Slow does it again, more slightly broken bmw content
Discussion
So in my usual fashion I have bought another car sight unseen at the other end of the country to my house while on holiday in the USA... again.
And as usual it is high mileage and a bit broken, satnav/whole screen is dead, missing front fog light and as my step sister discovered today it’s fuel flap doesn’t open. Picked it up with negative fuel level and stopped at first petrol station to find she couldn’t fill up. Had to get the dealer out to open it.... by putting the scissors in the door card in to pry it open, should be a broken spring/actuator thing which doesn’t push out.
I present the 177k mile 520d with dealer pictures. I won’t see it until the 18th of December when I fly into London and have to drive it to Inverness.
Not all bad though, advertised as a 1 owner car but not sure if the dealer means 1 prior to the last owner or only 1 owner. Some checks show it changed hands and others don’t. Fsh too apparantly, not seen nor checked this. So maybe all bad.... Atleast it doesn’t have rust like cars in Scotland!
And as usual it is high mileage and a bit broken, satnav/whole screen is dead, missing front fog light and as my step sister discovered today it’s fuel flap doesn’t open. Picked it up with negative fuel level and stopped at first petrol station to find she couldn’t fill up. Had to get the dealer out to open it.... by putting the scissors in the door card in to pry it open, should be a broken spring/actuator thing which doesn’t push out.
I present the 177k mile 520d with dealer pictures. I won’t see it until the 18th of December when I fly into London and have to drive it to Inverness.
Not all bad though, advertised as a 1 owner car but not sure if the dealer means 1 prior to the last owner or only 1 owner. Some checks show it changed hands and others don’t. Fsh too apparantly, not seen nor checked this. So maybe all bad.... Atleast it doesn’t have rust like cars in Scotland!
S class is sold pending collection sometime this week when the v5 arrives, somehow didn’t realise it never arrived.
BMW 730i is up for sale for £400 or best offer with no mot.
My 330i Touring will be up for sale when I get home and re mot it.
My e30 and Rolls are slowly getting worked on, started a new job in the spring and been doing 65 hour 7 days a week so had no time really.
It was cheap but not that cheap at £2500. I needed something cheapish and good on fuel as doing quite a few long trips and the 330i was starting to cost a lot to do them in.
The fuel cap release was found and quickly discovered someone had pulled the end off trying to get it open. All it does is unlock it, it was already unlocked but the little pusher thing within wasn’t pushing it out when pressed in.
BMW 730i is up for sale for £400 or best offer with no mot.
My 330i Touring will be up for sale when I get home and re mot it.
My e30 and Rolls are slowly getting worked on, started a new job in the spring and been doing 65 hour 7 days a week so had no time really.
It was cheap but not that cheap at £2500. I needed something cheapish and good on fuel as doing quite a few long trips and the 330i was starting to cost a lot to do them in.
The fuel cap release was found and quickly discovered someone had pulled the end off trying to get it open. All it does is unlock it, it was already unlocked but the little pusher thing within wasn’t pushing it out when pressed in.
Your ability to buy dreadful cars is quite incredible. For £2500, I could have thought of 20 cars I'd buy before a leggy, unloved, diesel 5-series. I look forward to the update where you tell us that you're selling it for spares/repair because the DPF is shagged. 
I wish you luck, but did you not ever think about just getting one car to a nice, drivable state? Do you actually enjoy owning a bunch of knackered cars, rather than just enjoying one nice one?
I wish you luck, but did you not ever think about just getting one car to a nice, drivable state? Do you actually enjoy owning a bunch of knackered cars, rather than just enjoying one nice one?
C70R said:
Your ability to buy dreadful cars is quite incredible. For £2500, I could have thought of 20 cars I'd buy before a leggy, unloved, diesel 5-series. I look forward to the update where you tell us that you're selling it for spares/repair because the DPF is shagged.
I wish you luck, but did you not ever think about just getting one car to a nice, drivable state? Do you actually enjoy owning a bunch of knackered cars, rather than just enjoying one nice one?
I needed a large estate which got good mpg. Having been using a 330i it just wasn’t big enough and was dreadful on fuel.I wish you luck, but did you not ever think about just getting one car to a nice, drivable state? Do you actually enjoy owning a bunch of knackered cars, rather than just enjoying one nice one?
I love BMW’s so a 5 series diesel was the logical choice I guess.
I enjoy working on my broken old cars, they are never that bad and never leave me stranded however. Been doing 20k+ a year since I was 18 and only been stranded 3 times, 2 times in my Range Rover due to gearbox issues and once when it spat a glowplug.
Slow said:
C70R said:
Your ability to buy dreadful cars is quite incredible. For £2500, I could have thought of 20 cars I'd buy before a leggy, unloved, diesel 5-series. I look forward to the update where you tell us that you're selling it for spares/repair because the DPF is shagged.
I wish you luck, but did you not ever think about just getting one car to a nice, drivable state? Do you actually enjoy owning a bunch of knackered cars, rather than just enjoying one nice one?
I needed a large estate which got good mpg. Having been using a 330i it just wasn’t big enough and was dreadful on fuel.I wish you luck, but did you not ever think about just getting one car to a nice, drivable state? Do you actually enjoy owning a bunch of knackered cars, rather than just enjoying one nice one?
I love BMW’s so a 5 series diesel was the logical choice I guess.
I enjoy working on my broken old cars, they are never that bad and never leave me stranded however. Been doing 20k+ a year since I was 18 and only been stranded 3 times, 2 times in my Range Rover due to gearbox issues and once when it spat a glowplug.
I can't imagine a world where I'd choose to spend 20k miles a year in a shed for the sake of having 5 cars rotting in a Scottish field.
Nice one, Slow.
Yours has the M47 2.0 diesel engine, so no nasty chain issues, but swirl flap ingestion is a risk so maybe get a cheap blanking set on eBay and remove them.
Mine (E90 320d) is mapped to approx. 190PS and pulls very nicely. Other than routine servicing it´s only had a water pump go in 2 1/2 years and 50,000km and still feel tight at 212,000km.
Keep an eye on oil consumption - some like an oily drink (mine doesn´t), more frquent oil/filter changes are highly recommended at higher mileages. I use Mannol 5W/30 oil and the filter is on top of the engine (32mm socket required) so easy peasy.
50mpg all day long and silly speeds on the Autobahn.
Yours has the M47 2.0 diesel engine, so no nasty chain issues, but swirl flap ingestion is a risk so maybe get a cheap blanking set on eBay and remove them.
Mine (E90 320d) is mapped to approx. 190PS and pulls very nicely. Other than routine servicing it´s only had a water pump go in 2 1/2 years and 50,000km and still feel tight at 212,000km.
Keep an eye on oil consumption - some like an oily drink (mine doesn´t), more frquent oil/filter changes are highly recommended at higher mileages. I use Mannol 5W/30 oil and the filter is on top of the engine (32mm socket required) so easy peasy.
50mpg all day long and silly speeds on the Autobahn.
I only have the 2 long term projects, everything else has a mot/is up for sale.
I don’t really lose any money on them as they are at the bottom of the depriciation curve and generally get fixed up abit. Compared to selling it all and spending £10k+ on a car which will lose money much quicker and I wouldn’t want to modify/use for any jobs.
I don’t mind old cars
I don’t really lose any money on them as they are at the bottom of the depriciation curve and generally get fixed up abit. Compared to selling it all and spending £10k+ on a car which will lose money much quicker and I wouldn’t want to modify/use for any jobs.
I don’t mind old cars
Wow, another one!! Those issues sounds like fairly small things for a dealer to fix though, I'd be a bit suspicious myself, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that there aren't any bigger gremlins waiting to give your wallet a scare.
...I like BMWs too, but personally would have gone for a Volvo V70 2.4/D5 at that kind of cash, each to their own though!!
...I like BMWs too, but personally would have gone for a Volvo V70 2.4/D5 at that kind of cash, each to their own though!!
I love the fact that you keep doing this! Getting old physically is unavoidable (and the alternative is worse), but please don’t change - I find your threads endlessly entertaining.
Once I pack in the day job & go and live in Cyprus, I’m going to do something similar, It’ll keep me active.
That’s not going to be for a while yet though, so in the meantime, I will (and I suspect many others) live vicariously through your threads!
That said - can we have something more interesting than a 2l diesel next time please?
Once I pack in the day job & go and live in Cyprus, I’m going to do something similar, It’ll keep me active.
That’s not going to be for a while yet though, so in the meantime, I will (and I suspect many others) live vicariously through your threads!
That said - can we have something more interesting than a 2l diesel next time please?
Give the chap a break, its his own money and he can spend it how he likes! I do a load of mileage too and buying something with lower miles just costs you in depreciation instead and may be at the 70-100k mark of needing a cycle of work done on it anyway.
Regular long trips and the DPF will be fine, just ensure your thermostats work properly. My 335D is on 160k and the DPF regens once a week, is original and has no issue. Like others said though, on that engine - swirl flaps! Maybe the breather too?
Looks smart too, E61s are lookers and it'll be a comfy quiet place to do those long trips.
Regular long trips and the DPF will be fine, just ensure your thermostats work properly. My 335D is on 160k and the DPF regens once a week, is original and has no issue. Like others said though, on that engine - swirl flaps! Maybe the breather too?
Looks smart too, E61s are lookers and it'll be a comfy quiet place to do those long trips.
RS Grant said:
Wow, another one!! Those issues sounds like fairly small things for a dealer to fix though, I'd be a bit suspicious myself, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that there aren't any bigger gremlins waiting to give your wallet a scare.
Dead satnav is generally a dead ccc unit in these, not a huge job to replace but can be £400+ for a used one. Sometimes you get lucky and it’s a fuse but I would imagine the dealer would of checked this. Front fog light is a bumper off job to refit I believe so I understand why they didn’t bother. The fuel cap and the fact it was under empty I doubt they ever filled it up themselves. I bought it same day as the ad went up (I think, had been looking before but might of missed it) so no one would of test drove it. Common issue on certain BMW’s which all use this little rubber spring thing which when pushed pops out to open the flap.
Probably got the car in as a px for £1.5k or so and didn’t want to do anything themselves. Always a gamble buying cars sight unseen but it’s a abit of fun. Worst case it dies awfully and I part it out for most of my money back.
Not being really familiar with these, but it seems quite expensive for the condition? I am sure I remember looking at 6 cylinder version back in 2013 for about 3-4k. I sold a pristine, but high miles Jaguar X350 was similar amount nearly 3 years ago.
I don't get it, hate to be negative, but I guess as long as Slow is happy...
I don't get it, hate to be negative, but I guess as long as Slow is happy...
alec.e said:
Not being really familiar with these, but it seems quite expensive for the condition? I am sure I remember looking at 6 cylinder version back in 2013 for about 3-4k. I sold a pristine, but high miles Jaguar X350 was similar amount nearly 3 years ago.
I don't get it, hate to be negative, but I guess as long as Slow is happy...
M sport manual 520d tourings are rarer. Can get a se for much less. I don't get it, hate to be negative, but I guess as long as Slow is happy...
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