Buying advice - E39 530/530d?

[JezF]

I'm having to sell my manual E36 M3 Evo as I am likely to experience a long period of physio after a severe leg break. Out with the heavy clutch, in with an auto!

I think I'm pretty sold on an E39, touring or saloon.

What I am less sure about is whether to go for a 530 or a 530d, so I'd be interested in people's thoughts and comparisons re mpg as I hear that the 3.0l petrol is better than the 2.8? I have heard that the 3.0d is potentially less reliable than the 3.0l petrol?

I'd also welcome peoples opinions on the differences between the earlier E39's and the facelifted ones? Also, assuming I do go for the facelifted one, is it worth looking for a Sport?

Budget is fairly flexible, I am guessing between 5-10k.

Thanks,

Jez

Edited by JezF on Tuesday 29th January 14:12

[VerySideways]

The auto works well with the turbo diesel due to the torque, and will be much more economical than the petrol (more than enough to offset the slightly higher pump cost of diesel).

Diesel "failures" (like turbos) are exaggerated, they may get mentioned but there are a hundred times more without issues than with.

The 530i will always sound better and the 530d will always be quicker in top (and with a chip even more so!).

[VerySideways]

Oh and you'll need the top of that budget to get a good 530d Sport with less than 100k miles...

[JezF]

VerySideways said:

Oh and you'll need the top of that budget to get a good 530d Sport with less than 100k miles...

Thanks - I can spend more than that if it's the right car. The thought of remapping a 530d had occurred!!

[JezF]

Oh, can anyone tell me what the boot size of the saloon is in litres?

[VerySideways]

JezF said:

The thought of remapping a 530d had occurred!!

I can recommend doing just that...

[[TW]Fox]

I have a Dec 01 530i Sport and my father has a Feb 02 530d SE.

When I first decided I wanted a 5 Series, obviously, it had to be a diesel. I mean, the performance is good and it does 40mpg so why wouldnt you want the diesel?

Well..

Firstly, everyone wants a diesel so supply and demand is such that a good 530d Sport will cost about £2-3k more than an identical 530i Sport. So, you need to do a lot of miles before you even break even.

Secondly, despite not exactly being unreliable, injector issues and turbo failiure on the 530d are not rare occurances and the 530i has none of these problems. So, it's a more reliable prospect as well.

So I figured it would actually be cheaper to run the 530i, so looked into them. And wow. The 3.0i is a fantastic engine and is noticeably quicker than the 3.0d at everything other than those lazy occasions when you just wish to boot it in 4th or 5th. Change into the powerband and no 530d will keep up, I suspect, not even a remapped one.

I drive both the 530d and the 530i regularly and to be honest I like them both, but for me at least the 530i is the car I prefer.

MPG wise..

Town:

530i: 21-22mpg
530d: 29-30mpg

Motorway:

530i: 36mpg
530d: 44mpg

[JezF]

Great - a very useful response!!

Are the mpg's quoted for manuals or auto's?

Edited by JezF on Tuesday 29th January 19:57

[[TW]Fox]

They are both manual. Town mpg on both cars is poor becuase 'town' = drive 5 miles from cold, first mile of which is stop start over speed bumps, so this is pretty much a worst case scenario.

[dcb]

JezF said:

Oh, can anyone tell me what the boot size of the saloon is in litres?

IIRC 520 litres.

Very very big for a car of that size.

Try touching the corners of the boot
while standing outside it.

As far as the original topic is concerned,
the 530D commands a price premium over the 530.

It depends on how many miles you do if
the premium is worth it.

Sports versus SE is very much downto
personal taste. Drive both and find out.
I found the Sport way too firm for me.

The 530D is slightly heavier and slower
in top speed and acceleration than the
530 - that might be an issue for you.

Much more in my profile about my four
years with Barry, my 530 SE.

[JezF]

Thanks 520 is good, compares well to the M3's 435. Its an important consideration as we have a 1 year old!

Willcheck out your profile.

[[TW]Fox]

The difference between SE and Sport is quite amazing - neither is flat out better than the other as it depends entirely on your needs and tastes.

The character of the two cars is very different. The SE rewards a relaxed driving style - you get in, feel almost obliged to tune to Classic FM and just soak up the miles or waft into town. Whilst it isn't a boat in the corners there is a hint of bodyroll due to the softer suspension and (standard) 16" alloys with 55 profile tyres.

The Sport is the polar opposite. You sit lower down and the Sport seats hold you in, whereas you sit on the SE seats if you know what I mean. The Sport model is lowered and the difference in handling is quite clear - it handles very well and shrinks around you on your favourite road. But it doesn't feel as relaxed as the SE - it encourages you to enjoy it's brilliant chassis. To be honest whilst its clear the ride on the SE is better I don't find the ride on my Sport un-neccesarily harsh, and thats on 18 inch 35 profile tyres as well.

Plus they look fab.



I think its fair to say the diesel suits SE spec and the petrol suits Sport.

Edited by [TW]Fox on Wednesday 30th January 01:06

[JezF]

The idea of the Sport certainly appeals as I'm used to better handling cars, so long as the ride is not horrid.

[dxb335d]

[TW]Fox said:

I have a Dec 01 530i Sport and my father has a Feb 02 530d SE.

When I first decided I wanted a 5 Series, obviously, it had to be a diesel. I mean, the performance is good and it does 40mpg so why wouldnt you want the diesel?

Well..

Firstly, everyone wants a diesel so supply and demand is such that a good 530d Sport will cost about £2-3k more than an identical 530i Sport. So, you need to do a lot of miles before you even break even.

Secondly, despite not exactly being unreliable, injector issues and turbo failiure on the 530d are not rare occurances and the 530i has none of these problems. So, it's a more reliable prospect as well.

So I figured it would actually be cheaper to run the 530i, so looked into them. And wow. The 3.0i is a fantastic engine and is noticeably quicker than the 3.0d at everything other than those lazy occasions when you just wish to boot it in 4th or 5th. Change into the powerband and no 530d will keep up, I suspect, not even a remapped one.

I drive both the 530d and the 530i regularly and to be honest I like them both, but for me at least the 530i is the car I prefer.

MPG wise..

Town:

530i: 21-22mpg
530d: 29-30mpg

Motorway:

530i: 36mpg
530d: 44mpg

You must be joking about a 3.0i being quicker than a re-mapped 3.0d.

Re-mapped some are producing 280bhp thats 50bhp more than the 530i. Let alone the torque.

[davidd]

dxb335d said:

[TW]Fox said:

I have a Dec 01 530i Sport and my father has a Feb 02 530d SE.

When I first decided I wanted a 5 Series, obviously, it had to be a diesel. I mean, the performance is good and it does 40mpg so why wouldnt you want the diesel?

Well..

Firstly, everyone wants a diesel so supply and demand is such that a good 530d Sport will cost about £2-3k more than an identical 530i Sport. So, you need to do a lot of miles before you even break even.

Secondly, despite not exactly being unreliable, injector issues and turbo failiure on the 530d are not rare occurances and the 530i has none of these problems. So, it's a more reliable prospect as well.

So I figured it would actually be cheaper to run the 530i, so looked into them. And wow. The 3.0i is a fantastic engine and is noticeably quicker than the 3.0d at everything other than those lazy occasions when you just wish to boot it in 4th or 5th. Change into the powerband and no 530d will keep up, I suspect, not even a remapped one.

I drive both the 530d and the 530i regularly and to be honest I like them both, but for me at least the 530i is the car I prefer.

MPG wise..

Town:

530i: 21-22mpg
530d: 29-30mpg

Motorway:

530i: 36mpg
530d: 44mpg

You must be joking about a 3.0i being quicker than a re-mapped 3.0d.

Re-mapped some are producing 280bhp thats 50bhp more than the 530i. Let alone the torque.

The latest 3.0d remapped is producing that but the old versions as standard were at about 183bhp in standard form, I'm not sure they would be much more than 230bhp.... still pretty entertaining though..

D

[[TW]Fox]

dxb335d said:

You must be joking about a 3.0i being quicker than a re-mapped 3.0d.

Re-mapped some are producing 280bhp thats 50bhp more than the 530i. Let alone the torque.

Nobody is remapping E39's to 280bhp. Not without them going bang 500 miles later. Even on the 193bhp versions 220bhp is far more realistic.

[dxb335d]

Okay i was jumping ahead of the game, even so a 220bhp 3.0d will be faster than a 231bhp 3.0i

[fluffnik]

£10k should get you an ALPINA B10...

[fluffnik]

dxb335d said:

Okay i was jumping ahead of the game, even so a 220bhp 3.0d will be faster than a 231bhp 3.0i

Only if you shortshift the petrol.

...and with kickdown that's easily avoided.

[sparkythecat]

I bought a 51plate 530i Touring with autobox nearly 3 years ago. I've done 30kmiles of mixed motoring and averaged 28mpg.
I test drove the petrol and diesel versions back to back and found the diesel experience too 'diesely'. The economics didn't sway me either. Admittedly the diesel should do 25 -30% more mpg, but you've to do some serious mileage before you start to claw back the £2.5 to £3k price premium of a similar diesel car.

Depreciation may be less with the diesel, but as postings on this and other forums tend to show, diesels appear more likely to require expensive engine repairs than their petrol engined brethren.

Get the 530i. The 231bhp straight six is a pleasure to listen to.



You'll find a friendly crowd and lots of info over on this forum. The petrol v diesel topic is frequently discussed.

http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=11