Is it worth it???

ToxicPaddy

hey there,

A guy I know is selling a BMW 525 TDS, its 8 years old but its in spotless condition looks wise, everything seems in order with it however, a new engine was put into it about 3 years ago along with a few other bits. This all happened before he bought it.

Apparently the previous owner drove into a flood and messed up the engine, a local mechanic who I know of and has a good rep in the area, bought the car off him, put in the new engine, turbo and a few other bits and then sold it onto its current owner, the guy I know.

Before the new engine was out in, the car had clocked up over 100k and since its done nearly 50k, fairly reasonable in 3 years for a diesel.

He's now selling it after nearly 3 years to buy a newer 5 series and has asked if I would be interested in buying it and is offering it at a decent enough price.

Is it worth the risk?

Lookswise the car is stunning, perfect bodywork, alloys, leather interior isnt worn at all, a/c, CD player etc. But the thing I'm worried about is if I do buy it and something goes wrong, I could be seriously out of pocket.

The local mechanic is of course gonna say its in good nick as he isnt gonna badmouth his own handywork and the owner is also gonna say the same.

What do you guys think?

Tox

Car Mad

id say go for it, you cant get much more reliable than a bmw.id get another mechanic u trust to give it a once over before thinking of purchasing tho.

tvr

just to clarify how many owners are on it and do you know of all of them personally or know of them ie.. have you seen them flying around the town in the car etc

personally if you know the owners and they have really look after it I would jump at it but bare in mind the miles will probably be quite high when you sell it so could effect residuals.

also i presume as it was owned by a mechanic at some stage there wont be a full bmw service history so look for the standard tell tell things and make sure the mechanics handy work is ok.

what mileage is it on it now 150000 and what price is he looking for it . make sure he cuts you a good deal as he knows you wont mess him around.

Henry Ford III

150k & 8 years old - It would need to be cheap as chips.

ToxicPaddy

The car has had 4 owners including the mechanic and current owner. The current owner lives locally and yes I've seen the car driving around for a while now and have been admiring it from afar. The previous 2 owners lived in or around Dublin. The mechanic is a BMW mechanic and does a lot of contract work for the local BMW dealership so his work is reliable and of a high standard.

He's looking for in or around the 10k mark which seems to be pretty standard for a car that age, spec and mileage.

Tox

maidhc

ToxicPaddy wrote:

He's looking for in or around the 10k mark which seems to be pretty standard for a car that age, spec and mileage.

Are you sure spending 1/2 the price of a mondeo with 1/10 the miles and 1/8 the age is a good idea?

unkel

Not so sure, D. If you are planning to hold onto your next car for a long time, you might want to skip the 'oul tractor diesel and go for a proper common rail one. How about buying a 530d in about a years time?

ToxicPaddy

When I sat down and thought about it, it doesnt really make much sense alright. On top of everything else, I'd prefer a car of that size and power with an auto box rather than a manual, which this one is.

So all in all, spending another €8k-€10k early next year would get me something slightly better.

Unkel, as nice as a 530d would be, the thoughts of spending €1100 a year on tax would bring a tear to my eye. So the max and even then its a stretch is 2.5 ltr, so maybe see if I can get my hands on a decent spec'd 525i.

Cheers for the feedback guys.

Tox

unkel

ToxicPaddy wrote:

Unkel, as nice as a 530d would be, the thoughts of spending €1100 a year on tax would bring a tear to my eye

Tell me about it

What mileage do you do? I seem to remember it is high

ToxicPaddy

It used to be fairly high alright.. about 25k a year, however thats changed now as I've changed jobs and I bus it to work, only 15 mins on the bus. No point in driving really and no parking anyway. So now I'm only doing about 12k- 15k max a year

Paying a small fortune for a big beast with a diesel engine is really a waste of money. Was looking at a lovely 730i a while back too, but again, the thoughts of the tax was just too much to bear

My current cars life is coming to an end, 168k on the clock, 40k on it when I bought her first and she is starting to cost me more to maintain than the car is worth.

I dunno, I'm kinda lost as to what to buy next. I have to admit, I do love the 5 series, my father has the new 523i and its a dream to drive, so smooth and comfortable. The auto box has really surprised me at how smooth it is and convinced me that I want one, so effortless to drive on long journeys. However I dont fancy the €60k price tag that goes with the new ones, so a decent spec one in good nick for around the 20k mark would suit me fine.

The 520i with the 2.2 is supposed to be very sluggish and underpowered, hence why I'm aiming at the 525i.

Anybody know if its possible to replace the wood inlays with the brushed aluminium ones on the E39 and is it hard to do or expensive. I'm too young to be driving a car with wood inlays..

Ahh decisions decisions..

franksm

Those 2.5TDS engines are FANTASTIC. I have a '95 Omega with that engine, it's very smooth, powerful and economy is great. 6-cylinders so is as sweet as a nut. Bit "old" now as I think the design goes back to 1992 or maybe beyond, but (according to experience of others) they're good for at least 320,000 miles without anything other than a new waterpump and glowplugs - they use a timing chain rather than a rubber belt, so don't need huge maintenance. The only thing is, they need the oil changed every 4500 miles - but that's good insurance anyway.

I'd say go for it

I don't know the BMW 5-series but have heard that they need the bushes on the rear suspension re-done every (I'd say) 70,000 miles --> according to people on carsurvey.org. But that's small beer