BMW 645ci... Manual... V8.... under £7k!?

[DanielJames]

What's going on here. Does anyone know anything about these? Are they a poor choice?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161246815166?ssPageName=...

All I'm seeing is massive spec, V8 and a manual gear box.. Seems crazy cheap for what you get?

Dan

[Cupramax]

Its a ten year old car with a 100k on it in a spec where most people would want an auto. People see huge petrol engine and run a mile hence its cheap, what did you expect?

[GreatGranny]

10 year old expensive car with expensive running costs, high tax, insurance and probably 20 mpg.
Also most owners want auto for this type of car.
Also getting close to the magic 100k miles which will put some off.

[hornetrider]

DanielJames said:

All I'm seeing is massive spec, V8 and a manual gear box.. Seems crazy cheap for what you get?

I run a manual 550i as a daily and mate that looks an absolute bargain. A big lazy V8 is built for big miles so the mileage should give you no worries from an engine perspective. The manual has better mpg than the auto as well.

Just be aware it's not a cheap car to run, but the likely bills you will get will be suspension/electrics/sundries rather than anything to do with it being a V8. For instance, all my 550i has needed in 18k miles is a diversity aerial (they all do that sir, including the 520D), tyres and servicing.

Personally think 7k is a massive bargain for that, and it will also be cheap tax as it's pre March 2006. What's not to like?

[DanielJames]

hornetrider said:

DanielJames said:

All I'm seeing is massive spec, V8 and a manual gear box.. Seems crazy cheap for what you get?

I run a manual 550i as a daily and mate that looks an absolute bargain. A big lazy V8 is built for big miles so the mileage should give you no worries from an engine perspective. The manual has better mpg than the auto as well.

Just be aware it's not a cheap car to run, but the likely bills you will get will be suspension/electrics/sundries rather than anything to do with it being a V8. For instance, all my 550i has needed in 18k miles is a diversity aerial (they all do that sir, including the 520D), tyres and servicing.

Personally think 7k is a massive bargain for that, and it will also be cheap tax as it's pre March 2006. What's not to like?

I'm glad you share my thinking... You did well to get a manual 550!

The mileage wouldn't put me off in the slightest, my current daily is a 161k E36 328i.

And yes it's a big expensive car, but the big engined 6 series has always been that? I don't get the previous two posts to yours. Am I on Pistonheads here or mumsnet...

[hornetrider]

Exactly. I think the only thing you need to worry about on the 45i is some kind of coolant pipe which runs in the V can fail, not present on the 50i. This is a vague recollection from research when I got mine.

Over 18k miles I'm averaging 24.something mpg which I think is awesome for the performance on offer quite frankly.

[Triumph Man]

hornetrider said:

...diversity aerial...

What's that then? Does it pick up multicultural radio stations?

[Triumph Man]

Anyway OP, it's a 5 series underneath... get it bought!

[hornetrider]

It's an antenna in the top of the rear touring hatch which controls RCL, and has its fingers in a few other electrical pies all of which I do not know. Prone to failure due to water ingress.

[Lost soul]

hornetrider said:

I run a manual 550i as a daily

I remember the thread when you were buying that

[plus5dB]

From a bit of reasearch I think the coolant pipe issue is now a much cheaper fix than it was previously. Seemingly they now use an expanding pipe which means they don't have to dismantle the engine.

OP, get it bought. What's not to love and if you really can't afford to run it then sell it again. It's only a car so you can jump ship anytime if you buy the right one at the right price.

[kambites]

I'd imagine that the a manual 645i must be the cheapest 6-series variant by some margin. Good value if that's what you want, though.

[DanielJames]

plus5dB said:

From a bit of reasearch I think the coolant pipe issue is now a much cheaper fix than it was previously. Seemingly they now use an expanding pipe which means they don't have to dismantle the engine.

OP, get it bought. What's not to love and if you really can't afford to run it then sell it again. It's only a car so you can jump ship anytime if you buy the right one at the right price.

Yeah the affordability is there. I've spent a ridiculous amount on my DC2 lately and don't see a lot for it. I think spending an extra £50 or so a month on fuel to run this over my 328i (Insurance etc are nearly the same) is a fair price to pay.

That said, I really do love my E36

Just come across this stunner on 4 star classics too.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E39-M5-V8-Black-/121...

When did these quality cars get so affordable?

[Pappagallo]

DanielJames said:

hornetrider said:

DanielJames said:

All I'm seeing is massive spec, V8 and a manual gear box.. Seems crazy cheap for what you get?

I run a manual 550i as a daily and mate that looks an absolute bargain. A big lazy V8 is built for big miles so the mileage should give you no worries from an engine perspective. The manual has better mpg than the auto as well.

Just be aware it's not a cheap car to run, but the likely bills you will get will be suspension/electrics/sundries rather than anything to do with it being a V8. For instance, all my 550i has needed in 18k miles is a diversity aerial (they all do that sir, including the 520D), tyres and servicing.

Personally think 7k is a massive bargain for that, and it will also be cheap tax as it's pre March 2006. What's not to like?

I'm glad you share my thinking... You did well to get a manual 550!

The mileage wouldn't put me off in the slightest, my current daily is a 161k E36 328i.

And yes it's a big expensive car, but the big engined 6 series has always been that? I don't get the previous two posts to yours. Am I on Pistonheads here or mumsnet...

I run a manual 550i too! Not every day, but about 3 or 4 times a week. As hornetrider says, the V8 itself doesn't seem to produce large bills. I've had mine for two years and taken it from 49k miles to about 65k miles so far. I paid about £4k more than what that 645i is up for, and it still felt like a bargain.

P.s. before this I had an E36 325i and as good as the 5 is, I still miss the E36. The 5 is a big heavy car and this shows in the driving experience.

Edited by Pappagallo on Tuesday 8th April 14:18

[DanielJames]

Lost soul said:

hornetrider said:

I run a manual 550i as a daily

I remember the thread when you were buying that

Snap actually.

Did you make a readers ride thread Hornet?

[hornetrider]

DanielJames said:

Just come across this stunner on 4 star classics too.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E39-M5-V8-Black-/121...

When did these quality cars get so affordable?

Heritage Caramel - my own personal holy grail of E39 interiors

Pappagallo said:

I run a manual 550i too!

[Bennet]

DanielJames said:

I don't get the previous two posts to yours. Am I on Pistonheads here or mumsnet...

They are answers to the question you actually asked which was basically "why are they so cheap?". Remember?

DanielJames said:

What's going on here. Does anyone know anything about these? Are they a poor choice? ... Seems crazy cheap for what you get?

[hornetrider]

DanielJames said:

Lost soul said:

hornetrider said:

I run a manual 550i as a daily

I remember the thread when you were buying that

Snap actually.

Did you make a readers ride thread Hornet?

I don't think I made a particular thread about this car prior to purchase, but I did discuss it on the M/Barge thread as a threadist had seen it and rejected it. Thankfully when I saw it later on, it was at a more reputable dealer and had gone through a mountain of prep. I did make a reader's car thread after I bought it, but haven't updated it since.

[DanielJames]

Bennet said:

DanielJames said:

I don't get the previous two posts to yours. Am I on Pistonheads here or mumsnet...

They are answers to the question you actually asked which was basically "why are they so cheap?". Remember?

DanielJames said:

What's going on here. Does anyone know anything about these? Are they a poor choice? ... Seems crazy cheap for what you get?

I was expecting someone to say the 4.4 V8 is a lemon compared to the 4.8, not point out that expensive cars are expensive to run

[Pappagallo]

hornetrider said:

Sorry to hijack but what do you think of the 'box on yours? I find mine a bit clunky to use when first setting off, but nice once you're on the move.