Discussion
Considering a newish 520d estate as it fits the bill for family and work duties, but my nagging mind is telling me that diesel is dead. I live in the sticks so ULEZ hasn't really been a consideration, but with more and more cities opting for schemes will demand for even newer diesels plummet?
I guess the question is if the immediate benefits of a diesel are likely to be offset by a turn away from the black stuff by the time I come to sell in three or four years?
I guess the question is if the immediate benefits of a diesel are likely to be offset by a turn away from the black stuff by the time I come to sell in three or four years?
Personally I wouldn’t be concerned in the next 3/4 years or so. I currently have a 520d and my next one in the not too distant future I wouldn’t be concerned about getting another. There are more 520i about now than a few years ago and I’ll buy whatever has the best spec at the time petrol or diesel. If you warrant a diesel go for it. If not get whichever is the nicest and better spec.
I would personally go for the 520d unless you spend the majority of your time pootling round town. The 20i engine in a 5 series will be pretty lacklustre due to it being a big old barge. If you can stretch to a 530i that would be better but they weren’t big sellers when new so not common on the used market.
So many people are pondering this, including me, and I think it's the looming ban on new ICE cars in 2030 that's the real bugbear. There is hope that our "leaders" will fall in line with the EU and defer it to 2035 to avoid killing the car industry, and that would make decisions a lot easier. There seems to be growing concern about EVs, reflected in their falling values. Although there are still many diehard fans out there, I suspect that a lot of owners have become frustrated with the ownership experience and reverted to ICE cars. People recognise that they will not remain the cheap option, with increasing energy costs (and public chargers being monopolies ) and road tax arriving eventually. Perhaps some have also come to recognise that the green argument is flimsy because while ICE cars have become ever cleaner, EVs are still powered by electricity, around 50% of which is generated by burning gas and wood pellets imported from all over the globe on ships powered by diesel electric engines. That's ignoring the increasing cost and difficulty in mining the rare minerals needed for the batteries.
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