BMW Owners Meet the Members

kyfdx · June 2005

The 323i and the 325i are basically the same car.. They used the 323i designation in '99 and '00, but switched to 325i in '01... They both use the same 2.5 litre engine..

The only differences are the model year..

If you buy an '03 model, you have maintenance included for 4yr/50K from original inservice date.. If you get an '02 or older model, they only come with 3yr/36K and the maintenance plan has likely already expired.. All years come with a 4yr/50 warranty, though..

regards,
kyfdx

thriller1 · June 2005

Hello, I am very new to the board. Could you or any tell me where can I order a carbon fiber engine cover for the 540i series? I appreciate the help

div2 · June 2005

Well, NA found an SMG car for a story I'm writing. It turns out that the only SMG car in the Atlanta press fleet is a 645Ci Convertible. Darn the luck! :P

kyfdx · June 2005

It sucks to be you..

shipo · June 2005

Message from div2 to BMW-NA:

To whom it may concern:

Thank for all of your help in obtaining an SMG equipped car for me to get familiar with prior to writing my upcoming story. Your efforts are greatly appreciated and will yield a far better article.

The reason for this note is that that while the vehicle you've so generously offered to me for my research is certainly proving to a valuable asset for my article, I now find that there is yet another story that should be written as a sequel to the currently scheduled one. The title of the new piece is going to be, "Living with the SMG -- A Year of Day to Day Driving Impressions". Assuming that you agree with this premise for a follow-up story, and unless otherwise directed, I'll drop the car off in Woodcliff Lake in mid June 2006.

Kind Regards,
div2

So, do you need any help writing said article? ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

cmybimmergo · June 2005

Maybe shipo can help you write it, but you don't really want him to edit it, do you? Maybe I can do it? Pleeeeeze???

mevande · June 2005

Hello all,
My name is Mike and I have a 1998 740i. I have owned it for 3 years (purchased a "certified" car from a BMW dealer) and the car continues to amaze me. Its a big car, yet is very athletic. Power comes on smooth and strong from the powerful 32 valve V8 engine. My 740 has been remarkably reliable and looks new. It continues to turn heads where ever I go. It has a relatively low mileage of 60K and I plan on keeping it for a long time. I ran into a gentleman who has the same year, model and color as my car at a tire shop. His 1998 740i had 160,000 miles and said his was more trouble free than any car he had owned. An awesome car all around! :shades:

div2 · June 2005

The E38 V8s are my favorite Sevens. The Sport Package cars are remarkably nimble for their size.

tdibob · July 2005

The factory warranty expires on August 24, 2005. I would like to get an extended warranty for at least another 3 years/48000 Miles. I am retired and I do not drive much. I am getting calls from three or four companies. Any advice to avoid buying a no good warranty! Thanks & Regards

Karen_S · August 2005

Look who is in the Spotlight!

kyfdx · August 2005

Scary!!

shipo · August 2005

Thanks for the kind words Karen. ;-)

KYFDX, you're right, when I saw my mug grinning back at me I was like, "What the... Oh yeah, I forgot about that." ;-)

Best Regards,
Shipo

jtl1 · September 2005

i have a bmw 316 auto d. reg in beautifull condition, but my speedo works when it wants, i was told it mightr be a bad earth. is there an easy way to get behind the dash to rectify this problem as i love the car but this is niggling me. (help)

div2 · September 2005

For us non Brits, what is the model year of your car? Many BMWs have the speed sensor fitted to the final drive. It could be a bad sensor or-if you're lucky-a loose or dirty connection. I doubt that it's a bad earth/ground, since only the speedo is acting up.

jtl1 · September 2005

thanks for your reply but i had the sensor checked out on the back,but thanks i will check it out again.

dasha1 · January 2007

Hi yes driven both, if you look at the track times, the 530i is half a second faster, which in car time is quite substantial, however as another SCal gentleman stated the 525i can hold its own, bang for the buck 525i is the way to go, and quite frankly for a few dollars more you can upgrade the power of your 525i to be a bit more agressive, ie. K&N filter, mass airflow, etc, these options cost under $200 and can improve your fuel and power effortlessly and make the difference, not quite a 530i difference but definately a noticable difference, the 530i has few extra options which are quite nice, rear view dimming mirror, again the power between the two is not that substantial for the money, trust me I've owned both, if you want to feel the difference in power you'll need to step up to a 540i, then you can say ok there is a power difference, cheers.

shipo · January 2007

You're responding to a post that is five and a half years old, and as such, the cars that were being discussed were E39 versions of the 525i and 530i. I've driven behind both engines as well as the slightly older 2.8, and I've got to tell you, the 2.5 of that era couldn't hold a candle to the 2.8 much less the 3.0 mill. Adding a K&N and other options are worthless wastes of money as any credible tuner will tell you.

The E39 530i had a more powerful engine, got better gas mileage, had a stronger transmission, had larger and more capable brakes, better wheels and tires, and had demonstrably quicker acceleration. All things considered, the extra money for the more capable 530i was a bargain. Period, full stop, the end.

Best Regards,
Shipo

dasha1 · January 2007

Well, I disagree, I don't think there is a night and day difference, especially after owning a 540i, now there is the night and day difference, yes I am aware of that its five years old, I was merely posting for anyone looking for a preowned. Best regards.

shipo · January 2007

"Well, I disagree, I don't think there is a night and day difference, especially after owning a 540i..."

Funny you should mention that. During a test drive to determine the effects of a new firmware flash on my 2002 5er, the BMW technician said, "I thought that this was a 530."

"Yup." Was my response. "Why?"

"Well, this thing is way into 540 territory in acceleration." Note: I assume he meant 540iA non-SP.

"Nah, you must just be used to driving 530s with an Automatic transmission."

"Nope, we sell lots of 530s with a stick and I probably drive eight or so per week. This one is real quick."

Maybe it was just my particular car that was fast, I don't know. What ever the case, there was a HUGE difference between my 1999 328i 5-Speed and a friend's 2001 325i 5-Speed. Then there was the difference between my 2002 530i 5-Speed and the 328i (I had both cars for a couple of weeks due to my ED 5er getting to our shores in only 4 weeks). While I won't say the difference between my two BMW was as great as between the 325i and 328i, the 5-Series was noticeably faster than the 328i in all respects.

Long story short, the E39 525i should be even slower than the E46 325i, and my 530i was able to flat destroy the latter.

Best Regards,
Shipo

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