Paul_B

Hi All,

Completely new to BMW in general, but wanted some advice if poss.

Just got a new job which gives me either a car allowance, or company car. The company car limit will give me an Audi A3 2.0TDi (138bhp), which is fine. Obviously being a company car it has fuel, insurance, servicing etc. all paid for.

However, I went into my local BMW dealership yesterday to enquire about using the car cash allowance instead. Basically they have a 520d M Sport (in silver, M Spoiler, Bluetooth prep etc..) which is actually within my budget, and is lovely to drive.

The only worry I have is that if I take the car cash allowance I am responsible for the servicing and insurance etc.. The insurance isn't a problem, but I am quite concerned about if something went wrong with the car, I would have to sort it. I understand it comes with Mondial Assistance for the length of the warranty, but what I really want to know is how good are they? That is BMW, Mondial and the overall reliability of the car.

I now have my heart set on the 520d as it looks awesome, and drives the same.

Any advice appreciated.

Cheers,

Paul

cerbera

Paul

I'm guessing you are UK based??

The warranty package from BMW is about as good as it gets; I've been running BMWs since the early 90's on a company car allowance and never ever had a warranty issue with them...to give you an example, I ran an E39 528i for 4.5 years, I extended the warranty at three years to five.

Just before I got rid of it,( 97000 miles ) the exhaust developed a rattling noise, diagnosed by the dealer as a catalyst....which was changed under warranty!

Then, when I traded it back, the dealer discovered wear in the steering rack...changed under warranty.

The assistance package is as good as you would get buying yourself or on a company car.

One thing to be aware of is that the way in which any warranty claim is dealt with will rely to some extent on the dealer , and how he represents your claim to BMW...moral here is make sure you are comfortable with your dealer's service department.

The risk area I have found running your own car on an allowance is if you have an accident that is your fault. A lot of policies offer a relief car ( normally a micra or corsa or ) but only if you have the repair done in one of the insurance company's approved bodyshops - you will find that they try to strongarm you into agreeing.

If you refuse and insist on having the repair done ina BMW approved bodyshop to retain all your warranties i.e. your choice , then no relief car, unless you can get one from the BMW bodyshop.

You probably already know this, but you can claim your business miles back against income tax at 40p a mile for the first 10000 miles, then 25p a mile thereafter.

Hope this helps...520M Sport or A3....easy choice!!

Good luck

Paul_B

Thanks Cerbera,

Yes I'm UK based (Bedford).

I thought the Mondial sounded good, but sometimes these things can sound too good to be true.

Yeah, the claiming of business miles should work ou really well, especially as I will be doing about 30k a year!

OH, I've definately made my mind up which car I want, I just wasn't sure about the risk.

Thanks again.

Paul

cravensmythe

Hi

Got the dealer to through in the maintenance package in for free as part of the deal, as I want to remove all unexpected maintenance and repair cost and hassle.

I think the 520d M Sport is a good choice as its running costs are low and it has pretty good performance, certainly compared with all the equivalent cars in its class.

Nick

Ricracing

Dear Paul_B,

Life is full of choices, some costs a bit.

Fore sure the 520dA will be somewhat more expensive than the tiny Audi.

But how can you even compare a tiny Audi with the E60???

I drive my car atleast two hours every day and I could not even imagine to
have the drive with a bug!

Real men drive serious cars.

Cheers,
Riku

Paul_B

Well, I appreciate your response Riku, but I don't think your really getting what I'm saying.

Of course the BMW is the better car, but there is no difference in monthly cost for me. Its also a case of the risk with having a company car vs having a cash allowance.

With the company car, my company are responsible for everything, including tyres, breakdown, insurance and fuel.

The cash allowance means I buy my own car and am responsible for all this, as well as having personal finance and if I lose my job I still have to pay it.

I just wanted to be put at rest about the reliability and whether I am actually likely to have any problems over the 3 years with the BMW.

Thanks

Paul

N16E

Paul,

I have just changed job and moved back into a company car - 520 D M Sport, before this I had two opt out cars a BMW318i SE and an Audi A4 S-line, not once have I had to pay out of my own pocket for a failure - in fact apart from the odd snagging problem, I can't remember anything going wrong with either car. I did have to pay the insurance excess ?50 once when I had the BMW broken into and another time when I scuffed a low wall - doh! I know what you are saying about the risk, but I thought what the hell at least I can drive what I want rather than a Passat or Vectra. At the end of the day only you can decide - the 520 will be rock solid, and if you fall on hard times it should sell no problem. Hope this helps.

Merv the Derv

Go for the 520d and don't worry about the reliability even out of warranty BMW are usually pretty good if there is a major failure. I understand they were still replacing engines on 6 year old E39's that had the premature bore wear problem. As far as Mondial goes we just bought a used X5 from a main dealer and had problems with a flat battery etc. and they came out to us within 1/2 an hour.

Ricracing

Dear Paul,

I do not know your Brittish car polycies but I do know about loosing jobs and company cars.
I have worked within marketing for some 23 years now after some heavyduty University studies.
I do not have a loaned cent (penny) and I do bill for driven kilometers driven by my own car.

If you are not sure with your employer/yourself get whatever car they give.

But if you want to show out as a dynamic manger, do not be afraid!

Only driving a outstanding E60 will give you extra power!

Go for it!

Paul_B

Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel much more reassured.

I'll most like for a nearly new (less than 8k miles) vehicle so I can save a few grand in the long run that way too.

Thanks again,

Paul