E60 - BMW 525i

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by ecotourist
Originally Posted by MCompact
That said, I much prefer the E39 5er. A 530i Sport with three pedals is just magic. Low mile examples crop up from time to time.

You guys are making me think I should just keep my 2000 528i 5 speed with an M-sport package, which has 161,000 Km (100,000 miles). As you say it "is just magic". Problem is it's getting old. Mine has a few oil leaks and a bit of rust. A small amount of body work, required repairs and a bit of maintenance and you're suddenly looking at $6,000 or possibly even $10,000 (depending on how far you want to take things) on top of whatever it's currently worth. On the other hand I've had it for 15 years so I know the car pretty well. Similar, low mileage examples in perfect condition sell for about $10,000 US on a well known auction site.


Yup, this is why I got rid of my M5

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by ecotourist
Originally Posted by MCompact
That said, I much prefer the E39 5er. A 530i Sport with three pedals is just magic. Low mile examples crop up from time to time.

You guys are making me think I should just keep my 2000 528i 5 speed with an M-sport package, which has 161,000 Km (100,000 miles). As you say it "is just magic". Problem is it's getting old. Mine has a few oil leaks and a bit of rust. A small amount of body work, required repairs and a bit of maintenance and you're suddenly looking at $6,000 or possibly even $10,000 (depending on how far you want to take things) on top of whatever it's currently worth. On the other hand I've had it for 15 years so I know the car pretty well.

Similar story here. I've had my '02 530i sport manual for 13 years. Currently at 110K miles. Yes, the engine does leak a little (from rear main seal, I believe), and some things broke over the years, like electric seat recline adjustment and the sunroof tilt mechanism, and I haven't bothered to fix them, but otherwise, it still runs fine. No rust on mine. It is currently my winter beater - it's cheaper to run than to buy winter wheels and tires for the SRT. Alas, as soon as some major problems pop up, I will be forced to sell it as it would be difficult to justify the expenses on such old car, despite how well it drives.

 

[djb]

There is a bit of self-selection here.

Drivers love these cars, and often don't sell unless something expensive is broken.

If you see a BMW of the M52-M54 era (late 1990s through mid-2000s) for sale, it's very likely being sold because the engine has overheated and warped the head. It's good to see regular service has been done, but any new cooling system parts is a red flag. As is any excuse why it's not running, or can't be driven very far for a test drive.

"Head gasket in a can" might work on some engines, but it won't hold for long on I6 light alloy heads.

I love BMWs, but if I were buying cars at auction I would just price in a head replacement. And then bid lower than that because the potential buyers are factoring in that as well.

Oh, and a quick note: the sunroof fix is inexpensive, quick and easy with aftermarket parts. Headlight aim repair is also inexpensive, but might involve ship-in-a-bottle work.

 

[edyvw]

First, avoid V8!
Second, go with M54. As stated, early N52 have issues which are later, around mid-2008 resolved. But you are not looking at 2008 and after, so try to go with M54.
The 2004 is first production year of E60. E60 is big leap in technology and all manufacturers fallowed that suit, it was just that BMW was first, and with that there will be issues. It drives great, it has great suspension etc. but like someone said, people will hold onto them if things are OK. Main thing on M54 being overheating (95% of BMW owners really do not know anything about cars in general, let alone BMW's). N52 main issue throughout lifespan of that car is electric water pump. It is not as big problem as one on N54 or N55, but once it is time to change, it is not only costly repair, but installing one requires specific procedure due to graphite bearings.
I am personally looking at E90 328i but 2009 and after.
As stated, if AWD, take into consideration TC fluid is 99% not changed and if automatic, probably fluid is not changed.

 

[ecotourist]

If I can extend the discussion a little I'd be interested in comments regarding which of the more recent BMWs (say past 5 years) seem to be the most reliable. I would only consider a manual transmission and would prefer rear wheel drive. I don't expect they're very common. Aside from that I'd be open to considering a 2, 3, 4 or 5 series.

When I bought my 528i, 3 year old car 5 series cars were priced very similar to 3 series cars of the same age and were better equipped in general. So for me, a used 5 series offered better value. And as I keep my cars almost forever the final residual value doesn't matter very much.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by ecotourist
If I can extend the discussion a little I'd be interested in comments regarding which of the more recent BMWs (say past 5 years) seem to be the most reliable. I would only consider a manual transmission and would prefer rear wheel drive. I don't expect they're very common. Aside from that I'd be open to considering a 2, 3, 4 or 5 series.

When I bought my 528i, 3 year old car 5 series cars were priced very similar to 3 series cars of the same age and were better equipped in general. So for me, a used 5 series offered better value. And as I keep my cars almost forever the final residual value doesn't matter very much.

You want anything with an N55, really.

 

[maverickfhs]

So the ones I am looking at are both 2004 and 2005 525i and I believe they have M54.

In order for headgasket symptom to pop up, how long should be the test drive? Is M54 a sound choice?

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by maverickfhs
So the ones I am looking at are both 2004 and 2005 525i and I believe they have M54.

In order for headgasket symptom to pop up, how long should be the test drive? Is M54 a sound choice?

Start it cold, drive it until it's hot. No smoke from the tailpipes. Check for oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted by ecotourist
If I can extend the discussion a little I'd be interested in comments regarding which of the more recent BMWs (say past 5 years) seem to be the most reliable. I would only consider a manual transmission and would prefer rear wheel drive. I don't expect they're very common. Aside from that I'd be open to considering a 2, 3, 4 or 5 series.

When I bought my 528i, 3 year old car 5 series cars were priced very similar to 3 series cars of the same age and were better equipped in general. So for me, a used 5 series offered better value. And as I keep my cars almost forever the final residual value doesn't matter very much.


I love my M235i; it's my first BMW daily driver(going back to 1983) with an automatic, and I love it- on the track the 8HP45 does exactly what I would do 99.9% of the time. The only non-SUV AWD BMW I covet is the M5 Competition, so I was happy to find a CPO RWD 2er, as most of today's vehicle operators("drivers" is far too generous a term) think driving a RWD cars on wet pavement is cheating death. The only issue I've had was a dead auxiliary fan, which was replaced under warranty.

In short, I wanted an engaging daily driver, a competent HPDE instructor car, and something that could shut down most of the usual suspects at the Stoplight Grand Prix. After three years of ownership I'm still very happy with it; The only car I'd consider replacing it with is an M2C with three pedals; I don't like the DSC nearly as well as the 8HP...

 

[maverickfhs]

Do you guys recommend any BMW forum? Similar to BITOG

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Do you guys recommend any BMW forum? Similar to BITOG

I used to frequent bimmerforums in the past and liked the support provided there.

Not sure there is anything similar to BITOG out there though.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Do you guys recommend any BMW forum? Similar to BITOG

I used to frequent bimmerforums in the past and liked the support provided there.

Not sure there is anything similar to BITOG out there though.

Yes, Bimmerforums is good. That said, the best ones tend to deal with older models, such as 318ti.org and the 2002 FAQ.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Do you guys recommend any BMW forum? Similar to BITOG

Bimmerfest and bimmerpost and bmwtechnician.net

 

[ecotourist]

Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Do you guys recommend any BMW forum? Similar to BITOG

I used to frequent bimmerforums in the past and liked the support provided there.

Not sure there is anything similar to BITOG out there though.

Yes, Bimmerforums is good. That said, the best ones tend to deal with older models, such as 318ti.org and the 2002 FAQ.

I used to frequent bimmerforums for a few years. After a while you learn what the problem spots are for your car. I still go back to do a search for specific problems.

 

[maverickfhs]

Thanks guys, appreciate all the help and advise

525i is the way to go, at least in terms of search, for now.

 

[RooflessVW]

If it were me I'd be after a 535i with a good maintenance history.

At the very least I'd be after a 530i - the M54B25 is an absolute dog.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
If it were me I'd be after a 535i with a good maintenance history.

At the very least I'd be after a 530i - the M54B25 is an absolute dog.


M54B25 is dog, because of being low on power or just a problematic one?

535i and 530i, any idea if they have similar quirks as 525i(been reading about it)?

 

[RooflessVW]

The M54B25 is very low on power. The M54B30 makes just enough and the N52 in the 530i makes 255hp.

The 535i can have a ton of problems - injectors, turbos, water pump, HPFP - but when well looked after you can make 500hp with bolt-ons and a tune.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted by rooflessVW
The M54B25 is very low on power. The M54B30 makes just enough and the N52 in the 530i makes 255hp.

The 535i can have a ton of problems - injectors, turbos, water pump, HPFP - but when well looked after you can make 500hp with bolt-ons and a tune.


Thanks, yeah I did read about 535xi(ran away), because of issues with turbos, engine and water pump - all costly repairs.

I'll do some reading on 530i, for now I was feeling fairly happy and excited about 525i search/research though, but now I have more homework to do

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Originally Posted by rooflessVW
The M54B25 is very low on power. The M54B30 makes just enough and the N52 in the 530i makes 255hp.

The 535i can have a ton of problems - injectors, turbos, water pump, HPFP - but when well looked after you can make 500hp with bolt-ons and a tune.


Thanks, yeah I did read about 535xi(ran away), because of issues with turbos, engine and water pump - all costly repairs.

I'll do some reading on 530i, for now I was feeling fairly happy and excited about 525i search/research though, but now I have more homework to do

Under no circumstances go with E60 535i. It has N54 engine which can be problematic. It is beloved among tuners due to two actual turbos, but HPFP, turbo assembly and water pump are big issues, as well as CBU.