This car will go down in history as one of the best I’ve ever owned & experienced; that’s a heavy compliment when you consider the fact that I’ve driven about 200 different cars in the time that I’ve owned the 530d. And she still stands out as one of the most special
BHPian GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
There was no need to sell the car – the 530d has aged beautifully and still felt luxurious, fast & awesome to drive. But as you could tell from my posts on this thread, the itch to upgrade was getting stronger & stronger. I controlled it for 2 years and now, with the 530d having just turned 12 years old, I’ve said goodbye to it.
Well, not literally. The greatest consolation prize is that it’s gone to one of my closest friends who had his eyes on the car for about a year. I gave him indicative numbers and left the final price up to him. He said “13 lakhs”. I said “done”. He’s fallen in love with the Bimmer even more after living with it, and is planning a drive from Mumbai to Kerala soon.
Rear legroom has been the sole & biggest disadvantage of this car. It is simply too cramped for leg space at the back. On the other hand, the BMW 530d has been fabulous in terms of its timeless styling, top-class build & safety, luxurious interiors, mad engine + mad gearbox (more so after both were remapped), great EPS steering, and just how the car makes you “feel”. IMHO, how a car makes you feel is everything, and literally a deal maker or deal breaker.
Its overall reliability has matched or beaten the 3 Hondas I’ve owned before.
Like all great things in life, my 530d ownership has come to an end. Thanks for the enormous engagement on this thread and for making it a Top-3 ownership review (in terms of views) on Team-BHP. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed sharing my 530d stories here. Gannu’s Polo GT TDI remains the no.1 with 19.55 lakh views, while Leoshashi’s XL6 is right behind with 18.35 lakh views (this 530d thread is currently at 18.58 lakh views).
In 2026, I will start a new story & thread.
Shot after my final drive in the 530d:
One of the first pics I took of this incredible machine:
And one of the best:
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