Under mixed driving conditions, I am getting a fuel efficiency of 13.5 km/l which is reasonable for this 1700 kg beast
BHPian Civic_doc recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
My BMW 530D M Sport F10 – Bee Emm
They say “If you want something from your heart then the whole world will meet you.”
I have been passionate about automobiles since childhood. And I must say that the credit goes to my Father who is also an enthusiast.
Our journey started with a White Maruti Omni(1988), followed by a swanky Red Maruti 800 (1992), Tata Indica type 1 (1998), Hyundai Accent (2002), Toyota Innova (2006), Ford Figo (2012), Maruti Suzuki Baleno (2016), Toyota Fortuner (2017), 2010 Honda Civic & Skoda Kushaq (2022).
I personally purchased a 2010 Honda Civic in 2019 which we still own.
The urge to upgrade was in 2021 since there was something missing in the Honda Civic.
What I missed in Civic was the manic torque that only a diesel can offer.
I started seeing classifieds for German cars and the search began
Cars considered
- C250 CDI: The capable C-class chassis and the 500nm of mouth-watering torque made me consider this car. Had seen a few listings but they were not well maintained and few were overpriced
- BMW 3 Series: The able and agile chassis and the right size for Indian roads. Test drove a decently maintained F30 but, I seriously missed the real power, the real whoosh of the turbo. This could be because I am accustomed to the Toyota Fortuner’s massive torque in POWER mode. So it didn’t give me that thrilling experience that I was looking for. At this point, I realized that I needed something bigger and more powerful! Probably a 3-liter turbocharged engine!
- ML 350 CDI: Since I was looking for a 3 liter now, I also considered a few SUV options like ML 350 CDI but the cost constraints and the high maintenance costs kept me away. Also, my father and brother were against an SUV as we already have a Fortuner at home!
After looking at the above options I thought of the BMW 530d mainly because I had heard and read a lot about the famous 3.0 liter creamy smooth V6 engine
Also, I enjoyed reading GTO‘s post and others of their 530d M Sport a few years ago. This led me to believe that the 5 series would meet my criteria. For the last six months, I have been looking at 530d classifieds. Most of the cars either had multiple owners or were overpriced.
And then I came across a listing, a 2009 BMW 530d E60 2009. It was a second owner, 54,000 km driven. I drove it and the engine and gearbox seemed fine to me. And that power surge! Oh my my, This is what I was looking for! My search would have ended here, BUT this car was not kept well by its owner(s). For starters, this was still running on the first set of tires! But the owner seemed genuine.* His asking price was 6.85 lakhs and my final offer was 5.75 lakhs. Even after knowing the fact that the car needed to be registered, all 4 tires needed replacement, all fluids to be replaced, and water leakage in the driver-side footwell. The owner was also in two minds whether to sell the car or not and the deal did not take off!
Ahmedabad.* I said to myself, “This is it!”. I was about to purchase the car for a mere 13 lakhs, but because I was living in Gujarat for work and only had a rental agreement, a few more documents were required, such as a police verification of my address. I completed the necessary paperwork and was about to pick up the car the next day post-inspection. However, fate had other plans. The car was sold the day before!*
One more 530d was listed in Surat. It was a 2011 530d single owner with 22,000 kms and the price quoted was too high i.e. 22.5 lakhs. I gave it a pass.
MY Bee Emm
Inspection and buying process
On around the 13th of September, I saw a listing on Facebook. November 2016 530d M Sport in Alpine white color, the first owner run only 53000 km quoted at 30 lakhs! The car was Surat RTO registered and was with a preowned car dealer in Surat itself. Initially, I ignored the car looking at the price tag.
From the pictures posted, I could tell that the car had an immaculate bodyline and looked as good as new. I could also tell that the Interiors were not abused.
I checked the registration details of the car on the CarInfo App. It was registered in the name of a young (35-ish) guy. Due to my curiosity, I searched for him on Facebook and looked at his profile (admittedly, that was a bit much), but it was the only way I could get a sense of the owner.
After seeing his profiles he seemed to be a good boy and one who would not abuse his car(s). The urge to see the car grew more and more. I called the dealer on 15th September, enquired, and reached his place at around 7 pm after finishing my work. I know this was not a great time for a car inspection. The dealer was out for some work and his security guard handed me over the key. Initial impressions of the car were positive.
I started by checking the body line of the car. Windshields and window glasses were of similar make and date. The rear tires were 2021 make and the front tires were 2019 make Continental Tubeless tyres. They had a decent amount of tread left. The wheels were painted black, brake calipers in Red. It looked just WOW! The interiors were in great shape too, the steering wheel and buttons did not have a single sign of abuse. All electricals were working as intended. This was the only inspection I did followed by a 3-4 km test drive. All felt OK. The car was easy to judge and drive. I gave him an offer of 24 lakhs and went home. His offer was 28.5 lakhs.
Honestly, I had not planned for such a big purchase. I went home and discussed it with my family. My wife liked the car and told me to go for it and for once to calm this car-buying urge. haha!
I showed the pictures to my brother, who is also an avid car enthusiast. He also liked the car.
My father said if you like the car, give the token and block it. I still had to manage the finances as I had initially thought that I would buy a 10-year-old BMW and had a budget for the same. I remember my brother’s wife saying “Mehenga Roye Ek Baar, Sasta Roye Baar Baar“ meaning Expensive but good quality product is any day better than going the cheaper route and then spending on preventive maintenance.
18th September, on the evening of my birthday, I transferred the token amount to the dealer, with the condition that I would first check the service history and have the car inspected at BMW. If there were any issues or if I was not happy with the car, he would return the amount, to which he agreed.
The car was sent to Eminent Cars BMW, SURAT and largely the inspection report came out well
Nonaccidental, No Insurance claims, The only issue reported was alloys were run out minimally and brake pedal judder on heavy braking. These were both minor issues which could be dealt with later. The inspection cost me Rs 14,500.
So, the final negotiation began (one-sided dealer’s side) and a price was finalized. Till this time, I wasn’t aware that there is a transfer tax in Gujarat and that too 15% of the original LST if the vehicle is less than 8 years old.
The D Day:
Delivery was scheduled for the 23rd of September.
The delivery day was just Epic. It was pouring down like cats and dogs the previous night and also in the morning. I was anxious about water logging and any issues while driving the car in the rain but just 20 minutes prior to our departure for delivery the rains slowed down and we left to take delivery in our Fortuner. It was a 45 km drive from Navsari to Surat. By the time we reached Surat, it was bone dry there. This was nothing short of a miracle for me and I thank god for that.
The experience with the dealership was largely ok except for the delay in the transfer of ownership. We cut a cake and clicked a few pictures while handing over the keys. And left for home!
Now the car is transferred and driven for 1000 km post delivery. The transfer took around a month to complete.
Things I don’t like:
- Ground clearance: The car is very very low – one has to be careful on bad roads and speed breakers. I knew about this beforehand, but thanks to Indian road conditions I am extra cautious while I am driving it*
- No keyless entry: Since this is a fairly new car, I would have loved it if BMW offered keyless entry in this car.
- Poor rear legroom: Again a known issue, but didn’t expect the issue to be so bad. The rear legroom is very poor and this makes the car purely a 4-seater.
- No aircon controls for rear passengers: The rear passengers have no way to control the rear Aircon. Also, some passengers* have complained about the airflow being low in the back seat. The only option which remains is to hit that MAX A/C button.
Things I like:
- Power: Torque, torque, and torque. It pulls like an airliner ready to take off on a runway
- Driving Dynamics: Balanced chassis and very able handler
- Noise insulation: No matter what speeds you are doing, the engine and road noise are always under control and are largely filtered out, making the cabin a very silent place to be in.
- Looks: I always look back at her after I lock it. Well, sometimes I also feel like putting up a chair in front of it and sipping some tea while looking at her.*
- Drive: the ride is a bit firm but compliant. I prefer driving in Comfort Mode but Sports Mode is mandatory when I see an open stretch of road or twisties
- Fuel efficiency: Under mixed driving conditions I am getting 13.5 km/l which is reasonable for this 1700 kg beast
- The next service shows after 5000 km. Would need guidance from you guys on to service it in the Mumbai Bmw service center or a Nice FNG in Mumbai or nearby Surat.
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