#“BMW 5-Series. Old or new for my Da?”
My Da's 12 year old BMW will fail its NCT unless he has 5 grand of work done on it so he has finally decided to get a new one. The new 520d and 525d are catching his eye. The advantage of the 525d is that it is available in March. The big disadvantage is a massive price uplift over the 520d. But he can't really wait until July for the 520d to be released.
The garage has some current model 520d's in stock and he is wondering should he just get one of them instead. I've been doing some research and I think he should but then I've never owned a Beemer so would appreciate advice from those in the know. My feelings are:
- He can get current 520d for a good deal if he negotiates hard (and waits for new shape to be launched)
- Nothing reported about the new 5 Series would matter to him (new shape, 8 speed auto, better iDrive, better suspension)
- After 5 years, the three models will all be very similar in re-sale price. In particular, the 520d->525d delta will have disappeared
My only concern is that moving from 5L petrol to 2L diesel may be a leap too far for him. Some decent test drives on the new Waterford bypass should hopefully answer that.
How is the 520d for refinement, reliability, service cost etc? His old 7-Series is a lovely car but as reliable as a Trabant and spares cost a fortune.
Or should he consider Merc/Audi? He's been a BMW guy since the 80s when his job upgraded him from the vinyl-roofed Granada :-)