value for money of 5 series

Automatix wrote:   2. I personally think I have a mind of my own and can make rational decisions without rushing to take pointless "advice" from gossip car  magazines. Automatix

Evidently not! 

Can you two not just get along? You both seem to have serious issues with each other, I can see why with the progressive baiting and retaliation in each of your posts. It makes the forum a LOT less enjoyable for all the other users, if you want to fight one another take it into a series of PM's or something. I don't want to read it. Rant over.

On the subject of your cat, I would tend to go for a stainless set for more money. This is because they will last indefinitely - the warranty is only a year longer because the component manufacturers have to cover themselves, they can't go issuing indefinite warranties in case you drive 50k miles a year or something! If you get the cats replaced now with stainless ones you probably won't need to touch them again for another ten years or so.

If you two keep on going the way you are currently, I sincerely hope the mods will take action. Both sound like spoilt children, and spoilt children need told off.

The thing is a good BMW OE exhaust will last ten years, so I have been reliably told. My car has just turned 18, and in the history there is only one receipt for exhaust replacement in 1998 at a cost of £600 for original parts. Yikes. At least I won't have to touch it for another three years I hope. As far as I can tell it seems to be a false economy to go for the cheaper aftermarket replacements as these will last two or maybe three years at best. I bought a brand new back box for the chevette for nine quid, it remains to be seen how long that lasts! Probably longer than the car does.... In your case it really is up to you which scale of economies you go for - high initial outlay with the prospect of perhaps ten years service, or lower cost at the risk of a shorter service life. I'd be tempted to spend more now if you intend to keep the car for a long time, see it as an investment.

I will concede that car magazines appear to be overemphasising the negative aspects of car buying, I have always found it to be a pleasant experience and I accept any risks that come with it as part and parcel of the whole enterprise. Like most things in life it is very much a learning experience, and I am now more confident in my abilities to sniff out a winner and to spot a lemon. So far it's worked! And I didn't listen to any of these so called experts - there is no substitute for experience, something you have learned the hard way my friend! Car ownership can be made to be enjoyable, as long as you accept the inevitable pitfalls that come with it. Cars are expensive, end of story!

Any catalytic converter is liable to damage that will shatter the matrix material and render it useless. Stainless ones can last a long time unless this happens.

Incidentally, in the time and effort put into this thread we could all have fixed our cars, rounded up a few bad egg car traders and generally put the World to rights for real.....

I'm off to fix my car then...

Doive wrote: I will concede that car magazines appear to be overemphasising the negative aspects of car buying, I have always found it to be a pleasant experience and I accept any risks that come with it as part and parcel of the whole enterprise. Like most things in life it is very much a learning experience, and I am now more confident in my abilities to sniff out a winner and to spot a lemon. So far it's worked! And I didn't listen to any of these so called experts - there is no substitute for experience, something you have learned the hard way my friend! Car ownership can be made to be enjoyable, as long as you accept the inevitable pitfalls that come with it. Cars are expensive, end of story!

Although it was by first venture into private buying I did find the car buying  a real pleasant experience as you say. I spent nearly a month and half looking at all kinds of models (some 3 series and mostly 5) both from private and trade (a different kind operated from homes but with proper VAT receipts and quite professionally too with the car upto date with all documentation!). This search introduced me to the myriad world of car sale techniques and I must admit I was rather pleased to encounter all this. I met some really decent people in private sale and it is imperative you treat them with respect and it will be reciprocated. All this "dodgy mentality" perpetuated by Autotrader/RAC/AA is simply OTT. No doubt you have to make sure you are getting your money's worth but in my opinion it can be done in a very civil manner by just following sensible protocols like requesting (not demanding) for verifying the car's documentation, persuading the owner to have a condition check done for the car (incidentally I came to know only now that BMW dealers could do one for a very small fee! ), and generally making an offer that is not too ridiculous --- one should bear in  mind that the seller is already "stung" because of the depreciation effects of cars. If both seller/buyer have done a bit of homework on the "market value" of the car then the above documentation and check should be adequate to make a deal in which both parties are happy; usually a seller has regrets letting go a much loved car and a buyer has no regrets taking off a much loved car at a depreciated price --- amazing contrast come to think of it!.

As I mentioned sometime earlier I had perhaps built up a "walking away fatigue" and hence got stung a bit on the one I eventually purchased although I still like the motor after the "costly" fixes!. Looking back I think I missed out on some real bargains -- a beautiful well maintained P reg 520 with 140k for only £2850 family owned, wasnt quick enough to make up my mind and someone snapped it cash payment ! Another P Reg 90k black/tan leather classy combination and in excellent condition. Again wasnt quick enough in making up my mind and snapped away !

There are wonderful bargains out there and from decent people. We dont need all this non-sense about mistrusting all and sundry, asking for "cold start"/ "hot start", or making unreasonable demands on viewing property rather than the car and so forth (most decent people wont mind showing their property for the really determined nosey buyers!). This idea of demanding to view address is a bit of a nonsense -- not everybody is just sitting at home polishing cars, they have jobs to do which are zillion miles away from home. Sometimes viewing "has" to happen in places other than residence.

Car buying can be conducted in a gentlemanly way with mutual respect! For that odd un-gentlemanly seller (or buyer) there is always an option --  just walk away not hastily but politely of course!

My main concerns are durability and hence maintainability of high mileage cars which is more to do with the car manufacturer, the fixer ("specialist") and so on  and that is why I opened up this thread !

regards,

Automatix