535d touring, your thoughts.

[Ed FM]

Hi,

I am in the market for an E61. I have found this and wondered if anyone on here had any views on the car or advice if I go to view.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Thanks,

Ed.

[HoHoHo]

Looks nice, not sure about the price - I haven't looked against others on the market.

Sports seats are not as comfortable as comfort (which are 7 way adjustable and brilliant). The rest is standard 535D which isn't a bad thing!

[Neil.D]

If I hadn't bought mine I'd probably go and look at that myself. It's a top not h spec with sensible milage.
The only thing of concern is the panoramic roof that can let in water and flood the electrics. I'll dig u out the details.

[parapaul]

Is it just me or do all those photos look decidedly odd? Like they were taken in 4:3 and stretched to fit 16:9?

[Vladimir]

My inlaws had a late 06 one from new - had major issues with i-drive/the ECU and it had to go back! They got an X5.

However while it worked, it was a decent motor. The 35d of that vintage is down on power and torque from the later E61s but still pretty rapid. The colour is good, the wheels are desirable but hideous to keep clean. It'll have runflats (probably) that must be changed ASAP as they are cr4p (I ditched mine on my 335d Touring ASAP!). TBH the leather looks a bit tired in the pics - needs some sorting IMO.

No issues with my panoramic sunroof - in fact it's a must have IMO - massive amounts of light and airiness.

Overall though, a decent motor and the 35d unit is so far good - I think a few issues arose in that earlier version but it wasn't common.

[Neil.D]

Here is the info on the sunroofs.

Of course not all fail but if they do...

http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=6...

They tend to either fail in the open position - a cable can snap - or leak water.

[Ed FM]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if I should be looking to spend a bit more and get a later one. I think they changed things on the 07 plate but i'm not sure what it was they changed. I'll probably go and view this one on the weekend and see what I make of it.

Cheers,

Ed.

ETA thanks for the link for the roof info Neil.

Edited by Ed FM on Tuesday 1st March 20:58

[Vladimir]

They upped the power and torque to the same as the 335d in about 2007.

[Redeem]

I think this one looks very good. It it not clear whether the satnav is the business one or the professional one but I do not think it does matter. I have as a second car a 530 i 2004 (I have this car for more than 5 years) and it is absolutely bullet proof and I really love it. I never had any issue with it apart from the run flat tyres which had to be changed a few times because of nail punctures (these tyres cannot be repaired - see my other post) and I do not think they are good for the roads in the UK. So if this one is as good as it looks I think you should go for it.

[gizlaroc]

Ed FM said:

I'm not sure if I should be looking to spend a bit more and get a later one. I think they changed things on the 07 plate but i'm not sure what it was they changed.

Do the maths on it, the facelift has a nicer interior, subtle but makes all the difference, and it returns far better MPG, I got 27 from my 2005 535d touring and on the LCI model doing the same stuff it is 34mpg.
That is a decent 25% increase, on 12,000 miles a year that is a £60 a month saving.

If using finance going to a facelift 2007 535d may cost you that extra each month, so well worth it, same price but newer car and all the benefits that go with that.

[dazzalse]

I had one of these from late 2004 until 2008, a 535d SE, fully loaded and cost a whopping 54k back then, covered 38,000 miles in her and it was really one of the best cars ever owned! with regards to the panoramic roof mine failed just 2 days before the warranty expired, flooding the boot with water running through the TV module, Logic 7 Amp, headlining and carpets. They replaced the whole lot under warranty 5k bill to put it all right. the drain tubes get blocked apparently.

Rear tyres are every 10k if you are careful, heavy on rear pads ( all that torque and the DSC system working)
Tyres look OK but wear on the inner edge badly
Problems with the Active steering, but brilliant when working
Comfortable long distance cruisers that we used down on the continent often
Replaced with a new Range Rover TDV8 which was a complete Dog!
Everyone criticises the run flats but my wife suffered a blow out on one of the rears in the outside lane on the motorway and rung me to ask what all the lights wear on the dash whilst still motoring on up the M5 without even notices!
A great car and I'm just thinking about ordering a new one

[Ed FM]

Thanks for the replies so far. I will go and have a look at it on Saturday and make a decision after that. Is 27mpg a normal figure to see from one of these? I am currently driving an M3 which is not a great deal worse than that.
With reference to the Logic7 amp, is that part of the media pack or another extra option? This car seems to have quite a few extras on it I think Xenons means visibility pack is on it but i'm not sure what the media pack consists of?

Thanks,

Ed.

[gizlaroc]

Media was not a package on the 05 plates, started from MY06 I think, Media is Nav, bluetooth and voice, that car has professional nav although doesn't mention bluetooth, and doubt if it has voice, many didn't but can be coded for around £100.

You may also find that you can't play MP3 CDs, again can be coded for around £100.

[gizlaroc]

Logic7 was the top end hi-fi system, it is an excellent system that cost around £900 but is hardly ever specced for some reason, when I was looking there were no 535d's with L7 for sale, it is now called Harman Kardon again.