2019 730d MSport XDrive possible purchase
Discussion
A bit of a story. I guess putting my thoughts down on paper may help with my decision. I would not mind any advice and thoughts as I am new to the BMW marque with all of my cars being Japanese with a Ford thrown in.
Due to a change in job I am now back to a 165klm (100 miles) daily drive with
150klms being highway. So new car time as current fleet are not suitable as either not powerful enough and noisy or too powerful and noisy.
Honda Fit 1.5l hybrid with 120bhp and a heavily modified Impreza with 600bhp.
Several years ago I did the same trip daily with a Ford Focus St manual diesel averaging about 52 mpg. Honda currently does 48mpg but that CVT noise as it goes up the hills that the Cyprus highway system consists of does my head in. Plus the road noise and general lack of sound proofing. Great city car but not a highway car.
After many test drives of other Japanese cars from the category above such as the latest hybrid Corollas and other such vehicles, I decided to look at a diesel again and something from BMW. Looked at a few 320d from 2016 onwards and some 520d as well but found them uninspiring. Tried a 10 year old 330d and that engine piqued my interest.
However all of these cars both 20d and 30d are higher mileage with most having at least 100000 miles for a 2020 on model and into 150k and 200k mark if you are looking at mid 2010s cars They also want quite punchy money. Given the miles most were definitely highway cars which is a good thing, but also just at the stage where things have started going wrong through wear and tear. Also most are black cars or have the dreaded black 'leather' which I do not like. I would rather have a cloth seat. Black cars or black leather are not the best choices in Cyprus.
In my searching I saw that the 7 series were much closer in price than what I expected to the 3 and 5 series.
Again most are black with black interiors, but I have inspected a few and must admit that I was impressed. A different kind of owner, older and different mindset to the younger owners of the 3 series who all had DPF deletes and cheap tyres.
One thing I look for is tyre brand. I believe that if the owner does not realise the importance of a quality branded tyre and instead has some cheap ditch finders then what else are they skimping on? this seemed to be the case with most 3 series cars.
Back to the 7 series that I am considering. January 20 model imported from UK a few years back. 149000klms, Individual San Marino blue with white interior, and from what I can see everything that was available apart from cooled seats. M package so 20 inch Bmw wheels which I like but would consider going down to a 19.
Paintwork was original and stunning, a few small stone chips on bonnet and one or two normal scratches which should buff out. All wheels are lightly curbed. Older Cypriot gentleman owner in his 60s, so the kerbing did not surprise me.
Interior was pretty special. Everything worked as it should, front and rear, with the rear looking like it had never been sat in. Only issue highlighted by the owner was a part of the LED strip on dashboard stopped working. I already have checked with the BMW Cyprus and 150 euros to replace it. Also front passenger door card leather at the top next to the window looked a bit strange. Owner said that the dealer selling in the UK advised that window had been open when raining and it got damaged. Repair was done but not great. Something to look at medium term.
Recent work included all fluids being changed, with invoiced evidence of engine oil changed every 8000klms so 5000 miles, new TPMS sensors last week, 4 new Nexen tyres (ok, but will upgrade as will quickly wear with the mileage I will do) new brake pads, and new front driver air suspension (1600 euros)
Drove extremely well and it gets up and goes. Shocked me in Sport when I put my foot down when merging onto busy highway. Kicked down probably 4 gears, bonnet rises and shot forward. Back off and it was serenely quiet.
I was surprised at its speed considering it is only the 30d. The 40d must feel fast.
The only area where I felt it being a bit short was braking. I guess being a luxury saloon the calibration is soft and progressive pedal? I don't think anything wrong with them as stopping power was fine especially given the weight, but needed quite a deep shove to feel them really working. Can anyone confirm my thoughts on this? How do they hold up in mountain use when 'pressing on'? I have had many lighter cars brakes go south on some of the mountain roads and I guess an 1850 kilo saloon may suffer. I always upgrade my brakes in Cyprus before any other mods, so would be interested to hear if there are any upgrades either within BMW or aftermarket that will improve this.
Possibly i am used to the power and sharpness of the Impreza brakes, not Brembos rather Alcon 6 and 4 pots. Feel like you are pressing against a brick wall.
Vehicle is currently being inspected by my mechanic and he is aware of the potential issues and ownership costs. I will continue to be his favourite customer. I have done some research on the B57 and I see that timing chain should be done if it has not been done, possible issues with swirl flaps, turbo actuator, and EGR although I keep on reading about EGR recall but not sure if this model is affected and whether it was done.
I see that there are EGR and swirl flaps deletes, that many people offer but not sure if needed if you are on top of maintenance and your mechanic checks such items. Not interested in DPF deletes even though that could be a problem area and you can also get rid of Adblue.
Apologies for the long ramble, but would appreciate any guidance and thoughts on this model.
I understand that with a luxury car that cost some 90k come luxury bills. I modify cars and own Subaru's so bills don't scare me.
Thanks
Due to a change in job I am now back to a 165klm (100 miles) daily drive with
150klms being highway. So new car time as current fleet are not suitable as either not powerful enough and noisy or too powerful and noisy.
Honda Fit 1.5l hybrid with 120bhp and a heavily modified Impreza with 600bhp.
Several years ago I did the same trip daily with a Ford Focus St manual diesel averaging about 52 mpg. Honda currently does 48mpg but that CVT noise as it goes up the hills that the Cyprus highway system consists of does my head in. Plus the road noise and general lack of sound proofing. Great city car but not a highway car.
After many test drives of other Japanese cars from the category above such as the latest hybrid Corollas and other such vehicles, I decided to look at a diesel again and something from BMW. Looked at a few 320d from 2016 onwards and some 520d as well but found them uninspiring. Tried a 10 year old 330d and that engine piqued my interest.
However all of these cars both 20d and 30d are higher mileage with most having at least 100000 miles for a 2020 on model and into 150k and 200k mark if you are looking at mid 2010s cars They also want quite punchy money. Given the miles most were definitely highway cars which is a good thing, but also just at the stage where things have started going wrong through wear and tear. Also most are black cars or have the dreaded black 'leather' which I do not like. I would rather have a cloth seat. Black cars or black leather are not the best choices in Cyprus.
In my searching I saw that the 7 series were much closer in price than what I expected to the 3 and 5 series.
Again most are black with black interiors, but I have inspected a few and must admit that I was impressed. A different kind of owner, older and different mindset to the younger owners of the 3 series who all had DPF deletes and cheap tyres.
One thing I look for is tyre brand. I believe that if the owner does not realise the importance of a quality branded tyre and instead has some cheap ditch finders then what else are they skimping on? this seemed to be the case with most 3 series cars.
Back to the 7 series that I am considering. January 20 model imported from UK a few years back. 149000klms, Individual San Marino blue with white interior, and from what I can see everything that was available apart from cooled seats. M package so 20 inch Bmw wheels which I like but would consider going down to a 19.
Paintwork was original and stunning, a few small stone chips on bonnet and one or two normal scratches which should buff out. All wheels are lightly curbed. Older Cypriot gentleman owner in his 60s, so the kerbing did not surprise me.
Interior was pretty special. Everything worked as it should, front and rear, with the rear looking like it had never been sat in. Only issue highlighted by the owner was a part of the LED strip on dashboard stopped working. I already have checked with the BMW Cyprus and 150 euros to replace it. Also front passenger door card leather at the top next to the window looked a bit strange. Owner said that the dealer selling in the UK advised that window had been open when raining and it got damaged. Repair was done but not great. Something to look at medium term.
Recent work included all fluids being changed, with invoiced evidence of engine oil changed every 8000klms so 5000 miles, new TPMS sensors last week, 4 new Nexen tyres (ok, but will upgrade as will quickly wear with the mileage I will do) new brake pads, and new front driver air suspension (1600 euros)
Drove extremely well and it gets up and goes. Shocked me in Sport when I put my foot down when merging onto busy highway. Kicked down probably 4 gears, bonnet rises and shot forward. Back off and it was serenely quiet.
I was surprised at its speed considering it is only the 30d. The 40d must feel fast.
The only area where I felt it being a bit short was braking. I guess being a luxury saloon the calibration is soft and progressive pedal? I don't think anything wrong with them as stopping power was fine especially given the weight, but needed quite a deep shove to feel them really working. Can anyone confirm my thoughts on this? How do they hold up in mountain use when 'pressing on'? I have had many lighter cars brakes go south on some of the mountain roads and I guess an 1850 kilo saloon may suffer. I always upgrade my brakes in Cyprus before any other mods, so would be interested to hear if there are any upgrades either within BMW or aftermarket that will improve this.
Possibly i am used to the power and sharpness of the Impreza brakes, not Brembos rather Alcon 6 and 4 pots. Feel like you are pressing against a brick wall.
Vehicle is currently being inspected by my mechanic and he is aware of the potential issues and ownership costs. I will continue to be his favourite customer. I have done some research on the B57 and I see that timing chain should be done if it has not been done, possible issues with swirl flaps, turbo actuator, and EGR although I keep on reading about EGR recall but not sure if this model is affected and whether it was done.
I see that there are EGR and swirl flaps deletes, that many people offer but not sure if needed if you are on top of maintenance and your mechanic checks such items. Not interested in DPF deletes even though that could be a problem area and you can also get rid of Adblue.
Apologies for the long ramble, but would appreciate any guidance and thoughts on this model.
I understand that with a luxury car that cost some 90k come luxury bills. I modify cars and own Subaru's so bills don't scare me.
Thanks
Edited by Falcon500 on Monday 21st July 12:51
I would really love a G11 model. I currently drive the F01 M Sport 2014 730d which I absolutely bloody love. Whilst it can accelerate in a way you don't anticipate a car this size to achieve, it does invite you to drive it sedately and majestically, letting other motorists do all the rushing around. If this is wafting, then I can only begin to wonder what the waft of a Rolls Royce would be like!
I took mine to a local BMW indie to ask about timing chain (87k miles), swirl flap removal and gearbox & diff oil change, he suggested instead of getting the timing chain done I should always be aware of the sound of the engine and if that changed, consider getting it done then.
As for the X-Drive, I have no experience other than reading on PH that it requires all tyre treads to be the same or it can cause issues, but you will need to confirm if that is true or not?
I'd love the G11 facelift model 2019 - 2022, ideally one in Donington Grey with tan leather
I took mine to a local BMW indie to ask about timing chain (87k miles), swirl flap removal and gearbox & diff oil change, he suggested instead of getting the timing chain done I should always be aware of the sound of the engine and if that changed, consider getting it done then.
As for the X-Drive, I have no experience other than reading on PH that it requires all tyre treads to be the same or it can cause issues, but you will need to confirm if that is true or not?
I'd love the G11 facelift model 2019 - 2022, ideally one in Donington Grey with tan leather
Edited by The Gauge on Monday 21st July 19:34
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