BMW 630i or 650i or something else?

[Strocky]

Can either get a 2009 630i or a 2007 650i for the same money, but don't do a lot of miles, will basically be for going to work and an odd weekend run for a couple of hours here and there

Not bothered wether it's a cab or coupe (was thinking of waiting to winter and try and grab a cheap cab bargain)

Is the 650i a potential money pit with it being a 8 year old car meaning the 2 year younger 630i is a far safer bet?

Buying second hand what major things should I be looking out for?

Is getting a BMW warranty at about a £1.2k a year VFM?

Or any other recommendations?

Got a budget of £18k max

Edited by Strocky on Tuesday 8th September 23:48

[Helicopter123]

Depends on what you want from the car. It will drive very much like a 2 door 5 series ( which it is). I didn't get on with my 2010 car, it was a disappointing thing. For that money, a 911 or a XK would be worth considering?

[Strocky]

Although it's a 2nd car and not needed for family duties, would have to be able to accommodate two car seats in the back on the odd occasion the soccer mom car is unavailable
Wouldn't that rule out the 911?

[Helicopter123]

I had a car seat in the back of mine (997.2). I had it behind the passenger seat with it pulled forward on the runners and no issues. With a passenger in, space would be tight, but not impossible. If it needs to move 4 I'm sure this would be a novelty, but I couldn't reccomend if for daily duties!

[bigalx]

Have you looked at the 8 series BMWs?

Appreciate that they are older but they are holding their money and if anything (sadly since I'm desperate to have one!) are actually going up in price?

You will easily get kiddies in the back and they look stunning and you'd get a cracking car with your budget.

If you get a 6 series you'll probably find you'll lose £10k on a weekend/second car and may well pay more car tax and insurance - an 8 series should have lower tax, have classic insurance and if anything go up in price - plus in my opinion they look far better than a 6-series and are far rarer as well?

Food for thought?

Alex

[Strocky]

bigalx said:

Have you looked at the 8 series BMWs?

Appreciate that they are older but they are holding their money and if anything (sadly since I'm desperate to have one!) are actually going up in price?

You will easily get kiddies in the back and they look stunning and you'd get a cracking car with your budget.

If you get a 6 series you'll probably find you'll lose £10k on a weekend/second car and may well pay more car tax and insurance - an 8 series should have lower tax, have classic insurance and if anything go up in price - plus in my opinion they look far better than a 6-series and are far rarer as well?

Food for thought?

Alex

Hi Alex,had a fleeting glance at the 8 series, still look fresh, but the interior looks dated and I'd baulk at paying more than £5k never mind £15-18k for a 18 year old car

I do have a sort of back up plan that would save me in the short term for big notes outlay and put my 328Ci 2000 back on the road, but it was my daily for 10 years and would cost about £2k to sort out

Edited by Strocky on Wednesday 9th September 14:44

Edited by Strocky on Wednesday 9th September 14:44

[bigalx]

Fair enough - and the beauty of cars I suppose is each to their own. I think the 6 is a great value car, but also think even the newer ones will keep on depreciating fast - I'm an accountant and a tight b@stard as well so that matters - plus my missus doesn't drive and the only way I'm allowed to have more than one car is justifying that its an investment - hence the E36 M3 I bought 2 years ago was "approved" (she has no idea of how much I spend on keeping it on the road though - not that's its been too much trouble - just the M tax and bringing what was a slightly unloved car closer to how I want it).

Anyways good luck with the search...

[Strocky]

Cheers Bud, any more opinions?

[Mitch16]

I bought a 2007 650i sport this summer and have covered c. 2000 miles since.

I looked at 630i and 650i and in the end the v8 won it for me. If you do average mileage then running costs will be similar yet you get that wonderful burble and smooth power delivery. It can press on when needed too! I would add that (in my opinion) the car is not a chuck around sports car but more a GT, which is what I wanted. It can hustle when needed yet is a great motorway cruiser.

I can fit two car seats in the back with ease and the boot will take two prams and bags, I am really pleased with the space.

I bought privately with no warranty prepared to take the chance. So far I had a problem with the electirc window which cost £450 to fix and have had the gearbox oil changed, which cost £400. Both done at my main dealer so I am sure could have been cheaper at an indy.

Personally I think the 6 has aged really well and I still get a smile every time I walk up to it (starting is another smile!).

Happy hunting, hope you find a good one and enjoy it as much as me.

[hornetrider]

Re 630 v 650. The bork on these ain't gonna come from the engine, it'll be electrics and stuff that's common to both cars.

Basically, get the V8. The end.

[quavey]

I find my 650i is F'in fantastic. I do occasionally think when I'm in the 530i do I need the 650i? All doubts go when I press that big round "Start" button and it barks into life. Infact for other 645/650 owners do you leave the door open to listen as well? Or is that just me?

I found that on RFT's that the handling wasnt that brilliant but since changing to normal tyres it has improved the front end feel a huge amount. Its still quite a big car mind but they do drive well and they are fast, very fast infact I'll stand by to this day its as fast as my old E39 M5.

I don't think anyone can regret buying a V8 coupe, especially as a second car. Values on them are quite interesting, I suspect the 630i will loose money as who wants a base model? Again with the diesels because there is more of them (and more to go wrong) but the V8's seem to be holding strong, especially the 650i. I've watched them for over a year now and they don't appear to have lost anything, infact they seem to have climbed a little if anything.

[minimatan]

To throw my tuppence in...

I have a 645Ci which was purchased with 55k with a full BMWSH. I have since covered 8,000 glorious miles.

Touring - performs with aplomb. I have recently undertaken a 4,000 miles trip across Europe (inc lots of autobahn ). Comfortable, fast, nice cabin and great stereo.

Hustling - Turn the DTC off and it becomes a supple, lithe BMW. Without Sport mode activated and DTC turned off, the car is like you'd expect the character to be - suitable for a retired person heading to the golf club.

RFTs - The Bridgestones are great and without a spare, totally necessary. Mine have hustled their way around the Nurburgring and are predictable and offer plenty of feedback. Oh, and I know my way around the Nordschleife so wasn't tiptoeing around!

Extras - well, mine has a manual box (which may as well be an extra as it is so rare!), the indispensable panoramic sunroof which transforms the cabin into a space with fantastic ambiance and adaptive headlights which are just brilliant. I hear that the HUD is excellent too.

Practicality - The boot is cavernous. So cavernous that it is a shame that the rear offers so little space for children. I have a five and one year old and we travelled to Herefordshire from London (and back) without complaints, but for Christ sake they're my children and it just isn't fair to see them without the ability to shake a leg in the rear! Also, I'll be damned if they are going to clamber all over my p&j and rip it apart! Therefore, I bought a bargain barge Volvo V70 2.4L Turbo also a manual. Problem sorted for now.

Costs - Well, you can't own a car like that, a V8 that is, not the 'other ones' and fill up with 95 ron. So of course, it is expensive and thirsty. Then again, I'm the kind of petrolhead that loves putting petrol in the car. The condition based servicing means that you can access the menu on any car that you inspect and see when the next costs are likely to arise. BMW offer reduced rates on cars older than three years; of course it is still dear, but then dealing with BMW offers not only use of a loan vehicle but also a degree of culpability in the event of something going wrong. Additionally, there is the convenience when dealing with the...

BMW Insured Warranty - When I purchased mine, I knew that I didn't want a single or sequence of failures to blow a massive hole in my finances. Therefore I opted for the Comprehensive cover with £100 excess. This has paid dividends over and above the initial financial outlay. As I am quite particular about the condition of my vehicles, it afforded me the opportunity to get lots of niggles sorted at the same time as more significant claims. The trick is, claiming at once, whilst the vehicle is at the dealer. This means that only one instance of an excess is payable. Therefore I have had the rocker cover gaskets replaced, a boot struts, indicator switch (with a contribution as they argued), the wheel bearing, an intermittent fault on the PDC that showed up in the fault memory, a check strap in the drivers door, an idrive reset, a window function reset, another oil leak that BMW found when replacing the spark plugs... you're the accountant, OP, so you do the maths. Not only have I offset the likelihood of significant unplanned expenditure, but I have also maintained the condition of my vehicle to a high standard, meaning that I can derive pleasure from ownership rather than have this experience diluted by the discomfort of having to deal with or live with faults, both large and small.

BMW breakdown cover - I got a discount on this when taking out the insured warranty. It is quite simply brilliant. They basically send an enthusiastic, relaxed (not-rushed), experienced BMW technician to you, regardless of how minor the problem and they sort it out, or refer you to BMW (who give them priority) or chat to you about your car and offer advise and general stuff. This extends Europe wide as well.

My advice is go for the 650i or a 645 and enjoy! Cheers!

[Strocky]

Cheers for the comprehensive reply Minimatan, 650i it is

[Strocky]

Is a BMW warranty achievable on a car over 60,000 miles?
And is 3 owners in 7 years a worry?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

[sjj84]

Strocky said:

Is a BMW warranty achievable on a car over 60,000 miles?
And is 3 owners in 7 years a worry?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Yes you can warranty them over 60k miles, but that is the cut off point that the price increases significantly. If you get one below 60k miles, you are better off paying monthly as the price stays the same even when you pass through the 60k mark. They also cover less things after 60k, things like bushes and suspension springs as they put it down to wear and tear.

[Strocky]

Cheers mate

[philmots]

The problem with putting a warranty on the car is they keep taking your money without you knowing if you're actually covered. There's no pre cover inspection to see if your service history etc is correct.

Check the thread in the M section about the fella who bought the E60 M5, put a BMW warranty on it, the engine went and they turned round and said he wasn't covered as something in the cars history was amiss.

I'd personally just put the money aside every month, specially on a 650i.. Most things can be resolved cheaply at indys.

[gf15]

Some good stuff here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Funny how times change, when I was looking @ 630 & 650 4 years ago, it was the 630 that was more expensive.
I know people say the 650 is a 550 in drag, but I do not agree, it is all aluminum / composite, the chassis is constructed from honeycomb aluminum ( I read somewhere that you cannot put a tow bar on it). Wheelbase is about 4 inches shorter, so drives differently.
We run a 2002 330i Convertible and a 2005 650 Coupe. The 650 uses about 10% more fuel than the 330, but travels everywhere faster; 330 natural cruising speed seems to be 75mph on the motorway, as opposed to 85 - 90 with the 650, restricted by license considerations.
Look out for electrolytic reaction on the doors & mirrors. Ensure that the gearbox sump cover & filter have been changed to the updated one (otherwise it will leak over time) cost is £200 at a specialist. I had my gearbox oil changed a couple of weeks ago at 138k miles, as the first change from 1st to 2nd from cold was a little notchy, oil & filter change sorted that out, now smooth as the other changes. I had to replace a few bits and bobs over the last 90k miles such as the gearbox sump cover, a wheel bearing, a couple of suspension bushes, a rear brake pipes (only one was rusty, did both, but my specialist said this was V.v. unusual). It is maintained properly by my specialist and if something may need doing, it is done sooner rather than later. Apart from that it has been trouble free. There are no squeaks or rattles and the interior / exterior is no different now from what it looked like with 40k miles on it (no visible wear on seats etc) and I plan to run for another 2 or 3 years or (should be on 200k miles by then) and I would buy on condition / service history / model over year.

I always start it from cold in the garage with the drivers door open to savour the noise. As a comparison, I was in a Chevy Camaro with a 6.2 litre v8 yesterday and it sounded a bit bland compared to the 650i.
Finally, I was very picky on finding my one (I wanted a pre 2006 650 in blue & cream with all the toys), so I was looking for a good 6 months. I also think that there is a limited market for the v8 cars. There were some cars that were over priced and remained on the market a very long time (years) and one was still on the marked a few months ago
It should be a buyers market.

[gf15]

Below was my short list from June 2011 with prices and spec I thought was important to me. I ended up paying £15,250 for the blue one with 47k miles.
Model --- year --- Price --- Mileage --- Colour --- Interior --- Logic 7 --- spoke wheels --- Sport --- Sport seats --- FBMSH --- Blue tooth --- Pana roof --- HUD --- Cup --- 6CD --- DAB --- ipod --- tax
650 06-06 15,950 79k Grey blk no 20 y y no n n N N Y 430
650 06-06 15,995 69k blk cream no 19 y y y Y no y n Y N Y 260
650 05-55 15,995 47k blue cream Y 19 Y Y Y Y no Y N Y Y Y 260
650 15,995 61k Blue cream Y 19 Y Y Y Y y n y y Y Y 260

[gf15]

Ooops, just remembered, We are in the AA (car breakdown lot) and I use their breakdown insurance cover, which pay the first £500 of any claim (excess is £25 from memory) and it costs something like £100 per year on an older car with >100k miles. I have never had a breakdown in the 650, so have never had to claim. AA is quite expensive, but if you go through Quidco, we got £75 off, which brought our cover down to ~ £160 for both cars, but with car breakdown insurance on my car only. AA policy includes everything except Hotel / Loan car if either of us have a (car related) brekdown.

On my last 1999 740 with 200k miles, the AA paid out quite a bit:
water pump £450,
fuel tank £500 (they paid first £500 of the £800 cost),
a coolant pipe £200,
Springs (4 over 4 years) £200 a go.

It does give a little peace of mind.