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regards,
kyfdx
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Yes, and there are people driving 10 year old Hyundais that can lose their license even faster! The car you have has nothing to do with the fine you get for speeding.
regards,
kyfdx
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If you are really want a BMW, I would look at '99 and '00 323i. I think you might be able to find one of those for your target price with much lower mileage. I've seen those locally with 40K to 60K miles for asking prices of under $20K. Lower miles will be your friend when it comes to repair/maintenance costs.
regards,
kyfdx
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1. Don't buy unless you can see all the repair and service invoices proving what was done when. Then only buy if all the necessary work was done on time and schedule. Brake fluid should have been changed at least once every 2 years. No more than 3 years on the coolant. Was the transmissiona and differential fluid changed? Etc.
2. I would NOT recommend buying a BMW out of warranty unless you know a GOOD INDEPENDENT service shop that SPECIALIZES in BMWs. Most BMW dealers don't do much repair work on big things like transmissions and differentials. They just replace. And that is hideously expensive. You'll save a ton on repair and maintenance work using an independent shop. Find one that also gives a BMW CCA discount and then join BMW CCA.
3. You seem worried about service, maintenance, and repairs. If so, buy CPO or don't buy a non-warrantied BMW. (Really sounds like you'd be better off with a CPO Lexus GS300.)
And, thank you for your tip on going to an independent repair shop rather than dealership. Now, what is BMW CCA???
I don't think I can afford a CPO. 1999 or 2000 CPOs usually cost over 20K. However, I will check out CPO Lexus GS300s. Thanks!
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Excepts:
"We considered the previous [E39] 5 Series to be the almost perfect car, so it's natural we might have felt a bit cold toward this new version, and we're willing to wait a while before making a final judgement. ... Will 'like' ever turn to 'love'?"
"Not the improved 5er I wanted."
What does this mean, long-term, for the brand? . . for this or any other vehicle that can barely live past the warranty?
There are those who lease. . .and those who buy. Those of us who buy look for vehicles that cost a reasonable amount to keep on the road, for a long, long time.
The BMW's & Audi's that can barely make it to the end of the lease may have an interesting long-term future. Someone, somewhere is expected to acquire all those off-lease vehicles, for prices that may give one pause to consider.
Edmunds is full of people who only care about first cost, but the long-term thing will eventually have an effect on the brand. What is happening to all the older vehicles?
Enquiring minds. . .
In my bro's opinion:
1. BMW's are not worse in terms of overall reliability than other cars. They're not as reliable as Japanese cars, but they're not bad.
2. Lots of BMW's get abused by their owners, more so than say a Lexus. So you have to be careful with a used BMW.
3. BMW's do have weird electrical problems which can be difficult to diagnose, which means more mechanic time spent figuring out what to do, which translates into bigger repair bills.
4. BMW parts are EXPENSIVE.
But if you buy a used BMW which was well taken care of, and you do regular maintenance on it, they can last you a long time and be pretty reliable. Problem is, when repairs need to be done they're so expensive that you have to ask yourself, at what point do I want to stop putting money into a used car?
Had my dad's Honda reached 260k, I would not even contemplate driving it at 100+. Sure, we pay more to maintain these cars, but those of us who love cars know that it is well worth it.
On another note, I am feeling some engine vibration on the clutch pedal of #3 when depressed, throw out bearing? (#2and #3 never needed a clutch replacement, and I even let the wife drive them!)
Adjusted trip figures: 411.6 miles, 28.10 MPG, 72.0 MPH.
OBC Readings: 29616 miles, 26.7 MPG, 52.3 MPH
Adjusted: 28719 miles, 25.9 MPG, 50.7 MPH
I'm looking at a 2003 Silver 525i with 6K miles on it. It is being sold at CarMax for $38,599. Does anyone have experience dealing with them or would advise against it? I've done a CarFax search and didn't find anything.
The 2nd car that I'm reviewing is a 2001 Silver 525i with 21K miles CPO. I am located in Atlanta and this car is at a BMW dealership in NC. They want around $33K for it. They say that they'd bring it to me for a $500 deposit that is refundable. I'm concerned about a couple of things. #1 the car isn't local so I can't test drive it and review it w/out any obligation. #2 the car will be out of warranty w/in 9 months before the CPO warranty and I'm not sure exactly what the CPO warranty will cover.
Does anyone have any experience with either of these types of sales? I really don't want to spend more than $34.5K for the car that I buy.
Thanks for any advice!
- Make sure to get a CarFax report. If you can't on the car, doublecheck the VIN number. I wouldn't buy one that I couldn't get info on.
- Get the maintenance, service, and repair history. This is esp. true for the 2001. BMWs should have brake fluid changed every 2 years. New coolant every 3. Find out when the next Sch I or II major service maintenance is. Is one due now? Also, how are the tires holding up? Does the 2001 need a new set?
- Try to talk to the original owners. Why are they selling?
- I would NOT buy unless I could BOTH (1) test drive and (2) have an independent mechanic inspect, esp. for the 2001.
- Check out BMW NA's web site to learn more about CPO program. You can also get info from your local BMW dealer. Essentially, the CPO warranty adds 2 years or 50,000 miles of additional, though different, coverage on top of the original 4/50 b-to-b new car warranty. CPO warranty is NOT as extensive; there are many things not covered. CPO warranty also has a $50 deductible.
- We'd need to know a lot more about both cars. What were their original MSRPs? What options do they have? Automatic? Premium Pkg? Sport Pkg? Cold Weather Pkg? Upgraded stereo? Navigation system? Etc?
- I would NEVER pay $33,000 for a MY2001 525i. People were buying MY2003 525i for about $35-40,000 last year!
- What do Edmunds, NADA, etc. say about the book values of these cars?
- Have you considered a CPO 3 Series? The 325i has the same engine and transmissions as the 525i in a smaller, lighter platform.
1980 320 5 spd/ 1986 325 5 spd
valvoline or castrol every 3k with filter
tranny and differential fluid every 30k
brake fluid/clutch slave cylinder 2 years
coolant 2 years with water pump lubricant every 6 months
other than the usual maintenance items (brake pads, rotors, tune-up parts), I recall replacing 1 battery each, water pumps, clutch slave cylinders (change that fluid!), fuel pump on the 320, drive shaft on the 325, shifter linkage bushings on the 325 and rear transmission seals on both. The a/c compressor gave out on the 325 shortly before we parted. Note no starters, no alternators, and no plug wires.
2002 530 sp/pp 5 spd
Mobil 1 every 7500. Will follow Bimmer Magazines suggestions of 30k on the tranny and rear axle though I may not use Redline products
I have often thought that the speedometer and odometer in my 540i6 was off - reading higher speed and thus more miles than actual.
Is this a common occurrence?
But there is no relationship between the speedometer reading and the odometer reading. The odometer is accurate.
People often use the trip computer function to calculate actual speed vs speedometer reading.
I've decided against the 2001 since I couldn't see and at least test drive the car before it's delivered to me here. I also want to stick with a 2002 or 2003 so that I'll have at least 2 years left on the warranty. Carmax won't negotiate and 38.6 is about 4K more than I would spend as a max. Both cars were Silver, automatic with performance package. I've looked at both Kelley and Edmunds to price the cars. I believe that the dealer price for both cars were similar.
The 325 is smaller than I would like.
My optimal car would be a 525i, Silver, automatic, performance package w/ 20 - 25K miles. There's a car that meets all of that except it has 46K miles. I currently have several dealerships looking at cars for me. I looked at a 2001 530i, steel Blue, automatic, performance and cold weather package w/ 6 disc CD changer and 36K miles. It's priced at 33.8 if I recall correctly. Obviously high price, but more miles than I want. It isn't CPO because it isn't from a dealer. Does anyone know the procedure to get an extended warranty from an authorized BMW dealer when you haven't bought the car from them?
regards,
kyfdx
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Good luck....JL
Best Regards,
Shipo
Regards...JL
I just washed off the (unplanned for but never-the-less interesting) evidence of just how clean these pads keep your wheels. About 600 miles before I mounted the new pads, I washed/waxed my wheels to almost showroom condition only to see them completely covered in black dust on the first drive (New Hampshire to Long Island). During the change of the pads, I got several finger marks where I essentially wiped the 600 miles of accumulated dust off, and yesterday, after 2,000+ more miles without a wash, said finger marks showed just as clearly as they did when I first changed the pads!
Now that I have clean wheels again, it will be interesting to see how long they will stay clean.
Best Regards,
Shipo
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In addition, can you share a bit on the pads' feel, bite performance etc? One of the ironies of being a tinkerer and having several cars that I've done upgrades on (brakes, suspension etc) is that I am totally satisfied with the performance of the 5... either that, or the limits are higher than places I am comfortable going! In the 34K miles that I have had this car I have changed nothing, and am only looking at moving to a different tire because I want to see what else is out there.
In the end, I like the new front pads so much that I'm probably going to pop for a new set of rears when my next assignment is over in early August. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Before I bought the car I thought I read somewhere on here of this very strange thing that happened before to someone else.
It happened a year ago to me as I was pulling into my garage at 3-4MPH, and again yesterday as I was backing up at 2-3MPH. Basically - in both instances as I was applying light pressure to the brake, the car lurched forward (in the first instance) and lurched backward (in the second as I was in reverse). No kidding - it felt like someone jammed on the accelerator. Scared the you know what out of me.
Happened to anyone else, or anyone remember reading about this strange happening?
Thanks
I am not sure about the sport seats, but I am sure the sport steering wheel was part of the SP.
Good luck...JL
Here's an example of a low mileage 530i CPO in Conn -http://used-cars.autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=- a573cd66bb9c44b8e18503a71864310b
Good Luck!!
Thinking the Sport steering wheel was standard and mandatory for MY01 Sport Pkg. But the Sport Seats could be exchanged for optional Comfort Seats. The Sport Seats are to be much preferred. The Comfort Seats are expensive pieces of garbage! [Unfortunately, my '98 540i6 had the optional Comfort Seats.]
I have a car that I saw tonight which seems promising. It's a 525i 2001 Steel Blue with premium package and tan interior. It has 33.7K miles and the sticker price is $31.85. It seems very similar to another car though that I saw at another local Atlanta dealership a couple of weeks ago. That car was sold at auction last Wed. The salesperson at the other dealership told me that he had to send it back to service so I never drove it or got the VIN #.
When I look at the CARFax, this car was sold at auction in April of 04 in GA. Somehow it is still in the system 3 months later. It makes me wonder about the car. It was serviced based on Carfax at 26K miles in 10/03 and had front brake rotors replaced and blower motor resistor replace. Does anyone know what the blower motor is?
Any thoughts for concern? I'm going to negotiate to have it examined independently before I purchase. I did notice a louder sound of the car than what I've heard with other cars that I've test driven. It also didn't drive as smoothly.
I understand that they may have 6 months to a year of warranty left, but that seems way too stiff a price. You could buy an '03 525i last fall, brand new, for around $39K-$40K.
regards,
kyfdx
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