Buying a used BMW 5-Series (F10) : Pre-owned car of the week

The 6th-gen BMW 5-Series was launched in 2010. The philosophy of the F10 is different from its predecessor's. While the E60 had quirky styling, the F10 is classy & timeless. While the E60 was a proper sports sedan, the F10's focus is more on comfort. In fact, the F10 is essentially a shorter 7-Series. 

Positives
• Classic BMW styling. A timeless design, no quirkiness like the new Bimmers
• Wide, luxurious interiors with awesome seats. 520 litre boot too
• Ferocious 6-cylinder diesel gives it f-a-s-t performance. Economical 4-cylinders available
• Fast, butter-smooth 8-speed ZF Automatic is the best in the business
• Outstanding reliability! Many cars on the forum have done high km without any serious issues
• Comfortable ride quality + enormous grip levels
• 5-star NCAP rating & safety equipment
• Facelift models get higher ground clearance, making them more practical for touring
• 12 - 14 kmpl on the highway
• Lots of car for the money they are trading hands at

Negatives
• Nowhere as "sporty" to drive as the E60, or as tight a handler
• Major repairs can be eye-wateringly expensive
• Less legroom than a Baleno! Facelift models have shockingly cramped rear seats
• Boot has no wheel well. Spare wheel takes away a lot of boot space
• Tyre life of merely 20,000 - 25,000 km. Tyres are expensive too
• Big floor hump makes it more of a 4-seater than 5
• 530d gets merely 6 - 7 kmpl in the city
• Pre-facelift models have just 141 mm of GC!
• An annoying deletion of equipment on the Indian car (e.g. no keyless entry)
• Forget the authorised dealer; you'll need a very competent independent garage

Related Threads
• GTO's pre-worshipped 530d
• Tanveer_2558's remapped 530d 
• bhuvan_prasad's high mileage 530d 
• Mumbai to Lansdowne in a 5-Series
• androdev's 520d
• Amey's 525d
• BMW's spare-tyre stupidity

Mod Potential:

Very good. Remaps, transmission maps, suspension upgrades (e.g. Bilstein B6s) and aesthetic upgrades are readily available in India. You can take a 530d to 300+ BHP in 30 minutes. Tanveer's ownership thread has lots of discussions on mods. 

Availability:

Good, and with a wide price range too. We've seen healthy 2010 520ds trading hands for 10 lakhs, and reasonably good 530ds for 15 - 20 lakhs. If you want a newer, immaculate 530d, then budget for 25 - 35 lakhs.

Here are some examples on sale - 2015 530d with 41,000 km, 2011 69,000 km 520d, 2014 38,000 520d, 2014 20,000 530d, 2015 75,000 km 530d.

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