Should You Buy a BMW 5 Series? (Test Drive & Review E60 530d) 

I've got an E60 520d with 195k, never changed the oil in the auto box and it still goes OK. Spent some money getting swirl flaps blanked, suspension parts, glow plugs etc on 142k but had it done in Eastern Europe for 3 figures. Not sure how much longer it will last but its been 14 years and love it

Think these have aged well. Wasn't a fan when they came out but the looks have really grown on me. Definitely doesn't look 18 years old either, to think it's as old now as the e28 was when this came out seems crazy to me

Bangle was absolutely ahead of his time, these cars were trendsetters and especially now, look absolutely beautiful

I've got an '06 plate 530d with 249,000 miles on the clock, that has effectively sat on the drive since April 2020. It had all the wrong fluids in it when I bought it at 106,000, so I got that sorted out within the first 2 months. The pollen filter had never been changed from new! Watch for front suspension issues on anything above 150,000. My near side front snapped a spring and the off side spring simply disintegrated and collapsed in separate incidents at low speed, but both at around the 200,000 mile mark. It still drives sweet and smooth with plenty of get up and go, when called for. For replacement parts, seek out the OEM supplier. They are straight off the same production line, but without the BMW stamp, and will cost half as much as trade through a dealer. Good and honest review of a great car. Thank you.

I'll probably have to trade in my "BMW 5 series fan" badge, but I actually like the E60 styling very much. It has aged particularly well and the dimensions are on point too. The M5 with the V10 was peak German madness.

Had a 2006 530d M package....upgraded from a 1999 e46 318. Was like going from a pedal bike to a Honda Goldwing!! Just a mind blowing car!!!

I had a 2003 530d SE 10 years ago. Lovely car, ultra comfortable - as in 7 hours driving to the lake district and no pain or numbness afterwards - and a TV in the dash (before they went digital). Sold when things started to go wrong as BMWs are expensive as they get older.

I had a 523i M Sport saloon in Titanium Silver/black leather. Loved it. The car had no problem at all during my ownership.

This is the best toy I’ve owned…i have the 56 plate 525d m sport, which I’ve owned for 4 years now and still counting. Got it with 90 000 miles from the dealership and it now has 150 000 miles and still drives like the first time i got it, if not better. The only toy that’ll replace this would be an e70 xdrive

Still running a manual 525d m sport pre lci, runs like a dream and under 50k on the clock.

I have a 530i petrol M-Sport LCI (in Australia) - the exterior changes may have been subtle, but it's surprising how much better they look than pre LCI. Main interior changes were to the dash layout, controls and doors including (for you Matt) relocation of the power windows to a flat position. Best thing though was the increase in power of the 3 litre engine - up to 272hp. Mated to the electronic auto it's a brilliant performer and sounds great - and sadly the last of the naturally aspirated in-line sixes BMW were so well known for.

Have been driving 3 series of various eras for years but just recently picked up a well maintained E60. It's also an SE with the soft suspension and armchair seats but as a soon to be 40 year old.....its just nice.😁

The M-sport alloys on the SE are a bit triggering. E60 is one of the best-driving modern BMWs though! I loved mine, sublime handling and chassis.

Me and the missus have just broken up after 3 years so your video is right on time to cheer me up :-) Cheers

Thank you for reminding me how good the E60 are. I was thinking of chopping my old 525i in for something newer, but instead I think she deserves a makeover

Having owned one of these for just over 2 years now I can say the engine is damn near indestructible. Mine had a questionable history so unfortunately 2 months into ownership the turbo let go, but Having sorted that and now changing fluid and filters every year I've had no mechanical issues. Watch out for the front springs around winter to spring time as the temperature change can cause them to snap and it's about a 4 hour job to change the pair. Agreed the se styling is a bit weak so I'm in the slow process of changing to all the m sport parts, bumpers, steering wheel, trim, suspension etc.. and it makes it a much nicer car to look at and drive. High up on the list of immediate work is remove those swirl flaps, they will fail eventually and make sure the gearbox has been serviced with genuine parts. Your engine light will most likely be emissions (egr clogged) or injector issue (the ecu can up the fuel of the others to counter act this so the car still feels normal) INPA and ISTA will be your best friends with this car (bmw software) as these hold all features to check and test the whole car. But enough of that, you'll enjoy it as a daily and it doesn't take much work to get that engine embarrassing supercars of it's time 👍

Love this channel and the fact that he reviews a lot of cars that are accessible to most people!!

It is a handsome car, with a squat stance and an appearance of greater length than it has. It sold in huge numbers despite what the motoring journalists said about it.

I have the 530d 2008. Done about 120000 km. Its a damn good n fun car. Given the new & ridiculous anti diesel regulations in india this cars days on the road are numbered. But i intend keeping it. Had so much fun n pleasure driving it.😊

Had 3 E60's in total. I recommend the 3 liter straight six petrol. BMW did recall these cars due to electric fault with some battery cable, so they should be fixed but 2 of the cars I had suffered from long-term electric issues. They can mess up with the engine, especially with the sensors which cause timing chain issues. Otherwise, these are lovely cars if well maintained and are quite reliable in comparison to competitors. If you go before 2006/07 you can grab one with a naturally aspirated engine which make a nice noise.

Not ashamed to admit it but the E60 is my favourite 5-series styling, ever!

Great spot on the radio preset ;-) Great video and presentation as usual.

Always a fan of this shape.

Ahead of its time..looks good in M sport with the bigger wheels or a bit plain with smaller ones in 'base' trim.Always lived in the shadow of the E39,but Great value from 2k.530i great all rounder,or take the plunge on a 550i or 535d.The front structure is alloy to maintain 50/50 weight which most won't give a fig about but just wouldn't happen today due to costs.I haven't seen a rusty one yet either.

I picked up 04 530d last year on 138k for £1500 last year. Since then I've spent over 2k on repairs but even so it's so much car for the money. It's an SE too and tbh I prefer it over the M sports just because its so comfy

This is no doubt the best generation of the 5 Series

Sharp and precise, soft and supple, roomy and spacious, cup holder and tea holder...

My first and only car the BMW E60 535d m sport LCI. It has now been sold due to sadiq khan and the incoming ULEZ update. This October so many cars will have to be gone from London.

I have an 2015 F11 and an 2004 E60 530Da. I still like the old one better and it's still a beautiful car. The problem is electronics...

timing chain is a 4 cyl problem, swirl flaps can be removed, egr/dpf problems has to do with driving patterns and is for every tdi

Another honest review! The best car reviewer on here!

the e60 facelift was such an improvement they even fixed the windows switches not the stupid weird angle haah

Couldn't hold a candle to the E39 this and the E90 were a dark period for BMW.

Great video mate, I like your style, it’s almost like watching a good stand up comedy. I’ve got a 523i e60 myself. It’s a modest engine but I like the straight six. Great cars when they’re working properly. Also I do prefer LCI, it’s got beautiful tail lights and they’re a bit younger so they have a bit more life left in them.

Recipe to be successful in Eastern Europe, take out a loan, buy a 1 million miles E60 (100K max reading on the clock). Done you are the boss! :D :D

It’s great that you have the opportunity to drive all these great cars and thanks for sharing your experience, if only it was VR

The e60 I think has ages very well. Chris bangle was a genius from a marketing point of view making the m sport the one to go for making people pay the extra for the good bold looks. Se look too bland

agree with the 2.0L diesel engine problems. My timing chain on my E61 M Sport '08 let go before 100k and cost me a packet to fix. Nice car though and it drove well. When I got it I was dogged by electrical problems - new i drive then new BT module (£1k!) but was covered by warranty. After that had several years trouble free until the brake servo let go which is inside the engine somewhere.

The Corolla this guy has in Spain, is the best car purchase he has ever made.

New to the channel and absolutely love it. Matter of fact, no BS, honest about any bias, bit of a laugh - top stuff. Well done and please keep them coming. Would love to see a Disco 4 review please as am trying to decide between those and L322 / L405 which seem to all be available for 20-30k. Cheers!

The e60 comfort seats are a must. Best seats ever.

This is actually my favourite bmw.

I had 530d m sport touring for ten years. 80k superb miles. Brilliant car. Useless tyres. Get rid of the run flats. Always on radio 2. Nearly always. Mrs. Wrote it off. Love her

Hearing you talk about the N47 scared the life outta me, luckily my 120d is 2011 😂

Hiya congrats on 100 thousand

I had a 535d facelift. That went like a stabbed rat on acid Good cars

My dad has had a 520d for 15 years 189k, never driven it, like Chris Harris said never drive your dads car! He thinks its worth a million pounds of course and only hand washes it himself (badly) haha Always loved this car seeing it daily but the interior is too small my B7 Audi feels far roomier

Owned 525i looking exactly the same on a 2009 plate - looked & drove sublimely- sadly engine management light would light up every week - only did 70k miles - too unreliable so had to get rid .. bought Mazda 6 estate instead- never looked back .. having said that .. still would consider buying another e61- especially with that engine ..

E60 m sport is one of the BEST looking saloons ever!

e60 was the only car that I bought brand new m5 and never will buy BMW again I spend from half-year as owner 3-4 months in dealership service. and let me stranded with no fuel sign when tank been full :D

Love your Northern humour. Keep up with the witty jokes🤣🤣🤣

Had one of these on a '06 520d SE. I appreciate it was an '06 but the iDrive was simple to use but without satnav the options where pretty useless. Came from a X-Type which older had a much better infotainment system and looked far more modern. The heater controls where all analogue and looked like the designer had some nostalgia retro throwback from the 70's. The alloys where 16" and BMW must have thought we'll style these dreadfully and people will opt for 17" or 18" as a cash cow. Which appears to work because I've rarely seen these cars with that set of wheels. Good car although did have issues with airbag light. Traded it for an XF 😪.

The car that heralded a massive drop in inherant quality of Bmw's. If its still running its had money spent on it. Tidy enough car to smoke around in and to chuck away when it breaks.

That's weird that the dealer didn't get rid of all the personal touches. I've bought used cars and never had the previous owner's radio pre-sets let alone their butt pillow.

brilliant again Mat congratulations

If it weren't for those headlights which look like Dame Edna's glasses, I'd have owned an E60 by now.

I had an E60 M% and racked up a total of 128,000 miles over 6 years. There were a lot of times when I loved it and a lot when I absolutely hated it, but they were all down to the poxy SMG gearbox. I always drove in it in manual mode but even then it would change down from 2nd to 1st in town, especially on the approach to a roundabout. Normally at that moment when a gap appeared and you put your right foot down to pull away........and nothing as it decided to slop into 1st.......then an almighty spin of the rears with clouds of blue smoke off the tyres and there you are stationary, going nowhere and looking like a proper twat. Out on deserted B road however it was magical, at speed the gear change was snappy, althou 7 gear was always one too many and often on winding roads it felt like whatever gear you chose it was the wrong one but the steering feel and exceleration was magical.

I loved my e60, I thought it looked great, but it was never built as well as the e39 it replaced. Oh and my e60 was a manual and it was the worse clutch in the world it had some horrific delay valve, you could stall it after 2 years of ownership

I laughed out loud with the "map of Ireland" comment. Nice work.

Best of both world's for me, e53 3.0d for work and e63 645ci for the weekend!

Cheers for vid....sell this one to Tyler at Hoovies Garage cause he always says BMW's are shocking and unreliable...bet it breaks down after he bought it...🤣

Matt its typical of Germans this era too. I call German cars option cars, everything is an option which should be standard even when you have forked out £60000+.

BMW diesels evidently were not popular over here across the pond from you. I have seen one and that was a mis 80s model. There were a lot of Mercedes and Peugeot diesels at one time but the government started a real hate campaign against them. Now there are almost no Peugeots left and very few Mercedes diesels. I wonder how well the BMWs held up compared to the Mercedes which ran forever. And yes I kinda sorta liked the look of these 5s.

I have my moms E-61 530xi touring now, 2006, -sorta- rare in North America.

Chris Bangle didn’t design the E60 but gets all the flak he only signed it off,they have aged quite well but I think interior quality took a dive from the E39 ,my E91 felt the same regards quality I think the E46 was superior....👍

I have a 2007 E60 530i , my biggest dilemma is Its in awesome condition , but worth nothing in the grand scheme of things, 134k and still smooth and running well, Mrs wants it gone for a Possible hybrid /E-car , I want to keep it till it's death, in fact ,I want to chip it and upgrade the exhaust, have a Dad's fun car Im thinking!! To balance driving around in a Prius or our minivan 😁

This looks a classy car 🚘

Still a beautiful car. E39 was the best of its class.

Why do people say this is not reliable and it drains your money quickly? Can someone explain why people hate this car?

I've got an '03 6-speed manual 530i E60. It's now on 196k miles, of which 112k miles of those are from my driving. Compared to the E39, I think the interior is far worse (quality of materials, dreadful iDrive, worse heater controls, lose out on interior boot release) however, wind noise is much lower, styling still looks very modern (IMO). Overall, model-per-model, I just prefer the E39; I think the E39 is exactly the right size for a car. E60 is just that little bit too large.

Loved the engine like being illuminated just to show it was still working haha 😂

I loved my 2006 E61 2.0SE. I sold it with 225,000 miles. Original apart from brakes, pads and the electronic box in the roof by the hatch. Fantastic load Lugger and always 50mpg. Great review again Matt.

The window switches were moved to where they should be on the lci models

Love the channel, but that was an obscene amount of adverts.

I had one 2009 m sport 530 mine was superb , only problem I had was with injectors. ..the same as the 3 series. ( injectors ) I had a 2009 3 series 325m sport the 3 litre great car but injectors cost me 1500 but I enjoyed both cars

It's nearly impossible to find a car, like this, under 60 or 70k miles nowadays. all of them are over 100K, a great commuter so they are!!!

Grown to like this shape although the E36 is still my favourite . Looking at the newer stuff will that grill grown on us in 10 years + time ? Great review as usual

Noooo! Was so exited till I saw it was the non M Sport 1st gen model. Great review anyway. But if you come across a 2007 or newer e60 M Sport please make a video! Greetings from Sweden.

Without watching the conclusion, I seriously hope this one is a ‘No’. Worse than the E39 in almost every way!

I figured your answer would be yes b4 I even opened the video

Even the engin light works 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 That killed me laughing

Manual gearboxes in executive cars should be avoided at all costs.

Thanks for giving ireland a shout out 😁

nice looker and surprised you bought an old high mileage car. wonder what plans you have fir it.

I still want n of these 530d msport

How can you deal with the Mechatronic mate? That should be the main problem with this e90/ e60 era

Person: “what kind of problems do you have with the DPF?” E60 owner: “yes”

Woooooo i was waiting for this for AGEEES next e70 x5?

Time for an e34!!

The headlight has got cataract 😂🤣

watched a few of your videos now, really useful, looking at a 5 series m sport so really helpful. cheers P.S if you have one or know of a good one, let me know ha ha

Great review! Are the wheels from M-Sport, or perhaps just optional extra for SE?

"even the engine light works!!" haha Keep the great videos coming! Question for you.... Would you ever consider the M5 version of one of these? If you could have the engine rebuilt for a reasonable amount of money as well?

I see you like 5ers, but will you make a video about 1 series too?

Great car!!! Absolutely.......... GREAT!!!! But in the end I decided to purchase a 620d GT! I'll get the 2 litre because I don't really like going fast, I don't think it's necessary, although I'm aware of the slowness in acceleration and higher fuel consumption compared to the 320d with this kind of engine, since the GT is heavier! But in the event I couldn't buy it, I'll opt for a 730d F01 with 245 HP! Have you ever tried that, Matt?

Reviewed an A5 Sports back?

Cushion in the back could mean last owner was a dogger. Might want to wash your hands after touching it 😂

"The engine management light stays on to show it still works", you are so funny😀😁😂

“The base of the seat is as flat as a pancake”.....now you know why the cushion was in the car....Det Inspector.

The E60 is a wonderful car. I had a 2010 530i, which was my first BMW, and loved everything about it. The power was sufficient, fuel economy was good (even here in Tokyo's stop-and-go traffic), handling and braking were precise. It was wonderful in the countryside and on the mountain roads, visibility was great, and the active steering (something I was at first skeptical about) was a revelation for parking and slow speed maneuverability. After many years of driving, without a single mechanical issue, I traded it in. The headliner was starting to come unglued, the CCC navigation became increasingly obsolete, and having a kid and getting a dog, I needed something a little larger. I ended up getting a new 750i, which satisfied all of the issues. But as it turns out, someone at the club bought my old 530i, and I see it in the parking lot almost every day when I go to play squash. As much as I love my 7 series, I find I miss my old 530i