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Jeff TT View Drop Down
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    Posted: 17-February-2008 at 16:32

 

Hi chaps, need a bit of advise:

Just had a test drive in  645I CI and WOW!  got to find a way to do a deal on it.

Its an 04 reg with 55k miles black with beige leather, 19" wheels etc, etc transferable BMW extended warranty till middle of 09  £24k  what a car for the money!

I love my 540i but the 645 is awsome, the deal look good if I can get around £6,000 for my car or am I been a tad optamistic?  1999 540i 19" wheels 100k miles leather all toys etc full history and mint condition

 Any help or advice or down points with the 654ci

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

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Rhys View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rhys Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-February-2008 at 17:44
You want to contact 'Coasting' on here 

Edited by Rhys
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Coasting Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-February-2008 at 22:24

I'm here.

I've owned a 645Ci Convertible from new since August 2005.

The car has now done 20,000 miles and will be replaced in the next 4-6 months or so, after giving me the best ownership experience (and longest) of any car I have ever had.  If someone had told me I'd keep a car 3 years I'd have laughed at them.

Before I get on to the ownership stuff though, a few things about the car you're looking at.  I'm presuming it's an Auto.  There are a few manuals out there, and a few SMGII's, but the Auto is the most suited to the car in my opinion (and certainly much better for residuals).  The Convertible hold's pretty much the new price difference over a Coupe when Used, so about £5,000.  I've been offered £37,000 for mine in part exchange on a variety of cars, bearing in mind it's a Cab in the winter period.  In July that'll be the same (pretty much assuming the summer months see the car rise in price as it has done for the past 2.5 years and cancel out any depreciation).  The 645 is mileage sensitive.  At 20,000 mine is attracting the upper end of values.  The same car with 40,000 on would be worth £5,000 less.

With 55,000 miles I'd say £24,000 is actually a very good price indeed.  Is it a private sale?  I'm presuming it is, because dealers would sell that on at £25,995 all day long.  So in respect of the sale price I'd say it's a bloody good price.  I'm no 540i expert but my sources say a 1999 Auto with 70,000, in excellent condition, would fetch £5,000 maximum privately, so I'm not sure where that leaves you with yours.  Good luck with that though.

The first thing to say about the 645Ci is I can't fault it.  Not in any major respect.  So it's a bit pointless for me to go into raptures about this and that when my thoughts on the cars astonishing Jekyll & Hyde capabilities are well known.  The engine takes anything you throw at it and the transmission is the best of any car I have ever driven.

So what are the downsides?

Well it's not going to be a cheap car to run.  Despite it being a bargain at £24,000 it'll still attract £54,000 car running costs - and that's a lot on the 645.  I got service inclusive for 3 years on mine, and certainly knew the value of it.

Oil inspection - £270

Inspection I - £660

Inspection II - £1,000

That's without parts.  You might get a dealer you have a good relationship with who can do you a few favours on the costs, but it's still not going to be cheap. 

Tyres - the car sits on Bridgestone RE050A run flats as standard and if I was you I'd make sure it still have them on.  I have suffered a flat on the 6 and the RF's saved me.  Some owners complain about the ride on RF's but I've got to say I don't see the problem.  At £900 for a full set they're not the cheapest, but they are the right choice in my opinion.  You'll get 14,000-15,000 miles out of the rears and about 18,000 out of the fronts.

Check the alloys though.  I've had a cracked alloy and I'm not the only one.  They're not the strongest there is and buckles are common.  At £500 per wheel they're not cheap to replace.

Fuel consumption is excellent in my opinion.  Over 20,000 miles I have averaged 20.9 mpg.  On a long run I've had it to 27.4 mpg after 680 miles with an average speed of 69.3 mph.

If the car has a 6 disc CD changer - ask if it has ever been changed.  The originals had a known fault that can hit you at any time and the only way of fixing it is to buy a new one.  I had 3 in mine before BMW acknowledged the fault and agreed to give me the latest model.

Make sure the iDrive display starts up without a problem too, and ask if it has ever had the CID (central information display - the screen) replaced.  It's a problem area on some 5 and 6 series and at £1,200 to replace it's not one you want to suffer failure on.  Mine was replaced under warranty about a year ago.

Check the bonnet and valance for chips of course, because as with all BMW's the paintwork isn't as good as it used to be and they'll chip up like hell if it's been thrashed or done heavy motorway miles.  The same applies to the section ahead of the rear wheels, low down.  If you look carefully you'll see BMW have reinforced it with a strange shaped panel.  That's because the front wheels throw up stones and they hit that very section.  It'll no doubt have a few little marks on it - just check for it being peppered as a sign of the driving style the car has been subjected to.  There's not much you can do about it, but it's worth checking.

Inside, make sure the glovebox takes a good 5 or 6 open and closes without a problem.  The locking mechanism is crap in my opinion.

Ideally the car should have the M Sports seats, wheel and heated bums - that's the ideal configuration anyway.  They make a huge difference too in my opinion. 

Lastly, switch the lights on and check that the headlight washers come on automatically when you spray the windscreen.  They're exposed and some have been known to block up.  Not many, but I've heard of a few.

Hope that helps anyway.

 

 



Edited by Coasting


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Jeff TT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-February-2008 at 23:36

Coasting,

Great that was a big help and yes it was an auto,to be honest I always check things out before buying whether it be a hi fi tv or indeed a car because I believe it gives you an edge

Suprisingly the car is been sold by a dealer ( not BMW )but on behalf of the owner ( from new) who has already purchased a new 6 series. I took a long look at the paper work including a recent HPI report which was just fine, a seperate letter from a finance company confirmed all was settled on the account and the BMW warranty and service book looked all correct.

The supplying dealer was Daemon Hill BMW and the dealer suggested I that I rang them if I had any doubts, the actual owner ( on the V5 )  lives close to the dealer and a contact number ( and address of course ) was available if I want to speak to him,  I will do my own HPI tomorrow anyway but it does seem like a very good buy. 

One technical question, the auto had the option to change manually, I did not get a chance to try this, and I have wondered what this is like?  with the box in auto mode the gear change was unbeleivably seamless and instantly responded to any throttle change.

The id drive was working ok, stone chips at the front were as you would expect but not too bad though.

Did not check the tryes for run flats, they are very new looking tread wise though.

Running costs are not a real concern for me having suffered the past 25years+ of my passion for big engined cars and I now find myself actually been able to afford it which is a bit of a novalty really.

Your thoughts on the 540i value is as I expected but its not a real deal breaker though as if I go ahead I will buy the 6 first and sell the 5 after, would be nice to get £6k but if its less then so be it as the 6 is a a good price anyway.

Thanks

Jeff TT

 

 

 

 

 

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Coasting Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-February-2008 at 12:29

Originally posted by Jeff TT Jeff TT wrote:

One technical question, the auto had the option to change manually, I did not get a chance to try this, and I have wondered what this is like?  with the box in auto mode the gear change was unbeleivably seamless and instantly responded to any throttle change.

It's very good in Manual mode, for an automatic box.

It's never going to be as good as SMGII/DSG style boxes of course, but it gives a level of control that is certainly appreciated when you really when to 'push on'.

I rarely use it, except when on twisty sections or private roads (of course) when I want to really enjoy the drive.  It's a simple case of knocking the gearlever to the left and then knocking it forward to change down a gear, and back to change up a gear.  All pretty intuitive.

It hammers your MPG though.

I'll be using it for a good while in a month or so on a tour of Scotland, and last year (same trip) it performed admirably.  The 6 series is a lot more chuckable than most people think. 

It's prone to the front end drifting if you really push it, but that's understandable with the traction at the rear, the length of the car and the limits of any tyre. 

More than anything else though, 645 sounds glorious.  I maintain it's one of the best sounding standard system cars on the roads today.  For those who want peace and quiet, silent wafting, yet the ability to hear a V8 roar and wail that really does get vocal when you want it too - it's perfect aurally.



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andrew Rolland Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18-February-2008 at 13:23

It has the same engine that my E60 has sorry had.

Engine is the best one I have ever driven a car with.  Press of right foot and cling on as the thing takes off.

One thing I would suggest is

GET A TRACKER FITTED!

to stop somebody helping themselves to it, as happened to me!

I got 25-27 mpg out of the big V8, so I am slightly surprised at Coastings thirst, the 6 being a smaller car.  Brakes and suspension components are easy enough for you to fix yourself if you are handy with a spanner.  Oil change and spark plugs don't appear to be to difficult to replace either if you are interested in diy.

Good luck with the car.

Andrew

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Coasting Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19-February-2008 at 23:14

25-27?  Good god, did you go over 30mph?

You're wrong about the 6 being a smaller car though - bear in mind mine is the Convertible and weighs in at just under 100kg more than a E60 Saloon. 

I guess much of it depends on your driving routine.  A lot of mine are short trips of less than 10 miles, and even more are less than 30 miles.  I do the odd 750 mile round trip in a day, but that's when the MPG flies up to 27.  Quite how you get that as an average I'll never know!

Oh, and I concur on the tracking device.  Mine has one, as have my last 3 cars.  Not because I want the car back if someone nicks it - but because I want minimum inconvenience in the first place and I don't fancy a large claim on my policy.



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