User Reviews

5-Series Alpina B10 3.3 4dr saloon

Billy Lee

Overall Rating

What a great car! Imported from Germany, LHD but easy to drive on British roads. Thinking of selling but very reluctant!

BMW 528i SE Auto Schnitzer

Bryan

Overall Rating

This is my fourth BMW and my third 5 Series and I love them. I have had a 523 before and there's not a massive difference in power. I would probably get a 523/525 again as they give better mpg. My experience shows it is 24mpg against 21mpg. my 528 is lovely: black with factory-fitted Schnitzer body kit, so very rare. Leather and automatic climate control; heated seats; factory side and rear electric blinds; lovely BMW 17-inch alloys; plus all the usual toys like multi-CD, electric windows and mirrors etc. Handling is awesome and so is power. So smooth. great to drive and room for the family too. Space is ok. I had an Audi a6 before which was massive. No issues with reliablility on this one, and servicing is reasonable compared to my Mazda! On my last one the cat converter went and the brakes had to be replaced. My mate has this one and it's on 120k miles now and still going strong. Mine has about 82k miles; I've only put on 6k in 14 months since I bought it. However, I've driven one with 275+k miles and it still felt good. If you want a mix between class, a family car and a sporty drive, then this is the one!

520 Touring Auto

David

Overall Rating

A handsome car, terrific handling despite it's size. As has already been mentioned the engine is not quite up to the job of hauling this much car around and the auto box just blunts the performance further. If pushed hard the performance is okay and it has a nice engine note but you can't drive everywhere on full throttle and probably can't afford to either considering that you only get 28mpg when driving carefully! Classy interior though not without problems, the leather on the front seats is getting tired and the electronic gear display is intermittant. I have the double sunroof which works perfectly but the inner panels rub together and squeek annoyingly. The factory fitted stereo is appauling! The speakers are badly situated and the rear window aerial set up just does not work. Not what you would expect in a prestige car. I currently run this car having bought it with 163k miles on the clock, I like it and have considered an LPG conversion to cut fuel costs.

BMW 540i

Frank Boundy

Overall Rating

I'm really pleased with the 540i, it goes and handles very well, still looks good and is in very good condition for its age. It is a 6 speed manual and so seems to have very good mpg, about 25 around town, a bit more, maybe 30 on the motorway, considering the size and weight of the car. It also has terrific performance with the manual box and the sport suspension. The wheels are from an m5 and makes the car look more purposeful than the original alloys. All the electrics work well except the pixels in the dashboard occasionally hard to read, in bright sunlight for instance. The interior and exterior of the car have both worn extremely well making me think this is a really good car for the money, both in terms of the purchase price and the overall running costs.

525I SE Auto

Mike Talbut

Overall Rating

I had a 520i SE (T Reg)for years and now bought a 525iSE auto on a 52 plate with full leather PDC and heated seats. What a car, Ive had Jags etc but for a driving machine with total comfort with total safety you cant get better. May not be cheap second hand but you will get years of driving pleasure. The running costs are not that cheap but they do not go wrong !! If you have got that extra few pounds buy one,even an older model if its got FSH ENJOY BMW LIKE I HAVE

520i SE Auto

Robert Myatt

Overall Rating

The worst BMW I have owned to date. Air-con switches break easily; door seals perish; gearbox slips in 2nd gear; and the dashboard's digital display is beginning to fail. Trust me, I am not alone with these complaints. I know of three other people with similar faults on totally different 5 series models. To top it off the 2-litre engine just isn't enough for this car, averaging around 28mpg. It's better to go for the 528. On the plus side, handling is extremely good and it's very quiet.