Advice sought re F11 vs F01 (and poss late E65)
Discussion
As some of you will be aware; I've had my E39 touring up for sale for a few weeks now... Sometimes it's the right time to sell and this is it, so if it sells then so be it (if it doesn't I'll keep enjoying the car) 
I've always hankered after an F01 7'er; I loved the E65 730D Sport I had; but I never gelled with it and I was offered exactly what I paid for it after 6months ownership, so it went
However with a budget of £5k to £12; a lot of F01 730Ds fit in, as well as a few 750i's (which I read many horror stories about the engine etc) and a few decent spec'd F11 530Ds, a 535i and 535Ds fit in too...
I want nothing to do with the 520D, but a decent spec 525D could be of interest, more so the 3.0 engined ones; but the four-pot derv has no appeal to me at all, so not interested in those...
I have found a few late E65 750i's available too; mainly SE but a few Sport spec ones. They appeal to me wanting a V8 & one of them has had all the major engine work done (seals, coolant system, pumps etc) and would be a good buy at the bottom of my budget; as I could upgrade the suspension if I chose to go down that route etc...
Anyways...
Looking for advice for those that have driven an F11 touring and the F01 7'er; and more so from those that have owned both.
- Pros / cons - what spec is a must have and what's a nice to have etc
For me; the absolute musts are xenon headlights, ideally a Sport but happy with a well spec'd SE; heated front seats (ideally heated rears too) and powerfold mirrors. I'm also wanting a contrasting interior (so dark car/lighter interior and vice-versa); I'm not keen on 'black on black' at all
Anything else I'm missing; any advice re engines and what maintenance they should have had at this age & mileage they're at now?
Cheers
I've always hankered after an F01 7'er; I loved the E65 730D Sport I had; but I never gelled with it and I was offered exactly what I paid for it after 6months ownership, so it went
However with a budget of £5k to £12; a lot of F01 730Ds fit in, as well as a few 750i's (which I read many horror stories about the engine etc) and a few decent spec'd F11 530Ds, a 535i and 535Ds fit in too...
I want nothing to do with the 520D, but a decent spec 525D could be of interest, more so the 3.0 engined ones; but the four-pot derv has no appeal to me at all, so not interested in those...
I have found a few late E65 750i's available too; mainly SE but a few Sport spec ones. They appeal to me wanting a V8 & one of them has had all the major engine work done (seals, coolant system, pumps etc) and would be a good buy at the bottom of my budget; as I could upgrade the suspension if I chose to go down that route etc...
Anyways...
Looking for advice for those that have driven an F11 touring and the F01 7'er; and more so from those that have owned both.
- Pros / cons - what spec is a must have and what's a nice to have etc
For me; the absolute musts are xenon headlights, ideally a Sport but happy with a well spec'd SE; heated front seats (ideally heated rears too) and powerfold mirrors. I'm also wanting a contrasting interior (so dark car/lighter interior and vice-versa); I'm not keen on 'black on black' at all
Anything else I'm missing; any advice re engines and what maintenance they should have had at this age & mileage they're at now?
Cheers
don’t have any advice comparing the 5/7, but I do have a f11 (but only the 520d) and can run through the things I’ve found useful spec wise:
- pro nav was a must for me (eg- the big/ full dash screen) it just looks so much better than the small basic screen. I felt the small screen just dated the interior badly and made it look cheap.
- parking sensors front and back come as standard and you do need them. it’s a big old bus when getting in/ out of spaces. My car also has a reverse camera, I can’t decide if that’s a must have or a nice to have, wasn’t a deal breaker when I was looking, but now I have it, i’m not sure i’d be without it. I think i’d be fine with just sensors though.
- I have a ‘m sport’ kit, i much preferred the look of the exterior and the seats, but again wasn’t too fussed either way. although I am the opposite of you and only wanted a dark interior (young child, shoe marks, lumping stuff in out) i felt it would hold up better than light colours.
- wheels- I have standard 18’s on mine, seems to give a compliant ride with enough tyre to take some of the bumps/ pot holes. I also have winters on 17’s which makes it a bit comfier still.
- air bags. it doesn’t have rear springs, it uses airbags, they are a weak point/ consumable item. if you ever notice the car sitting low on its wheels, it’s prob a perished airbag. there are various options for replacements, after a lot of reading I went with ebay specials at £50 or something and they seem to do the exact same job as the expensive ones. It’s a competent diy-er job, having access to a ramp makes it a lot easier though. just be prepared it’s liable to happen at some point in your ownership
I really do love my car, it handles pretty well for a big family fun bus. But it’s happiest crushing round lugging the family about giving 700miles ish to £80 of diesel. So far zero complaints from me, it’s a lovely well put together car, zero rattles, very little road noise and a comfy place to waft away the miles
- pro nav was a must for me (eg- the big/ full dash screen) it just looks so much better than the small basic screen. I felt the small screen just dated the interior badly and made it look cheap.
- parking sensors front and back come as standard and you do need them. it’s a big old bus when getting in/ out of spaces. My car also has a reverse camera, I can’t decide if that’s a must have or a nice to have, wasn’t a deal breaker when I was looking, but now I have it, i’m not sure i’d be without it. I think i’d be fine with just sensors though.
- I have a ‘m sport’ kit, i much preferred the look of the exterior and the seats, but again wasn’t too fussed either way. although I am the opposite of you and only wanted a dark interior (young child, shoe marks, lumping stuff in out) i felt it would hold up better than light colours.
- wheels- I have standard 18’s on mine, seems to give a compliant ride with enough tyre to take some of the bumps/ pot holes. I also have winters on 17’s which makes it a bit comfier still.
- air bags. it doesn’t have rear springs, it uses airbags, they are a weak point/ consumable item. if you ever notice the car sitting low on its wheels, it’s prob a perished airbag. there are various options for replacements, after a lot of reading I went with ebay specials at £50 or something and they seem to do the exact same job as the expensive ones. It’s a competent diy-er job, having access to a ramp makes it a lot easier though. just be prepared it’s liable to happen at some point in your ownership
I really do love my car, it handles pretty well for a big family fun bus. But it’s happiest crushing round lugging the family about giving 700miles ish to £80 of diesel. So far zero complaints from me, it’s a lovely well put together car, zero rattles, very little road noise and a comfy place to waft away the miles
malks222 said:
don’t have any advice comparing the 5/7, but I do have a f11 (but only the 520d) and can run through the things I’ve found useful spec wise:
- pro nav was a must for me (eg- the big/ full dash screen) it just looks so much better than the small basic screen. I felt the small screen just dated the interior badly and made it look cheap.
- parking sensors front and back come as standard and you do need them. it’s a big old bus when getting in/ out of spaces. My car also has a reverse camera, I can’t decide if that’s a must have or a nice to have, wasn’t a deal breaker when I was looking, but now I have it, i’m not sure i’d be without it. I think i’d be fine with just sensors though.
- I have a ‘m sport’ kit, i much preferred the look of the exterior and the seats, but again wasn’t too fussed either way. although I am the opposite of you and only wanted a dark interior (young child, shoe marks, lumping stuff in out) i felt it would hold up better than light colours.
- wheels- I have standard 18’s on mine, seems to give a compliant ride with enough tyre to take some of the bumps/ pot holes. I also have winters on 17’s which makes it a bit comfier still.
- air bags. it doesn’t have rear springs, it uses airbags, they are a weak point/ consumable item. if you ever notice the car sitting low on its wheels, it’s prob a perished airbag. there are various options for replacements, after a lot of reading I went with ebay specials at £50 or something and they seem to do the exact same job as the expensive ones. It’s a competent diy-er job, having access to a ramp makes it a lot easier though. just be prepared it’s liable to happen at some point in your ownership
I really do love my car, it handles pretty well for a big family fun bus. But it’s happiest crushing round lugging the family about giving 700miles ish to £80 of diesel. So far zero complaints from me, it’s a lovely well put together car, zero rattles, very little road noise and a comfy place to waft away the miles
Thanks for that- pro nav was a must for me (eg- the big/ full dash screen) it just looks so much better than the small basic screen. I felt the small screen just dated the interior badly and made it look cheap.
- parking sensors front and back come as standard and you do need them. it’s a big old bus when getting in/ out of spaces. My car also has a reverse camera, I can’t decide if that’s a must have or a nice to have, wasn’t a deal breaker when I was looking, but now I have it, i’m not sure i’d be without it. I think i’d be fine with just sensors though.
- I have a ‘m sport’ kit, i much preferred the look of the exterior and the seats, but again wasn’t too fussed either way. although I am the opposite of you and only wanted a dark interior (young child, shoe marks, lumping stuff in out) i felt it would hold up better than light colours.
- wheels- I have standard 18’s on mine, seems to give a compliant ride with enough tyre to take some of the bumps/ pot holes. I also have winters on 17’s which makes it a bit comfier still.
- air bags. it doesn’t have rear springs, it uses airbags, they are a weak point/ consumable item. if you ever notice the car sitting low on its wheels, it’s prob a perished airbag. there are various options for replacements, after a lot of reading I went with ebay specials at £50 or something and they seem to do the exact same job as the expensive ones. It’s a competent diy-er job, having access to a ramp makes it a lot easier though. just be prepared it’s liable to happen at some point in your ownership
I really do love my car, it handles pretty well for a big family fun bus. But it’s happiest crushing round lugging the family about giving 700miles ish to £80 of diesel. So far zero complaints from me, it’s a lovely well put together car, zero rattles, very little road noise and a comfy place to waft away the miles
Fine with bags on the rear as that's what I have on my E39 touring (just replaced them with Arnott bags etc), so well aware of the niggles they can throw up etc
Agree re the pro-nav; it's something I'd want also if I'm going to go down the F11 route
The pull of a V8 is massively appealing though and for a first time V8 owner; it makes more sense for me to go in with an older car/lower price so if any issues arise; I'm not going to be too out of pocket; whereas if I go for a newer F11 or F01, any issues that crop up could cause some interesting bills...
If my touring sells (someones coming to see it Monday); I'll take a good few weeks to get some test drives in and see what I think of the F11 vs F01...
I have a 530d but an F10 rather than F11. I agree with a lot of what's been posted already, in particular the full sized nav screen as the alternative postage stamp one is a bit of a joke.
With regards to the engine, i think it's great. I get a smidge over 40mpg out of mine on a 2hr drive to the office that's primarily A-roads and motorway. Pretty sure 45mpg would be easily doable if you drove without the lead-lined boots i tend to drive in
I had it fully serviced when i got it and it wouldn't need servicing again for another 18,000 miles. From the outside when you first start it, it sounds like any generic diesel, but floor it when you've warmed it up and from the inside it doesn't sound too bad at all. Long 8th gear for motorway cruising too; I think 90mph is 1,900rpm. The general reputation would seem to be that the engine is fairly bullet proof, however I've got to say that having got used to the poke of the 530, which is pretty good, I do wonder if a shouldn't have got a 535...
With regards to options, mine is a sport, which was a must for me looks-wise. I thought about getting one that had had the sport suspension deleted, but it's perfectly comfortable with it.
Coming from a Focus, I wanted one with a reversing camera, but mine doesn't have it not least as they're thin on the ground. I could get one installed pretty cheaply, but I soon got used to it and i think the all-round parking sensors were standard.
The seats in mine are only part-electric, which in practical terms is fine for me. But if you're switching drivers regularly I'd be looking for electric memory seats.
I'd say the option I miss most is DAB radio. Mine is a 2012 car and FM was standard at the time. A retrofit from BMW is available, but costs around £2k apparently. Third parties can install it, but it tends to involve sticking a DAB aerial on the inside of the windscreen which I'm not so keen on.
In conclusion, despite a couple minor odds and sods I love mine
With regards to the engine, i think it's great. I get a smidge over 40mpg out of mine on a 2hr drive to the office that's primarily A-roads and motorway. Pretty sure 45mpg would be easily doable if you drove without the lead-lined boots i tend to drive in
I had it fully serviced when i got it and it wouldn't need servicing again for another 18,000 miles. From the outside when you first start it, it sounds like any generic diesel, but floor it when you've warmed it up and from the inside it doesn't sound too bad at all. Long 8th gear for motorway cruising too; I think 90mph is 1,900rpm. The general reputation would seem to be that the engine is fairly bullet proof, however I've got to say that having got used to the poke of the 530, which is pretty good, I do wonder if a shouldn't have got a 535...With regards to options, mine is a sport, which was a must for me looks-wise. I thought about getting one that had had the sport suspension deleted, but it's perfectly comfortable with it.
Coming from a Focus, I wanted one with a reversing camera, but mine doesn't have it not least as they're thin on the ground. I could get one installed pretty cheaply, but I soon got used to it and i think the all-round parking sensors were standard.
The seats in mine are only part-electric, which in practical terms is fine for me. But if you're switching drivers regularly I'd be looking for electric memory seats.
I'd say the option I miss most is DAB radio. Mine is a 2012 car and FM was standard at the time. A retrofit from BMW is available, but costs around £2k apparently. Third parties can install it, but it tends to involve sticking a DAB aerial on the inside of the windscreen which I'm not so keen on.
In conclusion, despite a couple minor odds and sods I love mine
naturalaspiration said:
If going for F01 try and stretch for the facelift. It gets rear air suspension as standard, amazing 8 speed gearbox with start/ stop (you want that off if you like your cam chain), led headlights, digital dash, much more modern Nav and iDrive OS....
Thanks; issue with those is that they're either right at the top of my budget or beyond it unfortunately But I'm also not rushing into this; so if my touring does go, I'll be giving it a good few weeks to see what crops up
E61 has aged pretty well especially in Sport guise. The best bit is the indestructible M57N2 engine (aluminium not cast iron block), compared to wafer thin N57 in F series - marred by well publicised cam chain gear issues and fast wearing rod bearings. It's just a shame that finding an E61 Sport with leather comfort seats, big nav and two-zone climate control seems like a mission impossible in UK, unlike on the Continent.
Welshbeef said:
The F10/11 gains the ZF8 speed which is other worldly vs the ZF6 in the older generation.
Far better mpg
Massively quicker changes seem less changes
So so smooth at times I simply couldn’t tell it had changed.
Yup; I get that, but the ZF8 cars are out of budget unfortunatelyFar better mpg
Massively quicker changes seem less changes
So so smooth at times I simply couldn’t tell it had changed.
So I'll be looking at mainly the ZF6 boxes, which in my previous E65 730D, I felt was very good TBH; as smooth if not smoother than the ZF5 I'm used to with previous & current E39s
naturalaspiration said:
E61 has aged pretty well especially in Sport guise. The best bit is the indestructible M57N2 engine (aluminium not cast iron block), compared to wafer thin N57 in F series - marred by well publicised cam chain gear issues and fast wearing rod bearings. It's just a shame that finding an E61 Sport with leather comfort seats, big nav and two-zone climate control seems like a mission impossible in UK, unlike on the Continent.
That's what I'm thinking!I'd really love another 7'er; but I think I'll miss the load capacity of the touring and there are a few late E61s (09s and 10s) out there currently that could really appeal to me
They've fairly decent specs and look very clean/looked after. But a fair bit of research and due diligence will be needed on them and as per the norm, they're not local
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