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I've followed your experience with your 540 with considerable interest and hope that you continue to enjoy it. Where it sings is in its home -- try to get to Germany and drive the autobahns. They're crowded now, and getting worse, but there are still stretches that allow those of us who love to drive to truly enjoy.
I did it in an Audi. You'd probably prefer the BMW. I might have as well, but it wasn't available.
Happy New Year to you and the others on the board.
If you go 3rd party warranty, do your research. Check with the Canadian BBB. Check out some insurance company data (e.g., AM Best). This insurance coverage is only as good as the company. If they fold, you are left with nothing. And read the contract very, very carefully to see what terms, conditions, exclusions, co-pays, limitation, etc. exist. The devil is in the details.
Thank you for your good advice. Why I still looking for a 2000-528ia because this car is belonged to my friend. I really know the car history and how much he spent on this car. The lease will be expired in the end of Jan 2003. If I take over this car I only have to pay the residue value & the transfer fee plus the 3rd party extended warranty. I'm worry about if I buy this car under BMW CPO coverage. The price will be a huge different. I'm not sure can I negotiate to get a BMW CPO coverage under the same price.
Here is the deal if I take over my friend car.
My friend lease a 2000 528ia with Premium package, 6 CD, moon roof, tiptronic, xenon light, 17" rim & 4-16"rim & winter tires will be expired in the end of Feb 2003. The transfer ownership from him to me it costs US$400 plus extended warranty US$1800. The estimated final mileage will be around 28750 miles. Is it worth to buy this car? residue value US$23,200+15% sales taxes in canada. So the final amount that I have to pay is US$25,500+15% taxes. Remarks: Excellent conditions
I'm looking forwarding to receiving your reply.
Thanks
Anyway, I don't see anything in the owner's manual that accounts for this. I wonder if there is a way to "reboot" the system, to get it to accurately update its position. I've got a service scheduled with my local dealer in about 10 days (it will be my first!), but meanwhile, if anyone has any ideas/suggestions on how I might correct this, please let me know. Thanks!
The 528ia is a great sedan. It isn't a coupe.
Will you be buying it outright (cash) or financing? Sometimes buying thru dealer can get you better financing, but then again often people can find a decent local bank or credit union offering competitive rates. (BMW FS had been offering some cheap financing rates on '00 CPO units.)
I'm not a fan of 3rd party warranties. Not saying all are bad, just that you really have to do your homework (i.e., research the company and the specific contract they are offering). I'd rather have CPO than 3rd party warranty.
Based on all you've said and what you are comparing it to, still thinking you might be better off buying a loaded 2003 Accord V6 coupe.
I have Michelin 225/55 R16 95H M+S and Michelin Alpin Snow Tires with the same configuration as the M+S.
1. Should the presure be different for the snows in each of the questions below? If so, please respond with both answers.
2. The maximum psi with four people is 30psi in the front and 36psi in the rear with four occupants. 80% of my driving is just me. What is the optimal pressure for driving alone? If I do have four passengers should the pressure be at the max of 30/36?
3. Same questions as 2, but the manual shows 36 (front) and 44 (rear) with 5 passengers and luggage. Why is their such a jump in pressure. Are the amounts in quotes pound limits. That is, 36(250).
4. Is there a weight guideline I can go by because I also have a luggage carrier I need to factor in, especially during ski season.
Thanks
If not, can someone describe what the following packages contained:
1) Premium
2) Sport
3) Sport-Premium
4) Cold Weather
Also, are their any problems or issues I should be concerned about for this year?
The Northeast dealer is asking $29,995 for a CPO with 5sp manual, premium pkg, moonroof, CD changer, 28K miles. The dealer states it has sport pkg but this car has a 4 spoke steering wheel, not a 3 spoke. It does however have the 17" sport wheels, so I'm not sure. The factory warranty expires 7/7/2003 at which time the CPO warranty will kick in.
Thanks for all the good information...great message board!
Good luck.
:-)
3 spoke M-steering wheel
Sport front seats (with adjustable thigh support)
Blackout around windows (no chrome)
Different struts, shocks & springs
There is slight change in package content if you buy either a 525i or 540i. This is valid for either the 528i or 530i.
Just curious which Northeast dealer are you dealing with. I live in New Hampshire and purchased my 02 530i from Tulley BMW.
Chris
Let's see, the car has the wheels that make it look like a Sport Package, but the steering wheel that doesn't. The rest of the package consists of shocks, springs, sway bars and other stuff that not even most dealers, let alone you (no offense, I hope) could detect.
Hmm. . .steering wheel (and airbag) says the car isn't a Sport Package. Four wheels that could be replaced in 30 minutes by a well-trained technician says it is.
Don't you just love car dealers?
2001 525i Sport Package ($1,500 MSRP): M Sport Suspension, 17-inch wheels and tires. Following not available: Sport Front Seats, Shadowline Exterior Trim, or Sport Steering Wheel.
2001 530i Sport Package ($1,970): M Sport Suspension, 17-inch wheels and tires, Shadowline Exterior Trim, and 3-spoke Sport Steering Wheel. Front sport seats an available option ($475), requiring Sport Pkg and also requiring Convenience Package ($600).
My $.02....JL
-M Sports Steering Wheel
-Shadowline
-M Sport Suspension
-Interior Uprade
I have the steptronic automatic. I used to use the manual shifter frequently, but now typically drive with the auto in sport mode. I find the manual mode fun to use where I can push the 5 a little harder and want to stay in a gear while going into a turn, but the sport mode is a fun way to drive the car on a daily basis.
The sport mode will shift to a lower gear with just a little throttle much quicker than the normal auto mode. This is very helpful for passing situations. No matter how fast I am going (10-20-30-70-80 MPH...etc), the car will take off very quickly with just ~50% throttle. The 5 seems to scream for more throttle.
I got to drive the 5 in the snow (with stock 9in wide perf tires) and it performed as expected. I had difficulty starting on slight grades. Once moving, the car (with the DSC enabled) kept me straight even when hitting a slick sections of the road. The DSC is very impressive technology. A rear-wheeled drive car w/o DSC would have fish-tailed quite a bit. Overall, the car handled ok. The 9" wide perf tires do not handle as well as a pair of all season tires or snow tires would handle. My neighbor has an AWD A6 and he did not like the way he tires performed either. He is looking to get a set of snow tires for better handling in the snow.
I highly recommend the 540i. The car is rock solid, quiet interior, comfortable sport seats, and is a blast to drive. The handsome looks are a plus also. This is a car that I will not get tired of.
Happy driving!
-Electrically adjustable Montana leather seats and leather door trim
-Technical Surface trim
-Sport Suspension
-235/45R-17 93W high performance tires
-17-inch cross-spoke alloy wheels
-Shadowline Exterior Trim
-Choice of standard or metallic paint
Interestingly, the "Electrically adjustable sport seats with adjustable thigh support" were only available with the 540i. And there was no sport steering wheel for any 5 Series in 1998.
Is interesting to see how BMW has equipped the Sport Package over time and across the 6-cyl models: 525i, 528i, and 530i. I had half thought it had near universally come with the Sport Seats and Sport Steering wheel.
The dealer (New Country Motors in Hartford, CT) has confirmed that this car does NOT have the Sport Pkg, but does have the Sport Wheels.
All this information will come in handy since I don't believe this is the car for me. I'm having a hard time getting "reliable" information from this dealer. Either their hiding something about this car or they don't really care if they sell the car (could just be the salesman's style, don't know).
Does anyone have any thoughts on the following:
1) car was CPO enrolled on 10/04/2002
2) on 10/11/2002 the car had service done by the dealer that showed 27,308 for miles.
3) the car now has 27,980 miles.
That's close to 700 miles in 3 months. Seems like an awful lot of test drives!
Could the dealer be using this car as a loaner or staff vehicle?
Again, thanks for all the info!
Have you run a CPO locate on BMW NA site? Is very user friendly. There might be some other cars more to your liking in a decent radius.
If the dealer has the car on his/her lot for many months, wouldn't be surprising to see other people take for test drive or for dealer staff to put some miles on it. (At least it isn't just sitting there collecting dust. I'd rather have some light use over 3 months than 3 months of complete neglect.)
The prior owner was from NJ and moved to CT. I'd love to talk to this person but just assumed the dealer would not release that information. I'll ask.
I'll check out the CPO locater on BMW.
I'm interesting to buy my friend's 2000-528ia silver body with xeron light, 16" wheel, moonroof, 6-CD, premium upgrade plus 4 new 16" rim & new winter tires. The milage is around 28,500. Excellent conditions. The residue value is US$22,700+$320(admin fee). But I have to buy a extended warranty coverage from www.1sourceautowarranty.com it costs US$3,199 up to 100,000 or 2010. Do you think its a good deal?
Thanks It is very very Urgent!!!!!!!
I would self insure, but that's just MHO.
Good luck,
Jack
But I am also just inherently sceptical about 3rd party car warranties. You have to research the terms and conditions and limitations carefully (e.g., is there a deductible, exactly what is not covered, can they force you to use non-BMW parts, etc.). And you have to research the company very carefully. If they fold, you have nothing.
If warranty coverage and long-term reliability is the most important issue, maybe you'd feel more comfortable with the new 2003 Accord Coupe? If pure driving excitement is most important, you won't go wrong with a 528i. Keep in mind that you have the remainder of the BMW 4yr/50K bumper-to-bumper warranty plus the remainder of the MY 2000 BMW 3yr/36K free maintenance coverage.
To get rock bottom pricing, look into the European Delivery (ED) option.
MSRP Base Car - $55,800
Options: Navigation, Premium Hi-Fi, Cold Weather Package - $3,600
Destination and Handling - $695
Gas Guzzler Tax - $1,300
Total MSRP = $61,395
The US invoice on this car is $56,210. I suspect you should be able to get it for no more than $1,500 to $2,000 over invoice = $57,710 to $58,210.
The European Delivery invoice price on this car is $52,495. I know that I could get it at $1,200 to $1,500 over ED invoice, or roughly $53,700 to $54,000. Add the cost of a trip to Europe and you are still way ahead.
Frankly, I would have a difficult time paying at or near $60k for a 540i 6-speed when the M5 is "only" $72k. Or, more realistically, I would have a tough time justifying paying $60k for a 540i 6-speed, when I can get a well equiped 530i Sport 5-speed through ED for about $42,500.
Check out www.eurobuyers.com for all the prices, US / ED & MSRP / Invoice (wholesale).
http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums/e39/
In my neck of the woods you just don't see too many M5. New or used. Very expensive to begin with. Don't think the dealers haggle much with price. Likely MSRP or up for new? And they seem to hold their value well (though that may be more a function of limited supply). But then I'd also be nervous that the prior owner might've had too much fun with it.
The more aggressive gearing and larger, higher output engine take a toll on highway economy. Love fact my '98 cruises all day at 74 mph (I travel a lot in a 65 mph max state) at about 2,100 RPMs getting 26 mpg.
But all that said, would I love an M5? Heck yes!!!
For MY 2002 540i6 (both with CWP):
1. $51,900. 3,500 miles
2, $55,000. 10,000 miles (ski boot bag)
For MY 2002 M5:
1. $65,000. 9,800 miles. (PDC, digital phone)
2. $72,500. 7,000 miles. (all avail. options)
Choice, choices.
We're looking at a 2001>2003 530i Auto, Prem., Sport, Roof, DSP, Folding Rear Seats
Dave
As for Sirius satellite radio, it's funny you ask. Hot off the press releases, Sirius and BMW have announced the systems will finally be offered as dealer-installed options now: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030109/nyth165_1.html.
That's great, but I'm concerned about Sirius' long-term financial health. Both XM and Sirius are struggling to enroll as many members as possible to recoup the billions invested in launching their services, but XM is far ahead of Sirius in number of subscribers (350,000 versus 25,000) and overall financial health.
As for used prices, someone can ask $55k or $51.9k for a 2002 540i 6-speed or $72k for an M5, but they aren't likely to get it when you can get a brand new 2003 for the same price. Anybody that would pay nearly as much for a used car as a new one either has more money or less brains than me. My rule of thumb would be a minimum of 15% savings for a mint condition used version of last year's model vs. a new version of this year's. By that measure, anything more than $45k for a 2002 540i 6-speed would be excessive. The M5 resale is helped by limited supply, but I could still not see paying more than $63-$65k for a 2002.
The M5 is a different beast altogether. I haven't driven it but have ridden in one at the PDC track, and it's amazing. Its handling is probably less nimble than the others' since it's so heavy (over 4k lbs.), but its adhesion and cornering limits are extremely high, and its power is absurd. I was rather nauseous after four blindingly fast laps, but I couldn't shake a massive grin off my face. If I had $75k, the M5 would be my choice, easy.
Bottom line, drive as many models as you can and decide for yourself. Good luck.
530i vs 540i - I test drove the 530iA before buying my 2002 540iA w/SP. The 530iA had sufficient power, but the then I jumped in 540iA. It had the power that I really wanted in this type of car. The 540iA is a blast to drive. Many cars require you to get within a certain band in the RPMs in order to get sufficient passing power. Not the 540i. No matter the RPMs, the car will flat out move.
I have read that many people like the handling of the 530i better than the 540i. I have not driven the 530i recently to remember, but the 540i is a very impressive handling car. It is a heavy car, but I have not been disappointed with the handling.
For me the extra $6K or so was money well spent for the power of the 540i. I plan to keep this car for 5-7 years and it will provide a lot of smiles to make me not think twice about the extra cost. No buyer remorse here.
As for the price difference, when I priced out equivalently-equipped 530i5 and 540i6 models, the difference (after taxes) was about $9k.