I must be getting old - new car purchase 2018 BMW 730d
Discussion
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.
Current range is Honda Fit RS 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, Nissan Note epower 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. The 520d especially felt heavy and underpowered. Tried a 2015 330d and that engine piqued my interest.
However, most of these of these cars were in the dreaded black exterior or 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. Also many had DPF deletes which means plenty of black smoke even with a remap.
In my searching I saw that the G11 7 series were much closer in price than what I expected to the 3 and 5 series. Not many for sale as the market has pivoted to SUVs rather than large sedans. Looked for a 740d but none available unless I went to the current pig ugly design. I can just about bear the grill on the 2019 onwards LCI update but the newer 2022 on range is just terrible to look at
Again most were black with black interiors, but I have inspected a few and must admit that I was impressed with the way they drove, quiet cabin which I have never experienced unless an airport taxi S- Class and the 30d is quite punchy. The luxury and quietness seduced me. I thought why do I need a noisy, underpowered or uncomfortable car for what is effectively 150klms with cruise control on.
The one I kept on coming back and took delivery of last night was a January 18 model imported from UK in January 20 with two Cypriot owners since Xdrive 730d MSport. I paid less than 30% of new price which I think were around 75,000 GBP new in 2018. Currently 150000klms, Individual San Marino blue with white Nappa leather interior, not too many options. M Sport package so 20 inch BMW wheels which are all kerbed due to older driver in his early 60s. I am probably considered an older driver now being 53....but I cannot recall when I last kerbed a wheel.
Mileage checks out with MOT records and was used as a highway car racking up 25,000 klms or so per year. I will be adding 40,000 plus per year
Paintwork is original and a stunning colour, a few stone chips on bonnet and one or two normal scratches which should buff out. It does need a good detail which I will farm out to a professional due to strict water restrictions we have in Cyprus, despite having experience and the equipment to detailing my own cars. Leather is in outstanding condition with no cracks on the bolsters just some very slight wear which a good clean and treatment will bring back to nearly new.
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 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 previous owner advised that window had been open when raining and it got damaged. Repair was done but not great. Something to look at medium term.
Also a bit of worry is the dashboard leather that has split and has a crack of about 2 inches in one spot and 1cm in another. They could be a somewhat expensive fix as windscreen might have to come off to fix. Seller stated that it had not split further in the 2 years of his ownership. Might wait and see how it fairs in the punishing summer before fixing and possibly I might get a cracked screen as has happened to me a few times in the past 25 years I have lived here, due to trucks carrying gravel being mainly uncovered on the highways. I have never had a flat tyre and instead get cracked windscreens.
Recent work included all fluids and filters being changed religiously, with invoiced evidence of engine oil changed every 8000klms so 5000 miles, new TPMS sensors last week, 4 new Nexen tyres (they are ok and quiet, but will upgrade as will quickly wear with the mileage I will do) new brake pads, and new front driver air suspension (1600 euros......). The family are self proclaimed BMW fanboys and were very knowledgeable. I was able to have a 'Pistonheads' conversation about the car. They owned several other BMWs including previous gen M3CS which I really liked but not as a daily.
Drives 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. But 720Nm of torque will do it
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 1900 kilo saloon may suffer. But I will probably just waft around on the mountain roads as it does I always upgrade my brakes in Cyprus before any other mods, so Might be something to consider if i need a disc change in the future.
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 was thoroughly inspected by my mechanic and he is aware of the potential issues and ownership costs. I have done some research on the B57 and I see that possible issues with swirl flaps, turbo actuator, and EGR. But will not consider removal rather at a certain point we will remove and clean and replace what need replacing. Also being air suspension that can be an expensive fix.
I see that there are EGR, DPF and swirl flaps deletes, but not interested in such.
re driving modes I see ECOPro normal, sport and adaptive. Is adaptive worth trying?
Surprised that it only has normal cruise control and not adaptive. But I believe that was bundled in with a Professional package of some sort. I see that there are plenty of companies here that can upgrade the iDrive and include new features and Android Auto. HK sound system is okay, not mind blowing and will have to have a bit more of a fiddle with settings.
Spec below and some photos to follow. Off for my 50mile trip back home now.
Editions and packages
S337 M Sports package
S710 M Leather steering wheel
S715 M Aerodynamics package
Comfort and interior equipment
S420 Sun protection glazing
S428 Warning triangle and first aid kit
S441 Smoker package
S456 Comfort seat with memory
S460 Comfort seats rear, electrically adjustable
S4HA Seat heating, front and rear
S4NB Autom. climate control with 4-zone ctrl
S4ND Instrument panel, leather-covered
S4T7 Massage function f.driver & fr.passenger
S4UR Ambient interior light
Multimedia
S609 Navigation system Professional
S650 CD player
S654 DAB tuner
S688 Harman/Kardon surround sound system
S6AC Intelligent emergency call
S6AE Teleservices
S6AK Connected Drive Services
S6AM Real-Time Traffic Information
S6AN Concierge Services
S6AP Remote Services
S6CP Preparation Apple CarPlay
S6NW Telephony with wireless charging
S6U8 BMW gesture control
S6WB Multifunctional instrument display
S6WD WLAN Hotspot
S7S9 Connected Drive Services Paket
Driver assistance and lightning
S5A1 LED Fog lights
S5AC High-beam assistant
S5DL Surround View
S5DP Park Assist
Wheels and drive
S21H BMW LA wheel, M double spoke 648 bicolor
S230 EU-specific additional contents
S258 Tyres with runflat properties
S2PA Locking wheel bolt
S2TB Sport automatic gearbox
S2VB Tyre pressure display
Environment and safety
S302 Alarm system
S322 Comfort access
S323 Soft-Close-Automatic doors
S3AG Reversing camera
S3DS BMW display key
S812 Great Britain/Ireland version
S850 Dummy-SALAPA
S853 Language version, English
S880 On-board literature, English
S8KA Oil service interval 24 mths / 30,000 km
S8R9 Refrigerant R1234yf
S8S2 Coding, alarm signal
S8S3 Automatic locking during starting
S8SM Car ident. number visible from outside
S8TF Active pedestrian protection
S8TG Thief proofing device
Individual equipment
S760 High gloss shadow line
S775 Headlining anthracite
Other equipment
S1CA Selection of COP-relevant vehicles
S1CB CO2 equipment
S9AA Outer skin protection
SXE7 Indiv. int.trim strips,piano paint,black
SB51 SAN MARINO BLUE METALLIC
SA105 105 Ah AGM battery
SNAEW Leather "Nappa/elfenbein-weiss"
Current range is Honda Fit RS 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, Nissan Note epower 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. The 520d especially felt heavy and underpowered. Tried a 2015 330d and that engine piqued my interest.
However, most of these of these cars were in the dreaded black exterior or 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. Also many had DPF deletes which means plenty of black smoke even with a remap.
In my searching I saw that the G11 7 series were much closer in price than what I expected to the 3 and 5 series. Not many for sale as the market has pivoted to SUVs rather than large sedans. Looked for a 740d but none available unless I went to the current pig ugly design. I can just about bear the grill on the 2019 onwards LCI update but the newer 2022 on range is just terrible to look at
Again most were black with black interiors, but I have inspected a few and must admit that I was impressed with the way they drove, quiet cabin which I have never experienced unless an airport taxi S- Class and the 30d is quite punchy. The luxury and quietness seduced me. I thought why do I need a noisy, underpowered or uncomfortable car for what is effectively 150klms with cruise control on.
The one I kept on coming back and took delivery of last night was a January 18 model imported from UK in January 20 with two Cypriot owners since Xdrive 730d MSport. I paid less than 30% of new price which I think were around 75,000 GBP new in 2018. Currently 150000klms, Individual San Marino blue with white Nappa leather interior, not too many options. M Sport package so 20 inch BMW wheels which are all kerbed due to older driver in his early 60s. I am probably considered an older driver now being 53....but I cannot recall when I last kerbed a wheel.
Mileage checks out with MOT records and was used as a highway car racking up 25,000 klms or so per year. I will be adding 40,000 plus per year
Paintwork is original and a stunning colour, a few stone chips on bonnet and one or two normal scratches which should buff out. It does need a good detail which I will farm out to a professional due to strict water restrictions we have in Cyprus, despite having experience and the equipment to detailing my own cars. Leather is in outstanding condition with no cracks on the bolsters just some very slight wear which a good clean and treatment will bring back to nearly new.
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 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 previous owner advised that window had been open when raining and it got damaged. Repair was done but not great. Something to look at medium term.
Also a bit of worry is the dashboard leather that has split and has a crack of about 2 inches in one spot and 1cm in another. They could be a somewhat expensive fix as windscreen might have to come off to fix. Seller stated that it had not split further in the 2 years of his ownership. Might wait and see how it fairs in the punishing summer before fixing and possibly I might get a cracked screen as has happened to me a few times in the past 25 years I have lived here, due to trucks carrying gravel being mainly uncovered on the highways. I have never had a flat tyre and instead get cracked windscreens.
Recent work included all fluids and filters being changed religiously, with invoiced evidence of engine oil changed every 8000klms so 5000 miles, new TPMS sensors last week, 4 new Nexen tyres (they are ok and quiet, but will upgrade as will quickly wear with the mileage I will do) new brake pads, and new front driver air suspension (1600 euros......). The family are self proclaimed BMW fanboys and were very knowledgeable. I was able to have a 'Pistonheads' conversation about the car. They owned several other BMWs including previous gen M3CS which I really liked but not as a daily.
Drives 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. But 720Nm of torque will do it
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 1900 kilo saloon may suffer. But I will probably just waft around on the mountain roads as it does I always upgrade my brakes in Cyprus before any other mods, so Might be something to consider if i need a disc change in the future.
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 was thoroughly inspected by my mechanic and he is aware of the potential issues and ownership costs. I have done some research on the B57 and I see that possible issues with swirl flaps, turbo actuator, and EGR. But will not consider removal rather at a certain point we will remove and clean and replace what need replacing. Also being air suspension that can be an expensive fix.
I see that there are EGR, DPF and swirl flaps deletes, but not interested in such.
re driving modes I see ECOPro normal, sport and adaptive. Is adaptive worth trying?
Surprised that it only has normal cruise control and not adaptive. But I believe that was bundled in with a Professional package of some sort. I see that there are plenty of companies here that can upgrade the iDrive and include new features and Android Auto. HK sound system is okay, not mind blowing and will have to have a bit more of a fiddle with settings.
Spec below and some photos to follow. Off for my 50mile trip back home now.
Editions and packages
S337 M Sports package
S710 M Leather steering wheel
S715 M Aerodynamics package
Comfort and interior equipment
S420 Sun protection glazing
S428 Warning triangle and first aid kit
S441 Smoker package
S456 Comfort seat with memory
S460 Comfort seats rear, electrically adjustable
S4HA Seat heating, front and rear
S4NB Autom. climate control with 4-zone ctrl
S4ND Instrument panel, leather-covered
S4T7 Massage function f.driver & fr.passenger
S4UR Ambient interior light
Multimedia
S609 Navigation system Professional
S650 CD player
S654 DAB tuner
S688 Harman/Kardon surround sound system
S6AC Intelligent emergency call
S6AE Teleservices
S6AK Connected Drive Services
S6AM Real-Time Traffic Information
S6AN Concierge Services
S6AP Remote Services
S6CP Preparation Apple CarPlay
S6NW Telephony with wireless charging
S6U8 BMW gesture control
S6WB Multifunctional instrument display
S6WD WLAN Hotspot
S7S9 Connected Drive Services Paket
Driver assistance and lightning
S5A1 LED Fog lights
S5AC High-beam assistant
S5DL Surround View
S5DP Park Assist
Wheels and drive
S21H BMW LA wheel, M double spoke 648 bicolor
S230 EU-specific additional contents
S258 Tyres with runflat properties
S2PA Locking wheel bolt
S2TB Sport automatic gearbox
S2VB Tyre pressure display
Environment and safety
S302 Alarm system
S322 Comfort access
S323 Soft-Close-Automatic doors
S3AG Reversing camera
S3DS BMW display key
S812 Great Britain/Ireland version
S850 Dummy-SALAPA
S853 Language version, English
S880 On-board literature, English
S8KA Oil service interval 24 mths / 30,000 km
S8R9 Refrigerant R1234yf
S8S2 Coding, alarm signal
S8S3 Automatic locking during starting
S8SM Car ident. number visible from outside
S8TF Active pedestrian protection
S8TG Thief proofing device
Individual equipment
S760 High gloss shadow line
S775 Headlining anthracite
Other equipment
S1CA Selection of COP-relevant vehicles
S1CB CO2 equipment
S9AA Outer skin protection
SXE7 Indiv. int.trim strips,piano paint,black
SB51 SAN MARINO BLUE METALLIC
SA105 105 Ah AGM battery
SNAEW Leather "Nappa/elfenbein-weiss"
Uploading an image is not working for me. Seems to load as a broken link. Any ideas?
So far has managed about 20klms per litre on my daily trip. Cruise set at 110. Decently quiet.
Range from a full tank has crept up from 950 to 1400 klms. I reckon in cooler weather should see 1500 klms. Temps currently 40+.
Today I took it up into the mountains to visit the family. Tried Sport and it is pretty good at handling the twisty bits. Overtaking 3 or 4 slow moving cars is a breeze. 620nm of torque does come in handy. Some of the mountain roads are in a shocking state with camber, subsidence and potholes all at once and even in sport mode and 20 inch wheels it was absolutely fine.
Ultimately settled on adaptive as a good compromise as it supposedly reads the road and with NAV on it knows what is coming up and supposedly flicks between the modes.
So far has managed about 20klms per litre on my daily trip. Cruise set at 110. Decently quiet.
Range from a full tank has crept up from 950 to 1400 klms. I reckon in cooler weather should see 1500 klms. Temps currently 40+.
Today I took it up into the mountains to visit the family. Tried Sport and it is pretty good at handling the twisty bits. Overtaking 3 or 4 slow moving cars is a breeze. 620nm of torque does come in handy. Some of the mountain roads are in a shocking state with camber, subsidence and potholes all at once and even in sport mode and 20 inch wheels it was absolutely fine.
Ultimately settled on adaptive as a good compromise as it supposedly reads the road and with NAV on it knows what is coming up and supposedly flicks between the modes.
Edited by Falcon500 on Friday 15th August 20:38
Edited by Falcon500 on Monday 18th August 10:51
Coldplaya said:
100% the right choice to go that generation, the new one is obscene and so chinese brand looking. In that colour as well it looks brilliant
Yes, the new one really looks terrible.. This is just right. Grille to body size is right. I looked at the LCI model but were at least 10k more and the interior was the same and it has that much larger grille, which just does not look right. But could also be colour dependent and with darker colour and darker grille it might look okay. Many more kilometres done in the mountains on the weekend. It is a big old barge, and possibly just a bit too soft even in Sport to really hustle on fast mountain roads. If I lived in the mountains and my daily 100 mile trip included these roads to get to the highway, I would look to see if there were any lowering springs or ARB to tighten things up just a bit. But as 90% highway car with only occasional mountain use, it can stay as is until any replacement of springs or dampers are needed.
I cannot believe it does not come with blind spot monitoring as standard. I think it was part of a pack that also got you adaptive cruise and possibly lane keep assist and other such nonsense. I have never had a car with blind spot monitoring but I think it would be a useful aid unlike most others which it thankfully does not have. I can have an aftermarket kit fitted by a local company that also do iDrive upgrades. I may consider after a few months, if no other bills crop up.
Also no ventilated seats!!! Why oh why are these not standard? I have taken to sitting on soft woolen blanket as even though air con works very well, I am sticking to the seat and getting very sweaty.
I cannot believe it does not come with blind spot monitoring as standard. I think it was part of a pack that also got you adaptive cruise and possibly lane keep assist and other such nonsense. I have never had a car with blind spot monitoring but I think it would be a useful aid unlike most others which it thankfully does not have. I can have an aftermarket kit fitted by a local company that also do iDrive upgrades. I may consider after a few months, if no other bills crop up.
Also no ventilated seats!!! Why oh why are these not standard? I have taken to sitting on soft woolen blanket as even though air con works very well, I am sticking to the seat and getting very sweaty.
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