! Enjoy.
8)
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