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If my numbers are correct...
'03 330i with PP, Step, CWP: MSRP $40,670, Invoice $37,285.
'03 530i with PP, Step, CWP: MSRP $45,70, Invoice $42,105 less dealer rebate of $4,000 = $38,105 !
I have been looking at the 3ers since March or so and have gone from originally thinking about a 325xi to a 330i, now a 525i/530i/330Ci...? This board has been helpful. Of course I'm driving everyone nuts talking about BMW's. What's wrong with that, right? They just don't get it! But now I'm "one confused puppy"!
I have been driving my 528i for two weeks now and I wonder why I was so scared by the jump. This is the nicest car I have owned (ok, ANYTHING is nicer than a 2000 Sunfire..its really a long story). Hopefully the two of us will have a long a memorable time together! I learned so much through this car buying experience...like there are so many great things out there..I had to remind myself to not settle!
But, there is one thing: Who owns those bike racks that BMW sells? This car came with a roof rack and I don't need one (plus, I can't get the bike up there by myself- the trunk/hitch style are much more comfortable)..I think I hear eBay calling right now.....
Thanks again!
Niki
530bmw, regarding the nationwide rebates, they are from factory to dealer, not dealer to customer. Nonetheless, almost all of the dealerships are "sharing" the rebate with the customers in order to move product. I don't know if the rebates extended to July, but I assume they did. $3500 for 525 and $4000 for 530 (and 540 too?). Don't know about 3er rebates. I don't think the dealerships wanted anyone to know at first, but silly them, it got out pretty quickly. When I brought it up to my salesperson, I got the old deer in the headlights look.
Anyway, I would appreciate some more comments. There are two things that are bothering me with my new 530. First is the engine idle. There's a very slight bump that doesn't seem normal for any new car, particularly the ultimate driving machine. The second is you have to give the doors and trunk more slam than I believe necessary; also, the closing sounds a bit tinny. Now, a friend of mine has an '02 530 and his latches are silky smooth. What's the deal here? Maybe the car wasn't prepped properly? Is it intrinsic to the model year or production run? Or perhaps my particular vehicle fell on the wrong end of the tolerances? I'll be taking it in to the dealer when I get time but would love to hear from you guys.
Thanks in advance.
325Ci & Cic's = $2500 , 330 Ci & Cic = $3000 , 525i = $3500, 525iT/530i = $4000, 540i & iT =$4500. I agree with drdw about your tradde situation. I'll be surprised if you get even get $38,000 as a trade since thier invoice is around that on the new ones. You should probably consider selling it yourself and hope the buyers aren't as aware as those who visit this board. I live in the Boston area. You also may want to check out dealers a little further away from the cities. They may feel they have a sale they would not normally get. They also may have lower sales "quotas" than a bigger dealer and your sale might have a bigger impact to them and they could be more willing to deal. Even though BMW does not have hold backs any more, I understand they get reimbursed from the manufacturer with number sales and consumer satisfaction indexes. I got this info with the fighting chance stuff. It also says to buy the car via FAX at the END of the MONTH! You fax the request out the middle of the week prior to the end of the month. It gives you the format, who to fax, when to fax... Now I am concerned that if I don't get my car sold by the end of the month or they are out of 530's (it could happen...lol), then I'm back to square one again. Good luck. Let us know your progress.
If you are looking at FWD TL and RWD G35, you should also consider a new or used 3 Series.
I would NOT get a non-CPO 1999 540i. Check out BMW NA's CPO locator. You should be able to find a ton of CPO 3 and 5 Series cars within a couple hundred mile radius of where you live.
Thinking Acura and Infiniti also have CPO programs. You should check them out.
I for one would always be concerned about the reliability and maintenance of any used car,which I would use as my daily driver. If you want the BMW I would investigate the CPO program. If you want more information about the CPO program go to bmwusa.com for more detail.
However, I think the first step is to test drive them all to get some feel of the cars. If you are looking for the ultimate car for the driving enthusiast, the 540 with the sport package is the way to go. The second best car is the G35. If you are looking for the car with the least maintenance and most room, it's the TL or TLS.
But I would take it to the dealer and leave it there until they solve the problem. Or maybe have them disconnect the alarm, so it won't wake the neighboors.
1) Movement, the sensors seem to be sensitive enough to detect the motion of heavy trucks rolling by, heavy wind, and of course the ubiquitous parking lot ding.
2) Movement inside the car, I often leave the sunroof either open or vented (rear up), and (this year at least) up here in New Hampshire, we are having LOTS of swarming bugs, large and small. It seems that the interior motion sensors are sensitive enough to pick up when a large bug (or a number of large bugs) fly into the interior, thus generating a false alarm.
In both cases, if you "Lock" your car with the remote twice (ie. press the lock button twice), the motion sensing is disabled, thus preventing this type of false alarm.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Additionally, contrary to the owners manual, if you lock the car with the remote, you are able to open the doors by pressing the interior unlock button. Granted you will set off the alarm. But when I first got the car I used the remote to lock the car while I was still in it. At that time I do not think the interior unlock button worked. They must have changed the programming when I brought the car in for my first service. Maybe for liability reasons?
thanks
If I wash the car myself, I am sure I will get more off than the car wash, but product suggestions would be most appreciated.
Thanks
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
For those stubborn bug and tar spots, I then rub in a small amount of wax (Maguires Professional) to loosen and remove the residual spot before waxing the entire car. I have my car detailed about once every six months and the "professionals" do pretty much the same thing.
I would stay away from bug and tar remover, as some brands contain petroleum distillates that can break down or fog the clear cost finish. My rule is that if it is flammable, it doesn't go on my car.
Another suggestion, since you 2 already have 2 fairly large vehicles (the GX470 & LS430), might I suggest a 3 series coupe, convertible, or Z4 roadster?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Also, since you are only planning on keeping the car for 40,000 miles, resale value is a consideration. In my area, it appears that the low added cost of going from a 525i to a 530i would be nearly fully made up in added resale value in 40,000 miles. That's not the case when you jump from the 530i to the 540i. The 525i is a fine vehicle, but the added power of the 530i is more comparable to the Maxima SE I would be upgrading from.
P.S. nyccarguy has a point if you are looking for a "different car". Obviously I don't know your transportation needs, but there appears to be a lot of redundancy in an LS430, GX470 and BMW 5-series.
I will look into a 530 vs. 525 though.
"BMW on Monday posted an 0.2 percent increase in unit sales for the first six months of the year compared to last year... combined sales for the month of June of both BMWs and Minis were up 2.7 percent... The company also said it sold 454,970 of its luxury cars in the first half of the year, 5.5 percent fewer than by the same time a year ago... attributed the drop to decreased demand for its 5-series... company is hoping its new 5-series, which will be available in markets by autumn, will boost sales in the second half of the year... sales of the new Mini increased by 44 percent, with the movement of 89,880 units during the same period."
I would use a synthetic that is ACEA A3/B3 certified. BTW, many BMW owners use Mobil 1 0/5/10W30. Those oils are not ACEA A3/B3 either.
I'd give the dealer $3.80 for a qt. of BMW Syn 5W30, or use an ACEA A3/B3 oil.
Happy motoring,
Jack
ACEA A3: Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance gasoline engines and/or for extended drain intervals where specified by the engine manufacturer, and/or for year-round use of low-viscosity oils, and/or for severe operating conditions as defined by the engine manufacturer.
ACEA B3: Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance car and light van diesel engines and/or for extended drain intervals where specified by the engine manufacturer, and/or for year-round use of low-viscosity oils, and/or for severe operating conditions as defined by the engine manufacturer.
Given the very general nature of the above specifications, I do not find them in the least bit compelling when it comes to what oil I select for my car. That said, my owners’ manual states "Only use oils with the API SH specification or higher." The oil that I use in my 2002 530i is Mobil 1 0W-40, which carries the API SL specification (which is in fact higher than API SH).
Another thing to consider is that the Castrol “Synthetic” oils sold under the BMW name as well as their own are NOT true synthetic oils, they are in fact "Hydro-Cracked" crude based oils. Mobil 1 is a true synthetic. Does this matter? In my case is does.
Prior to buying my 1999 328i, I had used Mobil 1 for many years, with great results. Among other things, a by-product of using Mobil 1 is that the inside of my engines always looked perfectly clean, regardless of miles driven. When I opened the oil cap on my 328i at 30,000 miles, I was stunned by 1) the smell, which was a crude oil based smell (I used to turn a wrench for a living, and know that smell very well), and 2) the crud on my valve train. I knew instantly that the BMW/Castrol oil was not a true synthetic, and upon further research, this was of course confirmed.
With my 530i, I have gone to a mid cycle change at about 6,000 miles, and am using Mobil 1 0W-40 for that change (which leaves it in for about 8,500 miles before the "Oil Service" indicator lights).
Best Regards,
Shipo
Mark
Viscosity at high temp. & high shear rate using test CEC-L-36-A-97 with a result of > 3.5. Many, myself included, believe this is a very important property of an oil to be used in a high performance engine. BMW syn passes, Mobil 1 x/30s doesn't. IIRC, Mobil 1 0/40 meets this spec.
I'm not bashing Mobil 1. I think it's a good oil. My point remains that I believe BMW syn to be better than x/30 Mobil 1. You have the added advantage of compatability if your dealer ever changes the oil.
Why use an oil other than dealer recommended without a compelling reason?
Best Regards,
Shipo
There are very few true synthetics available - Mobil 1, Amsoil and Red Line (I think) are the ones that come to mind.
Waiting for your thoughtful input.
sleepdoc
Regarding the difference between a 325Ci and a 525i, I guess the most relevant question you need to answer for yourself is, "How often will you Auto-X your car vs. carrying 4 adults in your car?"
If you intend to autocross frequently, and carry more than two adults very rarely, clearly the 325Ci is the car for you. That said, from my point of view, the 5-Series is the better daily driver. I have found that the extra 209 (330Ci vs. 530i) to 253 (325Ci vs. 525i) pounds the 5-Series carries around has little effect on handling and acceleration. The flip side is that the 5-Series is considerably quieter, and even though the specifications don't reflect it, it is noticeably larger inside when compared to a 3-Series.
Other differences to consider:
- The 5-Series has dual zone climate control, whereas the 3-Series has a single zone (my wife and I NEVER agree on where to set the temperature)
- The 5-Series Premium Audio is much nicer (sounds better and has more options) than the Harman-Kardon system
- The message center on the 3-Series insists that you clear a message (such as the below 37 degree message every time you start the car), while the 5-Series simply displays it for a few moments and then returns the display to its previous state.
- The power window controls for the 5-Series are on the arm-rests where GOD himself/herself intended them to be, on the 3-Series, they are located around the shifter.
Regarding maintenance, given that both designs are fairly mature (to say the least), I doubt that there will be any appreciable difference between the two.
I hope this helps.
Best Regards,
Shipo
So, I will be asking questions and listening for resposes for a while.....this lesson was very intersting!
I replied with it does not make sense for me to put down a non-refundable deposit on a car when they can not even tell me what the car will cost.
Anyone else been required to put down non-refundable deposit down on ordered car due to being manual rather than automatic?
Best Regards,
Shipo