6 Series - Any good?
Discussion
Having had two E39's now, I'm looking to change to something else. I know the 6 series is a bit of a marmite car but I quite like them. I'm looking for something really comfortable that will eat up the motorway miles as I have a long commute every day.
What are the 6 series like? I need something reliable too as the gremlins in my current 530i Sport is driving me mad.
What are the 6 series like? I need something reliable too as the gremlins in my current 530i Sport is driving me mad.
Love mine (E63 645); take a look in my topic history for my posts on it as there have been a few threads in the past couple of months. Mine has given me a few things that were of concern at the time - dodgy alternator, failed oil seals (common) but once fixed it is faultless 
- touches wood*
I loved mine. Bought it as a wafty V8 to say "I've owned a V8" - loved it to bits.
Was a 2005 645i with a stupid spec list, bought for a modest sum and sold 15,000 trouble-free miles later for about £250 less than I paid for it. In terms of cost-per-mile, cheaper than my old 1.6 diesel peugeot. Did nearly 30mpg, if not slightly more, on a run, very comfortable and properly quick - handled much better than you expect too.
It's got a huge boot, although not much room in the back seats for people over 5'9. They have a few known issues, coolant hose between the V is a big one but some enterprising chaps in the USA engineered a cheap fix. It seems more of a problem in the X5 and 7 series though. Also get the gearbox oil changed if buying a high miler - it really helps.
Other than that, usual car buying rules apply. don't be fooled by people telling you cars have "options" - they come with a lot as standard, inc. leather, xenons, parking sensors, etc...
The best options IMHO are the Logic 7 stereo, and the sat nav. I had the HUD on mine, which was a very rare option - I used it a lot more than I thought I would.
Was a 2005 645i with a stupid spec list, bought for a modest sum and sold 15,000 trouble-free miles later for about £250 less than I paid for it. In terms of cost-per-mile, cheaper than my old 1.6 diesel peugeot. Did nearly 30mpg, if not slightly more, on a run, very comfortable and properly quick - handled much better than you expect too.
It's got a huge boot, although not much room in the back seats for people over 5'9. They have a few known issues, coolant hose between the V is a big one but some enterprising chaps in the USA engineered a cheap fix. It seems more of a problem in the X5 and 7 series though. Also get the gearbox oil changed if buying a high miler - it really helps.
Other than that, usual car buying rules apply. don't be fooled by people telling you cars have "options" - they come with a lot as standard, inc. leather, xenons, parking sensors, etc...
The best options IMHO are the Logic 7 stereo, and the sat nav. I had the HUD on mine, which was a very rare option - I used it a lot more than I thought I would.
parksie said:
I've recently bought a 650i, Bloody lovely, only thing I don't like is £500 road tax!
Lovely - the 6 Coupe must be one of the best of Bangle's efforts (along with my Z4 Coupe 
). But mine is in lowly Band K!650i must be a lovely wafty motor though, and hopefully worth the RFL pain!
Yeah, one of my previous cars a Alpina B10 E39 had a fabulous engine, this is every bit as good.
My 1st job has been to lower the ride height & reduce the big wheel arch gap, that done & much more 'my' type of car now,next is to fit the deep dish MK Msport alloys & ditch the run flats for good!
My 1st job has been to lower the ride height & reduce the big wheel arch gap, that done & much more 'my' type of car now,next is to fit the deep dish MK Msport alloys & ditch the run flats for good!
parksie said:
Yeah, one of my previous cars a Alpina B10 E39 had a fabulous engine, this is every bit as good.
My 1st job has been to lower the ride height & reduce the big wheel arch gap, that done & much more 'my' type of car now,next is to fit the deep dish MK Msport alloys & ditch the run flats for good!
Hi Steve.My 1st job has been to lower the ride height & reduce the big wheel arch gap, that done & much more 'my' type of car now,next is to fit the deep dish MK Msport alloys & ditch the run flats for good!
I've sent you Pm.
Not sure if they work but let me know if you haven't received.
Thanks.
jayemm89 said:
In terms of cost-per-mile, cheaper than my old 1.6 diesel peugeot. Did nearly 30mpg, if not slightly more, on a run, very comfortable and properly quick - handled much better than you expect too.
How the hell did you manage that with such a big engine?! 
I barely get 23mpg with my 530i Sport at the moment!
Acidrop said:
jayemm89 said:
In terms of cost-per-mile, cheaper than my old 1.6 diesel peugeot. Did nearly 30mpg, if not slightly more, on a run, very comfortable and properly quick - handled much better than you expect too.
How the hell did you manage that with such a big engine?! I barely get 23mpg with my 530i Sport at the moment!
The 650i really appeals to me because the engine is an absolute belter as its silky smooth and sounds lovely(bit muted though)and seems frugal in that car too.
cerb4.5lee said:
I agree and I used to get 12mpg on my commute in my X5 with the same engine and I never saw more than 19mpg out of it.
The 650i really appeals to me because the engine is an absolute belter as its silky smooth and sounds lovely(bit muted though)and seems frugal in that car too.
It's probably got to do with my driving style as well as I don't hang around. Saying that, on my 80 mile round trip every day, 70 of those are motorway miles so it's still pretty bad tbh.The 650i really appeals to me because the engine is an absolute belter as its silky smooth and sounds lovely(bit muted though)and seems frugal in that car too.
I think with a 645i my company will start raising their eyebrows as they pay for my fuel.
Acidrop said:
cerb4.5lee said:
I agree and I used to get 12mpg on my commute in my X5 with the same engine and I never saw more than 19mpg out of it.
The 650i really appeals to me because the engine is an absolute belter as its silky smooth and sounds lovely(bit muted though)and seems frugal in that car too.
It's probably got to do with my driving style as well as I don't hang around. Saying that, on my 80 mile round trip every day, 70 of those are motorway miles so it's still pretty bad tbh.The 650i really appeals to me because the engine is an absolute belter as its silky smooth and sounds lovely(bit muted though)and seems frugal in that car too.
I think with a 645i my company will start raising their eyebrows as they pay for my fuel.
Acidrop said:
How the hell did you manage that with such a big engine?!
I barely get 23mpg with my 530i Sport at the moment!
My "average" MPG over my ownership was 25 - give or take - it's certainly less thirsty than my M3 (E46) seems to be.I barely get 23mpg with my 530i Sport at the moment!
On the motorway I was looking at nearly 30 most of the time - I did get better than that a few times when stuck behind slow, but constant traffic. The engine is big but the car isn't as heavy as you might think and the motor is barely turning over at 70
Very much like my 650 coupe - fully costs under my ownership are in my profile, and should give you a good indication of the costs over 3 years.
So good that I don't quite know what to replace it with, and am considering a new shape 650 as a result. That or I may just keep it a little longer!
So good that I don't quite know what to replace it with, and am considering a new shape 650 as a result. That or I may just keep it a little longer!
DanL said:
Very much like my 650 coupe - fully costs under my ownership are in my profile, and should give you a good indication of the costs over 3 years.
So good that I don't quite know what to replace it with, and am considering a new shape 650 as a result. That or I may just keep it a little longer!
I'd keep it. I like the shape of the new ones but not keen on the 200kg weight increase!So good that I don't quite know what to replace it with, and am considering a new shape 650 as a result. That or I may just keep it a little longer!
I bought a 645 Ci from 2004, 90k miles, 2 previous lady owners and I love it. I drove from Scotland to London at 90mph on average, and did 27 mpg.
I need to update a few things such as
-changing back speakers
-add Bluetooth connexion
-remove the mobile phone craddle between the two front seats.
Any advice on how to do that? I already looked at Youtube but I am looking for a few websites for parts.
I need to update a few things such as
-changing back speakers
-add Bluetooth connexion
-remove the mobile phone craddle between the two front seats.
Any advice on how to do that? I already looked at Youtube but I am looking for a few websites for parts.
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