SOT? Feedback on 5 series

[dtharp113]

My wife is giving up her Toyota Camry and, much to my surprise and delight, has decided she'd like to find a used 5 series. Not sure what we'll find as she wants to stay around 17K (and of course would like to find low miles!).

Looking for any feedback re: cost of ownership, problems to be aware of, overall satisfaction, etc.

thanks!

[BLUNT]

at 17k it probably isnt an e39. i dont have any experience with e60's but im not thrilled with the e39's reliability. i love the car when its right. but ive had a lot of problems with it. especially cooling and intake seals as well as trans problems, worn suspension components prematurely,burnt pixels in the cluster, ABS module etc etc. all the things the car is known for. i think the 6 cyl car is a better car. mine happens to be a 540 sport.

when all is well with it i really love the car. i just wish it was well more often. i would not buy another

[Guest Anonymous]

I had a 98 540 sport auto. I loved that car but it had the typical reliability problems. Cracked radiator, leaking valve cover seals, leaking intake manifold gaskets, leaking valley pan gasket, water pump, suspension bushings, etc. I did most of the work myself but sold it 2 years ago to a friend ( I didn't want to sell it to him but he insisted)who had 2 window regulators and transmission go bad. I had lots of people wanting to race me because it just had that look.

The later E39 530 is much more reliable with the updated 6cyl engine and if you can still find one with the extended warranty check it out. The 03 E39 540 sport is much more desirable cause it has the M aerodynamics pkg with a high perf diff. But don't get it without a warranty. Even with all the problems I had I still considered getting one of those but opted instead for my current E90 330i sport.

Don't know much about the E60

[John_in_VA]

with the 4.4-liter V8 and 80K miles, and several indy mechanics said steer clear of it and go for the 528i or 530i. As mentioned above, many electronic aspects to deal with (as on all new cars), as well as the plastic cooling system.

E34s are less complicated (535i up to '93 are great cars), but some interior materials are not up to previous BMW standards. This is when the bean counters started to take over.

No experience here with the E60s.

With your budget I'd get 2 perfect E28s!

[JFT]

We've got a '2003 5 Series - E39, I think it is - sportwagon. The thing has been bulletproof. It's a fabulous driver's car that handles and stops in spite of its size. It has been very reliable - now has a few more than 100,000 miles on it and never has given a lick of trouble, with one notable exception. Where you do spend money is on doing the brakes, especially if you have the dealer do the work. Also, and here's that exception, every 60,000 miles or so the bushings on the front suspension need to be replaced and that can get spendy.

The sportwagon hauls a whole lot. Fuel mileage around town is about 18 mpg, out on the Interstate at a steady 75 mph and running on cruise control, it will return 26, 27 mpg. I also should add that the interior has stood up incredibly well.

One very maddening point is that at the very front of the car, the front spoiler hangs quite low. It's plastic and integral to the front bumper cover. It's really easy to just pull the whole thing off, destroying it in the process, by letting the car's nose - or chin, if you like - extend over one of those parking bumps you see at the front of every lot's parking space. These are held down with big metal spikes that sometimes stick up over the top of the blocks. If one of those spikes can catch that spoiler so that when you back out, off comes the bumper cover. Expen$ive. Ask me how I know. You quickly learn that it's smart to not pull all the way up to those tire stops.

Our car has the sport package - it rides quite firmly and those big fat tires make a good deal of noise when they wear. We've got Michelin Pilot Exaltos on the car - they're far better than the Continentals that came on it in terms of both ride and grip, but they're still noisy.

Would we buy this car again? Yes. In a heartbeat. But we won't have to for a while yet, because we plan to keep this one for another 100,000 miles.

[c.d.iesel]

...this is driver error - not the car's fault .

"One very maddening point is that at the very

front of the car, the front spoiler hangs quite low.

It's plastic and integral to the front bumper cover.

It's really easy to just pull the whole thing off,

destroying it in the process, by letting the car's

nose - or chin, if you like - extend over one of

those parking bumps you see at the front of every

lot's parking space. These are held down with big metal

spikes that sometimes stick up over the top of the blocks.

If one of those spikes can catch that spoiler so that when

you back out, off comes the bumper cover. Expen$ive. Ask

me how I know.

You quickly learn that it's smart to not pull all the way up to those tire stops.

.....and do runn away from any V-8 powered 5 series - DREADFUL AND A PAIN, AND EXPENSIVE, AND STAY FAR AWAY

[smithdog57]

Let me suggest an e46 330i with either the sport or the performance (ZHP) package. The ZHP is a blast to drive, it's roomy, and I have had no mechanical issues with it. Overall the e46's are very reliable, they do have the typical cooling issues. I've seen several low mileage (less than 50K) ZHP's go for 20K so they can be found for less if you take the time to look. Good luck

[Guest Anonymous]

I have some positive experience with an E34, which I believes translates to the E39. I owned a 1992 525i, 5 speed for four years and followed the Mike Miller maintenance stategy of preventively replacing the entire cooling system, including the radiator, at 60-100K miles. Also replacing the brake fluid annually and coolant every two years and the "inspections" as required at 30 and 60K mile intervals. Once I got the car on the above schedule, it was bullet proof. I eventually replaced it only because I wanted X drive and the guy who bought it still has it on the road with probably 200K miles. Oh, Miller, as you probably know, believes BMW auto transmissions may only have a live span of about 100K miles. Good luck.

_________________________

Roger

'72 Malaga

RBenson685@aol.com

[eastsidebimmer]

2006 530xit SportWagon that I just picked up in October. It is a 6 Speed Manual with no options, and this is honestly the only reason I wanted it. The E60/61 has so many electronic doodads anyway...when you are buying used with a limited CPO or no warranty, you need to budget for some electronic repairs that a Camry would never suffer. The idrive is not too bad, I really haven't messed with it too much although I'm sure I have some customizable vent settings to take advantage of, somewhere, in some menu.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the newer 3er is about the same size as an old E39 5er. My E61 has more room than the new 3, but not much. I'd look for a base 2006-2007 E90 3er with the N52 six (no turbo madness) and AWD and Automatic transmission if she fancies those things. I suspect that the cost of ownership is lower with a 328i than a 5 series anyday.

-Ben

[dubois]

We own a 2002 E39 530 with 138k miles. Things that I have to replace: a battery last week and....brake pads, not rotors yet, oil. Car drives like the day we got it. Only complain: sports suspension (17 inch) eats tires every 20k miles. I think you should be able to find a nice one with some miles.

Note: I only do oil changes when I remember, maybe once a year.

[ahlem]

I have a 1990 e34 535i 5 speed with 335,000 miles that is my daily driver. It has lots of suspension upgrades and other than the noted vinyl interior and headliner issues, it's fairly simple to maintain and use. I even trashed a fan clutch on a business trip and was able to take it off and pick up a few horsepower, not overheating all the way to Blunts house where he had a replacement waiting for me. It's very much like a big e30 4 door. Way less than 17k if you don't mind driving older cars that are paid for. PO even tracked it and said it would hold it's own vs. stock e36 M3. Probably a driver issue in my opinion.

[dtharp113]

As usual -- a ton of great information. I'm really leaning toward finding a solid E34 or E39, though as it will be her car, I guess I should get her input!

Thanks loads for the comments and advice.