E63 650....how ruinous are they to run?

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Currently contemplating getting rid of my M140i whilst values are strong from WBAC etc and buying something cheaper / older now that my car usage has changed (there are too many days where my car doesn’t move at the mo and more working from home means this will be more common).

Initially I went straight to looking at 130i’s but they’re terrible value for mo eh when you look at other stuff. The E63 had caught be attention, a 630i is clearly the sensible choice but I’m worried that it’ll feel slow after my car, hence the 650 getting my attention.

Oil leakage seems to be the big one with these, particularly the valve stem seals if I recall. Other than that are they fairly solid or would I be walking into a world of financial pain?

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fastbikes76 said:

As you know with Mrs Fb’s one, we’ve had a few teething issues but tbh nothing drastic given it’s already had the dreaded valve stem seals done.

All oil leaks are quite DIY’able if you are handy with spanner’s and the parts them selves are a pittance in comparison to labour.

I don’t regret buying her one, but it is VERY easy to hit the 155mph limiter and will achieve licence losing speeds without any effort or realising it’s up there. The 630 is by far the sensible choice but a 650 is a must at some point, even just for the noise !!

My current car gets to license losing speeds very quickly and with ease.

Can’t say I’m particularly handy with spanner’s but I’m getting better.

There’s definitely a few that appeal.

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fastbikes76 said:

Depending where your based there is a good Indy in the midlands somewhere who does the VSS and rocker gaskets for around a grand, Chuck a few more Bob at it while it’s apart and have coolant stent and alt bracket gasket done at the same time. That’s all the weaknesses covered for well under 2k I would think, given you can pick these up from as little as 4k, it makes cheap motoring.

Fuel wise, did 400 miles motorway last week, most of which was early hours and most was cruising around a ton, long term average when I got home was 26.4mpg . Her long term average before that was sitting at 18ish and that was after months of virtually zero motorway and all local town/school run traffic stuff.

Bizarrely enough it’s more economical than her deisel Touareg or my deisel eco Van .

Get one.. it’s a must

Prices are all over the bloody shop which makes it hard; are the cheaper ones nails o are the expensive ones over priced?

The other car on the radar is a 335; am I brave enough to take on an N54?

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This is that has caught my eye, about as much as I’d want to pay though

https://www.hardwicksportsandprestige.com/used-bmw...

At there other end of the scale, there’s two 630’s that are less than half that which looks to be ok and is a slightly less scary prospect. Both black with cream interior.

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g3org3y said:

Blue is an uncommon colour and goes great with the cream interior but imo, too much money, especially for a pre-facelift. Does have Pro Hifi though (but no HUD).

I agree, it feels like an awful lot if money. I think I’d be happier with a £5k 630 because I think there’s less long term risk, it does feel like they can get much cheaper.

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d_a_n1979 said:

This one caught my eye; but it's a goof few £k overpriced:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324610208830?ssPageName...

But that'd be about the right spec car for me to consider; not at that price though!

Seen that too. Looks nice but it’s a lot of money for what it is. To be honest, most cars look expensive at the moment.

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d_a_n1979 said:

Yeah; some are just at a pisstake price IMO

Then again they seem to have been selling

I could understand it listed at c£7.5k maybe, but not nearly £10k!

Stuff is really shifting which I’m guessing is why my car is worth decent cash. But equally tats why I don’t want to spend too much, I don’t want to over pay by too much and be left exposed.

There’s a late 335 manual that’s caught my eye but it’s really strong money and I can’t help feeling that I’d take a bit of a bath on it.

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d_a_n1979 said:

That's my thinking... That's why I'm sitting on my touring for now (unless a REALLY silly offer comes in for it)

I don't want to buy a car currently; pay over the odds and know I'll never get that back if/when I come to sell it on etc

That’s a concern especially on an old barge with a sodding great V8. Aside from the bork factor, I don’t think paying £10k is a good idea. A £5k 630 for example is a hell of a lot less risky because they can’t get too much cheaper.

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g3org3y said:

Yes, 630i is certainly 'adequate' from a performance point of view. They are very smooth and relaxing to drive. For me, definitely suits the autobox. I don't have any issues with the ZFHP6. The build quality is also great (a step up from my E70).

My wife was sceptical when I bought it (why do you need another coupe - had the 330Ci at the time) but after she drove it, she loved it.

Starting to think the 630 might be better if I go down the route of an barge.

I’m sure there are some great V8’s for sale, but people seem to be cashing in with the Covid tax at the mo. I’m a bit less wary of the N52.

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g3org3y said:

I think if you're going to daily it and you want to minimise headaches, the N52 is probably the engine of choice. (Even the later N53 has its potential ££ problems).

That’s what I’m coming round to.

Or looking at a 330 or similar.

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d_a_n1979 said:

This looks in superb condition

But again; overpriced:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265155702479?hash=item3...

Just down the road though.

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Touring442 said:

I don't think that's expensive tbh - if it's a nice car with a proper history and it needs nothing.

It doesn’t seem to bad compared to what else is out there. Pretty tempted to see if I can pop over and have a nosey at it.

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g3org3y said:

d_a_n1979 said:

With a decent exhaust, the N52 engines, like all BMW straight sixes, sound fantastic, IMO

I've been surprised just how 'throaty' the N52 sounds on the 630i. I'm assuming it's owing to the different exhaust set up (vs 530/330 etc)

Court_S said:

That’s what I’m coming round to.

Or looking at a 330 or similar.

E9X flavour?

d_a_n1979 said:

This looks in superb condition

But again; overpriced:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265155702479?hash=item3...

Facelift (so N53 and paddle shift option). Also has HUD + Panoramic roof. Looks good to me.

Yeah, seem a few E91's but some of them are really strong money with shot spec (no heated seats but worst of all halogens). There's a couple of E92's that would work and with a better spec but I soon find myself lookin at 335's and pushing the budget to get a late N55 powered one. This is a 2012 manual that looks good but expensive at £12.5k.

I originally set out looking for a 130i based on how much I like her 125i but they all seem bad value when you consider age and mileage - all of a sudden they have a bit of a following. Lots have piss poor spec for top money.

That 630 locally looks like good value. I think I could took around in that for a while.

I'm going to speak to Sytner about my car - their top offer was slightly higher than WBAC.

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cerb4.5lee said:

That is brilliant for a V8 I reckon.

My X5 only used to give me about 12mpg on my 44 mile a day commute at the time, 20mpg would be it's absolute best. I loved it to bits though and I'm glad I had it, but I do look back and laugh now at how poor it was on fuel though.

Sod that!

I’ve come to the conclusion that a six pot is the way to go, not only from an economy point of view but a bork factor point of view too. I’m not expert, but I’m reasonably comfortable with the N52 a d most issues seem ok from a DIY point of view. Boring I know.....

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oldaudi said:

Look for a thread I started. I hunted down a good 630 last year. Someone was kind enough to post the options and features available on the car from the brochure.

I love my 630. Feel happy every time I get in it and although she’s old I stare at it after I’ve parked it. I missed all the fancy options of some of the newer cars I had leased but I soon got over that.]

I’ve done 10k miles and average about 32mpg on my commute, cruise, just under 70mph. Goes down to low 20s when I hit the 7000rpm.

Edited by oldaudi on Friday 14th May 21:23

Just working my way through it now.

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MikeM6 said:

I would personally not bother with a 335i if coming from a M140i, its more of the same and whilst the N54 and N55 are brilliant, they don't have the free revving nature, response or sound of the naturally aspirated engines.

I’m starting to come round to that way of thinking too; I don’t want an N54 sue to bork factor and N55 (whilst sounding better than my car) is probably very similar. They’re quite expensive too.

Ultimately I think it’s the enjoyment of the N52 in my other half’s car that has made me look at things a bit differently.

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g3org3y said:

I did have a moment of madness, upped my budget and looked at M6’s but came to my senses.

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gf15 said:

Hi All,

E63 650, what a wonderful machine.

A couple of pictures of my Nov 2005 650.
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|https://thumbsnap.com/7rMJ6oG3[/url][url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/YPaCcCmx[/url][url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/cFwfGK2X[/url][url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/Y8f0sphj[/url][url]

|https://thumbsnap.com/quNReUDB[/url]

These pictures were taken in Dec 2019.

No squeeks or rattles and car felt like it had all of it's 360 horses. Still drove beautifully.

I bought it in 2011 on 48kmiles for 15k. I sold it Dec 2019 on 201k for 3k.

Very highly spec'd; logic 7, HUD, Exclusive leather, Dynamic drive, pro sat nav, CD changer, upgraded speakers, etc, etc.

Outside of normal consumables from memory at my superb BMW indie, over 9 years, I had to have 1 wheel bearing, 2 rear brake pipes - 240, valve stem seals & cam cover seals @ 160k miles 1500, gearbox sump cover 200, suspension bushes, various - 300, oil level sensor 160.

Rear spring about 150

Over 150k miles, it never let me down.

I did service it every 12k miles and it never needed oil between services, worst case was it went from 5 bars to 4 bars between services.

Edited by gf15 on Sunday 16th May 21:12

Edited by gf15 on Sunday 16th May 21:41

Edited by gf15 on Sunday 16th May 21:48

That is a lovely colour combo, sounds like you had a really good act that served you well.

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Thanks for everyone’s help.

The 140i should be going on Friday but I’ve bought something a wee bit smaller than a 6; I’ve ended up with a 130i Limited Edition. Happy with the deal I’ve got both ways and the car has recently had Birds B1 suspension fitted.

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OnTheSauce said:

Boooo!

We'll see you back at this thread in 6 months once you've decided that the 130 is too similar to the 140 and you really do want something different

Jokes aside, we all the know the 130 is a very decent car. Hope it serves you well.

Given how strongly my other felt about the 6, I’m not sore I could have dealt with the moaning! For stemmed who doesn’t really care about cars
S, it evoked some rather strong opinions.

An E91 would have been ace but a well spec’d 330i is a unicorn.