[varunanb]

bumping the thread for some buying advice.

Just came across a 2014 dec registered 525d luxury line with a quoted value of 35L. Still has 2 years of warranty and has run just 22K kms. the car is in great condition and tires (run flat) might hold good for another 5k kms. there is a margin for negotiation though.

queries:

1.Is there any known issues of the 2012-14 525d. I see a lot of them in the market with very low mileage.
2.Is there any significant difference driving a 520 vs 525?
3.How does the 2L engine compare with the 3L engines of older 525?
4.is it worth it?
5.I also have an offer for 25L for 2012 3L engine 525d for 25L. is that better than the newer model still?

BHP'ians to my rescue pls

[GTO]

Originally Posted by varunanb

Just came across a 2014 dec registered 525d luxury line with a quoted value of 35L. Still has 2 years of warranty and has run just 22K kms.

Seems like a risk-free buy. What is the manufacturing month & year? Do note that you can extend the warranty up to 6 years.

Is there any known issues of the 2012-14 525d. I see a lot of them in the market with very low mileage.

Nope, it was pretty sorted by then.

2.Is there any significant difference driving a 520 vs 525?

The 2014 525d has more power, but it's still a 4-cylinder.

3.How does the 2L engine compare with the 3L engines of older 525?

No comparison. For an enthusiast, the older 525d offered a creamy 6-cylinder with excellent power delivery, revv-happiness, refinement & a lovely engine note. The 4-cylinder cannot match that.

4.is it worth it?

If you are okay with a 4-cylinder, yes. Get a handful of lakhs off the deal and you should be all set.

On the other hand, if you can stretch your budget a bit, you can easily get 2014 530ds. That car is a different animal altogether.

5.I also have an offer for 25L for 2012 3L engine 525d for 25L. is that better than the newer model still?

Too risky. I don't have the appetite to buy a 5 year old complicated German that's long out of warranty and wouldn't recommend it to anyone else either.

[varunanb]

Originally Posted by GTO

Seems like a risk-free buy. What is the manufacturing month & year? Do note that you can extend the warranty up to 6 years.

Thanks GTO. Haven't checked the details yet. But was told it is a 2014 june.

I would love to get my hands on a 530D. But they are out of my budget. Also how good is a 530D GT? Any pointers?

[abhiram7912]

I am looking to buy a used car in the range of ~25 lakhs in Hyderabad and I came across a 2011 525d (3.0L engine) in titanium silver for sale for 24.xx lakhs. It had done around 49,7xx kms and is in good condition (it has some small scratches on bumpers and soiled front door handles). The car is serviced at dealer all through its life. The dealer i am buying it from sells used luxury cars and is trustworthy for us. He is offering a 1 year service pack (which excludes consumables, parts would be able to source relatively cheaply (comp. to BMW India) from Dubai).

I would only need the car for probably 1 yr or year and half max. Obviously i am doing my due diligence in getting the car inspected properly. I am taking it to the dealer in couple of days to get it inspected and check the service history.

1) Is it worth the risk of buying without warranty for the short period i am going to own it. Me, our driver and an FNG who regularly services our cars took a drive and found everything to be OK.

2) What should i look out for on the car that might not be obvious?

you might ask why i am looking at this instead of newer 520d's or literally any other car. The answer is my height, i am 6'6 and i have a hard time fitting in many cars. Two requirements i set myself are i should be able to drive with my shoes on and it must be an automatic (what with hyderabad traffic getting worse with each day). My previous car, a fortuner, i was not be able to turn the steering wheel without my hands hitting my knees with my shoes on. Its getting really annoying having to put them on and take them off. The 5 series fits like a glove to me and is really comfy and ticks all the boxes. The engine is something else. My heart is almost set on this. But mind is saying, take it slow and make sure everything is good. The newer 520d's or ones with warranty are touching 35 lakhs and with more miles and i don't really fancy the 4 cyl after driving this.

Hoping you guys would help me. Thanks.

[Turbanator]

I am looking to buy a used car in the range of ~25 lakhs in Hyderabad and I came across a 2011 525d (3.0L engine) in titanium silver for sale for 24.xx lakhs.

Looks too expensive to me, I sold my 530-D 2010 way back in 2013 @ about Rs 25 Lac.

Me, our driver and an FNG who regularly services our cars took a drive and found everything to be OK.

Little difficult to judge in my opinion, better take it to BMW dealership and pay them to inspect. They can also dig service history, if it's being a while since the car went for service, there can be something fishy with ODO. I am sure you can get much younger 530 with this kind of money.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by varunanb

But was told it is a 2014 june.

I would love to get my hands on a 530D. But they are out of my budget. Also how good is a 530D GT?

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Looks too expensive to me, I sold my 530-D 2010 way back in 2013 @ about Rs 25 Lac.

I agree with Turbanator (although your 530 I would think could have fetched some more maybe?). To me this deal looks overpriced by about 6-8 lakhs. If you can get it down to those levels then its probably worth it. If its possible even by waiting, I'd say plonking 3-5 more for a similar age 530D is a much better bet.

[abhiram7912]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I agree with Turbanator (although your 530 I would think could have fetched some more maybe?). To me this deal looks overpriced by about 6-8 lakhs. If you can get it down to those levels then its probably worth it. If its possible even by waiting, I'd say plonking 3-5 more for a similar age 530D is a much better bet.

I agree with you, but i wasn't able to find any 530D for sale in that price range. I found two but they are quoting 35-40 lakhs, I can stretch upto 30 lakhs for one. I need a car by end of this month, so i am leaning towards this one if BMW service centre says its in good nick.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by abhiram7912

I agree with you, but i wasn't able to find any 530D for sale in that price range. I found two but they are quoting 35-40 lakhs, I can stretch upto 30 lakhs for one. I need a car by end of this month, so i am leaning towards this one if BMW service centre says its in good nick.

SOrry I misunderstood Turbanator's quote. I was referring to the 2014 June 525 Varunab was considering being overpriced and I thought he was referring to the same. My suggestion for the 530 was for him since he was considering a 35lakh car already.

Having said that I think there's certainly room to negotiate your offer too. I would at the same time urge you to consider newer 3 series or brand new Octys instead of a 6 yr + german car. Just a tad too risky and some of the products like 3 series / new Octys are incredibly fun to drive as well.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by abhiram7912

I came across a 2011 525d (3.0L engine) in titanium silver for sale for 24.xx lakhs. It had done around 49,7xx kms

I can't recommend buying a 6-year old complex European sedan. Sure, I'll keep my own car for well beyond that, but cannot recommend buying someone else's 6-year old car. One major repair and you'll be off used cars for life.

This particular car is also overpriced. I think you should skip it. Here's a ride from a different segment, but meets your big-engine hunger & space requirements - link. Take the extended warranty & have fun.

[abhiram7912]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Having said that I think there's certainly room to negotiate your offer too. I would at the same time urge you to consider newer 3 series or brand new Octys instead of a 6 yr + german car. Just a tad too risky and some of the products like 3 series / new Octys are incredibly fun to drive as well.

Yes i am considering the 3 series as well am keeping a look out for M sport or sport line variant (for the slightly better seats). Octavia i couldnt get comfortable something about the seating position in relation to the steering wheel. The 1.8tsi was so much fun, can only imagine what the vRS could do.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GTO

I can't recommend buying a 6-year old complex European sedan.

Someone pm'ed me asking more about this. As we know, a PM helps one person while a public post helps a thousand, so I'll elaborate here .

My unscientific research tells me that the current-generation of gizmo-laden electronically-complex luxury cars have a life span of ~10 years. After that, they just start falling apart. Many times, the cost of repairs are unbelievably high relative to their book value. Want proof? Go through the number of 10-12 year old abandoned cars in this thread.

Now, even within the 10 year span, after the 6th or 7th year, serious issues can crop up (if they haven't already). If you've already owned it for long, it doesn't make sense to sell the car instead of repairing. However, in the same breath, I'll add that buying a 6 - 7 year old German simply doesn't make sense for the potential nightmares you'll be inheriting.

There's no such thing as a cheap luxury car. That's why you should get the newest one you can lay your hands on with the longest possible warranty. An old out-of-warranty German is something people like me don't have the risk appetite for.