Looking at a 2003 BMW 525iT Sport Wagon 5sp with M Package. Very clean, only 107k miles. What issues are typical with this model year? Any particulars to look for when inspecting?
Problems/Issues to expect with 2003 BMW 525 Wagon?
- Thread starter Brandon Gatz
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What sort of service history does it have? The first 50k worth of maintenance should've been free and of course well-documented.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
-Subframe bushing potentially in the rear (though mine have been fine - touch wood)
-Valve cover gasket leak
-Oil filter housing gasket leak
-The Guibo may be weather cracked (easy to check with a hoist)
-The cup holders are awful in an otherwise wonderful interior and may be broken
-Dead pixels in the cluster
All I can think of at the moment. They are very nice cars.
-Valve cover gasket leak
-Oil filter housing gasket leak
-The Guibo may be weather cracked (easy to check with a hoist)
-The cup holders are awful in an otherwise wonderful interior and may be broken
-Dead pixels in the cluster
All I can think of at the moment. They are very nice cars.
This car has been very well maintained and serviced by the previous owners religiously and this car feels new!!
Very low 107k Original, true highway miles (less than 10k miles per year avg.) Less than National Average travel by all standards.
2 Owners No accidents----- SEE CarFax Report below in pictures
This is a great find: 5- series SPORT Wagon which are very hard to find in any package or options.
This is a perfect Ultimate Driving machine which is great for cargo space and camping commutes while still delivering the sports feel and BMW drive.
Extremely rare find ---- 5-Speed Manual Transmission!!!
*******A very rare SPORT PACKAGE equipped model that comes with Sport Alloy 18' Wheels, Sport Steering "M" Wheel, "M" Shifter Knob and Sport Suspension, also Xenon HeadLights, 12 way Power adjustable seats *****
Engine sounds great, it is quiet and pulls strong. It yields very good MPG on the highway and delivers good power!
Clutch is tight and grips extremely well you can change gears with minimum effort, GearBox is smooth and very responsive.
The car drives and handles like a BMW Ultimate Machine should(no squeaks, no pull)
Nice color combination Gray Exterior, Gray Interior, Xenon HID HeadLights
Exterior is beautiful, the car shines like new, it looks very clean and well kept. A few door minor dings and a light scratch on right fender barely noticeable to the naked eye., also the front bumper underskirt shows some curb rash....SEE PICS!!!!
Overall the exterior is in very good condition considering the year and mileage of the car.
Interior is clean and has been well maintained. There appears very minimal wear on the seating upholstery. Absolitely no foul odors and no visible stains on the carpet or upholstery, cupholders are chipped (common issue) ...SEE PICS...
Overall the interior is in very good condition considering the year and mileage.
Tires seem to have plenty of tread remaining and are a Matching MICHELINE Sport set!.....SEE PICS!
Don't miss out on this gr8 buy. The next owner will surely enjoy this one for many years to come.
These wagons are hard to find and are very sought after
There is no damage evident on this vehicle.This is a garage kept vehicle.The engine on this vehicle is running properly.This vehicle has no known defects.The mileage represented on this vehicle is accurate.There are no signs of prior damage on this vehicle.This vehicle has a smooth shifting transmission.All power equipment is functioning properly.The exterior of this vehicle is extra clean.Extra clean interior. Absolutely no rips, odors or abuse.There is plenty of the tire tread remaining.
Very low 107k Original, true highway miles (less than 10k miles per year avg.) Less than National Average travel by all standards.
2 Owners No accidents----- SEE CarFax Report below in pictures
This is a great find: 5- series SPORT Wagon which are very hard to find in any package or options.
This is a perfect Ultimate Driving machine which is great for cargo space and camping commutes while still delivering the sports feel and BMW drive.
Extremely rare find ---- 5-Speed Manual Transmission!!!
*******A very rare SPORT PACKAGE equipped model that comes with Sport Alloy 18' Wheels, Sport Steering "M" Wheel, "M" Shifter Knob and Sport Suspension, also Xenon HeadLights, 12 way Power adjustable seats *****
Engine sounds great, it is quiet and pulls strong. It yields very good MPG on the highway and delivers good power!
Clutch is tight and grips extremely well you can change gears with minimum effort, GearBox is smooth and very responsive.
The car drives and handles like a BMW Ultimate Machine should(no squeaks, no pull)
Nice color combination Gray Exterior, Gray Interior, Xenon HID HeadLights
Exterior is beautiful, the car shines like new, it looks very clean and well kept. A few door minor dings and a light scratch on right fender barely noticeable to the naked eye., also the front bumper underskirt shows some curb rash....SEE PICS!!!!
Overall the exterior is in very good condition considering the year and mileage of the car.
Interior is clean and has been well maintained. There appears very minimal wear on the seating upholstery. Absolitely no foul odors and no visible stains on the carpet or upholstery, cupholders are chipped (common issue) ...SEE PICS...
Overall the interior is in very good condition considering the year and mileage.
Tires seem to have plenty of tread remaining and are a Matching MICHELINE Sport set!.....SEE PICS!
Don't miss out on this gr8 buy. The next owner will surely enjoy this one for many years to come.
These wagons are hard to find and are very sought after
There is no damage evident on this vehicle.This is a garage kept vehicle.The engine on this vehicle is running properly.This vehicle has no known defects.The mileage represented on this vehicle is accurate.There are no signs of prior damage on this vehicle.This vehicle has a smooth shifting transmission.All power equipment is functioning properly.The exterior of this vehicle is extra clean.Extra clean interior. Absolutely no rips, odors or abuse.There is plenty of the tire tread remaining.
I would add, the door regulators, and the VANOS unit if your car has VANOS. It's been a while since I checked BMW engines etc. so don't know if your car has VANOS. It is rebuildable in your garage, my 2002 had it and I did it. Also, the air pump needed new mountings and the plastic parts of the underhood piping tend to get hard and brittle so be very careful if you have to manipulate them. I had to replace the power steering reservoir, the hoses, and the valve cover gasket.
BMW's Are nice cars when under warranty after that they are very very expensive to repair... i would stay clear
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
BMW's Are nice cars when under warranty after that they are very very expensive to repair... i would stay clear
Not if you can DIY the small issues that come up (or have a good, affordably independent). The parts are inexpensive, it is paying the dealer to do it that makes it costly.
They are also pretty bloody easy to work on with the "layered" approach and if you find a copy of TIS online, you are set.
BMW's Are nice cars when under warranty after that they are very very expensive to repair... i would stay clear
Not if you can DIY the small issues that come up (or have a good, affordably independent). The parts are inexpensive, it is paying the dealer to do it that makes it costly.
They are also pretty bloody easy to work on with the "layered" approach and if you find a copy of TIS online, you are set.
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
They are also pretty bloody easy to work on with the "layered" approach...
Anything's easy to work on if you consider that thing that's blocking access to what you need to get to a "layer"!
Just funnin' with ya.
They are also pretty bloody easy to work on with the "layered" approach...
Anything's easy to work on if you consider that thing that's blocking access to what you need to get to a "layer"!
Just funnin' with ya.
is it RWD or FWD?
Originally Posted By: gr8gatzby
is it RWD or FWD?
Does BMW sell FWD vehicles?
is it RWD or FWD?
Does BMW sell FWD vehicles?
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Not if you can DIY the small issues that come up (or have a good, affordably independent). The parts are inexpensive, it is paying the dealer to do it that makes it costly.
They are also pretty bloody easy to work on with the "layered" approach and if you find a copy of TIS online, you are set.
Exactly. That said, I really do love it when non-owners exclaim "Oh my paws and whiskers! BMWs are so expensive to fix- an oil change costs $1000.00!!!"
It depresses the used values and and that is very good news for me!!!
Not if you can DIY the small issues that come up (or have a good, affordably independent). The parts are inexpensive, it is paying the dealer to do it that makes it costly.
They are also pretty bloody easy to work on with the "layered" approach and if you find a copy of TIS online, you are set.
Exactly. That said, I really do love it when non-owners exclaim "Oh my paws and whiskers! BMWs are so expensive to fix- an oil change costs $1000.00!!!"
It depresses the used values and and that is very good news for me!!!
I don't find them difficult to work on and far from expensive to repair...Pelican and Autowarehouse have reasonable parts prices.
Take the advice in here and look the cooling system over very carefully. Replacing the radiator and expansion tank is a very good idea and you might as well replace a few of the hoses/couplers while you're at it along with the aforementioned thermostat....some of the plastic pieces are going to break when you try to remove them....no different than many other cars.
Take the advice in here and look the cooling system over very carefully. Replacing the radiator and expansion tank is a very good idea and you might as well replace a few of the hoses/couplers while you're at it along with the aforementioned thermostat....some of the plastic pieces are going to break when you try to remove them....no different than many other cars.
Originally Posted By: Vikas
what kind of price will you be paying for this car?
KBB is $5600
what kind of price will you be paying for this car?
KBB is $5600
we rebuild those engines and believe me the parts are not cheap.
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
we rebuild those engines and believe me the parts are not cheap.
You do realize that many of us are willing to pay a "premium" to maintain a car that we actually enjoy driving, right?
Judging from the number of posts that you have on here where you get super concerned over a few bucks, maybe you need to find some new customers who understand quality, value and are willing to pay you appropriately for your expertise.
we rebuild those engines and believe me the parts are not cheap.
You do realize that many of us are willing to pay a "premium" to maintain a car that we actually enjoy driving, right?
Judging from the number of posts that you have on here where you get super concerned over a few bucks, maybe you need to find some new customers who understand quality, value and are willing to pay you appropriately for your expertise.
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
we rebuild those engines and believe me the parts are not cheap.
Are we talking internal parts being expensive? Yes that is probably so since I wouldn't think you would rebuild as many of those as say a SBC or SBF or LSx engine. I have found that if you shop correctly, BMW factory parts can be had for very reasonable prices.
we rebuild those engines and believe me the parts are not cheap.
Are we talking internal parts being expensive? Yes that is probably so since I wouldn't think you would rebuild as many of those as say a SBC or SBF or LSx engine. I have found that if you shop correctly, BMW factory parts can be had for very reasonable prices.
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