Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Bmwdriver02, even without the Sport Pkg and manual, the 530i is still a great car. I originally wanted the manual but my wife voted otherwise. Since she has only driven twice (in the last 18 months), I decided to make a change before the new one was gone. Again my decision to upgrade now was based on the feeling that I will like the new model. Can I say that for certain? No. But so far the pictures have not impressed me.
Regards,
Chris M
Regards,
Chris M
HiC
Thanks.
Are there still incentives on 2003 models? I've people on here got very good deals on them.
I certainly wouldn't buy a 2002 with 25k miles for only $5-6k (12-15%) less than I could get a brand new one. Some might disagree, but I would not go used unless I was saving more like $10k (20-25%) on a car with 24k miles already on the odometer. Between tires, brakes, warranty, etc., the first 25k miles use up a fair amount of new car value. Just my opinion.
I have not been keeping up on this car so I'm not sure when it will be available in the US, but with all the tape on it I'm assuming it is not out yet. It was much better looking in person than in any of the pictures. When I first saw the pictures online I was not impressed, but this car was really good looking. Unfortunately though I had no camera.
Correct me if I am wrong.
Regards,
Chris M
Regards,
Chris M
Regards,
Chris M
Regards,
Chris M
Fascinating story.
What type of survey was it? Were you able to drive the MB, Lexus and Audi? Any impressions other than "glad I'm in my 530"?
Any help with the 540 mystery and thoughts of comparisons between the 03 530/stick/sport and used 540 stick/sport would be helpful.
Thanks,
J
In the 540i6, believe one could order the optional Comfort Seats in lieu of the standard Sport seats pretty much every model year. I much prefer the Sport seats, though the Comfort seats are nice.
Did you get my email today? Let me know if you did not.
J
The 540/6 speed I drove had the sport bucket seats with the adjustable thigh support. What was missing was the M5 steering wheel and the correct wooden shift knob. It also had the correct M5 wheels on it. This all ads up to a sport package. So why no M5 steering wheel? Wouldn't any 2000 540/6 speed come with the sport package by default? If so, isn't the M5 wheel part of the sport package? The car was a blast to drive, but I am abit concerned that maybe it was tampered with.
J
All you need to do is some research on what specific items came with the MY2000 540i6 Sport Package. Your dealer should have some historical resources. For example, BMW publishes their "Fast Facts" for dealer staff. (I snagged a copy of the MY2001. It has 336 detailed pages on standard and optional equipment, including MSRPs, for all BMWs sold in USA.)
The MY2001 Fast Facts details the 540i6 as having the following "Sport Pkg"-related standard items:
(1) Sport suspension
(2) specified tire/wheel combination (unique to this car)
(3) Shadowline exterior
(4) 3-spoke sport steering wheel
(5) 12-way power front sport seats
There is also a footnote which says "Suspension, wheels/tires, exterior trim & interior equipment of 540i Automatic Sport are standard on 540i 6-speed."
The 2001 "Fast Facts" also mentions there are optional "M Parallel Spoke Wheels similar to the M5's wheels." MSRP was $300. There was an optional 16-way Comfort front seat. MSRP of $1,200. It also says there are "New steering-wheel designs, both 4-spoke standard and sport 3-spoke." So these steering wheels are supposedly somehow different than the MY2000 steering wheels.
Aside, you could't get the heated steering wheel with the Sport steering wheel. That is deleted from its Cold Weather Package. (My '98's 4-spoke has the heated steering wheel with its CWP.)
Regards,
Chris M
Look at the magnifying lens as kdshapiro suggests, also look to see if the beams self-level when you turn them on. If everything checks out just use them for a while, they'll turn blue.
jaydoll... Noticed that all new 5 Series come with the 3-spoke steering wheel. 3-spoke is now standard.
Another oddity is that my car came with clear turn signals. No other 5-series, on their lot, had this. All of the 5-series were 03 models. One was a CPO 530i sport, 1 530ia sport, 7 530ia non-sport and many 525 offerings. I am not complaining. Rather I like the look, especially with the black sapphire paint. Could this be a Euro version?
It is now in the hands of BMWNA. Let’s see what happens.
Regards,
Chris M
Other than this one problem the car has been flawless and most of all, fun to drive. Having the manual and Sport pkg makes a big difference in the ride.
Regards,
Chris M
Please let us know the resolution. Do you have any contacts at BMWNA that have been responsive so far and that you'd care to publish?
-Paul
"They ride well and make very little noise, qualities that have won O.E. fitment on many [MB] models. In fact, these 235/40-17 tires actually ride better than the 205/60-15 all-season Michelins the car came on. Designed for high-speed autobahn travel, the ContiSportContact 2's carcass limits limits heat buildup at high speeds, and the wide grooves in the tread pattern evacuate water very effectively. I was able to inflict a surprising amount of abuse, sliding the car for the lead photo, before they went away. There isn't a lot of water around here, though, and I'm used to more aggressively focused dry handling for my project cars...[they] are not focused in the direction to best suit my taste."
Having about 5K on my replacement set of ContiSportContact 2s, I wholely concur. For my 540i6, they were an excellent compromise. Do mostly long distance highway driving. (I'll put 600 highway miles on her this week.) They weren't too expensive but they have pretty good performance. They aren't the absolute best dry handlers. Yet, they aren't too noisy. And they work very, very well in water (which I do drive in).
Yet, I wish we didn't have to compromise. Too bad we can't have it all on tires! Affordable tires that are the best at everything!!!