3 Series to 5 Series

kriss_boy

Have used 3 series coupes gone up in price the last year?

Got my 318CI 02plate last year for 4K but looking at them now I cant see any as cheap as the few ones I spotted this time last Jan/Feb.

With that in mind Im tempted to sell mine on and possibly get a 5 series.

Theres many on autotrader, 04 plates, 90K on the clock and a mere £7,500 or there abouts. I just wondered about the running costs. Any common costly faults? How much are the tyres?

Any fancy toys that cost a fortune to fix?

Ive been pretty lucky with my two 3 series over the years.

rictus123

a mere? Lend me a mere 7.5k then please? lol just thought id say lucky you id love a show off car like that

zappahey

I think just about everything has gone up since this time last year. In January 2009, you could hardly give away a biggish car.

kriss_boy

Mere 7,500K in respect to it being cheaper than a 18 month old used corsa despite having originally retailed at about 35K.

I dont think BMWs are show off cars at all, they are really common. Id have an audi if I could afford one

---lee---

I've not had to replace any tyres but you should be aware that they are factory fitted with run flats so I guess they will be very expensive.

Diesel engines are very powefull with tons of torque. I have a 530D which has plenty of grunt and always does no less than 35 MPG regardless of driving style. 535D has twin turbos if you want more speed.

Research what options you want carefully as many are very difficult/expensive to retrofit. IMO leather is a must. Comfort seats, heated seates, heated steering wheel would be nice. Memory seats if you share the car. Phone if you drive a lot.

Favorite feature is the parking sensors which show up on the center screen with a nice graphical representation with the parking tones coming out of the speaker closest to the obstacle(s).

I get my servicing done at an indi specalist, I try to stay clear of the stealers.

kriss_boy

Is there a well in the boot for a spare to go? Or have they completely done away with the concept of regular tyres with a spare in the boot.

My mates 58 plate 3 series doesnt even a compartment for a spare in the boot.

harveybobbles

You can buy a space saver wheel to put in the boot for the 5 Series cos if you have 19" wheels, they dont make them as run flats, so you get propper tyres and tool kits and a sapre wheel.

Only thing that fails on the 5 is the silly iDrive.

As said above, leather is a must. PDC is standard on rear bumper and became standard on both front and rear from late 2004/early 2005.

Got a 53 plate 318Ci Sport coming in next week with leather and nav done 55k...

neilmcl

kriss_boy wrote: »

Have used 3 series coupes gone up in price the last year?

In general all used car prices have gone up over the last year. I think they were saying before Xmas that on average used car prices had increased by 30% in the 12 months from Dec 2008. I can't remember the exact details.

---lee---

kriss_boy wrote: »

Is there a well in the boot for a spare to go? Or have they completely done away with the concept of regular tyres with a spare in the boot..

The wheel well is still there - it has a divider insert in it so that you can keep stuff in it - but the boot is huge in any case so I have no use for it!

Also look for folding rear seats if you need to carry anything really big as these are an optional extra.

---lee---

harveybobbles wrote: »

Only thing that fails on the 5 is the silly iDrive.

I love the i-drive, but I know it's subjective.

colino

For similar spec cars (say a 320SE to a 520SE) the bigger BMW always lags behind the 3 series second-hand price. They are very different machines though and I was surprised my diminutive better half went for a 5 series last time - and now wouldn't consider going back to the "little brother". The engines/suspensions and other running gear all tend to cross over and unless your driving a poverty spec 3, then you have to swallow the running costs.