Used BMW 5 Series buying guide (1996 to present): which one to buy and what to check

Which used BMW 5 Series should you buy?

An F10 saloon (2010 to 2017) with the 3.0 six-cylinder diesel is the lesser risk, because its main serious known fault, an EGR cooler that leaks coolant and can start a fire in the engine bay on 2014 to 2018 diesels, was covered by a recall you can ask for proof of. The F11 Touring from the same years is a riskier buy, since its rear air springs fail and drop the back of the car between 60,000 and 100,000 miles.

Whichever body you choose, be wary of the 2.0 520d. From 2007 to 2015 it used the N47 engine, whose timing chain sits at the back and can stretch and snap, sometimes with no warning before the engine fails. F10 petrols aren't the easy way out either: the 2.0 and 2.8 N20 from 2012 to 2017 can seize between 50,000 and 90,000 miles, and the 4.4 twin-turbo V8 burns oil through worn valve stem seals.

An E60 or E61 (2003 to 2010) is a bigger gamble. Water gets into the electronics module under the spare wheel and can kill the electrics between 80,000 and 150,000 miles, every diesel carries a DPF failure fault between 80,000 and 130,000 miles, and the swirl actuator fault that can wreck the engine is logged against 2003 and 2004 diesels. If you want one, it's the boot floor and the paperwork that decide it.

The E39 (1996 to 2003) is the oldest, and on a 530d from 2001 to 2004 the inlet swirl flaps can break off and destroy the engine, while six-cylinder petrols made before September 1998 could wear their bores. There are only a handful of owner reports on the car sold from 2016 (the Touring from 2017), so there's little to go on either way, but its 2016 to 2018 diesels fall inside the 2014 to 2018 years of the EGR cooler fault, so ask whether the recall's been done.

Which 5 Series engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 3.0 six-cylinder diesel in an F10 is the lesser risk, as long as the EGR cooler recall's been done on a 2014 to 2018 car. That cooler can crack and let coolant into the hot exhaust, where deposits can ignite and set the inlet manifold alight, so watch for coolant vanishing with no visible leak and a burning smell. On 2003 and 2004 E60 diesels, fours and sixes alike, swirl flap actuators can snap off and get sucked into the engine, and poor idling is the first sign.

A 2007 to 2015 520d is the diesel to be most wary of. Its N47 timing chain runs at the back of the engine behind the flywheel, so reaching it means taking the gearbox off or dropping the engine, and there's no fixed replacement interval. BMW recalled the 520d to replace the chain tensioner, and the chain where it had stretched, so ask for that invoice and still listen for scraping from the back. The 2.0 B47 diesel (2014 to 2018) shares the EGR cooler recall with the 3.0.

None of the petrols is a safe fallback. The 2.0 and 2.8 N20 (2012 to 2017) has plastic timing chain guides that break down, taking out the oil pump drive chain and seizing the engine. The 3.0 single-turbo N55 can loosen or break the screws holding its VANOS housing, which drops the engine into emergency mode, and the 4.4 twin-turbo V8 (N63, 2008 to 2013) can burn a litre of oil every 500 miles once its valve stem seals wear.

An automatic with invoices for fluid changes is the gearbox to have. BMW calls the six-speed and eight-speed boxes sealed for life, but ZF, who build them, specify fresh fluid and a filter, so have it done every 60,000 miles or 96 months. One 2003 525d auto passed 265,000 miles with a specialist changing its fluid and filter every 60,000 miles. The 520d manual from 2011 to 2016 has jumped out of gear, whined and juddered pulling away after stop-start town driving.

What should you check when viewing a used 5 Series?

Crouch behind a Touring and compare the ride height side to side, because failing rear air suspension is the Touring's known fault on both generations. On an F11 (2010 to 2017) the rear air springs go between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, with a chassis fault warning on the dash, and an E61's (2004 to 2010) self-levelling system gives up after about 4 years or 80,000 miles, with a noisy or busy compressor. See it after it's been parked, as one 530d GT sank at a rear corner.

Lift the boot floor and spare wheel on an E60 or E61 and look for water around the electronics module, since water there takes out the electrics; on one 2009 525d the module shorted and melted the insulation on the loom around it. Test the rear lights, reversing lights and rear wiper on an E61, as the tailgate wiring breaks. An iDrive stuck on the BMW logo means the 2004 to 2008 control unit's failing, and warm air con on an F10 or F11 points to a failed condenser.

Arrive to a cold engine. A rhythmic scraping from the back of a 520d, near the bulkhead, is the timing chain; a high-pitched whine rising with the revs, or a cold-start rattle, is the N20 petrol's warning; and blue smoke after 5 minutes idling on the 4.4 V8 means worn valve stem seals. An E60 diesel that's down on power and puffing black smoke points to a blocked DPF, and driving on can overheat the turbo. Clunks into Reverse or Neutral point to a tired automatic.

Ask for invoices for automatic gearbox fluid changes, and proof of the recalls: the EGR cooler on 2014 to 2018 diesels, the VANOS housing screws on 2009 to 2011 six-cylinder petrols, the 520d timing chain tensioner, and the boot battery cable fire risk on 2003 to 2010 cars. On an F10 or F11, look for the condenser swap BMW told dealers to do at a service. On an E61, get the rear suspension arm ball joints checked: they've failed on two cars, and one's rear corner collapsed.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What goes wrong on the BMW 5 Series E60/E61 (2003 to 2010)?

Water getting into the electronics module in the boot is a serious known fault on the E60, and it can leave the car with no electrics at all between 80,000 and 150,000 miles. The module sits under the spare wheel, and a failed one-way vent flap at the back of the cabin lets water reach it, bringing battery drain and false dashboard warnings with it. One 2009 E61 525d Touring's module was found burnt right through, and the insurer wouldn't pay.

DPFs on E60 diesels fail between 80,000 and 130,000 miles, especially on cars used for short runs, and driving on with a blocked one can wreck the turbo. Owners have reported DPF trouble on a 2007 520d that spent most of its time in heavy traffic and a 2007 525d that did a 30 mile commute every day. On 2003 and 2004 diesels, broken swirl actuators can be swallowed by the engine; one 2004 530d got a new engine in 2009, with its owner paying £2,000.

The 530d has covered big mileages reliably in police E60s and E61s, but turbos are another diesel weak point in owners' reports. One owner paid £1,795 for a turbo on a 2009 520d at 75k miles, then £789 when the wiring looms in the boot failed, and another 2010 E61 520d's turbo went at 61k miles, with BMW putting £1,000 towards the £1,800 bill. Tourings also have self-levelling rear suspension and tailgate wiring that both fail.

The 2.5 and 3.0 N53 petrols (2007 to 2013) suffer injector failures that cause misfires, a rough cold idle and a smell of unburnt fuel; one 2007 525i got through 17 injectors including the original six, and dribbling injectors can wear a 525i's bores oval at around 90k miles. On 2004 to 2008 cars, check the iDrive doesn't hang on the BMW logo. Early 18-inch runflat tyres ride badly, and the windscreen glass is thin enough that stone chips crack it.

Is a used BMW 5 Series F10/F11 (2010 to 2017) a good buy?

An F10 saloon is a sound buy with the right engine, but the F11 Touring's rear air springs are a known weak point, failing between 60,000 and 100,000 miles and leaving the back sagging. Owners' reports show how it goes: a 2011 Touring collapsed at 63,000 miles and broke a rear damper, another dropped at 75k miles, and warranty cover was refused on both as wear and tear. Parts have taken weeks to arrive, and one 2012 520d Touring had repeated failures by 58,352 miles.

The 520d's rear timing chain has failed on owners' cars at 74k miles on a 2011 Touring, 83k miles on a 2010 car and 107,000 miles on a 2011 car whose owner drove 20 miles on with a rattle and badly damaged the engine. BMW recalled the 520d to fit a new tensioner. Diesels from 2014 carry the EGR cooler fault: a 2015 520d was losing coolant at 13,000 miles, and another 520d's cooler filled the engine bay with smoke on the move.

Petrol F10s aren't safer. The 2.0 and 2.8 N20 (2012 to 2017) can seize when its timing chain guides break up, and the 3.0 single-turbo N55 had its VANOS housing screws recalled on 2009 to 2011 cars. Air con condensers fail between 30,000 and 80,000 miles because of badly soldered seams, and one F11 520d went through two. Manual 520ds have popped out of gear, whined and juddered, and one 2011 520d needed a clutch and dual-mass flywheel at 63k miles.

It's got a five-star Euro NCAP rating, and the smaller faults owners have reported include a stop/start starter motor that burned out at 16,350 miles on a 2013 520d, an adaptive headlight on a 2011 520d filling with condensation, and wet rear footwells when the membrane inside the rear doors splits. On a 530d Touring automatic, one owner's plastic gearbox sump pan leaked, was replaced, and leaked again a year later.

What does a used BMW 5 Series cost to run?

What do 5 Series owners like about them?

The 2017 on 5 Series handles with a sharpness you don't expect from something this big, and it's composed and refined with it. Its cabin's nicely finished and feels properly high quality. On the F10, the automatic brake hold keeps the car still even when you're reversing up a slope.

The GT gives you the comfort and room of a limousine while still coping with rough roads. The 2017 on Touring's back seat takes three child seats side by side, the rear seatbacks fold down flat, and the glass in the tailgate opens separately from the rest of it.

• A safety feature of the 5 Series Touring prevents rear passengers from buckling up unless 'P' is selected on the gear selector.
• A 2003 BMW 525d automatic reached 265,000 miles without trouble after regular transmission oil and filter changes.
• A 2001 BMW 530D with an M57 engine achieved an average fuel economy of 41mpg over 22,145 miles.
• Police reports indicate E60 and E61 530Ds are strong, economical, and reliable over high mileages.
• The 5 Series GT offers limo-like comfort and generous space, making it capable of handling rougher road conditions.