Swapping an F11 530d for a E53 X5 3.0i?
Discussion
Hi all!
Not been on here in sometime but I m looking for some advice.
I ve been toying with the idea of getting a car to transport my 2 large (40-45kg) dogs around. I was thinking about getting an E53 X5 3.0i as it won t be be doing many miles.
But the more I think about it, the more I think about just getting rid of my F11 to save some money. I used a personal loan to get the F11 and want to try and save some money. The F11 does have some good extras on which I d miss but I think I want something cheaper to help improve my monthly expenditure.
Now I know, getting an old car may seem a bit counter intuitive. But, I think saving a chunk of money on car finance would help me.
My question is, what other alternatives are there? Around £5-6k budget. I do want an SUV (I’m sorry!) Don’t want anything too sluggish.
I don t do many miles, doing the odd 40mile round trip some weekends. So not sure if another diesel is right.
TLDR: Thinking about swapping my F11 530d for a E53 X5 to save some money.
Not been on here in sometime but I m looking for some advice.
I ve been toying with the idea of getting a car to transport my 2 large (40-45kg) dogs around. I was thinking about getting an E53 X5 3.0i as it won t be be doing many miles.
But the more I think about it, the more I think about just getting rid of my F11 to save some money. I used a personal loan to get the F11 and want to try and save some money. The F11 does have some good extras on which I d miss but I think I want something cheaper to help improve my monthly expenditure.
Now I know, getting an old car may seem a bit counter intuitive. But, I think saving a chunk of money on car finance would help me.
My question is, what other alternatives are there? Around £5-6k budget. I do want an SUV (I’m sorry!) Don’t want anything too sluggish.
I don t do many miles, doing the odd 40mile round trip some weekends. So not sure if another diesel is right.
TLDR: Thinking about swapping my F11 530d for a E53 X5 to save some money.
Edited by Lucas_Wxm on Saturday 7th February 12:26
I still daily an E53 3.0d and it s a great old bus that happily soaks up 10-15k per year and has done for the past 7-8 years.
Cheap as chips to buy but don t be under any illusions about running costs if you re not mechanically minded. They are all heading for classic territory now which means you need to have an appetite for keeping on top of things and dealing with bits that fall off. I reckon a budget of around £1.5k pa to maintain provided you re using OEM quality after market and/or a bit of vehicle breaker for esoteric stuff. Last year was a biggie with a gearbox mechatronic rebuild and a whole new suspension set on the back end which came in at about £2.5k but that level of spend has been very unusual in my tenure.
If you don’t need ULEZ I d be going diesel - fuel economy and range vastly better and considerably more grunt than the 3.0i. I get about 650 to the fuel light on a 94 litre tank.
Check the boot size as well - it s not as big as you might be thinking as the car is closer to a modern X3 in size. Removing the rear luggage blind effectively makes the boot about a foot deeper and is easy but necessary for transporting my 40kg Labrador.
I like the car very much and it s starting to come of age now it’s a bit rarer and the styling is from BMW’s high point. I can also bore for England on what to watch out for and preventative maintenance so by all means shout if there s anything specific you’d like an opinion on!
Cheap as chips to buy but don t be under any illusions about running costs if you re not mechanically minded. They are all heading for classic territory now which means you need to have an appetite for keeping on top of things and dealing with bits that fall off. I reckon a budget of around £1.5k pa to maintain provided you re using OEM quality after market and/or a bit of vehicle breaker for esoteric stuff. Last year was a biggie with a gearbox mechatronic rebuild and a whole new suspension set on the back end which came in at about £2.5k but that level of spend has been very unusual in my tenure.
If you don’t need ULEZ I d be going diesel - fuel economy and range vastly better and considerably more grunt than the 3.0i. I get about 650 to the fuel light on a 94 litre tank.
Check the boot size as well - it s not as big as you might be thinking as the car is closer to a modern X3 in size. Removing the rear luggage blind effectively makes the boot about a foot deeper and is easy but necessary for transporting my 40kg Labrador.
I like the car very much and it s starting to come of age now it’s a bit rarer and the styling is from BMW’s high point. I can also bore for England on what to watch out for and preventative maintenance so by all means shout if there s anything specific you’d like an opinion on!
Edited by Evog on Saturday 7th February 14:33
Presumably the F11 is the estate, can you make that work?
It's great not paying a monthly fee for a car. But TBH the old adage of "the cheapest car is the one you already own" is true.
An F11 is more modern, which should mean major components have more life in them.
With 5-6k for an e53 you may get lucky and buy a good one. But people dress up problem cars and sell them for the same price as the good ones, and there's a good chance you'll be buying someone else's problems.
Not an issue if you're handy with the spanners and it's something you really want, but if it's solely financially driven then just paying down your finance, and then holding onto the F11 for a few more years is probably the best option- if not the most exciting.
Reference point: I spent 7 years running a 2.0 Passat TDI (well, VW CC) after running all sorts of various performance variant cars. It wasn't the most exciting drive, but I did 130k in it and only needed to replace glow pugs, an abs sensor and a spring. The money I saved on swapping, servicing and fixing cars enabled me to be in a much better place financially.
It's great not paying a monthly fee for a car. But TBH the old adage of "the cheapest car is the one you already own" is true.
An F11 is more modern, which should mean major components have more life in them.
With 5-6k for an e53 you may get lucky and buy a good one. But people dress up problem cars and sell them for the same price as the good ones, and there's a good chance you'll be buying someone else's problems.
Not an issue if you're handy with the spanners and it's something you really want, but if it's solely financially driven then just paying down your finance, and then holding onto the F11 for a few more years is probably the best option- if not the most exciting.
Reference point: I spent 7 years running a 2.0 Passat TDI (well, VW CC) after running all sorts of various performance variant cars. It wasn't the most exciting drive, but I did 130k in it and only needed to replace glow pugs, an abs sensor and a spring. The money I saved on swapping, servicing and fixing cars enabled me to be in a much better place financially.
Also look at the Infiniti in either EX/FX form:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202508265...
If a diesel can work for you, you'll get a nice one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267538975270?_skw=infin...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202508265...
If a diesel can work for you, you'll get a nice one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267538975270?_skw=infin...
My mate has the E53 in diesel and it’s been good for him. Can get his dogs in the back and basically used as a site car. I swear I’ll buy an SUV or at least a banger hatch to run my dogs about every time I smack my head getting them in and out my coupe Audi but I just can’t bring myself to get an SUV just yet. Wouldn’t turn down a new X3M though. I have been through the maths in my head so many times and concluded that for the odd time I need to take my big dog to the vets or visiting family, it’s just not worth changing. What I’d get for mine is pitiful so I keep it despite its impracticality. Also, there’s a lot to be said about having a reliable car as the last few of mine have been t
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