E60 535d. Should I?

[willyco]

Been looking at E60 535d's recently. I do around 20k miles a year so diesel is necessary. I've read some horror stories about these. In 1 thread someone said you really need to have 2k put by incase something goes wrong and they are very expensive to fix. I've seen an 09 with 60k miles but i'm now having second thoughts. I get its a premium car or was and that it will be more expensive than say a vauxhall or fordy but how true is all of this? Owners feedback would be appreciated.

[markirl]

I don't have a 535d, but I would recommend looking at either the 530i or 530d. I average 30mpg in my 530i and get about 35-37mpg on the motorway with no DPF or turbos to worry about. The 530d seems like a far more reliable prospect than the 535d if you insist on diesel however and much more choice out there.

[willyco]

markirl said:

I don't have a 535d, but I would recommend looking at either the 530i or 530d. I average 30mpg in my 530i and get about 35-37mpg on the motorway with no DPF or turbos to worry about. The 530d seems like a far more reliable prospect than the 535d if you insist on diesel however and much more choice out there.

Yeah I think with the miles I do I need the diesel. To be fair though 30mpg from the 530i is not too shabby. I have seen a 535d in SE trim. I'll maybe just take the plunge and go for it. Worry about it later. Haha

[kurt535]

535D more reliable than 530D due to fact it has twin turbo so reliability known to be better due to less stress on engine all round

[culpz]

My dad had an 09 535d M Sport Touring that he used for similar mileage, if not more, for about 5 years. He took out a 3rd party warranty but he only had a few little electrical issues with it, none of which covered the faults anyway! The engine and gearbox never slipped up or had any issues whatsoever. He even had his remapped; it was silly fast for a diesel but really comfy too. The ride was a bit harsh but that's probably down to the run-flats.

There's a common issue of water getting under the rear spoiler, which then goes further and causes issues with the alarm. He had that issue but i don't remember it being massively expensive. He also had an issue with the rear tailgate glass not working properly. Again, this is another common issue and didn't cost the earth to sort out. Other than that, it was just routing servicing and consumables.

[ettore]

I ran one from new for 3 years and it was a good, fast, and fun family wagon. The fuel consumption was half decent if driven like Miss Daisy but dropped off a cliff if you 'used' the torque to full effect. Engine and gearbox were great but it wasn't overly well built - it went through wheel bearings, actually cracked several wheels and, bizarrely, the windscreen de-bonded and made a bid for freedom.

oh, and dealer experience thoroughly ste!

[willyco]

Cheers for the advice guys. A workmate is selling a e90 330d so might just go for that.