BMW F31 330d to G31 530d
Discussion
Hi all,
Just looking for some worldly advice and thoughts about switching from an F31 330d RWD to a G31 530d RWD. I've never really sought car advice previously as the choice has always been fairly clear to me about when to change and what to change from and into. I've had various E46 diesels in the past alongside an S2000 for a few years.
I've had my mineral grey MY14 F31 330d since April 2019. I bought it with 30k and it now has 100k. It is a very nice car with a fairly decent specification (HK, pro-nav, adaptive xenons, folding mirrors, extending digital dash, shadowline, m-perf brakes etc) alongside some sensible / subtle / OEM modifications (mapped, intercooler, m-perf aero kit, LCI rear lights, upgraded speakers, alcantara wheel, egr blanked and code removed). Overall, age and mileage notwithstanding, I would say the car is fairly mint with no mechanical issues whatsoever. I've clearly had the car a good period of time and mileage and am rather meticulous with maintenance and condition. As such it has been serviced every 9k, gearbox serviced at 60k, glowplugs changed etc etc. I'm around 3k into service and maintenance costs over the 4 and a bit years of ownership (excluding insurance & tax). The car is on fairly new PS5 tyres and I also have some accessories that are specific to the car - roof bars, bike rack and a set of winter wheels & tyres. It has just had new rear shocks and the steering bush upgrade installed.
The car was used as our only household car for personal use for 3 years alongside being a car for business use for me. I travel frequently within the UK for work and average between 15-17k / year, although this may be a little low due to the covid years. We now have a second car for pottering locally, so the F31 is more or less exclusively used for business travel or when I need to travel independently of my partner.
Whilst I've no doubt the F31 would continue reliably into the future, my reasons for considering a change are primarily related to Euro 6 regulations (F31 is Euro 5) and ride quality / comfort. I'm often travelling to Birmingham (2/3 week) and London (2/3 /month) for work and the condition of the roads makes for quite an uncomfortable and sometimes tiring experience.
Given the amount of time I spend in the car, I value comfort, performance, ride quality, infotainment and hi-fi. I'm really only looking exclusively at BMW as I have a good many years experience with them and feel comfortable working on them myself where possible.
Lastly, I've become somewhat used to (or spoilt) with effortless torque and overtaking ability and would likely say that without trying I'd find a 4cyl 520d unsatisfactory. I also wouldn't be interested in X-Drive models.
I receive a car allowance of £500 pcm and 45p/mile in expensive. I purchased the car for 18k in 2019 with 30k miles (hard to believe, I know) and would likely see 14-15k from a sale. The car owes me nothing financially, as I have received 6k x 4 in allowance payments + 70k in mileage payments.
I'm aware the cost to change is high if looking at G31s around the high 20s and would likely have a few years of paying luxury car tax (MY18/19). Insurance is looking to be a few hundred cheaper though. I'd be able to fund the G31 in cash and wouldn't like to or feel it necessary to take a loan. Net cost to change, all in, in my head is around 15k
Would it be worth it to change up to a G31 for my valued requirements
Is it worth spending more / suffering additional years of luxury car tax to get into a MY20 car?
Would I be mistaken for not considering a 530i?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Just looking for some worldly advice and thoughts about switching from an F31 330d RWD to a G31 530d RWD. I've never really sought car advice previously as the choice has always been fairly clear to me about when to change and what to change from and into. I've had various E46 diesels in the past alongside an S2000 for a few years.
I've had my mineral grey MY14 F31 330d since April 2019. I bought it with 30k and it now has 100k. It is a very nice car with a fairly decent specification (HK, pro-nav, adaptive xenons, folding mirrors, extending digital dash, shadowline, m-perf brakes etc) alongside some sensible / subtle / OEM modifications (mapped, intercooler, m-perf aero kit, LCI rear lights, upgraded speakers, alcantara wheel, egr blanked and code removed). Overall, age and mileage notwithstanding, I would say the car is fairly mint with no mechanical issues whatsoever. I've clearly had the car a good period of time and mileage and am rather meticulous with maintenance and condition. As such it has been serviced every 9k, gearbox serviced at 60k, glowplugs changed etc etc. I'm around 3k into service and maintenance costs over the 4 and a bit years of ownership (excluding insurance & tax). The car is on fairly new PS5 tyres and I also have some accessories that are specific to the car - roof bars, bike rack and a set of winter wheels & tyres. It has just had new rear shocks and the steering bush upgrade installed.
The car was used as our only household car for personal use for 3 years alongside being a car for business use for me. I travel frequently within the UK for work and average between 15-17k / year, although this may be a little low due to the covid years. We now have a second car for pottering locally, so the F31 is more or less exclusively used for business travel or when I need to travel independently of my partner.
Whilst I've no doubt the F31 would continue reliably into the future, my reasons for considering a change are primarily related to Euro 6 regulations (F31 is Euro 5) and ride quality / comfort. I'm often travelling to Birmingham (2/3 week) and London (2/3 /month) for work and the condition of the roads makes for quite an uncomfortable and sometimes tiring experience.
Given the amount of time I spend in the car, I value comfort, performance, ride quality, infotainment and hi-fi. I'm really only looking exclusively at BMW as I have a good many years experience with them and feel comfortable working on them myself where possible.
Lastly, I've become somewhat used to (or spoilt) with effortless torque and overtaking ability and would likely say that without trying I'd find a 4cyl 520d unsatisfactory. I also wouldn't be interested in X-Drive models.
I receive a car allowance of £500 pcm and 45p/mile in expensive. I purchased the car for 18k in 2019 with 30k miles (hard to believe, I know) and would likely see 14-15k from a sale. The car owes me nothing financially, as I have received 6k x 4 in allowance payments + 70k in mileage payments.
I'm aware the cost to change is high if looking at G31s around the high 20s and would likely have a few years of paying luxury car tax (MY18/19). Insurance is looking to be a few hundred cheaper though. I'd be able to fund the G31 in cash and wouldn't like to or feel it necessary to take a loan. Net cost to change, all in, in my head is around 15k
Would it be worth it to change up to a G31 for my valued requirements
Is it worth spending more / suffering additional years of luxury car tax to get into a MY20 car?
Would I be mistaken for not considering a 530i?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Edited by Sim89 on Thursday 25th May 11:12
Whilst I can't comment on the 530d in particular, I have regular access to my in-laws' G31 540i, which they ticked just about every option on and I used to own an F31 320d to compare to.
The F31 was more than adequaten for my needs, it cost pennies to run and aside from being a dull car I couldn't fault it for the way it fulfilled it's job as a mile muncher and load lugger. The G31 is a huge step up when it comes to interior comfort and I tend to borrow it when I'm doing longer motorway hauls or needing to move around things that just don't fit well in to our other cars. Whilst I certainly prefer their post-LCI model to the pre-LCI they had before it, there's a substantial step up in costs which I'd struggle to justify when the pre-LCI was plenty good enough.
My only criticism would be that it's a big old car and if you're frequently looking for parking in city centres then it's not really the best car for that, however if you've got designated parking or are pre-booking then that's less of an issue. I'd lean towards an SE for comfort over an M-Sport, but that tends to make it more difficult to then find one that's well spec'd and the M-Sport isn't a big step down in comfort.
The F31 was more than adequaten for my needs, it cost pennies to run and aside from being a dull car I couldn't fault it for the way it fulfilled it's job as a mile muncher and load lugger. The G31 is a huge step up when it comes to interior comfort and I tend to borrow it when I'm doing longer motorway hauls or needing to move around things that just don't fit well in to our other cars. Whilst I certainly prefer their post-LCI model to the pre-LCI they had before it, there's a substantial step up in costs which I'd struggle to justify when the pre-LCI was plenty good enough.
My only criticism would be that it's a big old car and if you're frequently looking for parking in city centres then it's not really the best car for that, however if you've got designated parking or are pre-booking then that's less of an issue. I'd lean towards an SE for comfort over an M-Sport, but that tends to make it more difficult to then find one that's well spec'd and the M-Sport isn't a big step down in comfort.
Thanks for the information.
Parking not much of an issue as I'm usually pre-booked in hotels or airports or at a customer site. Rarely parking on a street in the city centre so size is less of a concern. I do have a few bikes that I either like to put in the boot or on the roof for longer trips, so I value space in this regard, as well as for work things.
Parking not much of an issue as I'm usually pre-booked in hotels or airports or at a customer site. Rarely parking on a street in the city centre so size is less of a concern. I do have a few bikes that I either like to put in the boot or on the roof for longer trips, so I value space in this regard, as well as for work things.
We just changed my wife’s 2019 F36 430d Gran Coupe xdrive - only reason for changing was my wife has joint pain and found access difficult especially in tight spaces (plus it’s a bit lower), mainly down to the deep door pockets!
I bought her it at 1 year old with 6,000 miles in 2020 as a 60th birthday present and with 33,000 miles on it, it lost £5,000 over what we paid when we sold it which I think is pretty good.
I would not have changed it although the luxury car tax is a bitter pill to swallow.
I absolutely loved that car (I know you’re not keen on xdrive), fast, comfortable, reasonably economical (average around 38mpg overall), reasonably practical with the rear hatch.
You can get a 430d without xdrive (the 435d as you probably know only comes with xdrive).
We’ve gone a bit left field and ended up with a Cupra Formentor 190TSI 4 drive - nice enough but I miss the BMW.
I bought her it at 1 year old with 6,000 miles in 2020 as a 60th birthday present and with 33,000 miles on it, it lost £5,000 over what we paid when we sold it which I think is pretty good.
I would not have changed it although the luxury car tax is a bitter pill to swallow.
I absolutely loved that car (I know you’re not keen on xdrive), fast, comfortable, reasonably economical (average around 38mpg overall), reasonably practical with the rear hatch.
You can get a 430d without xdrive (the 435d as you probably know only comes with xdrive).
We’ve gone a bit left field and ended up with a Cupra Formentor 190TSI 4 drive - nice enough but I miss the BMW.
The step up from 3 series to 5 series in quality is much larger than you’d think. I went E90 330d to F11 535d, I wouldn’t have believed they were manufactured by the same company had I not known better. I presently have a G21 330d, I routinely long for a F11 or G31 and may change knowing how much better they feel, I may change soon.
Just make sure you get VDC/adaptive suspension. I’d still have my F11 now if it had VDC.
Just make sure you get VDC/adaptive suspension. I’d still have my F11 now if it had VDC.
Sim89 said:
I've had my mineral grey MY14 F31 330d since April 2019. I bought it with 30k and it now has 100k. It is a very nice car with a fairly decent specification (HK, pro-nav, adaptive xenons, folding mirrors, extending digital dash, shadowline, m-perf brakes etc) alongside some sensible / subtle / OEM modifications (mapped, intercooler, m-perf aero kit, LCI rear lights, upgraded speakers, alcantara wheel, egr blanked and code removed). Overall, age and mileage notwithstanding, I would say the car is fairly mint with no mechanical issues whatsoever. I've clearly had the car a good period of time and mileage and am rather meticulous with maintenance and condition. As such it has been serviced every 9k, gearbox serviced at 60k, glowplugs changed etc etc. I'm around 3k into service and maintenance costs over the 4 and a bit years of ownership (excluding insurance & tax). The car is on fairly new PS5 tyres and I also have some accessories that are specific to the car - roof bars, bike rack and a set of winter wheels & tyres. It has just had new rear shocks and the steering bush upgrade installed.
....
would likely see 14-15k from a sale.
Nice subtle advert there ....
would likely see 14-15k from a sale.
Edited by JackJarvis on Friday 26th May 00:01
Thanks for all the input.
It does seem like a step up and it would likely be more suited to my driving style and typical use case for the car.
I'm not particularly into the 20" wheel look, but it seems like all of the cars with HK have these wheels, and HK is a must for me.
Perhaps I can sell the 20"s and purchase some 19"s separately to get the spec.
VDC seems very rare in RWD models too..
It does seem like a step up and it would likely be more suited to my driving style and typical use case for the car.
I'm not particularly into the 20" wheel look, but it seems like all of the cars with HK have these wheels, and HK is a must for me.
Perhaps I can sell the 20"s and purchase some 19"s separately to get the spec.
VDC seems very rare in RWD models too..
Sim89 said:
Hi all,
Whilst I've no doubt the F31 would continue reliably into the future, my reasons for considering a change are primarily related to Euro 6 regulations (F31 is Euro 5) and ride quality / comfort. I'm often travelling to Birmingham (2/3 week) and London (2/3 /month) for work and the condition of the roads makes for quite an uncomfortable and sometimes tiring experience.
[/footnote]
Is it definitely Euro 5? I'm only 1 year newer in a 330D F31 and it's Euro 6. Whilst I've no doubt the F31 would continue reliably into the future, my reasons for considering a change are primarily related to Euro 6 regulations (F31 is Euro 5) and ride quality / comfort. I'm often travelling to Birmingham (2/3 week) and London (2/3 /month) for work and the condition of the roads makes for quite an uncomfortable and sometimes tiring experience.
[/footnote]
Thanks, I'm very interested too - mostly in the ride, comfort, quality and NVH. A larger car is useful for me, but I know G31s are big things. Most of my driving (for business) consists of motorways and A roads and only occasionally city centres, so I'm hoping the size won't be too restrictive or challenging.
I did 5 years and 75k in my F31 and for the most part had no complaints, but the ride (given the state of the roads) became tiring to me.
I did 5 years and 75k in my F31 and for the most part had no complaints, but the ride (given the state of the roads) became tiring to me.
Did a long journey home in the G31 after collecting it on Wednesday. Although it has 20" wheels, RFTs and passive suspension, the ride quality is still superior to the F31. I can imagine it getting better if I were to change to 19"s and non-RFTs.
Overall the build quality is very impressive, everything feels solid and NVH is definitely a step up - it is quite a bit quieter at 70mph than the F31 and very composed on motorways.
ID7 is very nice and intuitive. I have read that early ID7 systems do not support remote software updates and that updates can only be done whilst connected. Later ID7 supported OTA updates.
B57 is quiet and smooth, not really noticeable. Performance is effortless - for the moment I have no desire to map or change anything regarding power and delivery.
Quite impressed so far...
Overall the build quality is very impressive, everything feels solid and NVH is definitely a step up - it is quite a bit quieter at 70mph than the F31 and very composed on motorways.
ID7 is very nice and intuitive. I have read that early ID7 systems do not support remote software updates and that updates can only be done whilst connected. Later ID7 supported OTA updates.
B57 is quiet and smooth, not really noticeable. Performance is effortless - for the moment I have no desire to map or change anything regarding power and delivery.
Quite impressed so far...
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