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#11852 of 12657 Re: 2002 530i Maintenance Costs [shipo] by andys120 Jun 06, 2007 (6:19 am)
Replying to: shipo (Jun 06, 2007 4:36 am) Having owned two Audis and a Bimmer well after the expiry of the factory warranty I can tell you that I think he's all wet about these "breathtaking expenses".   German cars are never going to be as cheap to keep up as a Toyota or a Nissan but they aren't ridiculously expensive unless you're foolish enough to go to an authorized dealer for maintainence. Replies to this message: bdkinnh (Jun 06, 2007 9:08 am)
#11853 of 12657 Re: 2002 530i Maintenance Costs [shipo] by roadburner Jun 06, 2007 (7:06 am)
Replying to: shipo (Jun 06, 2007 4:36 am) That'd be pretty cool. I'm thinking that BMWs aren't as "breathtakingly expensive" to own and operate as some would have us believe.   I don't know about that; my 3er needed a brake light switch and it cost almost $20!!! On top of that, I just changed the final drive oil and the seal washers for the drain and fill plugs cost 49 cents for the pair. And then the X3 needed new tires; $346.72 for four Pirelli PZero Nero M+S. Plus $48 to mount and balance. My bimmers are bleeding me dry. I knew I should have bought a Kia...
#11854 of 12657 Re: 2002 530i Maintenance Costs [jimbres] by bdkinnh Jun 06, 2007 (9:02 am)
I was thinking about his comments recently. I think that he's right on the money (no pun intended) with Audi, but not BMW. For some reason, Audi maintenance is, as he says, "breathtakingly expensive".
#11855 of 12657 Re: 2002 530i Maintenance Costs [andys120] by bdkinnh Jun 06, 2007 (9:08 am)
Replying to: andys120 (Jun 06, 2007 6:19 am) >"German cars are never going to be as cheap to keep up as a Toyota or a Nissan"   A friend and I happened to be car shopping at the same time a couple of years ago. I decided to get the Lexus GS300, and he chose the 530xi. Within a week, his iDrive display died, and his car was down for a week. I was feeling pretty smug.   Since then, my car has been in the shop a total of nine times for "unscheduled" service. I've done all the math - I've had to bring it in, on average, every 70 days. It has spent 7% of its entire life in service. I'm about to start the Lemon Law process.   My friend's 530xi has been humming along quite nicely, thank you very much. He's nice about it - even offered to give me a ride when my GS was down for three weeks with busted power steering for the third time.   Even if I wasn't planning on trading my GS in for a 335i, there's no way I'd keep it past the warranty.
#11857 of 12657 My Test Drive of the 535Xi by topspin628 Jun 08, 2007 (5:56 pm)
So I took one out of for a spin yesterday and it was a very impressive machine. It drove sportier than I had anticipated with very quick acceleration and fantastic brakes. The interior has been upgraded for 08 and I particularly liked the bamboo wood trim which looked grey to my eye. The car handled very well and felt very solid. The I drive can be a bit frustrating (it took me a few minutes to turn on the radio) but I think after a short while it would be easy to master. It will be on my short list. Afterward, I jumped into the E Class to compare. The 550E was a bit more on the lux side of ride and didn't handle as well but offered a very plush ride with lots of power. The E350 felt underpowered and lacked a bit in the engine for my tastes of a 50K car. I think the 535 and the E550 are direct competitors and in that case the BMW seems like a better deal providing you want a sporty ride. As an aside, I checked the Edmunds review of the 2000 M5 and compared it to the 08 535. Back in 2000 they called the M5 the best car in the world and said you could spend 100-300K and not get as good a car. I think it listed for around 75K at the time. The 0-60 time was 5.3 vs 5.5 for the 535. The brake distance was 116 ft compared to the 535 at 113 ft. It pulled .90 g vs the 535 at .89 and it's gas mileage was 13/21 vs 17/26 for the 535. The M5 beat it on the slalom by 4 mph. And all for about 15-20 K less. Just shows you how much better cars have gotten in a few years. Replies to this message: roadburner (Jun 08, 2007 7:19 pm) richardga73 (Jun 15, 2007 2:46 am) topspin628 (Jun 15, 2007 4:56 am) richardga73 (Jun 15, 2007 12:49 pm) and 6 more...
#11858 of 12657 Re: My Test Drive of the 535Xi [topspin628] by roadburner Jun 08, 2007 (7:19 pm)
Replying to: topspin628 (Jun 08, 2007 5:56 pm) Just shows you how much better cars have gotten in a few years.   I'd still take the E39 M5 over an E60 535i. Now an E60 M5... that's a tougher call to make. I think I'd go for door #3 and take a new M6.
#11859 of 12657 Re: 2002 530i Maintenance Costs [shipo] by 530ir1150r Jun 10, 2007 (1:03 pm)
Replying to: shipo (Jun 06, 2007 4:36 am) I added columns to my spreadsheet. The costs are:   Scheduled; $2139.42, all fluid changes,filters, tire rotations, etc.   Recurring; $2606.07, mostly tires and alignments   Damage; $621.00, wheel and wheel repair   Unscheduled; 1393.06, everything else.   I'll repost periodically.

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