F10 Owners - Please advise me
Discussion
Looking for advice on buying a 5 series. It will be replacing a much loved E39 that I have owned for nearly ten years.
The car would be a daily driver and used for transporting the family, school runs and holidays. I cover about 10,000 miles per year and this figure is unlikely to increase. I'm thinking diesel for resale value but I do a lot of short journeys. I'd love a 530d with all the bells and whistles but I am looking to spend around the £30K mark, ideally less. It must be an automatic. I'm thinking SE rather than M Sport as I value a good ride. I want to be wafted around in effortless comfort.
What would owners recommend as essential options, engine size etc? New from dealer with a discount or Approved Used?
Feel free to regale me with stories about the joys of F10 ownership.
Thanks in advance.
pp
The car would be a daily driver and used for transporting the family, school runs and holidays. I cover about 10,000 miles per year and this figure is unlikely to increase. I'm thinking diesel for resale value but I do a lot of short journeys. I'd love a 530d with all the bells and whistles but I am looking to spend around the £30K mark, ideally less. It must be an automatic. I'm thinking SE rather than M Sport as I value a good ride. I want to be wafted around in effortless comfort.
What would owners recommend as essential options, engine size etc? New from dealer with a discount or Approved Used?
Feel free to regale me with stories about the joys of F10 ownership.
Thanks in advance.
pp
Pickled Piper said:
Looking for advice on buying a 5 series. It will be replacing a much loved E39 that I have owned for nearly ten years.
The car would be a daily driver and used for transporting the family, school runs and holidays. I cover about 10,000 miles per year and this figure is unlikely to increase. I'm thinking diesel for resale value but I do a lot of short journeys. I'd love a 530d with all the bells and whistles but I am looking to spend around the £30K mark, ideally less. It must be an automatic. I'm thinking SE rather than M Sport as I value a good ride. I want to be wafted around in effortless comfort.
What would owners recommend as essential options, engine size etc? New from dealer with a discount or Approved Used?
Feel free to regale me with stories about the joys of F10 ownership.
Thanks in advance.
pp
£30k. The car would be a daily driver and used for transporting the family, school runs and holidays. I cover about 10,000 miles per year and this figure is unlikely to increase. I'm thinking diesel for resale value but I do a lot of short journeys. I'd love a 530d with all the bells and whistles but I am looking to spend around the £30K mark, ideally less. It must be an automatic. I'm thinking SE rather than M Sport as I value a good ride. I want to be wafted around in effortless comfort.
What would owners recommend as essential options, engine size etc? New from dealer with a discount or Approved Used?
Feel free to regale me with stories about the joys of F10 ownership.
Thanks in advance.
pp
10,000 miles a year
Complete comfort.
Want a straight six?
I would be looking at an Mercedes E350 petrol or diesel at around a year old.
Will get one with comand, xenons, bluetooth, leather and in avantgarde or sport guise for that.
However, if it is a BMW F10 you're after then I would say the following are essential and transform the car. Media Package Professional, hifi upgrade, ambient interior lights and auto.
Everything else is a bonus.
You will be looking at an ex-demo/management 520d for your budget and may still struggle, but should be able to get them down to that price point with that spec.
I have an F11 520d se touring at the moment, 60 plate in dark grey with Oyster leather, it is really nice with the 8 speed auto and does a job. My old man bought it, swapped his 2007 730d sport for it, and although he said it is a brilliant car in every way, from comfort to handling and certainly economy, and it never feels slow with a 0-60mph of 8 seconds, it just doesn't excite him in the slightest.
He was lent a 530d GT for a day, and he is smitten, says it absolutely destroys his new 5 series in every department other than handling, but as a luxury motor it feels even more special than his 730d sport did.
So I have had his 520d and am about to sell my 2006 E320cdi.....well I was, however...........I don't think I actually like it as much as my Merc.
I can't put my finger on it, but after a 528i E39, 530i E39 touring, a 530i e39 saloon and a 535d sport touring the F10 just......I don't know. I totally agree with the old man, nothing wrong with it at all, and it does everything well, but just no desire to drive it.
I have had it sat outside mine since the weekend, and you would think with that new car feeling I would be in it every chance, but at the moment while the Merc is still there I keep taking that instead.
So if I am not loving it now when new I can't see myself falling for it any more in the future.
It is an SE and the ride is fine, much better than the E60 if no where near Mercedes level of refinement, but there is just something missing from the overall experience. Maybe I need the dynamic drive package or whatever it is that the journos raved about and said made it feel 'more BMW'. But it is a £4000 option and starts to make the 520d a £45k car with the other essential options.
Looking at the Merc site there are some low milage year old E350cdi sports with AMG kit and all the toys for £28-30,000, they handle better than the F10 and are so much more comfy and refined. It does make me wonder.
I only bought this E Class as I needed the boot space, but I have fallen for it big time, didn't realise how much until I got the new 5 series sat there, when you have the choice of both cars it makes you really choose which one you think is best.
I have got to make a decision this weekend really.
Oh, if you want a nice 60 plate F11 touring for £31k let me know.
That is what we were offered for it against the 530d GT from a main dealer, and they said they will take it before the end of next week.
gizlaroc said:
Obviously, the other car to look at is the 530d GT, some at £30k and they come with a huge spec!
They are a 7 series hatch really, not a 5 series, just in name.
Alot more car for the money and in the right colour can look great, in the wrong colour they look simply awful!
But I think the X6 is one of the best looking cars in a very long time. They are a 7 series hatch really, not a 5 series, just in name.
Alot more car for the money and in the right colour can look great, in the wrong colour they look simply awful!
gizlaroc said:
gizlaroc said:
Obviously, the other car to look at is the 530d GT, some at £30k and they come with a huge spec!
They are a 7 series hatch really, not a 5 series, just in name.
Alot more car for the money and in the right colour can look great, in the wrong colour they look simply awful!
But I think the X6 is one of the best looking cars in a very long time. They are a 7 series hatch really, not a 5 series, just in name.
Alot more car for the money and in the right colour can look great, in the wrong colour they look simply awful!
Lots to think about. Some good advice. Keep it coming.
Not a fan of the GT. It's jut too big and imposing. I can see they are good value for money though. I will take a good look around one.
Never given the Mercedes a second look. I will now.
At 10,000 miles or less per annum I guess a 523 petrol may be an option.
pp
Not a fan of the GT. It's jut too big and imposing. I can see they are good value for money though. I will take a good look around one.
Never given the Mercedes a second look. I will now.
At 10,000 miles or less per annum I guess a 523 petrol may be an option.
pp
Hi Atom Man,
I haven't forgotten the XF. I very nearly pulled the trigger on a XF last year. I backed out at the last moment. I loved the chassis and powertrain on the 3.0 diesel. In the end it was doubts about the longevity of the car that put me off. I keep my cars for a minimum of five years (ten in the case of my current E39). I just couldn't see the Jag holding together well for that period of time. if I were getting a company car on a three year deal, I would be driving an XF already.
The interior of the Jag is a nice place to be. The rotating vents and rising gear knob are great the first time you experience them. However, I was already finding them tiresome at the end of a days test drive. I wish Jag had spent the money on better quality controls and switches. I'm quite pernickety about fit and finish and found all the wood surfaces in the centre console were misaligned. Every Xf I have seen has been the same. Nobody else appears to notice and none of the magazine journos have picked up on it. However, it would drive me mad.
I still could be persuaded by an XF. I always take a second look every time I see one.
pp
I haven't forgotten the XF. I very nearly pulled the trigger on a XF last year. I backed out at the last moment. I loved the chassis and powertrain on the 3.0 diesel. In the end it was doubts about the longevity of the car that put me off. I keep my cars for a minimum of five years (ten in the case of my current E39). I just couldn't see the Jag holding together well for that period of time. if I were getting a company car on a three year deal, I would be driving an XF already.
The interior of the Jag is a nice place to be. The rotating vents and rising gear knob are great the first time you experience them. However, I was already finding them tiresome at the end of a days test drive. I wish Jag had spent the money on better quality controls and switches. I'm quite pernickety about fit and finish and found all the wood surfaces in the centre console were misaligned. Every Xf I have seen has been the same. Nobody else appears to notice and none of the magazine journos have picked up on it. However, it would drive me mad.
I still could be persuaded by an XF. I always take a second look every time I see one.
pp
Happy F11 owner here, SE model, 11 plate, only added heated seats to base spec and quite like it. I do c50k miles per year and some very long journeys (it did a trip to Italy and back when it was 2 weeks old) and it's a great & very comfortable cruiser with excellent economy if you want and decent performance (esp for a 2.0d) if you don't.
Handling seems fine to me, but what do I know.
It is way better than my 58 plate A6 Avant and is bigger too. Due to Audi aftersales care, I will never buy VAG again!
Wouldn't touch a Merc as quite a few colleagues are not enjoying the 'ownership experience' at all. None of the F10/11 owners yet registering snags, which for a brand new model is quite impressive.
HTH, but you should get out there and test drive one or two.
Handling seems fine to me, but what do I know.
It is way better than my 58 plate A6 Avant and is bigger too. Due to Audi aftersales care, I will never buy VAG again!
Wouldn't touch a Merc as quite a few colleagues are not enjoying the 'ownership experience' at all. None of the F10/11 owners yet registering snags, which for a brand new model is quite impressive.
HTH, but you should get out there and test drive one or two.
Pickled Piper, if you are after a car for 5 years, I would have thought the Jag would be the best of the lot as they do seem to be consistently higher in reliability surveys than BMW, Audi and especially Mercedes. Interesting about your feelings about fit and finish - I have been in a few Jags and never noticed it though I may not notice things as much?!
The F10 seems a fine car but after the E39 I think you will be disappointed by the whole experience and a 520D is always going to be a bit of a dullard. I would have thought as late an XF as possible should be the best option, particularly given the BMW has just come out, it may prove less reliable in the longer term?
The F10 seems a fine car but after the E39 I think you will be disappointed by the whole experience and a 520D is always going to be a bit of a dullard. I would have thought as late an XF as possible should be the best option, particularly given the BMW has just come out, it may prove less reliable in the longer term?
I recently ordered a f10 520d m sport. You will easily get a brand new 520d SE auto for around £30k. Throw in 5year service at £400. IMHO I wouldnt really consider a used car if you could factory spec a similar model/class for that same price. I was relatively impressed with the new 2.0d engine - felt torquey + refined but with decent mpg.
I did consider the mercedes e class alternatives as well but personally found them soft and numb to drive, with worse co2 emissions and mpg. Jaguar XF definitely not for me sorry.
Take em both out for a good drive. Happy car hunting..........
I did consider the mercedes e class alternatives as well but personally found them soft and numb to drive, with worse co2 emissions and mpg. Jaguar XF definitely not for me sorry.
Take em both out for a good drive. Happy car hunting..........
Pickled piper - sorry!
. I do think the XF is a stunning car in a way that the F10 just is not and I do think it will be more reliable too.
The BMW lacks the edge and brilliance that made the E39 so good. It is nothing more than a white good these days. And a 3.0D S Jag has almost 535D performance levels, so surpassing the 530D which you were originally after!
I fondly remember the days when BMW inevitably made class leading driver's cars but over the past decade I fear they have been using their "Ultimate driving machine" tag more for marketing purposes. Some new cars are good but I think we are seeing as many duffers (cars that are not as good as their predecessors or the class best as pure drivers cars).
Jag on the other hand has done some stunning work over the past few years. Great J D Power results, brilliant press reports, great design, a better image and to these eyes, cars that are far more visually appealing.
I love what they are doing right now and if I was in the market for such a car, I can see little or no competition!
. I do think the XF is a stunning car in a way that the F10 just is not and I do think it will be more reliable too.The BMW lacks the edge and brilliance that made the E39 so good. It is nothing more than a white good these days. And a 3.0D S Jag has almost 535D performance levels, so surpassing the 530D which you were originally after!
I fondly remember the days when BMW inevitably made class leading driver's cars but over the past decade I fear they have been using their "Ultimate driving machine" tag more for marketing purposes. Some new cars are good but I think we are seeing as many duffers (cars that are not as good as their predecessors or the class best as pure drivers cars).
Jag on the other hand has done some stunning work over the past few years. Great J D Power results, brilliant press reports, great design, a better image and to these eyes, cars that are far more visually appealing.
I love what they are doing right now and if I was in the market for such a car, I can see little or no competition!
A friend has recently bought a 520d M Sport manual on 18's. He's done 6000 miles and thinks it without doubt the best car he's had(after a collection of Alfa, Audi's and other BMW's) The manual is fine, although auto is great. Ride reported as very good.
I have an F11 535d which is superb. A little soft in standard mode but the sport does sharpen things up. I haven't experienced the steering being vague but it is a lot lighter than a 3 Series for example. The interior quality and feeling of luxury is great. Ride very good on M Sport suspension and 19's
As for engine, it depends how fast you want to go? A 520d will do 50mpg+ and be fast enough for 90% of people. A 530d will do almost 40mpg and be a fair bit faster.
The Jag is nice and if you want a 3.0 D, it's worth a look, however if you want a used 2 litre, they don't have one and the BMW 2 litre is the best there is.
I have an F11 535d which is superb. A little soft in standard mode but the sport does sharpen things up. I haven't experienced the steering being vague but it is a lot lighter than a 3 Series for example. The interior quality and feeling of luxury is great. Ride very good on M Sport suspension and 19's
As for engine, it depends how fast you want to go? A 520d will do 50mpg+ and be fast enough for 90% of people. A 530d will do almost 40mpg and be a fair bit faster.
The Jag is nice and if you want a 3.0 D, it's worth a look, however if you want a used 2 litre, they don't have one and the BMW 2 litre is the best there is.
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