2005 BMW 520d - Manual or Auto

brightkane

Hi Folks,

Looking at buying a 2005 520d from the UK and was wondering if anyone knows if there is any major advantage of a manual over an Auto. I have always driven manual's, but is there any performance loss or gain from getting an auto?

Anything else I should look out for?

Cheers

Mr.David

Check out what Co2 band the manual and auto are in, the auto will be higher. Obviously this will affect the VRT you pay to import. Apart from that the auto would be more desirable and have better resale potential. Just make sure they are in the same CO2 band!

brightkane

good point, just checked it and the vrt is 2k dearer

ninty9er

brightkane wrote: »

good point, just checked it and the vrt is 2k dearer

Check their OMSP vs the average sale in Ireland. I think CBG have a "find out how much it's worth" function to see if Revenue are far off the mark.

80% of appeals got a reduction last year.

brightkane

OMSP on revenue 27k
Avergare price on cbg - 36k (doesnt let u choose manual, auto, petrol or diesel)

TheBazman

I had an 06 520d and it was my first auto. It really depends on your style and type of driving. I was sitting in city centre traffic a lot and thats why I went (and will always) go for an auto. I believe the pre efficient dynamic (2007) autos are heavier on juice than the manual aswell. IIRC something like 42mpg for auto and closer to 50mpg for the manual. I'm open to correction on the figures tho'

brightkane

i will be doing a bit of city and motorway driving, driving manual in the city is something that doesnt bother me though.

-Chris-

I'd go auto merely for the fact that it's a 5-Series. I'm of the firm belief that large executive cars (5-Series, E Class, A6, Lexus GS) should always have auto and leather, as that's the nature of their character.

If you prefer manual, then go for it by all means.

brightkane

Thanks Chris, Thats what I am thinking, I am happy with a manual as it is, so might stick with it!

-Chris-

If it's what you're used to and what you like, then go for it.

Also, while large executives have generally had a better resale with automatic gearboxes in the past, I'd say that effect will reduce in the future.
I'd say, under the new CO2 legislation, the majority of 5-Series' being sold are manual. People will get more used to the idea of manual luxo-barges and auto may then hold less of a second-hand premium.

Does that make sense to anyone, or am I talking through my hat?

Mr.David

AudiChris wrote: »

I'd go auto merely for the fact that it's a 5-Series. I'm of the firm belief that large executive cars (5-Series, E Class, A6, Lexus GS) should always have auto and leather, as that's the nature of their character.

If you prefer manual, then go for it by all means.

+1

Check out older 5 series from the point of view of resale value for manual/auto.

brightkane

thanks for that folks, i know what you mean about the exec auto cars,

Also for resale, i know i should be thinking about it, but i plan all going well, touch wood to keep it for 2-3 years. So if it give me hassel free motoring i will be happy

-Chris-

If you're only keeping it 2 or 3 years, think of resale.

If you bought a new manual E-Class you'd probably save €3k on the purchase price but your car would be worth €6-8k less than an auto when you were selling it after a few years. Cars can be sensitive to this kind of thing, so do the research.

But, again, if manual's what you want and what you'll enjoy and you're making that decision with all the information you need - go for it!

ninty9er

Have you ever driven an auto for a day even?? The only reason I didn't buy one was because I couldn't find an affordable one in my insurance range.

To be perfectly honest, I can't see the advantage of manuals at all apart from the increased engine braking ability.

unkel

ninty9er wrote: »

Have you ever driven an auto for a day even??

I'll second suggesting the OP take a long test drive in an auto. Once you get used to an upmarket saloon car with a torquey engine coupled to a modern auto transmission, there's no looking back

And let Mrs OP have a go at driving it too

brightkane

unkel - Smart Arse!

Cheers for the advise, i will see where it takes me

zing

+1 to auto 5 series. I went to test drive one in a dealers a few months back and they brought an auto round for me. I'd never driven an auto before but was sold on it afer that short test drive. Bought myself an auto 525i a few weeks later.

Mike2006

If it was an E-Class or a GS Lexus I would say get an auto, but I think that Audi and BMW can 'get away' with manual boxes on their larger cars (5 series and A6) without it affecting the resale too much. maybe it is because they are a little bit more 'sporty' and generally driven by a 'younger' clientelle who like to change the gears rather than have an auto box do it for them.

Based on that I would drive both and see how you feel about the drive..
I have a CLK230 Auto and the one thing I miss is being able to manually drop down into 3rd gear just at the exact second I want to coming into/out of a bend on a windy road... I can do it with the tiptronic but its just not the same!!

Mike.

rebel.ranter

unkel wrote: »

And let Mrs OP have a go at driving it too

Don't do this, you'll never see it again. I have an auto & a manual car (both BMW). I would have definitely been firmly in the "get a manual" camp prior to getting the auto but I have to say I prefer driving the auto. I do a mix of city/open road driving.
I'm sure fuel economy suffers too with the auto too.
Either way you'll get used to whatever one you buy. Both should be good.

Max_Damage

ninty9er wrote: »

I can't see the advantage of manuals at all apart from the increased engine braking ability.

They're generally faster and more fuel efficient aswell (no power loss through a torque converter).

Autos in my mind are for fat lazy Americans

Mr.David

Max_Damage wrote: »

They're generally faster and more fuel efficient aswell (no power loss through a torque converter).

Autos in my mind are for fat lazy Americans

Nonsense! They have improved so much over the last 10 years. A twin clutch job is faster than a manual and has the economy of a manual too.

Max_Damage

Maybe so, but the 520d in question uses a torque converter.

Zube

Max_Damage wrote: »

They're generally faster and more fuel efficient aswell (no power loss through a torque converter).

In real driving, autos are often faster than a manual in things like the traffic lights GP. The 0-60 times listed for manual cars are very artificial, to reproduce them you'd have to destroy your clutch. An auto will match the official time every time just by mashing the accellerator to the floor, with no undue wear and tear.

ninty9er

Zube wrote: »

In real driving, autos are often faster than a manual in things like the traffic lights GP. The 0-60 times listed for manual cars are very artificial, to reproduce them you'd have to destroy your clutch. An auto will match the official time every time just by mashing the accellerator to the floor, with no undue wear and tear.

Beat me to it.

Any fool can get the performance from an auto without being the Stig.

galwaytt

Max_Damage wrote: »

They're generally faster and more fuel efficient aswell (no power loss through a torque converter).

Autos in my mind are for fat lazy Americans

Rubbish - my Tiptronic has a spec of Vmax = 154mph vs my manual of 157mph.

And, being a 4-speed Tip instead of a 6-speed manual, I find the engine revving that bit sweeter and nearer to peak torque all the time, so responds quicker.

Why are there fat lazy Americans in your head, anyway ??
Btw, you won't find a WRC, F1 or GT car winning on a track with manual gearbox these days.........

Manual ? - pah, manuals are for fake performance cars !!

A modern auto, is exemplarary - I had a loan of a new A6 with 7-speed Multitronic for a day, lately..........'bloomin hell. Why waste metal/electricity building any manual cars, that's what I say!

And yes, with resale in mind - 2nd hand executive cars w/manual are harder to shift than autos'. Nearly as bad as having cloth seats, LOL...!:p

brightkane

Slightly off topic, does anyone know if the aa 5 star mechanical warranty tranferrs to ireland.

http://www.aawarranty.co.uk/cars_mbi_5star.htm

dropped them an email and waiting for them to get back to me

One car i was thinking about has it listed an their warranty choice

Barr

As a general rule of thumb I believe all luxury cars should be in auto

Balfa

galwaytt wrote: »

Btw, you won't find a WRC, F1 or GT car winning on a track with manual gearbox these days.........

Auto vs manual threads have been done a lot of times, so It'd be nice to keep the context specific to the car in question, but I can't just sit by while people make statements like the above.

There are lots of different types of transmission. Traditionally, "automatic" refers to a system using a torque converter, and that's the sort of automatic we're talking about in this 5-series. Racing cars (and cars with SMG, DSG, etc.) don't use torque converters, they just use electronically controlled clutches, so even though you don't have to manually wiggle a stick between the seats, they're still much closer in design to a standard manual transmission than an "auto".

Torque converters waste a percentage of torque. Hence they're slower and less efficient. By what amount will obviously vary.
Also, comparing the top speeds of a 4 speed auto vs 6 speed manual is pointless, because (a) no one actually drives at the top speed and (b) it's usually electronically limited. Looking at numbers that matter, there's no way a 4 speed auto could accelerate quicker than a well-driven 6 speed manual with a couple of extra horses (due to not wasting them in the torque converter).

Finally: It probably doesn't apply much to someone buying a 520d, but if someone's looking for a sporty car, an auto is an awful damper on the handling: Because it's not directly connected to the wheels through a clutch plate, and because it's hard to keep it in the gear you want, the throttle response is awful, and you can't really steer the car using the accelerator, and it removes a significant amount from the driving experience.

xbox36016

do not go for a 530d go for something like a 530d if you whant a good car the 2l is for the 320d

-Chris-

You never cease to confuse me, xbox!

gezas

It depends where you usual drive: in the city traffics is better automat off course. Outside the city is better manual, it have more power to pass slow cars. Otherwise you can buy BMW automat with bigger engine (2.5 Ltr.) and it will be no problem anywhere.