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But, while generally checking on tirerack, I saw Michelin has a "pilot sport (summer only)" and a "pilot sport A/S". The ratings of "Pilot sport A/S" is much higher than the ones I have now (pilot MXM4 A/S). Even in all dry, wet and snow traction catagories. Worth upgrading to the "Pilot sport A/S"?
The dry traction rating of "Pilot sport - summer only" is not that much better than "pilot sport A/S".
Any experiences with these specific ones?
compare the two Michelins (Pilot Sport) and the Pilot Sport A/S because they are
two different classifications. They are both excellent tires in their own right, and the
Pilot Sport A/S are high performance tires, be aware of that. They might just be what you need for excursions up to the ski country. I am glad you ditched the idea of "winters" though. The final word will have to be yours since I don't know how many miles you have on your present MXM4 A/S and how soon you want to upgrade.
01/02 530
Premium Package
Sport
Manual
Cold Weather
Xenon
CPO
I have found two vehicles so far:
1: 01 20,000 miles, and CPO for 38K
2: 02 9,000 miles, non-CPO for 45K
However - neither has heated seats, and if I am to pay that much for a car - I think I need/want heated seats, so I will wait for the right car.
Anyone out there disagree on the value add of heated seats, besides being personal?
Additionally, the one for 45K is way over priced!
Good luck....JL
Hope this helps...JL
What I really like about CPO is the lower finance rate, but more importantly the 100K warranty as I drive 30K miles per year.
To my knowledge, all BMW branded oil is synthetic. I'm sure the dealer also has non-syn oil of another brand, ie Castrol. In your car, I would use the BMW synthetic.
From your other posts, I see you are enjoying the BMW.
Happy motoring,
Jack
Not only is the quality of a stereo system's tonal signature somewhat subjective, but the music you listen to might either take advantage of the system's tuning, or may exploit its weaknesses. From my experience, those who enjoy a lot of bass-heavy music (R&B, rap, hip hop, heavy metal, etc.) often find the DSP (and base) system lacking and disappointing. Those who have the DSP system often upgrade to the M audio option (an option on the M5), which entails upgrading the two rear subwoofers. But, certainly, upgrading the standard system is easier (and cheaper) to do.
I listen more to a mix of rock, pop, jazz, treble-biased vocals, etc., and find the DSP system excellent. But often I hear songs with tangible bass, and I never find myself wishing the response there would be more pronounced.
The people who suffer from the cold (you all know who you are) absolutely love, and at this "price point" need heated seats. Those of us who look forward to Autumn & enjoy Winter could give a rip. It's so, so subjective.
Unless you just want the heated seats because the "exclusive" cars have them. If that's your position, I'm going to do us all a favour and shut up.
joatmon: Yes, I am loving my 528, unfortunately my commute just isn't long enough. I was totally impressed with how high the projected MPG went up on the trip computer as I drove out to Ann Arbor and back (about a 25 mile drive each way. It was all freeway and I was doing about 70-75. The MPG went up to 31 mpg while cruising at about 75 or so.
Has anyone had any experience going back to BMW getting an extended warranty after the purchase of the car?
I now have the basic factory warranty. Some friends who have BMWs have advised me to get an extended warranty.
Thanks
Good luck.
If your trade off is getting a 1-2 year older, higher milage 540i to get the same price as a newer, lower milage 530i, I'd go the 530i route. The newer 530i will cost you quite a bit less to maintain while junior is growing up. If money doesn't matter, get a new M5.
Also, stay away from upgraded, modified cars. My guess is that fewer than 2% of 5-series buyers modify their cars and that subset correlates very high with the subset that drives them with reckless abandon. That's not the kind of used car you want to buy, CPO'd or not. Find one that has been well maintained and driven responsibly by a professional adult.
Good luck and congratulations on the new arrival. Your 300zx is just a chunk of metal. Save your emotions for parenthood.
I was looking through a dealers used cars and he said they had a 1999, 528, leather, maual 5spd, with the sport package and 60,000kms. on it. There is about a year left on the warranty, and this is a BMW Certified series car so there are two more years after the original expires. The price was just dropped to 32,900.00 (rmember this is Canadian dollars. I'm wondering if this is a good deal. The car looks great. They also have a 528, maual with the premium package and 38000kms at the same price. Do you out there think it's a good deal? Also, has anyone used their "ownership plan" whereby the purchase price is halved and held back in a "balloon" payment at the end of three years. Payments are based on the remianing balance. It's sort of like a lease only toward owning the car. My question here is estimating the depreciation of the car over the next three years. Would it be worth less than the 50% of the 32,900.00 price, which would put me "upside down". If the car is good, I'd like to drive it for 6 years or so. I welcome your input, I'm very tempted, but I don't know much about buying and I don't want to get burned here. I don't know how much they'll come down if at all since it was just reduced again, and I don't know how much BMW negotiates.
thanks,
cdn driver
CPO'd as well? Not familiar with that type of ownership plan, would prefer a more
conventional loan where the entire and final deal is spelled out at the inception of
the loan process. Personally I would prefer the one with the sport suspension but
not being familiar with Canadian winters it makes me wonder if this would be your
best choice since the sport package does not mix well with snowy conditions. You
can always opt for dedicated steel wheels with snow tires during the snowy months.
Hope this helps.
The heated seats are quick to heat and are welcome to my entire back.
There is nothing adverse about this vehicle (so far), but instead, accolades on performance and handling. Just put new Dunlop Winter Sports with Miglio Cello wheels (after reading tire rack reviews; the wheels even came with BMW wheel caps !)I will provide updated posts on my experience. Having two other previous BMWs, it is nice to come home.
Hope this helps....JL
Does CPO'd mean the BMW Certified used car program? yes both of them are. The price is actually 36,900.00, there's also a touring 528, but it's an automatic. Are they a bit more sluggish? Does the touring add much to the weight, making it slow with this engine?
Thanks,
cdndriver
1997 Black 540, non-sport Automatic w/75K miles on it. For 3 weeks they have been asking 23K for the car and today it is listed at 17K. Not bad for a 3rd vehicle toy, etc......but the 75K miles do scare me a bit.
Any comments on the car for 17K?
How about the mileage?
Can you buy a warranty beyond 100K miles?
...or get an iPod that will give you 4000 songs with customizable playlists and an intuitive interface that allows you to find any of those 4000 songs in seconds.
-murray
Oh yeah, you can take it to work, on the airplane, jogging or anyplace else you have room in a pocket.
Check out 1Sourceautowarranty.com I bought from them about a year ago a 5yr/100,000miles, zero ded, diamond plan for $1800. So far they paid for $900 in repair bills without any problems.
Spyderred,
Nice to see someone else share this opinion, an audiophile no less! I always thought the base system was fine, but figured it was just due to my tin ear.
Also agree with the assessment of the heated seats. A few years ago I would have thought this to be a silly option, but after a winter day in a poorly heated office, nothing brings the ol' core temp back up so quickly.
On you patientce for a 2001/2002 530i CPO, why don't you just get a new 2003 for about $43.5k through ED? For the life of me, I cannot figure out why someone would pay $38k to $42k for a 1-2 year old 530i - especially a 5-speed - when they can get a brand new one, break it in themselves, for $43.5k with your options. That difference will be more than made up when you go to trade a 1-2 year newer "one-owner" car. Enlighten me?
a very good price especially the lower mileage vehicle . I'm not sure what you mean
by Touring, could that be the term for the wagon? I'll defer comments to others on
this board who have more knowledge with the Touring designation. I have driven a
528 automatic sedan and it is by no means sluggish. Good luck.
Wife will not go with me to pick it up. Not into flying over the ocean! Still working on her. A guy I work with (Audi driver) may go with me - we'll see.
Never been to Europe - I only speak English!
Timing actually works in my favor to go ED - as I can get it after the snow melts here!
I am strongly re-considering it based on the same reasons you give! Stay tuned!
BMW CPO is 2yr/50K on top of the original 4yr/50K. So ends up being 6yr/100K from when the car originally went into service. There is a $50 deductible per visit (but batch things together into one visit and you can cut that down). CPO also gets you full roadside assistance during the CPO period.
I remain unconvinced that any 3rd party warranty is as good as BMW CPO. These 3rd party warranties are only as good as the company offering them (and many of these companies have been less than impressive over time) and the terms & conditions of the warranties (and many of them are filled with exceptions and limitations). BMW CPO coverage is honored by all BMW dealers and backed by BMW. The coverage is quite comprehensive, though, of course, not quite as complete as the original 4/50 b-to-b factory warranty.
As for the English, worry not. English is fairly well spoken and understood by many Europeans, especially those working in big cities and in capacities where they encounter a lot of tourists.
And, if you want to do ED just for the cost savings, it's certainly possible to simply fly out, pick up the car, drive it over to the Munich drop-off spot, and fly back home. Of course, doing so will prevent you from enjoying all that Europe has to offer (as well as driving your brand new car on the autobahnen), but if you just want to save the money it's something to consider.
What would happen if I ordered a car through ED, put the down payment down (which is what $250-500), and then decided for whatever reason to not go - ? What happens to the car and am I financially obligated?
1.What should I replace (K&N Filter...etc)
2.I want a superb shine..How? (products..procedure)
3.I want a superb interior.How? (products)
4. The car used to be in TX & now in Colorado. How/what to winterize on the car.
5. Do you guys recommend www.bavarianautosport. for parts? I used to use them during 750 days??
Thanks
2 and 3. I created a list of my cleaning supplies, which I'm very happy with overall. You needn't buy them all, but it you're going to baby your car it'll take some investment. See http://members.roadfly.com/snagiel/Cleaning2.xls
4. Edmunds has a good article about winterizing at: http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/howto/articles/43799/article.html.
5. Yes, BavAuto is a good supplier, but I haven't had much experience ordering parts yet since my 5er is still fairly new.
As for the Japanese alternatives, there's quite a difference between the driving dynamics of a BMW 5-series and an ES300 (or any front wheel drive sedan). That said, I have a 1995 Maxima SE 5-speed with 132k miles that has run like a top since the day I bought it. IMO it was (and still is) the best combination of performance, durability, build quality (still made in Japan) and fun to drive compared with the Accord, Camry and other Japanese sedans.
Everybody has their own ideas about cleaners and waxes. As for the interior, I use Vinylex on the vinyl and a product called Leathermaster for the leather. BMW now sells a good leather cleaner/preservative as well.