Sizes and running costs of Gran Coupe vs Normal 640d F06

[AceCobra1]

Originally Posted by NINJA59

The dealer launch model means it was the first one used at a dealership - item code 999.

My only thing is it is a 2012 model and they lack some of the benefits of the later years, that really started in 2013.

I would also be interested to know whether any of the apps, internet and remote services still work as the car is over 3 years old and from memory they were only "free" until 3 years after build, from then on it is about £120 a year.

Appreciate that Ninja! Would you be able to elaborate what the main advantages are between the 2012 - 2013 models? Is it just on the software front and would Adam be able to upgrade those software remotely ? The DD Coding guy I mean. And are there any specific dates on 2013 I should be looking at? To be honest, jumping from a wankle (rx8) to a 6 series, I think most things would be an improvement except for the price

I am still in 2 minds weather I should get the GC or coupe. I prefer the looks of the coupe but I am not sure if I can jump from an RX8 to a GC - it would be like driving a ship! I was also told that the birds eye view camera option is an essential upgrade for the GC too - what do you guys think? The front and rear view cameras come as standard right?

[darms]

Make the jump mate, went from a classic Impreza to a gran coupe. Won't look back if you like a 4 door car

[AceCobra1]

Originally Posted by darms

Make the jump mate, went from a classic Impreza to a gran coupe. Won't look back if you like a 4 door car

Is it difficult to drive the car? I mean just the size of it...

Definitely getting it very soon, prob within the next month or 2 unless a bargain suddenly comes up then I might get it like next few days

[darms]

As long as you have surround view cameras it's fine. Ultimately I feel you change when driving the car (well I have). I may just be getting older

[AceCobra1]

Originally Posted by darms

As long as you have surround view cameras it's fine. Ultimately I feel you change when driving the car (well I have). I may just be getting older

Would you say the surround view camera is essential for the GC? Did you get a chance to drive the 2 door version?

[NINJA59]

I have a GC with only the reverse camera I do not think the surround is necessary personally. None of the cameras are standard they are all optional (rear view and surround - most cars I looked at only had the rear, the surround at least in my viewing was a rare one).

Some of that will depend on the type of roads you drive where live etc.

If you think you have problems from an RX8 to the 6 GC then you need to try mine as I hop between my weekend toy the MX5 and the GC.

Overall, if you treat the size carefully you do not really notice the size, the only time I wince sometimes is down local twisty a roads with trucks so you need to slow there. Apart from that the GC makes for a wonderful experience and can be hustled fairly well just not as quick as possibly a physically smaller car say 3 series.

Saying that and saying what darms has said I drive the GC very different from the MX5 the MX5 is very visceral and raw (some might might a old - but then the MX5 is derived from the elan so what do you expect!), the GC on the other hand yes is a "boat" and sometimes I feel at the helm of one. But, it is comfortable and does a lot for you to make you relax which in day to day life is brilliant.

Sports mode is nice and definitely makes the whole powertrain "wake" up a little more.Overall I must admit both of mine are like chalk and cheese in getting somewhere and for different purposes.

I will be honest and say I hated the feeling of "disconnection" initially - and I will say now you will be disappointed initially, but for getting around in comfort at speed with decent MPG it is a wonderful car.

Moving on to parking a simple fact (if focusing on the GC) it is longer than the current SWB Range Rover, longer than many other SUV's as well. So take your time, overall it is a fairly easy. I have kerbed one wheel in a dopey moment mind (only an inch long so nothing truly "major" - gives me more reason to refurb them when the time comes).

I think the easiest way to describe the 6GC IMO - a 7 series that is still youthful and a bit immature now and again (definitely feels it when you turn the some of the aids down and just boot it), mixed in with a pretense of being a "sensible" and classy car.

I looked at the Bob Flavin youtube reviews as he was one of the better reviews I found for the 640 - he did a couple a while back and he did a recent one with the LCI car which he did not want to hand back to BMW....

[AceCobra1]

Originally Posted by NINJA59

I have a GC with only the reverse camera I do not think the surround is necessary personally. None of the cameras are standard they are all optional (rear view and surround - most cars I looked at only had the rear, the surround at least in my viewing was a rare one).

Some of that will depend on the type of roads you drive where live etc.

If you think you have problems from an RX8 to the 6 GC then you need to try mine as I hop between my weekend toy the MX5 and the GC.

Overall, if you treat the size carefully you do not really notice the size, the only time I wince sometimes is down local twisty a roads with trucks so you need to slow there. Apart from that the GC makes for a wonderful experience and can be hustled fairly well just not as quick as possibly a physically smaller car say 3 series.

Saying that and saying what darms has said I drive the GC very different from the MX5 the MX5 is very visceral and raw (some might might a old - but then the MX5 is derived from the elan so what do you expect!), the GC on the other hand yes is a "boat" and sometimes I feel at the helm of one. But, it is comfortable and does a lot for you to make you relax which in day to day life is brilliant.

Sports mode is nice and definitely makes the whole powertrain "wake" up a little more.Overall I must admit both of mine are like chalk and cheese in getting somewhere and for different purposes.

I will be honest and say I hated the feeling of "disconnection" initially - and I will say now you will be disappointed initially, but for getting around in comfort at speed with decent MPG it is a wonderful car.

Moving on to parking a simple fact (if focusing on the GC) it is longer than the current SWB Range Rover, longer than many other SUV's as well. So take your time, overall it is a fairly easy. I have kerbed one wheel in a dopey moment mind (only an inch long so nothing truly "major" - gives me more reason to refurb them when the time comes).

I think the easiest way to describe the 6GC IMO - a 7 series that is still youthful and a bit immature now and again (definitely feels it when you turn the some of the aids down and just boot it), mixed in with a pretense of being a "sensible" and classy car.

I looked at the Bob Flavin youtube reviews as he was one of the better reviews I found for the 640 - he did a couple a while back and he did a recent one with the LCI car which he did not want to hand back to BMW....

Would you be able to elaborate what the main advantages are between the 2012 - 2013 models? Is it just on the software front and would Adam be able to upgrade those software remotely ? The DD Coding guy I mean. And are there any specific dates on 2013 I should be looking at? To be honest, jumping from a wankle (rx8) to a 6 series, I think most things would be an improvement except for the price

[AceCobra1]

How do you guys check the option extras that are already fitted on the car? I was looking at:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge=2&logcode=p

Seems EXTREMELY cheap esp. when it is only 16k miles. No warranty but there seems to be a service pack when I checked. Problem is it is in Ireland but the guy even offered to pick me up from the airport if I went for the viewing. Will need to consider the option

[BMWLad]

Cars description is not the car in the photos. I.E the car in the photo's is on 20's not 19's it also has a sunroof.

Its an earlier car as its got the older Nav and steering wheel.

[Dandanbmw]

Originally Posted by AceCobra1

How do you guys check the option extras that are already fitted on the car? I was looking at:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge=2&logcode=p

Seems EXTREMELY cheap esp. when it is only 16k miles. No warranty but there seems to be a service pack when I checked. Problem is it is in Ireland but the guy even offered to pick me up from the airport if I went for the viewing. Will need to consider the option

Tbh I wouldn't even contemplate it myself I'd find a deal in England. Have you decided between the coupe and gran coupe yet?
Also if you come across one with comfort seats I recommend them

[AceCobra1]

Originally Posted by Dandanbmw

Tbh I wouldn't even contemplate it myself I'd find a deal in England. Have you decided between the coupe and gran coupe yet?
Also if you come across one with comfort seats I recommend them

I would say I am leaning towards a GC. Walked passed a coupe earlier and it sure looks pretty awesome but I think I wouldn't fit even a small box into the car!

I have my eye on: https://www.cargiant.co.uk/car/bmw/640d/FE63VRL

Hopefully if they discount it further, I can get that. It would be ideal if I can get one with a 20" alloys. If I do get the one from car giant, I will probably get one of those replica alloys with summer tyres on and keep the 19" in some garage for winter use.

I am going on holiday in 2 weeks time for about 2 1/2 weeks so I would say unless I can find a bargain next week, I will prob get it when I come back from my holidays

I actually messaged that Ireland car on facebook and was asking what the best way to get to his garage was and he said if I bought the car, they can deliver it Then I said, I wouldn't buy a 30k car without first looking at it in person, then he told me to fly to belfast airport (which is about 50 miles from his garage) and he will pick me up there He must be pretty deperate to sell

But then, I thought the 6 series in general being so rare must be pretty sought after and I wasn't gonna haggle too much.

The other day, I was looking at a 30k GC on Imperial cars and was wondering what I would get for a trade in of my RX8 and they offered £330 - I think I will be running both the GC and an RX8 it seems! But what was really funny was Imperial Cars actually phoned me up - they must be finding the 6 difficult to shift? I wouldn't think a garage would phone me up esp. when my trade in is worth 1% of the actual purchase! Surely they must be thinking I am having a laugh!

[NINJA59]

Hmm looks poorly specced (I cannot get the full build without the VIN).

It does not have the BMW service pack on it either.

Finally, the leather looks in poor condition and needs a serious clean up.

6's are a slow seller globally - insurance is pricey and so are many perceived running costs!

[AceCobra1]

Is it possible to find the VIN of a car just from the numberplate alone ?

[Rufus123]

Originally Posted by AceCobra1

Is it possible to find the VIN of a car just from the numberplate alone ?

Mate I've got to say, I've never seen anyone make it more difficult for themselves to buy a car

So far you've looked at one overseas and one at a car supermarket, even tho your looking at ones that are much more expensive than BMW stock.... And the decision between coupe and gran coupe is down to you taking a big box to the post office every 2 months

Go on BMWs website and find one you like, they sell cars.......

go look at some in the dealers near you, drive them, chat to a few salesmen, don't buy on the day and make a few low ball offers, see what happens. Facebook chats with dudes from Ireland about plane journeys and trips from the airport seem v silly and totally pointless

Don't want to sound rude, but can see this thread going on for 2 years at the rate it is haha

Good luck

[AceCobra1]

Originally Posted by Rufus123

Don't want to sound rude, but can see this thread going on for 2 years at the rate it is haha

LOL - you might be right Planning to get one within the next 2 months really as I am going on holiday in about 10 days time, will most likely get one when I am back. I just wanted to check the VIN so I can see what original specs the car has

[AceCobra1]

Hi guys, so I had a look on autotrader and then I bumped into a post on an M3 forum by accident:

http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=149830

The guy seems to look after the car quite well and is a detailer too. I am most likely going to enquire about this car.

The only thing putting me off is the SE although it isn't a big problem given the fact that there is so much optional extras and the car does have 20" alloys which I think is a bonus.

Just wondering, this is a 2012 model, you guys keep saying that the 2013 is better, but would you guys think it is necessary? Can Adam update the software + install/ mod the active noise in the car if it has the older software?

The car has an existing warranty with the AUC until next month, if I went ahead and bought the warranty from BMW-warranty, that should be fine as long as there is a FBMWSH right?

Finally, any particular questions I should ask or things I should be looking out for?

Cheers guys

[Rufus123]

Originally Posted by AceCobra1

Hi guys, so I had a look on autotrader and then I bumped into a post on an M3 forum by accident:

http://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/showthread.php?t=149830

The guy seems to look after the car quite well and is a detailer too. I am most likely going to enquire about this car.

The only thing putting me off is the SE although it isn't a big problem given the fact that there is so much optional extras and the car does have 20" alloys which I think is a bonus.

Just wondering, this is a 2012 model, you guys keep saying that the 2013 is better, but would you guys think it is necessary? Can Adam update the software + install/ mod the active noise in the car if it has the older software?

The car has an existing warranty with the AUC until next month, if I went ahead and bought the warranty from BMW-warranty, that should be fine as long as there is a FBMWSH right?

Finally, any particular questions I should ask or things I should be looking out for?

Cheers guys

Mate seriously start looking at BMW approved cars, that car needs brakes doing and an immediate warranty at a hundred quid a month or so, so 250 for brakes and a grand for a years warranty. Takes the cost to 27.5k to 28k, there's BMW cars for that price at list and you can haggle a grand off the prices on the website

Mines 2013 and covered by a approved used car warranty. it's booked in next week as the seats moving when cornering, they are replacing the entire seat at a cost of 4800 and giving me a courtesy x6 m50 for the 2 weeks it will take to do...... Why ???? Because I bought it from them and it's got a Approved used car warranty for a year, and they know me. Mondial would not cover this, the courtesy cars prob worth 700 quid a week lol, I guarantee if I brought a car I hadn't bought from them, covered by Mondial in, they would have said no, guide rails aren't covered nor are seals, grommets etc which is what the issue is.....even If they said yes I'd be in a 114i courtesy car for the two weeks as well

Your spending 30 grand on a car that you will, I imagine keep for a few years so having a decent relationship with your dealer is important, as is a Approved used car warranty, considering the cost is the same pretty much

Have you been into a dealership yet ??? Or just browsing online ??

Also software - Adam doesn't update yearly software he just does mini options that are built into all of the software, active sound was on all gran coupes so he can do it on all..... However if you have a BMW AUC warranty you can get the dealers to update your software free of charge if you have problems with Bluetooth dropping signal or nav freezing completely randomly ... Hint hint

[AceCobra1]

Thanks for the reply Rufus, I actually phoned up the guy who was quite friendly and seems to be fairly clued up about the car. He seemed genuine enough and it seems that the price is fixed @ £26k.

He said that he don't think there is any difference between the 2012 and 2013 iDrives ?

Basically the pads need done on the front which is £300 + warranty which is £720 - so it brings the total of 27k.

The car still has a service pack with it until May 2017

The only thing is that the car is still on fiance. He told me that the best thing was for me to transfer the cash to him once I looked at the car then he will phone up BMW Finance to pay that balance off. Once he paid it off, I will phone up them to reconfirm. Does that sound reasonable? Its kinda the cheapest one with a reasonable spec I want - i.e. white with 20" alloys.

[Rufus123]

Originally Posted by AceCobra1

Thanks for the reply Rufus, I actually phoned up the guy who was quite friendly and seems to be fairly clued up about the car. He seemed genuine enough and it seems that the price is fixed @ £26k.

He said that he don't think there is any difference between the 2012 and 2013 iDrives ?

Basically the pads need done on the front which is £300 + warranty which is £720 - so it brings the total of 27k.

The car still has a service pack with it until May 2017

The only thing is that the car is still on fiance. He told me that the best thing was for me to transfer the cash to him once I looked at the car then he will phone up BMW Finance to pay that balance off. Once he paid it off, I will phone up them to reconfirm. Does that sound reasonable? Its kinda the cheapest one with a reasonable spec I want - i.e. white with 20" alloys.

It's a nice car mate if your after white, but look thru the Mondial terms and see what it doesn't cover and then get a 100 quid inspection done before buying to see if there's any repairs needed that won't be covered by the Mondial warranty

Also, if it were me I'd want to do the deal at the local dealership lounge, on camera, I'd pay the finance company myself so,they have a record that it's been sold and your the new owner and I'd pay the difference to the guy after the finance is done and the finance company knows your buying it

If it's 2012 and 26 grand I bet he owes what he's selling for so it should be easy and you have no worries that he won't pay the finance etc etc

My mate works at a dealer and lost of people do private BMW sales in their coffee areas that are on finance so it's all on cctv etc and you can even get BMW to check the car over for a few hundred squid....... Well worth it

Remember your the dude with 30 grand and he's the guy desperate to sell his car that's on finance.. so you dictate how it's conducted

[AceCobra1]

Originally Posted by Rufus123

It's a nice car mate if your after white, but look thru the Mondial terms and see what it doesn't cover and then get a 100 quid inspection done before buying to see if there's any repairs needed that won't be covered by the Mondial warranty

Also, if it were me I'd want to do the deal at the local dealership lounge, on camera, I'd pay the finance company myself so,they have a record that it's been sold and your the new owner and I'd pay the difference to the guy after the finance is done and the finance company knows your buying it

If it's 2012 and 26 grand I bet he owes what he's selling for so it should be easy and you have no worries that he won't pay the finance etc etc

My mate works at a dealer and lost of people do private BMW sales in their coffee areas that are on finance so it's all on cctv etc and you can even get BMW to check the car over for a few hundred squid....... Well worth it

Remember your the dude with 30 grand and he's the guy desperate to sell his car that's on finance.. so you dictate how it's conducted

Cheers Rufus. That is a good idea - I probably should goto the BMW dealer and pay the fiance directly to them. Can any BMW Dealership settle the finance or does it need to be done over the phone etc.? If the car already the service pack included, would an inspection be free? Or what is the inspection service called? Do you think £26k is a fair price for the car? I was running it through HPI and they said that the valuation is £24220 which is £2k less than what it is getting advertised as.

[Rufus123]

Originally Posted by AceCobra1

Cheers Rufus. That is a good idea - I probably should goto the BMW dealer and pay the fiance directly to them. Can any BMW Dealership settle the finance or does it need to be done over the phone etc.? If the car already the service pack included, would an inspection be free? Or what is the inspection service called? Do you think £26k is a fair price for the car? I was running it through HPI and they said that the valuation is £24220 which is £2k less than what it is getting advertised as.

It's all over the phone, with BMW finance but your at least on camera, you would need to pay thehour labour to check the car, approx 150 quid for an average dealer rape rate.... but well worth it, considering they look at your car as future business so will tell you about anything that will slightly go wrong in the next year ......it's not covered under warranty or service pack, your basically paying a guy to look at the car for an hour and tell you what he thinks in terms of future repairs,

26k is reasonable, HPI valuations are a few grand behind on gran coupes, my z4 is valued at 9 grand on HPI but they go for 20 grand private, some models just don't fit the depreciation algorithm that HPI use. Usually the good ones haha, and the gran coupe is holding values well. I bet there still 22 grand this time next year for early models

[NINJA59]

Personally (if it were me) I would want it confirmed that BMW finance know he is selling the car number 1. If the finance company do not know about it you could be in for a world of shite if they do not give permission then you could end up sinking 30K into it and loosing the car as well.

Number 2 I would definitely want to know that the finance had been cleared so the dealership idea is a good one. But make sure should the worst happen you could actually get the evidence from BMW...

As for the advert claiming it is HPI clear well that is not currently true.

Over the service package I would check when the cars next service is due in mileage and time, if you do lots of miles then you may benefit from it (unless it has recently had one done), time wise could be more difficult with services only every 2 years....

I am not sure on your budget, but I would aim for a later car, the only real things unique to it are the colour and some of the options are fairly rare (surround view, comfort access)

It would also be worth looking within the AUC network as there are plenty of younger cars nearer 30K, and the last thing I would be doing is trusting anyone to say they will pay the finance off after giving them 30K to.