New (to me) car time

[mr angry]

I have been trawling the net for a replacement for my trusty old E53 3.0d. I started looking at early E70s (Msport twin turbo), which to be honest i havent ruled out completely. But as with everything you end up looking at some of the more expensive models which are way more than you initially wanted to pay, like the 40d.

I can pick up a good speced 3.0sd or 35d Msport for £7,000 odd (2008-2009), but with high miles, some very high. I then noticed that there are also some 40ds (Msport) to be had at around £11,000 (2010) which leaves me thinking is it worth spending a few grand more for the later car?

Regarding options, this is another minefield, however the only thing I couldnt live with is a light coloured interior so it has to be black.

I have seen a 40d on ebay right now for £11,000 which looks okay....link below.

There are however a couple of issues niggling me about this car, namely. It shows as being a cat N write off. It doesnt mention this in the add and when questioned the seller has offered to send me images of the damage and states it was minor fron bumper damage.

The second issue is the colour. He has advertised it as white yet the vosa and car data checks have it as silver. I cannot decide when looking at the images which it is, as others online also appear very similar (white and silver). What do you guys think?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-BMW-XDr ... 3642895191

[Digidick]

If you can stretch to a 40d then do it as they are great (I have one) but don't buy something that's cheap for a reason if you know what I mean as it'll always need to be cheap and possibly difficult to sell on.

That 40d is silver, just compare the front reg plate colour with the bumper colour. It also says 22" alloys but they look like standard 20". Just looking at the shite pictures and poor description would put me off straight away

[mr angry]

Yes I know what you mean about cheap for a reason, but being a tight wad Scot I do love a bargain. I agree that the description in the ad is poor and the guy called me on my drive home from work and English did not sound like his first language. I am not put off by the fact it is on the hit list as long as I didnt drive over 300 miles to see it and realise it is a total shed as I am just outside Glasgow.

I have also been looking at some light damaged stuff but some of the prices are crazy. There also seems to be a lot going through auctions like BCA but none local to me which is a real pain as buying a car remotely without seeing it doesent appeal.

[Digidick]

Ahh didn’t realise you’re so far away from the rest of the world, lol. Along with the extra BHP you’ll also be getting the better idrive, slightly cheaper tax, a bit better fuel economy and of course the 8 speed gearbox. Have you considered a newer 30d instead then get a remap?

[Leslie]

Minor damage is usually bs , it's repair cost would have had to be around 60% of the cars valve to write it off ,Insurance company are not stupid if its a cheap fix they fix it ,Plus listed as a different colour plus damage not declared .Damaged repaired cars are worth a lot less despite what sellers think and are very hard to shift on again so are not the bargain they seem plus one that's written off is always repaired as cheap as possible to maximize profit.
Damage pics never show the true extent of the damage either.

Runaway and keep running !!!!!!!!!! and most older cars are in the auction for a reason and that's usually cos there is something major wrong or is about to go wrong and they want it away with no comeback .

[mr angry]

No I havent to be honest as they dont seem that much cheaper and having driven a 535d I was very impressed with the twin turbo set-up and virtually no lag. I should also have mentioned earlier that the resale doesnt really bother me too much as I tend to keep cars for a long time.

[mr angry]

Yes I am a bit perplexed as to why the seller cant even advertise the right colour of the car in the ad and given the distance from me probably wont go to view it. As for the auctions like BCA, they are often ex lease cars or trade ins that are too old or too high mileages for major dealerships to market with a warranty.

[mr angry]

I have found another car which seems very reasonably priced, just doesn't seem to have a very high spec from what i can see. Its a 40d in white. It also seems to be a BMW approved used car...not really sure what that means though to be honest. The images show it has some light scuffing to offside front and I assume it has just come in and still to be prepped for sale.

https://www.sytner.co.uk/car-search/963 ... -5dr-auto/

[Leslie]

Your BMW Approved Used Car Warranty will last for a minimum of 12 months. ... All service and maintenance and repairs must be carried out as an Authorised BMW Centre to be covered under Warranty.

Looks like a fine car once the scuff is sorted and the Bmw warranty will be worth it weight in gold. I've noticed lately the price of older x5's is dropping rapidly as they are getting on a bit now ,seen an 07 for £5500 last week !

[Digidick]

Your BMW Approved Used Car Warranty will last for a minimum of 12 months. ... All service and maintenance and repairs must be carried out as an Authorised BMW Centre to be covered under Warranty.

Looks like a fine car once the scuff is sorted and the Bmw warranty will be worth it weight in gold. I've noticed lately the price of older x5's is dropping rapidly as they are getting on a bit now ,seen an 07 for £5500 last week !

That looks very cheap if they intend to prep it as BMW Approved used car and offer all the cover that gives.

[mr angry]

Gutted.....called to leave a deposit and turns out there has been a pricing error. The ticket price was what they paid for it on a trade in

[mr angry]

Who would have thought finding a car to buy would be so hard. Found one on gumtree, a 3.0sd 59 plate which looked and drove great. Carried out an hpi check and an alert showing outstanding finance against a previous plate the car had in 2017. The seller also seemed surprised but it is so frustrating.

[Leslie]

Just goes to show how important a hpi check is these days , there are plenty out there and they are getting cheaper by the day

[mr angry]

Well would you believe it. I was doing my hourly check on eBay, auto trader, piston heads etc for a car, when I finally found one. It is a 2010 40d in grey and it was cheap. Very cheap (£8000). It has however moon mileage but full service history. I have just booked the train from Glasgow to Blackburn in the morning to collect it.

It needs tyres, which are not cheap and the 333 alloys are badly kerbed at the front. I will post pics on my return tomorrow.

[Waka]

Yes, well done!
Another member of the 2010 40d club

Don't forget pics when you've got it