Euro or Jap

[zito]

GurusI`m stuck in dilemma whether to go for a Honda Accord 2.4 or a E60 2.5. My blurdy brain is forcing me to go for a Honda(cheap maintenance, lower price) but my lovely heart is set on my dream E60. My budget is around 200k so both cars should be ok but Im afraid on the maintenance part. I need it as a daily car and I drive min 100km a day, so car maintenance(regular service, wear and tear, breakdowns) is a major worry for me. Hopefully you can provide me advice and share your personal experience.

 

[shiva73]

Bro Zito...

If you ask for our opinion who most of us are UDM freaks, i m afraid we will be bias to the german marque.

i bet u raised the same question in honda forum ( if u did ) did they will scare the shit of u about E60 ? .:3:

BTW , please make a good intro at the 'newbie' section before you start shooting question . After that surely or gurus will advice u . cheers

 

[aoch88]

I used to drive an Accord 2.4 before moving to E60 and I can tell you the feeling is totally different Not everything about the E60 is expensive but just that E60 has a lot more electronical items which could potentially fail and burn a hole in your pocket. If your car does not have all these silly electronics problem, normal servicing, wear and tear parts are only slightly more expensive than an Accord. Some examples below:

Honda Accord OEM brake pads = RM100+
BMW E60 OEM brake pads = RM100+

Honda Accord mountings (full set) = RM1500
BMW E60 OEM mountings (full set) = RM800

Honda Accord original wiper (per set) = RM100
BMW E60 Bosch wiper = RM160

Honda Accord original oil filter = RM30
BMW E60 original oil filter = RM35

These are just a few things I've found out and as a comparison/reference.

 

[astroboy]

When u r comparing with an Accord, that means U are not ready.. Stay with JDM for now and u are the best person to know when to take the plunge. A word of advise, the Maya tribe's prediction of 2012 is getting nearer.. It's now or never..

 

[adrianyam]

its totally 2 different category. since you are running around quite heavily i rather go for E60(diesel). more economical. you will love it.....

 

[louiswaw]

well i had been using Camry 2.0 for 2 yrs before i changed to e60 last yr. Just to highlight some of my personal feel(no bias) among the two: -
1) E60 Fuel consumption abt the same with camry.(e60 2500cc vs camry 2,000cc only)
2) E60 maintenance service a bit higher maybe 20% compared camry.
3) Safety feel sure goes to e60 once cruising @ 180-200km/h; feel steady though.
4) How long you love ur ride? i can say im still washing my e60 myself until today; whereby camry? after wash few times then washed by car wash enough la..
5) Power hp & torque sure goes for e60 la. no need to say already.
6) Status wise of course bmw again. Just park ur camry beside bmw see ??? BMW just can bring down ur camry/accord in the seconds...

i LOVE my E60 until now.

 

[E60lci]

Hi Zito, its depend on youself, beemers wanted to drive rather than to be driven to the destination. I still love my beemmm eventhough i also drive other cars. This alrdy my 4th. generation of 5 series that ever own and can't refuse eventhough sometime they emptying my pocket fast.... ohhh

 

[astroboy]

I know few who sell E60 and swap for a Camry, also got Bangle butt but Camry 100x safer.. From car jack..

 

[Member 33]

Follow your heart but use your brain to maintain it..:rock::rock:

I owned both the E60 & Accord 2.4 until I sold off the honda lately.

 

[t2ribena]

i will go for the current Camry 2.4V rather than the 2.4 Accord or the 525i E60...

as a daily car it is just reliable and offers the peace of mind BMW cannot provide...

 

[aoch88]

Follow your heart but use your brain to maintain it..:rock::rock:

I owned both the E60 & Accord 2.4 until I sold off the honda lately.

We are on the same boat no doubt Accord is a very good car and does not give problems but in terms of NVH, ride/handling, etc the E60 wins it all. Best part is my current 530i consumption is almost similar with my previous Accord 2.4, only slightly higher.

 

[zito]

Thank you all for the insights. It has definitely helped me to decide. Its a go for E60 then!! Time to start hunting a 525.... Any advice for a s/hand 525's or known problems..

 

[JFT63]

A hunt for a beauty begins here....good luck bro Zito

 

[bazet]

EO bungaraya at Sunway have a nice 525i m Sport for sales

 

[alxy]

I used to own an Accord 2.4 also. Obviously the feeling of driving these 2 cars is way WAYYYYY different. I tell people Accord was my transport, but 530 is my CAR.

If you really love cars, then E60 is the car for you. But if not, then I suggest get the Accord. High maintenance can very quickly change love to hate if you're not passionate about the car in the first place. I would like to add that this in no way means that the E60 is a more problematic car than the Accord. Take a new E60 and new Accord, you would get similar levels of reliability.

Just that being a used car, even if it's well maintained, there are certain wear-and-tear items that have to be changed at certain age or mileage no matter what (or risk even higher $$$ damage later). And yes, BMW parts are definitely more expensive than Honda, and there are more of them to change as well. As for normal service, cost is relatively the same, though of course Accord would be free for first 2 years (assuming they still give the free 2 year service thingy)

So if you can take the hit to your pocket, then go for the E60. You will never regret it and look back. If you get the Accord (like I did so many years back), you end up wondering how the BMW will feel like and also dreaming about it. In the end, you end up buying the BMW anyway!

 

[zito]

Bazet: Thanx bro..will check it out this weekend.

Alxy: Thanks bro... I truly do love cars and I'm set on getting a E60. As you said, we still end up buying a BMW.. Better sooner than later

 

[aoch88]

What's your budget bro Zito? Actually I did a lot of survey, research before I got my E60 and if given a second chance, I think I rather go for local CKD used than recond AP.

 

[Herbert]

What's your budget bro Zito? Actually I did a lot of survey, research before I got my E60 and if given a second chance, I think I rather go for local CKD used than recond AP.

Do agree with you on preference on local used CKD. Can you just share your experienced on record AP?

 

[aoch88]

Do agree with you on preference on local used CKD. Can you just share your experienced on record AP?

Actually my car is considered alright (UK specs) but some of the things which I'm not quite happy about:

1. I cannot check the service record and I bet the mileage must be really high.

2. Undercarriage, disc brakes, etc are corroded. There's nothing much we can do except replacing them.

3. The AP holder (car dealer) is not very honest. Promise this and that but end up otherwise. I am pretty sure they didn't service the car at all before handing over to me. No after sales service, I can't complain or go back to AB, etc. I'm on my own.

4. Despite being a 2007 car which is considered quite new, there are quite a number of things to be changed, my IBS sensor went dead on the first month of ownership, absorbers are producing sound (maybe springs) due to stagnant position like stuck in the port or God knows where for some time? Maybe they swapped parts before putting it in the showroom?

With a local CKD car it's easier to tell and most importantly, it's normally better maintained. At least service records and warranty is there. Just my 2 cents

 

[zito]

What's your budget bro Zito? Actually I did a lot of survey, research before I got my E60 and if given a second chance, I think I rather go for local CKD used than recond AP.

200k. If i get a really good condition, i wont mind 220k also. I was looking at 525 M Sport models 06 or 07.