525d advice

romperstomper

hi guys i need some advice as i'm shopping for a 525d. its something i have wanted for a while so i need to be careful not to buy with my heart but my head. i'm looking at 01-02-03 (E39 AFAIK) depednding on milage (defo <80K miles). i really like the m-tech package looks too.
so where to buy? what to look out for? what extras to pay for and what to avoid? any advice appreciated. Also am I correct in assuming that I should get something decent for 25K yo-yos or less?

Thanks

onemanband

Why a 525D and the 530D??

Both super cars. Had a 01 530D and the handling/performace for a diesal is top drawer.

romperstomper

err, i didn't mention a 530 anywhere unless you are suggesting that i should go for a 530d over the 525d?

bazz26

Here are a few:

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=448029
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=506373
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=440635
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=481433

romperstomper

thanks for that but unfortuantely the cheapest of those is 5K over my budget and the dearest is more than 12K over. maybe my pricing wasn't realistic?

HashSlinging

The 525D was not available over here upto the latest model, maybe look for a 96 - 00 525TDS. I have heard very good reports, not as fast as the 525D as I think the TDS is only 140 - 150 bhp, but still a good car and good for 40+ mpg.

Apart from that you should be able to import your own 525D if you have 25k burning a hole.

romperstomper

not burning a hole by any means (ssia so 5 yrs of saving) and not to be thrown away on unless it exactly right. i did explore the 525tds but unfortunately trying to get a clean low mileage example of a car in the region of 8 years old is an exercise in futility. 25 is the absolute limit of my budget. importing from england/germany has its own pitfalls as it could take a bunch of trips to find the right one and then you have aa & hpi checks on everyone that makes the grade. whereas here a friend is willing to carry out the inspection

Mc-BigE

i'd say UK is the best place to get a E39 525d, here's one on ebay
but please check autotrader.co.uk also

Get a HPI check on any car from the UK before buying (even if it says 100% clear!)

his car is probably worth a lot less than his buy it now price, check autotrader for comparisons before making an offer. but 1 owner from new is a good sign. 87K is not bad for a 5 yr old diesel BMW.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/51-reg-BMW-525d-SE-diesel-grey-metallic-87k-fBMWsh_W0QQitemZ200030125721QQihZ010QQcategoryZ9837QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

here's the VRT, it seems a lot for a 2001:

STATISTICAL CODE: 44185296
MAKE: BMW
MODEL: 525 ALL VERSIONS (From Sept. 1990)
VERSION: D E39 SE 04DR / SALOON / MANUAL / DIESEL /
MILEAGE: 87000 MILES

The information requested in respect of the vehicle shown is indicated below.
DATE OF FIRST REGISTRATION(MM/YY): SEPTEMBER 2001
OPEN MARKET SELLING PRICE:
(applicable on enquiry date) €19252
RATE OF TAX: 30.0%
VEHICLE REGISTRATION TAX:
(payable on enquiry date) €5775

romperstomper

woah VRT is a killer. What about buying in England and leaving it there for 6 months?
Even it means i dodge the VRT bullet it would be completely worth it (my cousin has a garage over). anyone with any knowledge of this area?

Mc-BigE

Do a search about VRT here, theres loads on the topic already.

Fast answer is no, your cousin needs to come home for good for it to work, and then he can't sell it for 12months after registration. and you (irish resident) can't drive any UK reg car in ireland , 24hrs after arriving in the state.

romperstomper

just so we're clear. i'm talking about me buying it in the UK and registering it in the UK to my name at my cousin's address. Then leaving the car at that address for 6months. Then collecting and bringing it over to ireland and tell the vrt crowd that i have been working in england for the last while. which i can prove as my company has offices over there. would that not dodge the vrt bullet?

Mc-BigE

romperstomper wrote:

just so we're clear. i'm talking about me buying it in the UK and registering it in the UK to my name at my cousin's address. Then leaving the car at that address for 6months. Then collecting and bringing it over to ireland and tell the vrt crowd that i have been working in england for the last while. which i can prove as my company has offices over there. would that not dodge the vrt bullet?

Not sure about that one, you'll need a lot of proof for the VRT office, car insurance, House Rent or UK mortgage repayments, copy of Payslips or Uk income copy of ferry trip home. this area is a minefield so thread carefully!

also not sure about 6 month car ownership, check the revenue website or oasis.ie

maidhc

HashSlinging wrote:

The 525D was not available over here upto the latest model, maybe look for a 96 - 00 525TDS. I have heard very good reports, not as fast as the 525D as I think the TDS is only 140 - 150 bhp, but still a good car and good for 40+ mpg.

The 525tds is an oldskool indirect injection unit. They were good in their day, but their day is gone.

Do-more

This might be up your street!

http://www.rdsalvage.co.uk/page73.htm

No mention of mileage on ad, the minor damage to the rear is an easy repair.

Worth given'em a ring, my guess, it'll cost you €17,000 - €18,000 all in.

blorg

You are very unlikely to be able dodge the VRT and if you are caught you are going to be in a lot more trouble.

The HPI check is a _benefit_ to buying in the UK to be honest, it is an extra expense but it means you know what you are getting. You should only need to get the report on the car you actually decide to buy, and proceed unless it turns up something unexpected. Indeed you don't _have_ to get a HPI on anything at all - then it would be exactly like buying in Ireland!

romperstomper

thats the last thing i would consider. who knows what that has been through

"If you are caught you are going to be in a lot more trouble."

thats pure BS. VRT is about as illegal as it gets. Its in dispute at EU level for the last number of years with everyone saying its obviously against the spirit of EU trade laws. Don't spout that nonsense.

To Hell with them. This BS has got to end sooner or later. If more of us used a little cuteness to get around this crap then we could make it unenforceable and it could vanish. It's only by laying down that this nonsense has remained in place for so long.

blorg

I think everyone agrees it is counter to the spirit of EU laws (although Ireland is not the only country in the EU with it) and will likely be gone at some point in the next few years.

However it is currently a legal tax in this country and tax evasion is generally not looked on too favourably. You are proposing deliberately lying to and trying to defraud the revenue in getting the car registered without paying VRT. I would suspect this would be looked on more seriously than simply driving the car here on UK plates (in which case you are likely merely facing confiscation.)

Besides, it's pointless, I presume you are paying income tax here and the Revenue have an Irish address registered for you. End of story.

Mc-BigE

blorg wrote:

I think everyone agrees it is counter to the spirit of EU laws (although Ireland is not the only country in the EU with it) and will likely be gone at some point in the next few years.

However it is currently a legal tax in this country and tax evasion is generally not looked on too favourably. You are proposing deliberately lying to and trying to defraud the revenue in getting the car registered without paying VRT. I would suspect this would be looked on more seriously than simply driving the car here on UK plates (in which case you are likely merely facing confiscation.)

Besides, it's pointless, I presume you are paying income tax here and the Revenue have an Irish address registered for you. End of story.

I agree with Blorg on this, but i do see where your coming from and also think the VRT is wrong, but there's no easy way around it, the only way is if a close friend/cousin you trust is coming home from the UK to Ireland for good with his/her car which he/she has owned for more then 6 months in the UK i think, and can prove he lived in UK and prove he's coming home for good. And then you can only be a name driver on your cousins car (assuming he gets Irish plates) for 1 year after that. then he can sell it to you.

But the Revenue have seen it all before and will require ALL documentation to backup your cousins story.

By the way, do you think your the first person to think this??

"If more of us used a little cuteness to get around this crap then we could make it unenforceable"

Cuteness doesn't come into it, its the law

HashSlinging

Mc-BigE wrote:

i'd say UK is the best place to get a E39 525d, here's one on ebay
but please check autotrader.co.uk also

Get a HPI check on any car from the UK before buying (even if it says 100% clear!)

his car is probably worth a lot less than his buy it now price, check autotrader for comparisons before making an offer. but 1 owner from new is a good sign. 87K is not bad for a 5 yr old diesel BMW.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/51-reg-BMW-525d-SE-diesel-grey-metallic-87k-fBMWsh_W0QQitemZ200030125721QQihZ010QQcategoryZ9837QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

here's the VRT, it seems a lot for a 2001:

STATISTICAL CODE: 44185296
MAKE: BMW
MODEL: 525 ALL VERSIONS (From Sept. 1990)
VERSION: D E39 SE 04DR / SALOON / MANUAL / DIESEL /
MILEAGE: 87000 MILES

The information requested in respect of the vehicle shown is indicated below.
DATE OF FIRST REGISTRATION(MM/YY): SEPTEMBER 2001
OPEN MARKET SELLING PRICE:
(applicable on enquiry date) €19252
RATE OF TAX: 30.0%
VEHICLE REGISTRATION TAX:
(payable on enquiry date) €5775

excellent and landed for 25k might stick a bid up there myself.

romperstomper

the law has nothing to do with this. If it had then VRT would not exist. Its a scam which supplies over 2 bn a year to revenue which insuring that we are presented with some of the lowest spec crap available. Companies have gone to the extremes of taking airbags out of cars to sell them here at a cheaper base price. So the "law" is observed to the detriment of the citizens that it should be protecting.

Since when did the law evoke such hallowed responses? The same "law" that allows every corrupt offical in the land to be rule the country to suit themselves? The same "law" that proposes tribunals that run to tens of millions to enquire about said corruption? What nonsense is this?

EVERY single person here would pay less tax if they could. VRT is a tax and one that is illegal under EU trade laws.

Mc-BigE

This thread is turning out to be nothing to do with a 525d, just some ranting about VRT which to be honest we’ve all heard before.

OP: If the Government of the Day decided to get rid of VRT, how will they fill the shortfall?, higher Income Tax, higher road tax, higher petrol prices, they have to get the extra money from somewhere to pay for Social welfare, Health, Education etc etc.

What about every person who’s after buying a car before the VRT is scrapped? Their in steep negative equity overnight . I don’t really care too much about the Second hand car Dealers problems shifting cars, but there’s going to be a knock on to you and me if you’re trying to sell your car.

romperstomper

good point, it would be nice to get back on topic. Does anyone have any experience of these cars? Is there much of an improvement in the facelift models of 02 onwards?

Mc-BigE

good, back on topic:)

do a search here:
530d is better then the 525d but the road tax is the same in the uk so
id say 525d is a good compromise.
http://www.bmwland.co.uk/talker/viewtopic.php?t=7826

romperstomper

actually on that note, should i be looking at the 530d as a viable alternative. the reason i was going for the 525 was that it was reasonably economic to run. if the 530 is also pretty economical than perhaps i should consider that too. Is the engine size the only difference in the models or does the bigger engined car get some extra toys? I'd imagine road tax and insurance will be dearer on the 530

Mc-BigE

If you can afford the 1100 a year road tax compared to 800ish a year for the 525d then go for the bigger engined car. You'll find a lot more 530d than 525d in the UK because the its a better engine, for the same road tax, the MPG is good on both cars also, but the BHP is more with the 530d obviously.And because there are more 530d you can be picky about the spec.

try www.cargiant.co.uk also

TJJP

Brought my '02 525d in from the UK a few months back. 13k euro for a 525d SE, 56k miles BMW certified mileage, full BMW service history, 7 months warranty left. Had to give a further 7k VRT but at 20k on the road here it seemed worth it. They are rare enough here, 530D and petrol 520 much more popular so import may be only option. Import spec higher than Irish model for VRT reasons. 525 road tax is cheaper than 530 so might be worth bearing in mind.... As said earlier HPI check is a must, as is full service history and service book if no history walk away. Lot of dodgy ones around, very easy to clock it seems. Had been looking at a perfect 520 model here with 62k and no service history but a bit of digging around showed it had 124k on it... Would have been hard pressed to tell. Fair bit of cash for a 2002 car but well worth it. Heard stories of dodgy turbos but have had no problems, Earlier tds had rad fan problems which can be very serious. See honestjohn.co.uk .... Also www.bavarian-board.co.uk, irish section for buying tips.