En route from the land of the rising sun!

[Big H]

I see a couple of Jap import E60's (non-lci) for sale at the moment but they have been hanging around for a long time now - maybe priced too high and people don't see the value in them....
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...w-kms/35576303
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...sport/35567688

An E61 M Sport imported for personal use is a different proposition of course and a worthwhile purchase for sure....

[dergside]

.....- maybe priced too high and people don't see the value in them....

.....An E61 M Sport imported for personal use is a different proposition of course and a worthwhile purchase for sure....

Agreed. Having had the 530i e60 for 7 years, and plenty of miles, I reckon that they are as good a drive as the newer generations (but relatively a little bit primitive in electronic sophistication). They have a bit more character and one thing that I find advantageous is that they're quite a bit more compact externally, without pinching internally. I find F10's and G30's just a smidge too big for parking spaces and the country roads around our neck of the woods (I couldn't buy either without curly-wurly door mirrors). Sourcing cars like this one Tony has that defy their age and will deliver good service for years and miles makes them a bit of a bargain in a €/mile calculation. I replaced an F10 520d (nice car, but didn't stir the soul to any real extent) with a one owner e63 630i (50k miles) and the 1 owner 530i for the same money, and got a lot more combined driving fun and service. The e63 is still here and I do miss the e60. Finding time-warp cars like one's at this grade are sounds like a good investment. I still keep an eye out for them, in the right spec and miles. Wouldn't rule out going there again.

As regards N52 vs N53, I may have been lucky with the N53, but never had a HPFP, injector or other significant issue that they were notorious for. It went through rocker cover, oil filter housing and other gaskets at an alarming rate, but I don't think that's unique to the N53 in relatively recent BMW engine terms. It was noticeably peppier than the N52 in the 630i, but the sound of the N52 (in this and the Z4) was a big win for it. The N53 is smooth, but noticeably less characterful in terms of aural appeal. Not sure whether the N52 got the equivalent of Euro4 upgrades in the markets that it was sold that the N53 had, so there might be a slight g/km CO2 penalty, but at the value these are at for VRT it won't be significant.

[Chillipepper]

I see a couple of Jap import E60's (non-lci) for sale at the moment but they have been hanging around for a long time now - maybe priced too high and people don't see the value in them....
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...w-kms/35576303
https://www.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sal...sport/35567688

An E61 M Sport imported for personal use is a different proposition of course and a worthwhile purchase for sure....

Have both of those on my saved list, I don't know if revenue would consider these as comparables to the touring bodystyle.

I have it landed and cleared for less than both of the cars mentioned.

Just the dreaded VRT to go.

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[Big H]

Have both of those on my saved list, I don't know if revenue would consider these as comparables to the touring bodystyle.

I have it landed and cleared for less than both of the cars mentioned.

Just the dreaded VRT to go.

A bargain so for what you're getting imho ! Can't see a 'regular' E61 coming onto their radar, hence VRT should be palatable.....

Edit: Just realised they don't seem to have the the E60/1 525i listed on the VRT calculator - oh no.......

[Chillipepper]

A bargain so for what you're getting imho ! Can't see a 'regular' E61 coming onto their radar, hence VRT should be palatable.....

Edit: Just realised they don't seem to have the the E60/1 525i listed on the VRT calculator - oh no.......

I know I'm rolling the VRT dice lol. I know the white one you mentioned, albeit a saloon has dropped to 8995 which is the price on irish plates so I'm hoping the vrt gods will be somewhat kind

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