[Kev131tc]

I've been reading this forum for the past month or so and have found it informative to say the least with what will be the biggest non property based purchase of my life, namely a new F10 for delivery on 1st Jan 2011.

It seems customary to provide a little background where "newbies" are concerned so I will say straight away that I have never owned a BMW before but have always aspired to be in that bracket. Although I have never owned one I did have on loan a battered and rather sad 518 back in 1986 for one month. Despite its age and hard life the engineering quality was evident compared with my relatively newer Opel that I had just sold. In fact my earliest BMW memory as kid in the 70s was of a yellow 3 or 5 series car in a car park and instantly falling in love with that aggressive shark nose. I'm into classic cars (Fiats) as almost a way of life but one day I would love to add a E21 323i manual in black to my collection.

Anyway, I digress. Unfortunately I'm not in the same league as many of the contributors here. My (and my wife's) F10 will be a humble 520d with a base price in Ireland of €41750.00. Delivery, paint and about €2000 of essentials like heated seats and USB connector (for her Ipod) and the final bill will be c €46k. Not for us the sophistication of the high end options that in Ireland would probably be worth zero when trade in time came....except for Auto transmission which is always popular. I test drove a 525d and 520d both in auto and I just don't like the feeling of not being fully in control of the car. Never did like Autos although our Auto Camry in New England was quite restful on holiday last year.

As I said this is our first BMW after almost 7 years of VAG products between us, mainly VW Passats. A new F10 will be an immense step up for us and a reward for finally making our last mortgage payment in Dec 2010.

For several years I have been looking at the 3 series, the A4, various Volvos and Saabs, C & E class Merc, etc but nothing has inspired to write a big cheque like the new F10. The styling from almost every angle is as seductive a shape as one could imagine. Despite having to comply with every safety and environmental rule under the sun the designers have managed to create a car that looks like it's speeding while parked & like it could take off vertically and defend the state against rogue attackers while also offering to whisk you across continents in supreme comfort and enjoyment. All of this while offering 184 bhp, 140 mph and sub 9 secs to 60mph and emissions that permit the lowest but one tier of car taxation in our country. The standard equipment is generous for a prestige German make and will cost not much more to buy than our top of the line Passat 2.0TDi Highline did in 2006.

From almost every consideration the car makes a compelling proposition and from somebody who had almost given up on the car industry being able to enthrall me with the latest this or that, I'm excited again about the prospect of this new car. I can't wait.

The main question is colour and while my ideal car colour is dark or gunmetal Grey the Sophisto shade does not really suit the car in my eyes (not a popular view I agree). I'm not one for light car colours so I'm gravitating towards the metallic Black. Especially from reading the "Black Magic" thread. I also like the oyster contrast inside but the wife is pushing for a darker colour. Maybe we will end up with black/cinnamon - What do people think of that combination?

[MikeTerp]

Welcome aboard! In my personal opinion, the black/cinnamon would look good. Any number of people on this board have commented that they like the cinnamon, so you will have some company. Car purchases are always very personal, so one person's dream car is another's hideous monstrosity! In your case, I doubt that many will quibble with your choice! You'll have to come back and tell us how you like your new F10!

[RC3]

i like the black/cinnamon combination too however the only drawback is the headliner is gray. some people might have no problem with it but i found it kind of disconnected from the rest of the color tones.

FYI i have ordered a black oyster/black just like the one if the black magic thread

[CJ 43]

Have just taken delivery of a 520D in Sapphire black with Oyster/black interior. It looks a cracking colour combination but then of course I would say that...

Managed to get a few bells and whistles added by going for the entry level car, which in all honesty is good enough for my needs and great to avoid the parasites over at the IR. Having driven the car for 24 hours now, including a short-ish but decent m/way run I'd say that the one thing I'm glad I opted for are the comfort seats for the front... They really are top notch and can cater for probably most body shapes and sizes. I expect I'll be pleased I took this option on many future journeys, so if like me you do a fair bit of mileage these are going to be a decent investment...

Like the OP I've been reading this forum for a bit now trying to get some insight and feedback, although I ordered my car back in March regardless and without opting for a test drive, so wouldn't have had much chance to change my mind anyway. I took the opinion that this was a nice looking car, build quality is excellent and when you're 'paying' this sort of money for a car you should expect that it should drive more than acceptably well. Compared to my old E class that has looked after me well for the last 4 yrs, this feels a step up in many areas...

[MMY]

Hello, I have had a F10 520D Auto Sports transmission Space Grey/Black Leather with 328 18" wheels for over a month and clocked up over 2000 miles so far...Impressions? On the plus side, the gearbox is fab, the interior is palatial compared to my E60's - and even the E39's I had; the BHP 184 engine is much smoother than the BHP 163 I had in my last E60 - and justified my decision to order the 520D in March rather than go with my heart (a six cylinder diesel). However, the jury's still out on the handling: I went from standard E39 to E60 SE on normal tires - and felt that was a small deterioration in handling. I then went to an E60 M Sport on 18" run-flats - and spent a while getting used to the VERY harsh ride on our wonderful (NOT!) Irish roads, but came to really enjoy the cornering and feel of control. I have the sports transmision on the F10 and honestly cannot detect much - or any - difference with the Sport or Sport+ modes; I have it configured for chassis only (as the powerline just ups the revs and thus fuel consumption - which I can do by flipping the gear lever into sport or use the paddles). It is definitely much more comfortable but maybe its good my boy-racer days are behind me...I will try to get a test in a car fitted with the variable dampers to see if that I should spec that next time out, but in common with many of the posters here, wonder why I should have to pay more for that old BMW feeling. I would also agree with the comments regarding the relatively unfeeling steering, but I think that one just needs to get used to the system and I am acclimatising to it with familiarity. I have a small regret not having gone back for a second look at the Jaguar XF - which apart from the six speed gearbox -is a fine car, with handling more comparable to older 5ers; the only issue I had with it was that I live far from any dealer and noting some negative comments about quality, wasn;t prepared to take the risk. If I lived closer to a Jag dealer, I think I would seriously consider it next time around.

[listerone]

Great to hear from you.It's always good,for me at least,to hear from folks from my acestral homeland I'm one year into *my* first BMW and I'm loving it.You Europeans are accustomed to diesels but here in the States they're still a novelty to most and are still *very* rare.The few friends and relatives I've allowed to drive my "d" have all been "drop jawed" after their first drive and could only say "wow".I'm seriously considering an F10 but I wish they offered a diesel here.In fact,I'm going to the dealership in about an hour.If I order (very probably will) I'll go for the dark graphite with a light interior...probably the ventilated seats with the Nappa leather which,here,only comes in two colors (black and light gray).

And BTW...a personal question that you obviously needn't answer: everything we hear here indicates that Ireland,unlike a few years ago when it was one of the most prosperous nations on earth,has an economy today that's in freefall and the Irish people are,by and large,in serious straits.True? Not true? Are many folks there buying mid-high level cars like you've done?

[listerone]

Oops,sorry "kev"...I thought you took delivery in January of *this* year...I missed the "1" at the end there.

[MMY]

To answer Listorone, won't dwell too much on the Irish economy as its not directly pertinent to this forum, but yes, it experienced quite a shock, almost entirely due to an old-fashioned property bubble (and government finances looked artificially great while the boom persisted); but we'll survive... in terms of car sales, last year (2009) was sub-50 units for the whole market, whereas it peaked around 200k per annum - although the natural level is said to be about 140k pa. This year its heading for 80k, in part due to a government scrappage scheme. But hey, like for like, my new F10 is nearly €20k cheaper than it was in 2007, due to manufacturer reduction and a new tax basis favouring low CO2 emissions. The 5 used to be pretty exclusive but became quite common in the last few years, it remains to be seen whether the newer generation of owners can afford to replace them in different economic times. The BMW has always been as desirable - indeed, even more so with Celtic Tiger cubs, when they overtook Mercedes (and Ireland used to have the highest per capita Mercedes ownership in the world!), but they have also lost a considerable number of dealers due to the downturn, so interesting times ahead. Most people will not have the keen interest in handling characteristics of those on this forum, and will above all covet the badge.

[listerone]

Originally Posted by MMY

But hey, like for like, my new F10 is nearly €20k cheaper than it was in 2007, due to manufacturer reduction and a new tax basis favouring low CO2 emissions.

Thanks for the info.I knew that taxes and fees are a big factor for car buyers in Europe and can fluctuate substantially depending on emmissions, mileage,etc.I'm surprised to hear that a BMW could be considered "low emissions" however.I guess that given that Europe is BMW's most important market (at least I *assume* it is) low emissions would help their sales (and bottom line).

[MMY]

Not sure about the exact legislative requirements but basically all car manufacturers in Europe are required to meet stringent future emission standards (California - take note!) which has led to diesel becoming the engine of choice here. BMW Leads the way in this arena - the new 520D is more carbon friendly than a Prius! Downside is you don't have the luxury of the high revving petrol engines, upside is that wonderful torque. My 520D does 0-60 in just over 8 seconds (compare that to an E39 petrol) but has a wonderful 80-120KM dash - which is what we need in the real world unless you are on the German autobahns (where I have been at 170mph and lapped by a 320i - obviously chipped!)