Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

BMW 5-Series Sedans

1176177179181182248

Comments

  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    ...we saw another 530i with the Sport Premium pkg over the weekend for an even better deal than the original car that we were looking at. Can you run a vin# for me since my 1month membership expired already? The VIN number is WBADT63411CF01778. Thanks in advance!! The car is Silver Green (anybody know what the official name is?) with the Beige interior. Not my first choice or even my second but the wife seemed to like it....it's primarily her car so it's her call =). It's got just over 50k miles on it but CPO'd unlike the other one we looked at. We got the deal down to ~$26.5k with a 2.9% int rate for 60mos.

    Not sure what to make of the market though. It may be different on your side that here out west. The E60 may be gaining some buyers but as I mentioned on my previous message, the E39 530i may be holding a premium since I've noticed a spike on some asking prices.

    Go figure! Thanks again in advance for the VIN check!!

    p.s. Were you able to shop around at all this past weekend?!?
  • pen101pen101 Member Posts: 238
    From Whispering Magazine (LA Chapter of the BMW CCA):

    BMW Total US sales (Jan-Apr): 2004-87,987....2003-86,549

    Only Lexus is selling better at 88,947.

    A sampling by model:

    330i: 2004-8,340 .... 2003-9,566
    5-Series: 2004-14,734 .... 2003-14,077
    7-Series: 2004-5,528 .... 2003-6,385
    X5: 2004-9,272 ....2003-11,028

    Article also says Consumer Reports rates the 7-series as worst ever tested. CR had rated E39 as best ever tested.
  • riezriez Member Posts: 2,361
    pen101... Are these numbers just for BMW only? Or do they include MINI?

    Looks like the X3 is where all the action is. 3 and 7 Series down. X5 down. 5 Series stagnant, which can't bode well for the beginning of a complete redesign.
  • tam2ktam2k Member Posts: 16
    MTV,

    I ran a carfax. It is ok for everything...no accidents, odometer is fine, etc. It has had one owner in CA and was sold at auction with 55,064 miles reported on 6/9. Any other info you need?

    The other car was indeed the same car. I called the 1st dealer who had the car and they said that they sold it because the car had electrical issues that they couldn't resolve.

    I'm going to look at a 2003 525i tonight. It is Steel Blue with sport, premium, and cold weather packages. It has 11,850 miles. They are asking $40,850. Do you all think $35,000 is a reasonable offer for this type of car?

    I think the prices in Atlanta must be inflated compared to other places!
  • manybmwsmanybmws Member Posts: 347
    Last summer in the Boston area the 525s were going for $37K new so $35K is realistic.
  • pen101pen101 Member Posts: 238
    Riez, I just picked a few models. Total BMW sales for Jan - Apr also include Mini and Rolls Royce. Here is more (but not all of the models):

    325i: 2004 - 23,316 .... 2003 - 24,925
    M3: 2004 - 2,710 .... 2003 - 2,793
    6-series: 2004 - 1,798 .... 2003 - 0
    Z4: 2004 - 4,109 .... 2003 - 6,181
    X3: 2004 - 6,706 . 2003 - 0
    Mini Cooper: 2004 - 6,022 .... 6,371
    Mini Cooper S: 2004 - 5,539 .... 2003 - 4,933
    Rolls Royce: 2004 - 37 .... 2003 - 36

    Did you know.... Automobile Magazine Readers Choice Awards for best in category went to the following BMWs:

    Best Small SUV: X3
    Best Small Car: MINI Cooper S
    Best Luxury under 40,000: 3-series

    But....

    Best Sports Sedan: Cadillac CTS V (replacing BMW)
    Best Luxury over 40,000: Audi 8L (replacing BMW)

    Also, BMW spent $15,430,200 in first 4 months of 2004, or $177 per car sold. Much less than GM or Ford.

    Also Dinan Engineering is introducing new 621 hp E39 M5.

    Finally, on a personal note, I signed up for BMWs Drive for breast cancer promotion. I called first day I received an invite to reserve a car, but 530, 545 and 645 were already taken. Signed up for 330i stick and 745.
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    2001 530i with Sport Premium...55k miles...$26k...CPO'd...financed at 2.9%...
    image

    More pics


    Decided to sell the M3 as well....bought a 328i Sport pkg with less miles (project car).
  • tam2ktam2k Member Posts: 16
    Congrats MTV65. The pics show a very nice car and you bought at a good price which makes it better! What part of CA are you in? I'm surprised that the prices are so much better there than in the Atlanta area. Could you tell me what the sticker price for that car was?

    The '03 that I saw today isn't CPO'd and warranty will run out Dec. 2006. Also, sport package isn't a necessity for me and I don't want to pay extra for something that I don't have to have.

    I have another '03 that I'm going to review. It has 11,600 miles w/premium package. Asking price is $38.500. It is CPO'd too so it has about 4 1/2 years of warranty on it.
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    Thanks again tam2k for the carfax! About the 03 525i with 12k miles (that's a nice color by the way), according to Edmunds...$35k should be a fair price (private sale). This is a buyer's market. Take your time and stay firm. I've forgotten what your baseline budget was but I do know that there are quite a bit of good deals out there even at the dealers (rule of thumb: dealers on average mark their cars up-10% more than the market-to make you feel as if you're getting a good deal once they bring it down 10%-where it should've been to begin with. So shoot for Edmund's pricing between private and retail. This all depends on whether the car is in demand or not. Perfect example is the MINI - this is the only car I've seen appreciate...Sheeeesh, an 03 Mini CooperS with 45k miles selling for $23k.

    Anyways, go to BMWUSA.COM and look thru their CPO inventory. Remember the 10% rule - asking price minus 10% minus another 5% for a fair price (Just my opinion).
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    We must've posted at the same time =). We are in Northern California but bought the car at the Central Coast (Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara).

    The price on the window was $33.5 when we drove up. I later found out on BMWNA's preowned inventory that the asking price was $30.9. The salesperson apparently knew that I've researched the 530i quite intensively. I told him about the private seller (half an hour from dealership) and his asking price so that gave them something to shoot for. I asked if they had a birthday special since it was my wife's birthday that day =). It took quite a while to get them down to $26k. We actually walked away twice since we were both extremely hungry and was running late for a beach party at Avila Beach. Anyways, they came running after us and made a final offer of $26k CPO'd financed thru BMW FS at 2.9% with a bright red 'Happy Birthday!' at the bottom. Needless to say, we missed the party!!
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 234,725
    It sounds like you got a great deal.. Congratulations!!

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • professordjfprofessordjf Member Posts: 2
    I originally read about this in several reviews in newspapers while on a business trip on the East Coast last Fall. Apparently BMW was originally promoting this as an outstanding feature of the new 5 series but then backed off when reaction in the US was not as enthusiastic as they wanted. BMW sees the purpose of AC as
    cooling the air only, not as drying it out. The promotional material quoted by the reviewers touted the BMW system as better on the sinuses because it did not dry out the air as other ACs do.

    One reviewer, who drove the car in South Carolina during some particularly wet weather, said the car was unbearable because it was adding humidity in wet, humid weather. I don't know how it works, only that several reviewers have mentioned it and when I've test driven the car I've noticed how damp the air is relative to what I am accustomed to with other cars' AC units.
  • designmandesignman Member Posts: 2,129
    Professordjf… Yes, this caught my attention when I first read the new 5-series brochure back in October. Did not like it in concept but didn’t give it much thought since no one was complaining about it. Also, I thought it might come with a humidity level control. It doesn't? Now that you mention it, it would certainly be a deal-breaker in my book. There would be no way I would buy a car that pumped in only humid air. Even when it’s colder I sometimes turn on both AC and heat for the sole purpose of getting rid of humidity. If there is no humidity level control and shutoff, I would think this is folly and another case of BMW getting too cute for its own good.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    Pretty area. Great place to drive the 5 on the PCH. :) Congrats!

    highway 46 through Paso Robles is fun too, but you have to be careful. Good wine there too! :)

    -Paul
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    Are you from there? 227 and 229 is fun as well. If we're in no rush to get down to SLO, we usually take HWY1 (Cabrillo Hwy) from Monterey all the way to San Luis Obispo. Makes me smile just thinking about it. Bring a picnic basket and enjoy the warm ocean breeze.

    Looking forward to many happy miles with our new friend 'Slate' as in Slategreen Metallic =).
  • riezriez Member Posts: 2,361
    pen101... Thanks. As I suspected. Total sales in the period were up by only 1,450. Barely 2%. The new 6 Series added 1,800 and the X3 added 6,700. These two combined added 8,500. The rest combined fell by 7,050. Bet the X3 is stealing sales from both 3 Series and X5.
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    I just received a fax of the 'Vehicle History Report' from the dealer. Everything is in code...does anybody here know what they mean? I've already called my salesman to look into it but since I'm here, thought I'd ask. Also, any websites concerning DIY maintenance for the 530i (i.e. oil changes, radiator/transmission/brake fluid flush procedures, aso)??

    Thanks again!!

    Here's a couple of items from the History Report -

    RO# Claim# Enrty_date Mileage Dealer Defect_code Location
    179512 92006 12/10/2001 15,099 04247 85990091MP 01
    194393 98169 05/31/2002 22,383 04247 11009999SA 01
                                                   1214119600
  • JPhamJPham Member Posts: 148
    which would you rather have (all things being equal):

    '95 525i manual with perfect exterior (a little faded interior) and 127kmi with a new clutch
    or
    '95 525ia auto with 96kmi and two big dings (very good interior) ?

    wmuller: if your girlfriend still has that 525i and you're in the northern CA area, let me know.
  • erickplerickpl Member Posts: 2,735
    mtv, no I don't live in that area, but we frequent it a bit. I'm near Bakersfield. We take the highway and come over from the Wasco area. Straight (boring) drive. We love the central coast area including Paso and SLO. We took our xi up north of San Simeon not long after we got it and had a blast.

    Only problem was the kids in the back were getting car sick, so we had to end it. Great part about the return drive... along the beach were hundreds of elephant seals basking in the sun, so we stopped and took pictures of them. Wouldn't want to go near em - too dangerous if they get riled up.

    Definitely some gorgeous areas that are a LOT of fun to get to with a BMW (as long as nobody gets car sick!).

    -Paul
  • pen101pen101 Member Posts: 238
    Some negative BMW related items as reported in latest issue:

    Strategic Vision's Total Quality Index rating "the complete ownership experience", rated BMW sixth (previously was first). Automobile magazine rated new Audi A6 over new 530, Road & Track rated 530 6th of 7 in comparison test.

    Did you know that 2.7% of cars traded for Chrysler's 300 are BMW's vs 0.5% for other Chrysler name plates and 1.5% for Mercedes and 1.3% for Lexus.

    But alas, there is some good news for male BMW drivers. A recent poll from Germany's Men's Car magazine says that BMW drivers had more [a type of physical activity] than any other car brand, even more than Porsche!
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    *Intake - K&N drop-in adequate?

    *Exhaust - what is the consensus? Supersprint, Remus, Rogue?!?

    *Chip - does this car really need it?

    *Wheels - I like the stock setup. If anything I might go wider. Can I go 245's all around.

    *Most importantly, the Cupholder =) - I've seen some pretty crappy design out there. What do you guys use?

    *Alignment - how often do you guys with MY01-03 530i Sport do it?

    Slate
  • tam2ktam2k Member Posts: 16
    The dealer is an hour or so away so they drove it down for me to see the 03 today. It is a very nice car. It has 2 1/2 years left on factory warranty and then another 2 years of CPO warranty. I've moved my max up to $36K for shopping.

    I wanted to see if I understood your 10%/5% rule. Is this your own rule or have you seen this stated somewhere?

    Dealer Price - $38,900
    Minus 10% - $35, 010
    Minus 5% - $33.259

    I intend to offer $34,500 or $35,000 on it. Any opinions? I know that someone mentioned a while back that they knew someone who had purchased an '03 last year for $37,500 so I can't see paying more than $36K or less for an '03.
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    My wife and I....actually, I have done so much research on the 5-series market this past month prior to finally finding one at such a great deal (this may have been a fluke or the planets may have been temporary aligned on that given day). That said, it is a buyer's market....interest rates are low, CPO cars-particulary BMW's-are abundant, cars sit on lots for weeks...sometimes months. Keep track of all the cars you've test-driven and/or looked at and check a week or two later to see if it is still there. Cars that sit on the lot lose money in more ways than one (i.e. depreciates, maintenance, cost to lease the lot, employees, aso).

    The 03 that you looked at...what model is that again? 525/530/SP/Non-SP? How is it optioned?
  • tam2ktam2k Member Posts: 16
    The '03 is a 525i Silver with premium package and Xenon lights.

    There is another '03 that's 525i with premium, cold weather, and sport. It's about $3,000 more than the premium package one. Sport package isn't on my list of requirements so it's not worth the extra money to me. I do like the cold weather package though it isn't a necessity.
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    Since the Sport Premium pkg was a ~$4k option, buying without it should technically save you money. Ours came with a cold weather pkg which we didn't really need since we are in CA (an added bonus). Based on your inputs above, looks as if you've narrowed your search to a 525i with Premium Pkg (should be plenty of these in the market - coming off of leases). Sport and Cold Weather pkg along with Xenons would just then be an added 'bonus' if the car is already equipped with them. Good Luck!!!!
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    What is the widest possible tires I could put on the car without fender rolling? Saw an ad for Breyton Visions with 235/40-18 fronts and 265/35-18 rears....shouldn't be a problem, right?!?

    Anybody got a similar setup?? Pls post pics of upgraded wheels with STOCK SPORT PKG (Model Year 01 530i SP)...17's, 18's or 19's.

    Thanks a lot guys!!!!!!!!!!!
    accomodate
  • riezriez Member Posts: 2,361
    mtv65... Is your car an automatic or manual transmission?

    I'm no fan of major mods. Think most--esp. huge tire/wheel combos and "aero"/exterior changes--end up hurting the car, both looks-wise and performance-wise.

    If you want to plus size the tires, you might check The Tire Rack or other similar places. Of course, tires that fit the 540i6 should also fit the 530i. Check out the tire plate in the door jamb and look over the owner's manual & any car brochure.

    Unfortunately, the very low profile tires tend to have very stiff sidewalls that can adversely impact ride quality without a significant improvement in handling. Can be a real lose-lose proposition. And sometimes the very wide tires can cause terrible tramlining (following the grooves in roads). Sometimes the manufacturer really does know best. (Not to mention how expensive 18 or 19 inch

    Staggered tires (like used in the 540i6), where the rears are bigger than the fronts, can increase oversteer.

    Finally, the bigger tires and wheels normally add lots of unsprung weight. That is the single worst thing you can do to your suspension. You want to reduce unsprung weight, not increase it.

    My advice: enjoy the natural balance of your 530i Sport for a couple thousand miles before you consider doing anything!

    As for exhausts and chips, you might check out Dinan. Cost a bit but worth the quality. Shark Injector and some others will eliminate the top speed limiter (so be careful about the speed rating of your tires) but won't increase output much.

    If all you want is to bling-bling the car out, may God help us all.
  • mtv65mtv65 Member Posts: 45
    No bling-bling here Riez =). The car is an automatic (a fun one at that).

    I've kept my past/present cars mostly stock. Only mods I do are usually performance oriented and never for looks (complete waste of money)...mainly intake/exhaust and maybe suspension. I agree with you on the rims as well. I once had 18's on my M3 and bent two on the way home one rainy night (hit a BIG pothole). Speaking of Dinan, I live right down the street from their Morgan Hill office. Personally met Steve and gave me a brief tour of the facility. Lots of research and development going on - they're currently designing their own shocks/struts/springs. There were also a couple of CooperS's and the new Z4 in their garage that they are developing products for.

    Anyways, thanks for the advice! Can I at least put 245's all around once the 235's wear out? Since IT IS mainly the wifey's car, we'll keep it in stock form for a while =).

    p.s. How's the new Sportcross? Actually test drove one of those a while back and was very impressed with the overall pkg. Also testdrove a manual sedan (that was fun). Would've cost us more than a used 530i though. POST SOME PICS!! I'd love to see them side by side =).
  • manybmwsmanybmws Member Posts: 347
    I would see what size wheels/tires the M5 has. I drive 17" wheels on my 530 but a relative has 18" on a 545. We both have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires and the ride quality on both is excellent with no tramlining.
  • vchengvcheng Member Posts: 1,284
    As a Lexus owner, and a car enthusiast who lurks in this forum, I was glad to have the opportunity to drive my friend's new BMW 545i for about 150 miles yesterday, on a variety of roads. The car had about 3000 miles on it and was just barely broken in. I am posting these thoughts hoping that some of you may enjoy my observations, or not, as the case may be.

    I will not comment on exterior styling, since that is a personal matter, and numerous keystrokes have already been spent discussing it. The interior look nice, but again that is a personal opinion. Some interior ergonomics are just great, such as the seat. I had no problem settling in and making myself comfortable. The much-maligned iDrive is actually quite intuitive, and leads to less clutter on the dashboard. The navigation sytem is quite good and works on a very comparable functional level to any other on the market. The irritating "I Accept" thing is here too, but it was a pleasant surprise that one may program in a new destination while driving, presumably allowing a passenger to set a new destination on the fly. Some ergonomics are not as good. The window up and down buttons on the driver's door seemd to me to be at an odd angle for my wrist. The bottom edge of the door rear view mirrors slants up at the outward edges, limiting vision in a part of the field. The central rear view mirror is wider at the top than at the botton, opposite to most other cars, leading to an interesting view out the rear window. It has a large red button hanging out the lower edge that falls right in the field of vision when the driver looks out the right side of the windscreen. The trick indicator stalk (a little nudge to flash three times for a lane change, a further detent to keep on for longer until cancelled by a turn or another flick back) had me beat only a few times in the beginning, but by the end I had gotten the hang of it, quite nifty in fact. Other than these minor things, the interior is very well put together.

    Apparently, being in Park is no longer enough for BMW as a safety feature. One must press the brake before turning the key to let the engine start. My guess is that BMW want to ensure that our feet are on the brake pedal rather than the accelerator, thereby preventing an Audi like siutation of a few years ago if the Park safety feature fails. It just seemd like overkill.

    The engine starts and lets out a delicious low rumble when idling. Whatever the niggling things are with ergonomics and styling, man this thing moves! The drivetrain is an absolute hoot, with plenty of smooth power and quick delightful gearchanges. Both the automatic and manumatic gearchanges are smooth and quick. This thing can scoot from 50-60 miles to well over a 100 very quickly in automatic mode, and blazingly quickly in M3 and M4, which can be dangerous to both wallet and licence, but oh what fun!

    The Active steering works very intuitively and I could not feel it, just that it was very easy to turn and park the car at low speeds, and very easy to track the car at high speeds without turning the steering wheel too much. The brakes are very smooth, strong and fade free. I did have some trouble in modulating the brakes, since they had a tendency to come on stronger than I intended, which made for some interesting mid-corner corrections. The handling in turns was fantastic. One can take a turn off ramp with a posted 30 mph suggestion (the yellow sign) at 70, and this car will stick to the road confidently, with nary a squeal from the tires, and very little body roll.

    I can now see why there are BMW aficionados who wouldn't drive anything else, and also Lexus lovers who love tranquillity. Going back to my LS430, it was much smoother and quieter. The BMW was definitely more fun to drive, especially on a twisty road. If I were rich, I'd have one of each. I'd take the LS430 on a long interstate drive, and let it pamper me. I'd take the 545i on non-interstates, preferably through mountainous terrain. Maybe I need a 545i with a proper 6-speed manual transmission. I am somewhat heartbroken that the new M5 will only have an SMG.

    This test drive made me think about getting the new M5, but only if it comes with a 6-speed three pedal manual transmission. I hope BMW listens! No wait, maybe I need the new 645Ci as my next car, but with two kids, may be not (they need their own doors I guess). Damn, maybe the new restyled 745i will be an even better combination of the two. Hmmmmmmmmmmm,....isn't choice wonderful. We do live in the greatest society on earth, not perfect surely, but still a darn nice place. Drifting off to daydream.........

    PS: The reason we decided to take his car instead of mine was that my LS was in the shop for a bad wheel bearing at 14k miles. So the Lexus is not perfect either, despite the claims. However, the dealer and the service were great. To be fair, my friend has had to take in his 545i several times already, to re-flash the drivetrain computer for a hesitation and a software update, and he was not happy when the car was returned with a small ding on a chrome strip and oily smudges on the interior. Maybe what we need is an Maserati-designed, BMW-engineered, Tahara-built car, sold and serviced by Lexus dealers. Hmmm... now there's a thought.
  • rancher2rancher2 Member Posts: 4
    I am about to purchase a 2002 BMW 530 i with 27,000 miles on it Not a C.P.O. car. The service records indicate that the car was serviced for "low engine light on" the problem could not be replicated at the dealer. The "air bag light was on" it had to be reset. Does this mean that this car will have too many electrical problems in the future ? Please let me know if you had similar problems or if you know about BMW. Since this is my first BMW
    Thanks in advance
  • 4thlexus4thlexus Member Posts: 10
    Very nice write up. I completely agree with your PS. I have owned a '95 LS 400 and currently drive a '03 M5. They are both wonderful cars in different ways.
  • srfastsrfast Member Posts: 138
    That has to be a typo. Having two check lights does not indicate on going electrical problems. The BMW sensors are very sensitive and will occasionally give false indications, but that's the nature of the beast. If these are the only two problems listed, you have found a good car.

    Hope this helps...JL
  • rancher2rancher2 Member Posts: 4
    Yes you are right srfast.it is typo. I was told it was "low engine oil light". Thanks for the info. I appreciate that.
  • cassidymcassidym Member Posts: 108
    According to salesmen from two different BMW dealerships, the 2005 5-Series will be essentially the same as the 2004. No surprise there but next year's 5er will offer Active Steering as an option. IOW, you don't have to buy the entire Sports Package to get it. Apparently the marketing geniuses at BMWNA got tired of the tons of complaints they were getting over this issue. Both salesmen seem to think you'll be able to even get the 545I MT without the sports package.

    Other changes:

    - Lumbar support will be standard

    - Ditto Parking Assist at least in the 530 and 545

    - Although neither mentioned it, hopefully BMW will be delivering the 2005 with most of the software bugs corrected.

    Since my dramatically aging 1986 325eS had a near death experience the other day, I'll be getting one of these
  • jakemailjakemail Member Posts: 7
    I have a 98 540i with the DSP upgraded sound system. I want to replace the speakers in the car. Can anyone tell me what size of speakers are in my car? I think they are 5 1/4" in the front alon with a tweeter. are they the same size in the rear deck? I am having trouble finding out the true measurements of the speakers. Any help is greatly appreciated.
  • rich545rich545 Member Posts: 386
    vcheng-I couldn't agree more with your write-up. My inlaws have a LS430 and I just brought a 545 about a month ago. The LS430 glides over the highway whereas my 545 is definitely more of a sports sedan. I also test drove the X5 vs the RS for my fiancee and found the same thing to be true. In fact, the Lexus salesman even said that Lexus' are designed for comfort and luxury more so than BMW's which are more performance based. As you said though, both are beautiful cars and you can't go wrong with either. Oh, I think that the manual 545 come with both SMG and a clutch, but I could be wrong on that (mine is the auto version).
  • rich545rich545 Member Posts: 386
    Quick question for everyone. I just traded in a 330xi for the 545 and I'm wondering if I should get steel wheels and snow tires for the winter. Since snow wasn't much of a concern for my 330xi, and I've never owned a rear-wheel drive only car I'm not sure how it is going to handle in the winter. I'm sure that with it's large tires it's going to have problems, but if anyone has any input it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
  • sdg380sdg380 Member Posts: 109
    Interesting obsevations about Lexus and BMW vehicles, and I'd only add that comparing my wife's ES 300 to my 530, I'd say:

    The Lexus is a pleasure to ride in.
    The BMW is a pleasure to drive.
  • ponytrekkerponytrekker Member Posts: 310
    If you can't just lay the car up from November to March, get steel wheels and snow tires for the winter. With proper snows these cars will handle fine. Getting steel wheels saves the orig rims and makes switching easy.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 234,725
    I would rather buy after-market or used alloys for my winter tires. That is one-third of the year driving on steelies. Just my $.02

    Edmunds Price Checker
    Edmunds Lease Calculator
    Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!

    Edmunds Moderator

  • riezriez Member Posts: 2,361
    sdg380... Like with nearly all things in life, there are exceptions to every rule.

    My '04 Lexus IS300 5-speed manual with LSD is every bit as fun to drive, and drive really hard, as my former '98 540i6. And my wife's '04 Lexus IS300 SportCross automatic with LSD is a lot more fun to drive (and more pratical) than her former '00 323ia.
  • manybmwsmanybmws Member Posts: 347
    The E60 M5 intro is delayed until next year and pricing is expected to be near $90K.
  • cmnottcmnott Member Posts: 200
    ...and my son slipped right in front of me because of all the drool on the floor.

    That is the NASTIEST sedan I have ever seen...and heard.
  • livinbmwlivinbmw Member Posts: 120
    I know at least 2 dozen people who have new 5's and not one of them are sorry. On the contrary, not one of them is disappointed with the car. And, it takes about 10 minutes for someone with basic computer skills to understand and operate the I-drive. Plus, you don't need it at all to drive the car which is the best driving car in the segment.
  • livinbmwlivinbmw Member Posts: 120
    your dealer should have a winter wheel program up there in Chicago.
  • riezriez Member Posts: 2,361
    livinbmw... Your report doesn't appear to agree with many of the published reports in recognized publications like Roundel (BMW CCA), Bimmer, C&D, R&T, etc. Most major publications have pointed out their disappointment with the E60. It is a nice car, but isn't a complete improvement on the E39.

    As regards iDrive, if anything, complaints are more prevalent today than ever.
  • kdshapirokdshapiro Member Posts: 5,751
    My anecdotal sampling on people who have the new 5 series, jibes with yours. While I know only a *few* people who have the new five, they love the look, ride and feel. My take on idrive, if you can start the car you can figure out idrive.
  • rich545rich545 Member Posts: 386
    Well, I guess that shows you where the press often diverges from the real world. Articles are fun to read, but if the people that own the car love it that's really all that matters. Being one of those people that actually loves my 545 more than I even thought I would I would have to say that if the major publications don't like them (and actually from what I've read most rave about how the car drives) they don't have to buy one. Movie critics don't really seem to love many movies either and if we all listened to them we'd probably see about 1 movie a year. Question: Have you driven the new E60? If not, I'd really suggest taking a test drive in the 545. As far as iDrive goes, I simply don't even understand the complaints. To say it's simple to use is an understatement. I can see people not wanting computer screens in their cars because they don't want the technology to get in the way of the driving experience, but I don't find that iDrive does. You really don't have to touch it much once you have everything set up.
  • lienot14lienot14 Member Posts: 11
    I'm taking delivery of a 2004 525i in a couple of weeks. I believe there are some new car delivery setup procedures, done by the dealer which cannot be changed by the owner, which need to happen then. One of them is whether the doors lock at driveaway. Do they automatically unlock when the car comes to a stop and the key is removed from the ignition or at some other comparable event?

    What are the pros and cons of this issue? Are there any other decisions, concerning setup procedures done only by the dealer, I am going to need to make at that time? If there are, please give me the plusses and minuses.

    Thanks.
Sign In or Register to comment.