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Comments
I am not very familiar with the 97 model but here is a starting point for its reliability etc. that you may want to view.
http://carpoint.msn.com/Vip/UsedSingleYear/BMW/5-Series/1997.asp
Good luck!
Reliability of 98s has been better than 97s, which was first model year. I think its the usual culprits for German luxury cars--electrical and hardware. But you should check consumer reports for specifics.
Good luck. Tons of 528s out there for sale, and a lot cheaper than new.
I have, however, always thought that the 282 number is a bit understated. In stock form the 540i/6 has been clocked at 5.7 seconds to 60mph, by C/D or Automobile I think. 282 HP seems a bit low for that low a time in that heavy a vehicle. HP/weight ratio is around 13.5lb to one HP (incl driver and minimal gas), which feels way too high to move that quick.
Just $.02 more to toss into the pot.
MGDavis
97 540iA
Do you find that your car seems to attract both large and small dents? MY new '00 528i seems to be getting more than its fair share...beginning with a doe running into my side the second week I had the car, to soon thereafter a little ding in the middle of the hood, to now a pair of dings in the side of the car. All my previous cars never had issues like this...either major damage or none at all, and surprisingly the best car I have had with respect to this was my '91 Taurus, on more than one occaision it was rammed, poked, and prodded without damage.
Has anyone tried 'Dent Wizard' to fix their dings? two of my three current dings should be good candidates.
It seems to me that the outer-skin of this car is a little thin, probably to help crinkle correctly in major crashes, but somewhat annoying in the parking lot.
Thanks for any posts.
I am not sure how big your ding/dent is. But my experience with my new 00' 528i (just 1 1/2 month old) is it just HAPPENS - no matter how careful you are. My last car - 96' Acura RL got a ding when it was 1 week old.
Well, my 528i got its first ding at 2 weeks, no paint damage and just about a dime's size, "Dent Wizzard" came to my office to fix it - they did a GREAT job; after they are done, I cannot find a trace of the ding on my driver's door!! (see my post in "Ding Prevention). Now just this morning when I was cruising on the freeway (in Los Angeles), some small rock hit my windshield and cracked it - it was not big - just the size of a small mosquito. At first I thought it was a bug committing suicide, but when I parked the car and checked it - there it is, a fresh crack!! Funny it is shaped like a mosquito too, about the size of a dime. I am trying to call a windshield "fixer' to see if they can fix it - at least fill up the hole, and keep the crack non-noticable.
Well, i guess that's part of life having to drive the new car around. : (
I am installing a protective coating (Xpel) on the vehicle to minimize the chips etc on the hood and bumpers. That should be arriving any day also.
dealer: $37,000
blue book: $36,000
edmunds: $29,000
any comments on what kind of price i should seek? the thing is fully, completely loaded except it's a stick.
Prices always rest on supply and demand, in the northeast (Boston) there seems to be lots of used 528i in the '97-98 vintage, and $37,000 is more than they are advertising. Also look at build date, the '97 year actually started earlier in '96 than usual (as I understand it there was no '96 5 series). If this car came off lease the residual on it was probably around $30,000, so BMW financial/dealer has some wiggle room. The peace of mind of the BMW extra warranty is worth something, which you should add to the Edmunds price, I might try offering the dealer $33,000 and see where you get. Also, if you are not putting lots of miles on your car you may be better off leasing a new one, the leasing on these cars tends to be very competitive. Good Luck!
it's hard to price-compare when BLUE BOOK gives $36,000 and EDMUNDS gives $29,000 for the same car.
Any thoughts? of COURSE the dealer is using kelly blue book.
I am not sure if the 01' in dash will fit the 528 or not. I think a lot of people are asking the same question now. I do know that the changer you refer to from Pacific BMW is very easy to install. Probably take 30 minutes tops. The car is pre-wired in the trunk for that specific unit. Installation instructions are included with the installation kit you purchase with it.
LOTS of INFO AND Opinions
I have a '97 540i whose check engine light came on during a fairly hard acceleration to pass someone. My mechanic said it was a thermostat problem and repaired it/reset the light. A couple days later, it came on again during hard acceleration by my wife passing someone. What problem is this generally? Catalytic converter? Throttle position sensor? EGR valve? Bad MAF sensor?
We're sending it back to the mechanic, but I'm concerned that they should be able to get a code or something on this, not hunt and peck changing parts. Any ideas?
Jules
01 530IA
White/Gray, Heated steering wheel, cold weather package, lumbar, xenon, in-dash CD, split rear seat, Electric sunshade (too cool), PDC (Does have on/off switch), convenience pckge, premium pckge,
Congrats on the car!
Drive for a while and give us an update (if you ever stop).
I think it has to do with the lower Cd of newer cars. My last vehicle, a Dodge Ram with a monster grilleguard had a HORRIBLE coefficient of drag. Never saw a chip except the one time I was too close behind a gravel truck that hit a pothole. Gravel sprayed everywhere. My 540 is a LOT slipperier through the ait, and I notice that the airstream does virtually nothing to small pebbles, etc.
Just a theory.
MGD
First do you mean buy or lease?? If you buy, you may not find the 528 that you exactly want. If you lease, you will most likely trade in when lease expires. BIG difference. Personally, I just bought a 530 and would suggest that you consider shopping around for a dealer who is discounting the 530's. There are some who might make it in your price range if you are consdiering a discounted 528 now. Something to think about.
Jules
Thanks for your response. I am interested in buying one because of the high miles that I drive each year and a lease would not be practical.
thanks.
strange door lock problem I have had absolutely
no problems what so ever in this car with 45k
miles on it. Here's what's happening:
When locking the doors by pushing the lock
button inside sometimes the passenger side door
lock (ie the one next to driver) does not go
down. If I unlock and re-lock the doors it
finally will. It's like the lock is stuck
in unlock position even though the rest of the
door locks go down. Has anyone seen a similar
problem?
Other than that I love my car! I had the chance
to get the car European delivered and picked it
up July '97 in Munich. It was one of the
greatest experiences of my life to drive my car
on the Autobahn. Best experience was on the
A8 from Munich to Salzburg Austria. I hope you
get to experience this great drive someday
yourself.
Thanks in advance.
yea whatever , there was no 523i, it was 528i with 193hp , BMW please stop the agony with these uneducated salesman it really is embarssing, i could understand a Yugo salesman not knowing his product but a product like BMW ?
folks please feel free to rant about your favorite salesman misleading quotes.....
I am new to this section and would like to hear some feedback about the NEW BMW 5281A. I
have previously owned 2 Infiniti Q45's and they have been extremely satisfying! The quality and
reliability have been outstanding. I am currently looking to purchase a BMW 528iA, but would
like to know if there are any problems I should be aware of, or what others who own the car
have to say about it! Any info would be greatly appreciate. My only concern is reliability. I hate
to say it, but think Japanese quality is better then the U.S and maybe Germany as well! What are
some of the problems or attributes that the 5 series has.
Thank you,
Matt
P.S How much can I expect to take off M.S.R.P
Help! - Josh
Ps: Does anybody love/hate the navigation system?
Josh, BMW automatics are made by GM. Transmissions are one of the few components GM has been doing right for years. That said, the 540 puts a lot of torque through the transmission. I don't have one but I can say I haven't read much about issues about the auto tranny in the 540 either. It could be that the tranny is very well matched and stable or there may not be many owners of 540s with automatics on this board (which would be my guess). Owners, what say ye?
Thanks.
-rdo
rdollie@home.com
I lookk all over, no info. Please, if somebody know, I really apreciatte.
Raz.
1) Wich do you think is the right price for an '98 528 auto, certified, under 20.000 miles?(now is fall 2000)
2) I can't find out if '98 528 auto has automatic 4 speed or 5 speed transmition. Dealer has no ideea(!), and Mercedes Benz introduced automatic 5 speed transmision on E series from 1997, Audi on A6 from 1995. Also, can find same think on Acura 3.2, and japanese stuff like this(luxuries). I don't know where to look for this.
Please, if any have a ideea, is welcome. Thank you, Razteo in South California.
w/ 4000 total drive off. 36 mo/12k yr. the car was $47795. I think i should beable to find a lower payment.
John
I guess I'd better take my 00' 528iA to the shop and have them check it out. What I am afraid of is they might not be able to duplicate the same noise as I did - service people need to take the car up to 80mph to verify this! I still noticed the hi-pitch noise when cruising at 80mph yesterday. Even though I probably do 80mph only 10% time of hiway driving-but shouldn't this car be doing 100+mph without any problem? : )
Jules - congrats on your 530i!! and thanks for looking at the noise for me. It bothers me that a car with potential of going up to 100+mph without a hitch should produce such noise. (my 00'528iA has sports-premium pkg)!! That's what the sports suspensions and 17" wheel for, right?!!
John
I was considering Lexus GS300 / MB E320 before I pulled the trigger for this bimmer. I am glad I made the right choice...
Gary
Greg
In regards to the 525...I drove both the automatic and manual. I was quite impressed with both...the 525 has plenty of power for freeway passing...IMHO the 525 represent a real bargain for a midsize entry level luxury car...the three dealers that I went to all say the 525 would take away some of the 3 series business (for a little bit more money one could easily "upgrade" into a 5 series instead of a 3 series