[Tommyoneill87]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to buy a BMW 520 and I'm looking for advice on what I should look out for issues, problems etc. I'm looking for 08 09. Was thinking of the M-Sport or what model is the most comfortable to drive. All advice will be welcomed.*

Thank you

[AlwynMike]

Assuming that you are looking at an E60 . . .
Do you want comfortable seats or a comfortable ride?
The Sport seats, whilst harder, are more comfortable (according to my Good Lady who has back problems). The SE seats are good, but tend to be a little short in the base. The ride quality in the SE is far better than the Sport. What you uncategorically MUST do for ride comfort is junk any run flat tyres that are on the car - they really spoil the ride. BMW got thier act together with the E9x and sorted the suspension to cope with RFT's, the E60 was designed too early for that, and RFT's made it a horrible car to drive. Proper tyres really transformed my car (an '04 530d). I've had RFT's and proper tyres on my E91, and I'm sticking with the RFT's on it, as the ride quality difference is negligible. At least in the E60, there is room for a spare tyre under the boot floor.

I don't think the 2 litre in the E60 has swirl flaps, so no issues there. Timing chain problems? I don't know if it's the same engine as fitted to the E9x, but should be easy enough to find out. The 5 series forum 5series.net is a big source of information.
Other generic problems: Steering column bushes noisy - cured with WD40. The early 530's had weak starters, but they should all have been weeded out by now. Yaw sensors for the traction control fail, but it's not an expensive fix and easy to do. I think mine was about £60. It doesn't stop you driving it either - just no DTC .
They all have iDrive, but relatively few have SatNav if you want that.
The 530d at least is a tremendous mile eater. I loved mine, but in the end I wanted something a little more "chuckable", hence the E91.
If fuel economy isn't at the top of your list, then seriously look at the 530d - mine was significantly better on fuel than the 335d and rarely went under 40mpg, and usually over 45mpg. The manual box is a little tractor-like, but you get used to it. The induction noise from the big six when it's pulling hard brings a smile to the face, and is one of the things I really miss when driving my 335d - it is too quiet! If you do European touring, the performance over 110mph is something the 520 can only dream of - a wall of torque! The 520 is noticeably harsher with only 4 cylinders, but is still a smooth engine.

Enjoy

Mike