523 or 528...?

[fid]

Evenin' all!

It's time for me to get a new car..considering a 523i SE or 528i SE. Firstly, which would you all go for? General reliability, costs etc.? Parkers has the 528 as only doing 1mpg less than the 523, so that doesn't seem too bad...

What kind of things do I need to look out for and be cautious about if I go to take a look at one? And, any idea of the best place to get an aftermarket warranty if I buy privately?

Cheers :D
fid

[hereward]

Go for the 528i.

Do a Google search for " Nikasil ". For your info, both of these cars have the M52 engine.

[fid]

hereward said:

Go for the 528i. Do a Google search for " Nikasil ". For your info, both of these cars have the M52 engine.

Good old Nikasil. So I guess they didn't do a total recall and change all the liners? I'd definitely get a warranty, not sure whether that'd cover the Nikasil though as it's a known problem...I guess it would. Hmmmmmmm.

[sideways500]

For what its worth, I considered (and drove) an E39 528, but bought an E34 540 (6 spd manual with all the toys). Much faster and cheaper. Fuel consumption significantly higher though. However, I reckon the overall ownership costs won't be much more over a couple of years.

[Pickled Piper]

If you are going to drive it mainly around town then go for the cheaper 523. If like most people you do a mixture of motorway and A & B road driving then the 528 is definitely more enjoyable.

pp

[fid]

Most of my driving is on A and B roads. I'll be getting one after I'm 21 next month, and although I like the 523, I think I should take advantage of the 528 being only £17 more to insure for the year! I'd love a 540, but that's about £500 more to insure, and probably a fair bit more for petrol. Would be nice though.