Global Chef

Hi Guys

I am about to buy my first BMW. Looking into getting an E61 530d or 535d.

Will be doing most of my miles on the German autobahn, so plenty of space to play!

I am not after maximum power but wouldnt mind to spend a few euros more on diesel if I end up with a 535d. The car that would fit my budget would be an '05 or '06 model. I have a certain interior spec in mind which limits my choice on the used car market. Amongst these alternatives are 530d's as well as 535d's.

My question is: will i end up with much higher maintenance bills when replacing brakes, pads, shoks, etc when I opt of for the 535d? or do both cars have the same parts in general?

Thanks

GC

ArneR.

Brakes and pads are bigger than the 530, actually the same as 550i so the price on the parts are higher but not too big diffrence i think. I guess thats the biggest diffrence. And the second turbo and bigger exhaust. But your smile is much bigger when you pass other 530`s on the Autobahn

wickster

Or, you could get a 530d, same engine as size as a 535d (granted 1 less turbo) 6 speed manual box, get her chipped to 275 hp, and laugh at the 535D'S that can't shake you off, but have payed a heavy premium for the privilege for the chance..............

Kell

From what you've said, I think that the most important thing would be getting the spec you want first and THEN worry about whether it's a 530d or 535d.

But FWIW, I still wonder whether a 535d would have been worth the extra expense for the times I would use the extra power. Yes, it would have been nice to have, but then for £500 I could get a similar amount of power, if not more.

ArneR.

OR, he can get the 535d tuned to 330hp and 680Nm and show the 530 owner that the extra money was worth it

Kuul4

I'd limit the torque to 650Nm though, to make the gearbox live longer...

(306hp / 650Nm coming this summer...)

But seriously, go and test drive both cars and after that you are able to decide which one to buy. They really feel like two different cars IMO and it's all about the driver which one suites better.. I wouldn't worry about the maintenance expenses, they don't differ that much.

D-boy

I went through the same dilemma. My desire to have the top engine spec won the day. i decided that I would always feel I bought the lesser car with the 530 and have to keep justifying it. But in reality these cars are very similar and in real day driving you would hardly know the difference. Saying that the 535 is so smooth with it's two turbos and once I get it e-mapped, rapid.

I was lucky, the spec I wanted (media and visibility) came up on both a 530 and 535 at the same time, making the decision easy.

As Kell says if spec is your thing concentrate on that.

hondik

Be careful with your choice Mind that 535d consumption is about 30% more than 530d. Other than that, 535d gets better equipment most of the time so it's easier to find a good specs car if it is 535d.. personally, for city driving, I'd buy 530d. For highway driving, the 535d is much more fun, endless power.. It is true you can remap both of them but every remap brings potential costs (particle filter lasts less, turbos can be blown etc.)

Hilden

I concur.

Costwise is should not be a huge difference and the extra power will compensate for it. Sure the 530d I had was a mighty fine car and it would hang on to most folks in the left lane but if I was to get an E60/1 again I'd get the 535 for the extra fun.

NavarroOne

I really liked my 520d but ohmygod do I love my chipped 535d and if I keep it below 130 km/h then I get 15+ km/l mileage which I think is very reasonable. I had the option of a fully specced 530d in the wrong color or the perfect colormatch 535d with a little less equipment; I don't regret the choice for one second though - go for it