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Hi Stephen,

If you have owned a BMW 5 Series before then you might want a change. The 6 Series is a good car, but like anything else in BMW land when it gets a little older repairs can start to become expensive when things go wrong. I personally wouldn't go near one unless it had a full set of BMW service history stamps and unless I could budget another few thousand for things that might go wrong.

This one here is in a main BMW dealer so will have all the right history and paperwork and is pretty nicely equipped too. It is a little over budget, but I would be shocked if they weren't flexible on a 3.0-litre petrol car these days! The mileage on that example is also very low for the year. These cars have great handling and are usually generously equipped too. Remember though that it will cost quite a bit to run, both in terms of road tax and petrol costs.

Now, for alternatives. You did mention Lexus and the GS 450h hybrid is a wicked car. It is very, very fast, superbly equipped and comfortable. It will be ultra reliable too. You could have this one here, a 2007 model, for €25,950 and it would be a superb car to own. It actually does pretty decent fuel economy too. I'd prefer this to the 6 Series myself.

Or, you could enter Porsche ownership and have the brilliant Boxster S like this example in Galway that has the better engine and comes from a good home. Again, ignore the sticker price, as it is a buyers' market right now. I think you should own a silly car once, so unless you have cots and prams to carry about, I'd be tempted by the Boxster. It isn't going to annoy anyone any more than the 6 Series is.

The UK can be a minefield, but we wouldn't ever rule it out and I myself have bought cars there. What I would say is that the more research you do (and use history checks like motorcheck.ie) the easier it is.

As regards buying new, well you are likely to only afford something pretty dull and I think that you would not be too pleased coming out of a 5 Series. You seem to like interesting stuff.

If it was me, out of that lot I'd probably have the Boxster, but if I needed more practicality, the Lexus.

Hope, this helps. Feel free to come back for more odd suggestions.

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Hi Cyril,

The Passat has had more than its fair share of reliability issues. There have been a total of seven recalls on the current model since 2005, but they were over different builds and won't have affected all cars. You can get full details of all of these from the VOSA website in the UK. There appears to be a recall for the clutch on later models, but we have also heard of reports of there being problems with the automatic handbrake and the power steering, while clutch judder on cars over 70,000 miles is not uncommon. 

This is certainly a car that has had issues, but it would not put me off buying one. There are lots of alternatives, but it depends on what you want. There are lots of good used Audi A4s around, though it is quite a bit smaller than the Passat; and obviously as they get older the repairs can get more expensive. I'm not sure if you would prefer petrol or diesel, but here is a low mileage 1.6-litre example at a SIMI dealer for €15,995. 

Something like this full-spec Mondeo X Diesel for €16,900 would be great. This is a gorgeous car and while quite discreet, would be great to drive.

I quite like this Mazda6 too. This is a very underrated car and the diesel model is a cracker. Let us know a little more about your budget and your needs and we can give you more considered advice. Just pop the details in the comment box below.

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Hi Patricia,

Buying a car from the UK can be cost effective. I have done it twice myself and certainly saved money. But like any car purchase you really need to make sure that you do your homework properly and exercise lots of caution. The more you can do in terms of a background check on your car the better.

We would advise you to avoid buying privately in the UK as this could prove riskier. Buy from a main dealer, where there is a proper warrranty and usually a full service history. You are still likely to save money yet there will be greater piece of mind.

Services like MotorCheck.ie offer a very thorough check on UK cars too, so they are worth spending a few Euro on for some added piece of mind. The actual purchase itself isn't really very complicated. You just need to factor in some additional costs like a flight over and a ferry back and then you need to have a good idea of how much you will be paying for the car in Vehicle Registraion Tax (VRT) when you import the car. You can pretty much do this down to the last cent these days on the Revenue on-line calculator.

Research is key; do this and you can perhaps not totally avoid risk, but certainly reduce it.

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In a word, yes. These cars were practically identical, so in theory their NCAP scores would have been identical too. Hope this helps.

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Hi Paul,

That is a tough one. Do you opt for awesome power on one hand or do you choose the newer car with less power, but more finesse? The answer to this is really down to how much you value your €45,000. Once the new model settles into the market, which in truth will only happen when the 520d arrives properly in the next few weeks, then the value of the older model will drop and there will also be less demand for the more expensive versions such as the 535d. This had a home in the boom years but is pretty rare now and likely to be less sellable in the future.

Don't get me wrong; the 535d is a fabulous car, but I would have to be sensible and say get a new 520d. For a start it is much better value than the old car, is better equipped and is also more powerful than the old 520d. I drove the Touring version in Munich recently and while it isn't a rocket it is certainly fast enough. 

The only way I would buy a 535d would be if I was buying an older one. Here is a 2006 model, with low mileage for €25,995. This would still be a nice car and you won't lose your shirt on it!

Paul, be sensible this time around and get the new car - you won't regret it.

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Hi Marc,

In general this car sounds like a decent, safe buy, especially as it has the reassurance of a full service history and a new NCT. Mercedes instigated a model update in 2006 so it would be interesting to know if your car is the last of the first generation of the first of the second. The updated cars are better all-round and feature more safety equipment as standard.

The early cars are known to have had a few electrical issues, with recalls in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008. None were major problems, but it's worth checking this car's details with Mercedes to find out if it was affected and if the repairs were done.

Other than that, the E-Class is mechanically robust, so just take the time to try every electrical switch and device for yourself.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Fergal,

You're in an enviable position if that's your choice for a new 2011 car! You can't go wrong with either. Before I give my personal preference let's look at the facts:

The new BMW 520d SE will be priced from €41,750. That's for the manual model, which is lovely, but for resale values it makes sense to opt for the automatic, bringing the price up to €43,964.

In comparison, the entry-level diesel E-Class (the E 200 CDI BlueEfficiency) costs from €41,035 - or €43,885 with an automatic gearbox.

However, on paper the BMW beats that car hands down. It has 181hp to the Merc's 136hp (and hence takes only 8.1 seconds to get to 100km/h versus 10.4 for the E 200 CDI) and yet it is much more efficient. In automatic guise it emits 137g/km, which means band B annual road tax. A manual version of the E-Class will do the same, but the automatic transmission moves the car into band C, almost doubling the tax. The BMW's fuel economy is better too.

The more expensive E 220 CDI BlueEfficiency costs €43,425 with a manual or €46,275 with an automatic. It's not much less efficient than the E 200 model, but it's significantly faster. However, the 520d still betters it in both respects.

Having driven both cars my personal preference would be the BMW. The new 5 Series has taken a major step forward in terms of luxury over the old car yet it's still good to drive.

Let us know what you decide by leaving a comment in the box below.

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I did like the original BMW X5, although it was probably always a little over-priced for what is was. As they have aged and the new model has arrived the first generation has come down quite a lot in price. You say that you aren't concerned about the running costs as such, which is just as well, as they can be quite high. The repairs and spare parts can be expensive too. I think in buying one of this age and at this price you will certainly not see it depreciate that hard in the next year or so, but once it creeps over 100,000 miles it will drop in value again.

We haven't reviewed this car on the site because it has been quite a few years since it was on the market (and CompleteCar.ie is very new), but we have driven it in the past. It is very agile for an SUV and was always one of the best handling SUVs around.

You did mention to us by e-mail that the car you were looking at is €23,000 with 88,000 miles on the clock. Well we found this one on beepbeep.ie from a SIMI dealer with just 45,000 miles for €19,750, so perhaps this would make a better buy?

Hope that helps

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Hi Jimmy,

A quick scout around suggests that it should be possible to buy either of those two cars for about the same price on the scrappage scheme so we'll take price out of the equation.

In terms of economy, emissions and performance, the cars are well-matched too and both are well-equipped as standard.

However, the Passat is a significantly bigger car and it feels it, with more room for passengers and a significantly larger boot. It hence feels like you're getting a lot more for your money in the VW.

Hope that helps.