BMW E61 (LCI) 525i vs 530d
Discussion
Good evening,
I am looking for another family hack. I have a Ford ST 220 estate and Mercedes R500 as the current family cars. Large engined estates appeal!
I have seen a 2009 E61 525i SE with a manual gearbox and a similar 2007 530d SE with the ZF 6 speed auto for sale.
Specs are reasonably similar as is the price (circa £5k).
The 530d is a private sale and the car has been very well maintained. The slug of torque appeals but the ‘complexity’ of a modern diesel is always a concern.
By contrast, the 525i is down on power and torque but has a beautifully creamy straight 6 with little to go wrong (standfast waterpump) and perhaps more engaging.
Car will be mostly used for a 250 mile motorway weekly commute and occasional shorter journey. Reliability is my top priority as fuel costs between the two are not massively different. The accessible torque of the diesel appeals as does the rev happy and engaging nature of the 525i.
My question - are there any particular reasons why I should go for one over the other?
I am looking for another family hack. I have a Ford ST 220 estate and Mercedes R500 as the current family cars. Large engined estates appeal!
I have seen a 2009 E61 525i SE with a manual gearbox and a similar 2007 530d SE with the ZF 6 speed auto for sale.
Specs are reasonably similar as is the price (circa £5k).
The 530d is a private sale and the car has been very well maintained. The slug of torque appeals but the ‘complexity’ of a modern diesel is always a concern.
By contrast, the 525i is down on power and torque but has a beautifully creamy straight 6 with little to go wrong (standfast waterpump) and perhaps more engaging.
Car will be mostly used for a 250 mile motorway weekly commute and occasional shorter journey. Reliability is my top priority as fuel costs between the two are not massively different. The accessible torque of the diesel appeals as does the rev happy and engaging nature of the 525i.
My question - are there any particular reasons why I should go for one over the other?
Be aware that E6x SE seats aren't the best for comfort.
The E61 is a big car so probably more suited to the oil burner.
I had a pre LCi E60 530d SE for a few years and loved it.
Being a single turbo, they actually sound quite nice when booted. Gruff and deep.
Dirty diesel or Proper Petrol? Difficult decision. If you keep a petrol car in the fleet, then go diesel. You can get filler pipe adaptors so you don't mis fuel 😃
The E61 is a big car so probably more suited to the oil burner.
I had a pre LCi E60 530d SE for a few years and loved it.
Being a single turbo, they actually sound quite nice when booted. Gruff and deep.
Dirty diesel or Proper Petrol? Difficult decision. If you keep a petrol car in the fleet, then go diesel. You can get filler pipe adaptors so you don't mis fuel 😃
I currently have a 530d ('59 plate) MSport estate and have owned it for 2 years. In that time I've done 26k miles and it hasn't missed a beat. It goes well and is very comfortable. Its currently on 86k and averages 33mpg, mainly motorway miles, 250/week. The cat light came on a while back but the dealer says there are no problems, it just needs to be switched off from the dash. I think if you are regularly doing long journeys then there's less of a chance of having problems with the DPF and cats.
For the price, I think its difficult to beat as an all rounder. I had it cleaned yesterday and still think it looks quite classy! Certainly didn't feel too much of a step down from my M3 (pace aside)...
For the price, I think its difficult to beat as an all rounder. I had it cleaned yesterday and still think it looks quite classy! Certainly didn't feel too much of a step down from my M3 (pace aside)...
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