What would you buy? 05 with 93k mls or 53 with 44k mls??????

Joining the RR club tomorrow but I have 2 options, my heart and my head are saying different things. Both 4.4 V8 Vogues, both same price.

Option 1:
05 plate in Silver with 93k miles- I posted yesterday about this one. Spotless inside and out but not serviced regularly. I spoke to the garage that had done most of the work on it and they said it was a good car. They serviced it a year ago and there were no issue points made during it. My fear is that things will start to go wrong with it (it has had a brand new gear box fitted a year ago which I suppose is good)

Option 2:
53 plate in gun metal with 43k miles - Nice car but not quite as clean inside and out. Doesn't have a side step which I'd need to get and the wheels aren't as nice.

A mechanic friend of mine say go for the lower milage (my head) but it would be nice to own a newer one (my heart)

What do you guys think. Can't wait to post next week as an owner.

Quite clear from your post that you like the younger one. Things will always wear out. The good L322s are post 07 because they sorted out a lot of early glitches by then. But the early ones are just as good as long as all the recall work has been done. Regular service doesn't really mean much, as depends where its done and by whom. Its better to get a car that hasn't just recently been serviced because you can then get a good look at the oils, the condition of the plugs and so forth and get some idea of what shape the engine is in. Have someone check the battery and the alternator to make sure they are giving correct voltage and charging properly and if possible have the cooling system pressure tested. If it passes those you should be fine. You'll do a service as soon as you buy it I presume? One thing I always do when I get a new old car is a full service, all new fluids, new plugs, new filters, radiator flush, new rubber hoses and bits where needed, wheels balanced and tracking and alignment checked.

ramclaren said:

What do you guys think. Can't wait to post next week as an owner.

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I'd go for the lower milage. 50k miles is alot of potential wear. Thinigs like side steps can be added for a few hundred quid, as can various other subtle upgrades like window tints (look good on gunmetal models) etc. Get a good valet on it (or do it yourself) and it may look more appealing. Alloys can also be picked up for not that much if you really need to swap them.

If you don't mind me asking, how much are these two going for? Are they both Vogue spec? Have you checked them both for the various common faults? (check this forum for threads on common things to look for).

Welcome to the club.

Think id go for the 05 one, as its had a gearbox, the other one will prob need one in a year or so as reading on here they seem to be a weak point. Also remember this is a big lazy V8 BMW engine so the extra mileage wouldnt be an issue in my book. Plus it would be motorway work rather than stop start town stuff.And if your not gona put that many miles on it each year it will equal its self out over time.But hay its your money.

Shop around a bit more and get a lower mileage newer one. It will be worth it - the high mileage one with dodgy service record will be hard to sell on, there are loads of good uns about and no need to have this sort of compromise!

If I was in your position I would go for the lower mileage one, I wouldn't buy any car which had a scruffy interior though, I'd want my cake and to eat it, so maybe keep looking.

A garage told you it was a good car? Well that's all you need to know!

if the lower milage car got a scruffy interior is it just that it hasnt been valeted or is it just worn out?if its worn out the cars probably been clocked,compare the interior against the other car with 90k,i would go for the younger car get an AA check on it for piece of mind before buying if they thro up any major probs walk away theres loads around