Dealer advice in Bracknell - buying an E53 X5
Discussion
Hi folks,
New to the forum and would appreciate your opinions on the following two X5s:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... from "London Cars" in West Drayton
and
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... "Sky Car Centre" also in West Drayton (or near enough)
The questions are simple: do you have opinions about the dealers and/or about the cars?
Thank you very much for your help.
New to the forum and would appreciate your opinions on the following two X5s:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... from "London Cars" in West Drayton
and
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201... "Sky Car Centre" also in West Drayton (or near enough)
The questions are simple: do you have opinions about the dealers and/or about the cars?
Thank you very much for your help.
Firstly thank you both for your responses. I have done a fair whack of research and understand the ramifications of the E53... nevertheless here we are 
Can I please ask you to clarify why you say both "worst type of car" and "worst type of dealer"?
I fully understand what you mean about the pictures Sky Car Centre have posted - I spoke with them earlier today and they claim to have not had the opportunity to valet the vehicle yet, but that they will prior to my viewing it.
The pictures from the first dealer however seem fine, the car is in good condition and so forth. What is it that rings your alarm bells?
I simply don't have enough experience to know better and am grateful to learn.
Thanks.
Can I please ask you to clarify why you say both "worst type of car" and "worst type of dealer"?
I fully understand what you mean about the pictures Sky Car Centre have posted - I spoke with them earlier today and they claim to have not had the opportunity to valet the vehicle yet, but that they will prior to my viewing it.
The pictures from the first dealer however seem fine, the car is in good condition and so forth. What is it that rings your alarm bells?
I simply don't have enough experience to know better and am grateful to learn.
Thanks.
Funkensteinberg said:
Firstly thank you both for your responses. I have done a fair whack of research and understand the ramifications of the E53... nevertheless here we are
Can I please ask you to clarify why you say both "worst type of car" and "worst type of dealer"?
I fully understand what you mean about the pictures Sky Car Centre have posted - I spoke with them earlier today and they claim to have not had the opportunity to valet the vehicle yet, but that they will prior to my viewing it.
The pictures from the first dealer however seem fine, the car is in good condition and so forth. What is it that rings your alarm bells?
I simply don't have enough experience to know better and am grateful to learn.
Thanks.
A very quick online check shows the first car has been untaxed for 6 months. Maybe it’s been passed around the trade or this dealer has had it a while, worth asking, Also would have a good check underneath as corrosion is mentioned on several MOT tests,Can I please ask you to clarify why you say both "worst type of car" and "worst type of dealer"?
I fully understand what you mean about the pictures Sky Car Centre have posted - I spoke with them earlier today and they claim to have not had the opportunity to valet the vehicle yet, but that they will prior to my viewing it.
The pictures from the first dealer however seem fine, the car is in good condition and so forth. What is it that rings your alarm bells?
I simply don't have enough experience to know better and am grateful to learn.
Thanks.
2nd car, not only does it look quite worn the MOT history is not great unless there are some corresponding repair bills.
Buying an X5 of that age, priovided you've done your research and know what to expect, isn't such a big deal. Their common faults are well documented and they're old enough that nothing is vastly expensive to fix anymore.
However, I'd never buy anything from a dealer in West Drayton. They tend to be similar to those found in Slough, Luton, Bradford etc - I looked at an S55 around that area once, arrived at a terraced house instead of the fancy looking showroom on the website, only to be ushered into the back garden which was literally packed with around cars, all in various states of disrepair. The car I'd come to see was not remotely as described, and the "dealer" just continued lying to me whilst I was there.
You're better off finding a nice, 1 or 2 owner example either sold privately or from a reputable dealer.
However, I'd never buy anything from a dealer in West Drayton. They tend to be similar to those found in Slough, Luton, Bradford etc - I looked at an S55 around that area once, arrived at a terraced house instead of the fancy looking showroom on the website, only to be ushered into the back garden which was literally packed with around cars, all in various states of disrepair. The car I'd come to see was not remotely as described, and the "dealer" just continued lying to me whilst I was there.
You're better off finding a nice, 1 or 2 owner example either sold privately or from a reputable dealer.
Auto810graphy said:
A very quick online check shows the first car has been untaxed for 6 months. Maybe it’s been passed around the trade or this dealer has had it a while, worth asking, Also would have a good check underneath as corrosion is mentioned on several MOT tests,
2nd car, not only does it look quite worn the MOT history is not great unless there are some corresponding repair bills.
Thanks for that! I didn't even know you could get that much intel from DVLA! Looking through the history, I'm guessing without the dealer agreeing to discount by the equivalent of a front suspension overhaul!2nd car, not only does it look quite worn the MOT history is not great unless there are some corresponding repair bills.
The second car MOT fail last week has significant advisories re: suspension and failure due to gaiters. Can I assume the subsequent pass means that both have been fixed (assuming receipts and proof of work are made available, naturally)?
Funkensteinberg said:
Thanks for that! I didn't even know you could get that much intel from DVLA! Looking through the history, I'm guessing without the dealer agreeing to discount by the equivalent of a front suspension overhaul!
The second car MOT fail last week has significant advisories re: suspension and failure due to gaiters. Can I assume the subsequent pass means that both have been fixed (assuming receipts and proof of work are made available, naturally)?
Of course they have, all fixed with genuine BMW parts.The second car MOT fail last week has significant advisories re: suspension and failure due to gaiters. Can I assume the subsequent pass means that both have been fixed (assuming receipts and proof of work are made available, naturally)?
But, within 7 days they would have only retested the parts it failed on so the advisories would still be there. I suspect it was taken to a different garage for the second MOT. Make of that what you will.
On the face of it an X5 for a few grand seems a bargain
However they are cheap for a reason and the old adage that a 50k car has 50k car running costs whether it's new or old holds true.
IF you are happy to work on the car yourself then yes, they can be kept going relatively cheaply. But if you'd be relying on garages to do maintenence and repairs then you will soon burn through a large amount of cash. A lot of the E53 is based on the old E39 and there are plenty of pattern parts available, however bear in mind a lot of cheap suspension parts on ebay and the like are s
te and wont last long.
Fuel consumption can easily be less than 20mpg on the V8s
Tax will be the top band too although that's only around 300 quid for pre-06 cars
I have no experience of the dealers mentioned however I would probably agree with the previous comments, there is simply not enough money in a £3k X5 to give anything like a good warranty.
If a luxury 4x4 is your thing I'd suggest paying more for a later example, might well be cheaper in the long run.
However they are cheap for a reason and the old adage that a 50k car has 50k car running costs whether it's new or old holds true.
IF you are happy to work on the car yourself then yes, they can be kept going relatively cheaply. But if you'd be relying on garages to do maintenence and repairs then you will soon burn through a large amount of cash. A lot of the E53 is based on the old E39 and there are plenty of pattern parts available, however bear in mind a lot of cheap suspension parts on ebay and the like are s
te and wont last long.Fuel consumption can easily be less than 20mpg on the V8s
Tax will be the top band too although that's only around 300 quid for pre-06 cars
I have no experience of the dealers mentioned however I would probably agree with the previous comments, there is simply not enough money in a £3k X5 to give anything like a good warranty.
If a luxury 4x4 is your thing I'd suggest paying more for a later example, might well be cheaper in the long run.
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