Mark - I know exactly what you mean about the 520d thing. That's what concerns me a little. Its why I ended up with this 530i in 2015, having spent the previous 9 months in a very nice spec f10 520d SE. In fact the proceeds of the 520d bought both the e60 and e63.

The thing is that as time progresses, and car lifecycles move on, an equivalent age/mileage but more desirable (M-Sport) spec costs significantly less than both the 520d cost in 2014 and the combined cost of equivalent models of the other cars.

Experience, with both the current 530i and more than my share of other bigger engined cars over many years, says that the 530i, or equivalent, does and will pretty much continue to use the car allowance I have. That's not especially a problem, that's what the allowance is for, but when you calculate, on the same basis, that a 2016 520d M-Sport would use just half of it then you have to stop and think if there is any rationality in the older cars, or you are putting a huge premium on the user experience of the bigger engines cars.

And then you find something like this - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...ice-asc&page=4