Should I swap my car for this?

PureAwesomeness

PureAwesomeness

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PureAwesomeness
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SteamTroller77
So here's the deal. Currently I drive a 2006 Nissan Fuga 250GT. It's basically an Infiniti M class with a 2500cc engine. Lovely car and very clean with the exception of one scratch put down the side by a vandal. It only has 6 months left before it needs to have a road inspection. That is quite costly here in Japan and will probably cost about $1000 to keep it on the road for another 2 years.

The real problem though is, this summer I bought a husky and he is getting very big. If I want to take him anywhere I really need a station wagon or an MPV. I used to drive a Mazda MPV and don't really want to go back to another van people carrier. So, I think I need a station wagon. The challenge is twofold. One, I don't really want to drive anything that is going to be a huge step down in terms of ride quality, performance or comfort. Two, I don't have any money!

Today I found a 2001 (E39) BMW 525 Touring for sale locally. It has exactly the same mileage as my Nissan, leather interior, sunroof and AC Schnitzer alloys. It also has been road inspected so can run for the next 2 years. The garage is prepared to do a straight swap, no money required. Should I do it? I've never owned a BMW before. Foreign cars are considered pretty cool here but people shy away from buying used because they think they are expensive to maintain. Opinions please!
 
Well you could consider and research about maintenance costs for BMWs where you live and act accordingly. From what I know 525s are pretty good though I don't really trust the E39s very much since they usually have quite a bit of tech and sometimes when problems arised people fixed them cheaply, which could come back to haunt you. If you check the car in the normal problem areas, if it's been well maintained and you can afford to maintin it then go for it. Also, have you considered a stagea? I know nothing at all about them since they don't sell them here but they look pretty cool plus they're nissans so you wouldn't need to change manufacturer.
 
The problem with all those German cars is parts are expensive. I'm not sure about BMW but with mercedes every little part was so expensive and biggest scam. I have never seen your current car so I'm not sure if it's a good deal or not but you could go to your BMW dealership and ask them some questions about maintenance cost on it. If you think it's normal cost as your current car than mine as well trade since its no extra money and you want it.
 
PureAwesomeness
So here's the deal. Currently I drive a 2006 Nissan Fuga 250GT. It's basically an Infiniti M class with a 2500cc engine. Lovely car and very clean with the exception of one scratch put down the side by a vandal. It only has 6 months left before it needs to have a road inspection. That is quite costly here in Japan and will probably cost about $1000 to keep it on the road for another 2 years.

The real problem though is, this summer I bought a husky and he is getting very big. If I want to take him anywhere I really need a station wagon or an MPV. I used to drive a Mazda MPV and don't really want to go back to another van people carrier. So, I think I need a station wagon. The challenge is twofold. One, I don't really want to drive anything that is going to be a huge step down in terms of ride quality, performance or comfort. Two, I don't have any money!

Today I found a 2001 (E39) BMW 525 Touring for sale locally. It has exactly the same mileage as my Nissan, leather interior, sunroof and AC Schnitzer alloys. It also has been road inspected so can run for the next 2 years. The garage is prepared to do a straight swap, no money required. Should I do it? I've never owned a BMW before. Foreign cars are considered pretty cool here but people shy away from buying used because they think they are expensive to maintain. Opinions please!
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Bingo. I don't know what the situation is like exactly in Japan, but German cars tend to be expensive to maintain. BMWs especially are not really for people who... don't have much disposable money. When they are fully functional, they are fantastic, but when something breaks, it ain't cheap. The Germans are proud of their engineering (often times rightfully), but that also means that they price their stuff at that level too. I'm willing to be though that your Nissan will be more reliable than the BMW. How many kilometers are on the BMW? BMW calls for inspection service after a certain amount of kilometers, and if you're right at that point, even if it's already passed the road inspection, just to maintain the car may be upwards of $1000. Also, are there any BMW Clubs of Japan or something like that? They may be a good resource in terms of ownership costs and all that info.
 
Thanks for the feedback everybody. So the concensus seems to be that BMWs are expensive to repair when something goes wrong. Mileage-wise both cars have done 67,000kms (41,600 miles).
I thought about a Stagea. Basically the same chassis and drivetrain as what I have now but slightly less luxurious. They look huge though. Not many on the used market though and finding a good one is not as easy as it sounds. There's a lot to be said for brand loyalty but I've never owned two cars made by the same maker. I like to try new things. So far I've gone from Ford to Rover to Honda to Subaru to Mazda to Nissan!
The bit about not having any money was a slight exaggeration. I have a steady job and I just bought a new house. Just don't want to end up with a car that is going to need repairing every other week.
I usually only drive at the weekends, so I figure if I change the oil regularly etc. it should be ok, right?
 
PureAwesomeness
Today I found a 2001 (E39) BMW 525 Touring for sale locally. It has exactly the same mileage as my Nissan, leather interior, sunroof and AC Schnitzer alloys. It also has been road inspected so can run for the next 2 years. The garage is prepared to do a straight swap, no money required. Should I do it? I've never owned a BMW before. Foreign cars are considered pretty cool here but people shy away from buying used because they think they are expensive to maintain. Opinions please!
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Isn't that what Famine has?

Drop him an PM, i'm sure he can give you the in's and out's of living with a used example.
 
You should buy a Daihatsu Charade GTxx as a second car.. Just because you can.. :) And ship it out to me when you're bored of it :D
 
TheCracker
Isn't that what Famine has?

Drop him an PM, i'm sure he can give you the in's and out's of living with a used example.
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Very close. Famine has a 528, marginally more powerful but otherwise very similar. He definitely has favourable things to say about them but if running one in Japan is expensive, then running one in Japan is expensive.
 
The 525 should be fairly straight forward to keep running. Most issues will be well documented, but the BMW Straight 6 is generally bullet proof. Though sometimes they get wonky with electronics, but my friend hasn't had much trouble with his 530 yet. I'd look into parts options for a BMW in Japan, as I know they have more restrictions and import taxes than we have in the US. Generally though, I feel it is cheaper to get parts for a BMW than for a Benz or Audi.
 
Ours is a 523 - same capacity (2.5), slightly older engine.

And yes. Ours has cost us a total of £220 in maintenance... ever. We've had it 18 months. That comprises a pair of rear brake lines (E36 you have to drop the fuel tank to do them, E39 you don't :D) and a full set of Mintex friction components (all four discs, all eight pads, all four shoes). Oh and a £2 bulb for the rear lights. We've had a set of winter tyres put on and we've had to replace one other tyre through puncture, but that's not really related to the car. The radio doesn't work well - it's an E39 Touring idiosyncracy - but we don't listen to the radio... ever so we don't care. It's done 168,000 miles and, tailgate rust aside, you'd be pretty hard-pressed to tell. It'll do that again, if the body doesn't melt around it :lol:

Lovely straight six noise, 28mpg combined (mid to high 30s on a long run), surprisingly agile (and that's not "agile for a big, heavy, German estate" but the absolute "agile"), spacious and comfy. BMW prices for BMW parts are high, but the aftermarket is huge and if you can point a spanner the right way it's easy enough to DIY. Ours is easily the biggest surprise car we've ever owned and probably one of the best cars we've owned as a result.

HOWEVER...

The Baron was bought as a banger. We needed something to shove the dogs into without a car, to haul stuff and maybe to tow things and we needed it for £1,000. Baron is beat up a bit - the front wing seems to be painted in Hammerite, the tailgate is now rusted through (I'll source a replacement from a scrappy in the New Year) and there's scratches and dents everywhere - but he's mechanically sound. Ultimately if he goes tits up, we won't care all that much because he is just an exercise in Bangernomics (currently he's cost us £76/month - this gets lower every month he's alive - but he's worth every penny of what we paid for him so he may end up costing nothing at all :lol: ). It's terribly liberating, but you might not be looking for a disposable shed...

Suffice to say that when the Baron shuffles off, he's being replaced with another one. If I get my way, a V8 one (the i6 is awesome, a V8 can only be better :D ) with leather and a Dynavin DNV-E39A. If it's another 523 or a 525, I won't be unhappy.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, especially Famine. In the end, I ended up selling the Nissan for cash. Found a place that was prepared to give me about $1000 more than the asking price for the Beemer. Today I put down the deposit for the 525 and it should be delivered to me all waxed and shiny in the new year. Pics will of course be posted in the Members' Rides sub-forum.

Thanks again everyone.

p.s. learnt for the first time that my Nissan was in an accident before I bought it. The guy who I'm buying the BMW from showed me where it had been resprayed. I had absolutely no idea until it was pointed out to me. Made parting with the Nissan that much easier and taught me how careful you need to be when buying used cars.
 
The lights most people see the badge - creaming past at "70mph" - it's amazing they can read a number at all...
 

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