BMW Buying Advice Needed

"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury) 01/30/2015 at 21:37 • Filed to: None

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A friend's wife has recently been promoted to Captain at her airline and has decided to replace her Scion xB with a used F10 BMW 5-series, but has asked for some advice on which model to get. So far she's driven a 550i 6-speed, a 535i xDrive and a 528i. As fun as the 550i was, it was complete and total overkill, and is out of contention. The 528i was more than acceptable, and would personally be my choice. She is somewhat interested in the 535, but has heard some things from a co-worker (whose father runs a BMW repair shop) that anything with the turbocharged 6 should be avoided.

I'm wondering if that warning applies to all versions of the turbo 6 or perhaps just the early twin-turbo versions (N54); as I recall, the F10 535i has the twin scroll turbo (N55). Is there some inherent flaw that makes these engines future disasters, like the 911 IMS issue?

My recommendation to her is to buy the 528i and see how she likes owning a BMW, then buy something new in a few years when she gets hired on at a major carrier. The xDrive really isn't necessary here in St. Louis, at least in my opinion, as it is just added weight and complexity that isn't helping for 10 months out of the year, and is just more stuff to break/wear out. The N54 only provides about 40HP more than the N52 engine in the 528i, and considering that she's coming from an xB, the HP difference between her old and new cars is going to be quite dramatic.

Brian Silvestro > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 21:38

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it was complete and total overkill, and is out of contentionn

M5 only

For Sweden > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 21:42

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Does she have covered parking at the airport?

If not, research how the paint holds up.

Manuél Ferrari > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 21:45

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N55 is fine

N54 issues were overblown (or should I say overboosted?)

I think the 535i is the sweet spot for the F10. It's a big and HEAVY car. The 528i is just way too underpowered and will leave her feeling underwhelmed

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > For Sweden 01/30/2015 at 21:47

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Parking is provided at one of the long-term lots, and as I recall, it is not covered. For the time being, parking at home will also be uncovered, on the street, but there are plans to add a carport sometime this year.

Yossarian > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 21:47

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No the new N55 engine is pretty solid. I wouldn't have any worries about it like the N54, they've been out for enough years that someone would've noticed.

The engine in the 528i is really, really excellent. I haven't driven it in the 5, but in the 3 it was fast, and the 8-speed was excellent.

No reason to pick the 528i over the 535i because of engine worries. The N55 has proven itself to be a much better engine than the N54 in that regard.

You really can't go wrong with either engine, and I'm not familiar with xDrive to give any info on its reliability.

For Sweden > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 21:48

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Worst part of working in aviation: airport parking.

GTRZILLAR32-Now saving for Godzilla and a condo > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 21:51

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528i...the N52 is a fantastic motor, its a classic BMW silky smooth straight six. (Best when paired with manual)

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > For Sweden 01/30/2015 at 21:51

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Tell me about it. When I was based in Los Angeles, the airport was 1 mile from my house, but my provided parking was two miles away from the house. Drive two miles to sit on a bus for 30 minutes? You're kidding, right?

AM3R shamefully returns > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 21:53

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F10 is N55 only I believe. Pretty stout, and the manual is nice. The paint is pretty high quality too, detail it once a year and it'll be fine.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Manuél Ferrari 01/30/2015 at 21:59

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This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think today's cars are, dare I say it, overpowered. How fast do we really need to go? My E34 525i needed some revs to get it up to speed and could be outrun by a Toyota Sienna, but so what? My W210 E320 was more than fast enough for my needs, and I like to drive, shall we say, in a rather spirited manner. Even my current DD, a 2012 Mazda5, is sufficiently quick.

This isn't like the early '80s, where there were some vehicles out there (mostly normally-aspirated diesels) that were a hazard to others as well as their owners.

philsphan09 > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 22:29

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N54 or N55 are both great engines. The main issue with the N54 is basically the high pressure pump, and is essentially under permanent recall of it breaks. I recommend the 535xi. Fantastic car.

I had. 335xi (N54) for many years and had zero engine issues

Biggus Dickus (RevsBro) > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/30/2015 at 22:30

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The N54 had high pressure fuel pump issues But I beleive the N55 is far better. My mother owns a F10 550i and it's awesome but is definitely total overkill for most people in the used cAR market.

Manuél Ferrari > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/31/2015 at 00:18

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I agree

I haven't checked power to weight ratios

But I just feel like the F10 528i would feel slow relative to the E34 525i

Your E34 was so light compared to modern cars

The F10 is so heavy for 4 cylinders (even with a turbo)

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Manuél Ferrari 01/31/2015 at 01:33

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Here's a comparison of various vehicles, starting with the Porsche Turbo that set benchmarks in the '70s to various cars that I have owned, she has owned, and that she is interested in acquiring:

1978 Porsche 911 Turbo 0-60: 5.0 seconds

F10 535i 0-60: 5.4 seconds

Porsche 968 0-60: 5.6 seconds

F10 528i Automatic 0-60: 6.4 seconds

W210 E320 0-100 km/h: 7.8 seconds

Mazda5 6MT: 8.3 seconds.

E34 M20 525i 0-60: eventually according to bmw4life.com

8.9 (manual)

10.7 (automatic)

Mine had some Dinan mods, so maybe 8.5

1983 Rabbit GTI 0-60: 9.7 seconds

2005 Scion xB: 9.8 seconds (transmission not specified)

Today's mid-range performance sedan rivals fast Porsches from decades earlier, and even basic transportation appliances from a decade ago are almost as fast as the hottest hot hatches from 20 years prior, all the while being more economical, more environmentally friendly and more reliable. My basic, cheap minivan is just half a second slower to 60 than the $50K Mercedes I had 10 years earlier, and that car was no slouch.

There is also a certain fun factor in driving a slow car quickly, obtaining the maximum performance that it has to offer without requiring the skills of a trained racing driver. The GTI, Mazda5 and 525i were more fun to push than the others because the limits were approachable. The others were either beyond my skill level (968) or too uninvolving (E320).

Since I didn't take the 968 to the track I never approached its limits, and knew that if I tried to do so on the streets I probably would have ended up in jail or in a ditch. There were plenty of people that tried to race me, but I never felt so insecure as to try to prove myself to them. That car did transform me a bit, giving me a bit of an attitude whenever I was behind the wheel, almost as if I were someone else; that scared me a little bit, and perhaps explains why I prefer a more humble vehicle these days.

Manuél Ferrari > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/31/2015 at 01:58

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wow I should have checked the F10 528i's 0-60. I didn't think it would be under 6.4. If I had to guess it would be much closer to 7.

I guess a modern automatic that shifts fast and all that low end torque can push a heavy sedan very quickly.

The stats you listed make the old 911 Turbo seem so batshit insane. 5.0 seconds is still pretty quick today. In 1978 that was very fast.

Jimmy Tango > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/31/2015 at 02:26

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I don't own one but have done research since last July. 2011 is the first MY in US and to be avoid (especially pre July build.) Not something certain that will break, but the stock RFT has issues (sidewall) and result bad rides and steering play. 2012 and onward were a lot more steady.

2014 is LCI, but nothing dramatic has changed (tailight shapes and some prefer pre-LCI.) What I would suggest is figure out what she'd like by checking out the new cars in the lot. If she can hold the new car smell temptation, drive the MSport / non-MSport and determine which one she wants. IMHO, MSport for better handling, and ride wasn't compromised at all.

Several gadgets are to be considered. I like heads-up display and soft close door, can live without rear sunshade but would prefer it. IF she is about plush than no issues, otherwise check out RWD only since Xdrive has softer suspension and typical size swaybar, MSport or not.

ACC (Active Cruise Control) is hell of a drug if she commute in a congested area (but as a Captain, probably not really daily commuting.) ACC probably is not on pre-2013, though.

These are the things I recalled on top of my head, now excuse me as I proceed with my XF research....

Jimmy Tango > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/31/2015 at 02:28

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BTW, if you really want to watch out engines, N63 is the one to avoid. There is just a recall recently and has induced great length of discussion. Classified board on the forum suddenly have several 550 in mint condition. Just some observation.

jmedarts > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 01/31/2015 at 08:43

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If she is really happy with the power of the 528 then think it depends on how long you are going to keep it. If you're going to drive it until the wheels fall off, then the turbo motor is going to cost you a lot more (walnut blasting every 50-70k, hpfp warranty is only to 100k, and the turbos will go). The non turbo six will be more durable. If only to 150k miles or so then I think the turbo is fine.

I have a 335i, N54, and ~150k is my plan