BMW 5 Series

The estate does not exist. The F11 and G31 Touring were never imported into North America, so the American 5 Series is a saloon and nothing else. This is not a rarity to hunt for — it simply is not there. If the family wants a boot, you are looking at another market or another model.

Rear drive is the second trap and it costs more here than on the 3 or the 4. In California, Florida and Texas over half of the 535i, 540i and even the F10 550i were built rear-drive only. On a sporting coupé rear drive has its admirers; on a luxury business saloon the absence of xDrive shows up directly in the resale price here.

The third trap is inside the car and only becomes obvious when you sit in it. American standard equipment often includes the base Sensatec synthetic leather seats — shallow and barely adjustable. In this class that undoes the whole feel of the car. Look for Luxury Seating or Comfort Seats with a reclining backrest, Nappa or Merino leather, ventilation and massage.

One engine has to be avoided. The 528i with the N20 carries the same chain and oil pump problem as the 428i — the chain gets replaced preventively. The 535i with the N55 is the common six and is pleasant. But the pre-facelift 550i, 2011 to 2013, runs the first N63B44, one of BMW's most troublesome V8s: it overheats, uses a litre of oil every thousand kilometres and stretches chains. If a 550i, then only the facelift N63TU with 445 hp.

On the G30 the choice is easy. The 540i with the B58 is the best thing in the series — closed-deck aluminium block, no oil consumption, reliability without qualifications. The 530i with the B48 is sturdy and economical, but this body misses the velvet of a six. The 530e is a plug-in hybrid and wants its battery checked after a rear or floor impact. Every American G30, the 540i and M550i included, has no particulate filter — deeper sound and nothing to clog.