Hi all,

I've been reading here for a few months, about time that I introduced myself.
My name is Tom, I live in Belgium and I've been driving a '08 E61 520dA for little over a year now. It's my first BMW, my previous cars have all been mk2 VW Golfs, of which I still own a '90 GTI.

It's been quite a step-up from an old vw golf to a 4 year old 5-series. But as my new job required a 180km/day commute, I wanted a car that was up to the task, i.e. well built, reliable and fuel efficient (hence the diesel..), and at the same time still somewhat driver oriented and exciting from a car enthusiasts point of view. A car has to make me look forward to getting behind the wheel.

I've always been in love with the angry German look of the E39, but couldn't find a 520d Touring with the right specs for the right price so I moved on to E61's. After a long search I finally found a 110000km (68k mls) car that ticked all boxes, and bought it.

I'm a DIY-guy, but I plan on having the car serviced at BMW until it reaches 200000km (125k mls) in case I should sell it before that point. Other than that I do all the repairs myself if possible.

The car has already troubled me quite a bit. After 5000km the transmission went out because of prematurely worn out bearings on the main shaft and had to be overhauled, and I had some problems with the EGR valve. Other than that it's been an incredible car, especially on long roadtrips.

A few pics:


On our way to the '12 Geneva motorshow


Near Krakau, Poland




Couldn't resist to take it round the Nürburgring Went ok for a diesel




Messy interior, winter...

 

to the forum!