Ditching the diesel for a 645i

Ditching the diesel for a 645i

Author
Discussion

dba7108

518 posts

175 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
not long purchased an 2005 645i. Cant praise it enough. It's such a lot of car for the money and I cant see these depreciating much more. I got mine for £6500 off a friend and it needed about £500 spent on it (paintwork). After having a Lexus diesel which i bought for economy which in the end cost me £2000 in repairs over 12 months then although the bmw only does 22mph I think it will be more reliable. Mine has done 78k by the way.

rockford22

Original Poster:

361 posts

139 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
ZX10R NIN said:
As you said in the excitement you sold one car & bought another without doing the reasearch if you wanted economy the 120d was the car to pick the 123d has the shorter gearing, you economy seems about right for your car, maybe you should look at a 635/640d to blend power with economy.

I love a V8 but you'll probably be doing 20mpg in the 645i so you'll be doubling your fuel bill & your tax will be in the £500 region have you thought about a 335i?
Fair comment and the economy is spot on but I always wanted the twin turbo 123d setup so was happy to compromise a few MPG. Appreciate the 635d/640d are epic cars but I can't help but feel they wouldn't cut it (my father owned a 635d for a year and I had regular use of it).

Viewing a 335i this weekend, good suggestion as a blend of engine note/performance and reasonable economy!

nickpan

600 posts

196 months

Thursday 26th February 2015
quotequote all
What about a 130i which is the car you should have bought instead of the 123d!

Great power to weight ratio, sounds amazing and I get 32mpg no problems doing motorway runs.

Surely this is the happy medium between your 123d and a V8 Barge?

Shirt587

360 posts

142 months

Friday 27th February 2015
quotequote all
Currently have a 545i estate. Brilliant car.

It's more about the mph than the mpg. Also, the V8s of this era are hugely unfriendly on short trips - it's a big block of iron that takes time to warm through, it's noticeably poor for the first ten miles of any journey while it warms up and everything gets moving (and it takes about five miles for the engine rev-limiter temperature display thing to actually get to 'operating levels')

However, once you're there, if you can do a decent run they're actually incredibly efficient for their size. I did Birmingham-Norwich and back at the weekend with a bit of faffing at either end and Excel says that I got 31mpg out of it.

gf15

1,002 posts

273 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
I have run a 650 (4.8l v8)over the last 3.5 years and gone from 46k to 129k miles. Mainly long runs, 80% motorway, 20% mix of town / A roads.
Driven gently on a long run > 30 mpg, sticking to ~75 mph.
Driven without really thinking about fuel: 28 mpg ~ 85 mph
Average over 80k miles 27 mpg
Engine is a wonderful thing.
The faster you go the better it feels.



Mr Tidy

24,102 posts

134 months

Sunday 1st March 2015
quotequote all
nickpan said:
What about a 130i which is the car you should have bought instead of the 123d!

Great power to weight ratio, sounds amazing and I get 32mpg no problems doing motorway runs.

Surely this is the happy medium between your 123d and a V8 Barge?
Thanks for that - it just reminds me that when I bought a 320td compact I should have got a 325ti, and my 1 series should have been a 130i not a 123d!!banghead

Still I have finally got it sorted now with Z4C as toy and 325ti Compact as daily - RWD Straight 6 manual is the way to go. Did anyone tell BMW??

rockford22

Original Poster:

361 posts

139 months

Monday 9th March 2015
quotequote all
So my car ad is up and very to keen get in to a 650i soon (in part thanks to the info I've received in this thread!). Looking forward to posting up a first pic!

I'm now having the Coupe vs Vert debate in my head. I'm worried that these cars are already big and heavy enough as it is and I've read the soft top adds 200kg, now this has to be noticable in terms of economy and dynamics, equivalent to having 2 larger passengers. Is the coupe noticably better on fuel and performance or is it a case of the additional weight not playing a large part?

Prices seem similar enough, not enough in it to make a decision based on that alone.


bennyboydurham

1,617 posts

181 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
Looked at 6ers for the wife and did a lot of research but ended up with an E92 in the end. Coupe probably a better steer than the drop top and to my eyes looks better. 650i the way forward as a better soundtrack than the 630i and negligible difference in fuel economy.

deebow

115 posts

184 months

Tuesday 10th March 2015
quotequote all
650i coupes are enormally cheaper and more common then the vert but with summer coming youd enjoy the convertible more as cant beat open top driving especially when the car got the soundtrack to go with it

rockford22

Original Poster:

361 posts

139 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Thread update!

I took the plunge and collect the new car this weekend.....i didn't go for the 6er in the end opting instead for an SLk55 AMG, 2005, every option available. Test drove last week and that noise was top addictive to say no! Cannot wait.

6er still on my my list to own but I think the SLK55 ticks the V8 box a little more enthusiastically!

Maracus

4,446 posts

175 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Good choice.

A mate of mine had one back in 2009. It fairly shifted!

Sohlman

590 posts

261 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
While not starting with a derv, I was contemplating a 645/650. They are lovely cars, refined, quick and are a slightly more nimble better looking 5 series driving wise and the 5 series is a great car to start with. Economy wise both round town will be late teens, but on a run they are surprisingly good and can achieve mid to late 20's.

I was also looking at other cars such as en e39 m5, a Jaguar XF SV8 4.2 supercharged. My criteria was fun, v8 powered, can fit the two kids and baby seats in the back, and not going to bankrupt me in the process.

I wanted a manual car and getting a 6 series in the right spec was proving difficult and resale would be compromised. The XF was just not available in a manual which led me towards an E39 m5. I found a low mileage 2 owner car and drove 200 miles to find out it was not as described which put me off. Thus I got creative with my thinking.

Thought what about a Monaro VXR made by holden in Austalia, a manual gearbox, 4 big seats and a thumping v8. Was not keen on the badge, but went to test drove one and was blown away. The noise and theatre was spectacular and I bought it. I am 5 months and 6000 miles in and love it. I am getting 19mpg on my commute 24-26mpg on a run and let's not talk about driving in traffic. Worth a thought,

zainster

442 posts

183 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
rockford22 said:
Thread update!

I took the plunge and collect the new car this weekend.....i didn't go for the 6er in the end opting instead for an SLk55 AMG, 2005, every option available. Test drove last week and that noise was top addictive to say no! Cannot wait.

6er still on my my list to own but I think the SLK55 ticks the V8 box a little more enthusiastically!
Congratulations on the new purchase and what a great choice!

The SLK55 is a fantastic car and hope you enjoy it!

gf15

1,002 posts

273 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
SLK55.........Top choice, enjoy the v8.

hornetrider

63,161 posts

212 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
Will sound awesome but my understanding is the AMGs are significantly wise on the empeegees if that matters!

rockford22

Original Poster:

361 posts

139 months

Thursday 30th April 2015
quotequote all
Thread update take two!

So I went to pick up SLK55 and after proper inspection it was a wreck, not worth my time travlling up, needed new brakes all round (painfully expensive in the SLK55) and I ended up getting a lift home without the car! The search continued until yesterday when I finally bought a 645i in Black with Cream leather....absolutely gorgeous and such a fantastic place to sit for hours on end! The noise is great, if a little subdued, and for the price they are these days it is a total bargain. Certainly not a car to be run on a shoestring though.

Already looking forward to the drive home from work, beats the diseasil any day.

Edited by rockford22 on Thursday 30th April 12:43