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Sedans BMW 5-Series BMW 5-Series Sedans
12571 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2008 at 6:17 AM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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The only differences that I am aware of are as follows: 1) I do not believe that the 1997 was available with the Sport Package. 2) Starting in 1999, the 2.8 liter engine was upgraded with "Double VANOS" (dynamic valve timing), which bumped the power a little and offered better gas mileage. Synthetic oil: I know that from (at least) 1999, BMW requires the use of a full synthetic oil. I am unsure what the requirements were prior to then. Problem areas: The 1997 (released in early 1996) was known to have a number of problem areas. In 1998, most (if not all) of the problems had been sorted out, and by 1999, the car became a model of reliability. The 5-Speed transmission (same as I had in my 328i and have in my 530i) is a wonderful unit, however, never compare it to the Mazda gearbox from an old RX-7.  High maintenance: Hmmm, if you have the Sport Package, the tires. Leather: When I turned in my 1999 328i (similar leather), it looked almost as good as new, without ever being maintained. One year over the next: If for no other reason, I would get the 1999 for the engine. Best Regards, Shipo |
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It is mostly the little things: 1. Rubber Door seals need to be lubricated time to time to keep from drying out and squeaking. Use Gummi-Pflege from the dealer or Vaseline. 2. Front end shimmy - BMWs are well known for fine handling and balance, and also have low tolerance for variations on suspension components set up, including wheels/tires. Most seem to be caused by balance, and lower arm bushing wear. My 3 months old have vibration with a new set of winter tires, but it is glass-smooth with the sport tires. There are more, but I would not say it is any more than any other car on the market now. Just make sure the car has a good maintenance record. |
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| Sorry, but I too have no clue about any current finance deals. Typically, only people "in the market" ever hear about these, but even then you rarely hear about them since BMW's sell so well without any finance specials. I second Shipo's advice, and would only add the vague suggestion to look for a deal towards the end of any given month (since dealers often are eager to boost their personal or dealerships' sales numbers). | |
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As I mentioned in an earlier post, I approached my car in the parking lot a couple days ago and was horrified to see a small ding in the driver's door. It was minor, yes, but on a clean 530i with less than 6k miles on the odometer, it was a most hideous blemish. (I'll save you all the embarrassing story of how I confronted the owner of the car parked next to mine, my anger at the time overwhelming my logic, only to see it couldn't have been their fault). At any rate, I paid a visit to one of the Dent Wizard locations nearby, and discovered that their name is not all marketing gimmickry. In all of 12 minutes, they removed not only the ding itself but virtually all of the scratch at its epicenter. Their waiting room was like a Ritz Carlton compared to most auto service joints, replete with carpeting, nice leather chairs, super clean rest rooms, a big tv, phone/fax, etc. Oh, yeah, they charged Ritz prices, too: $99 for those precious 12 minutes of labor. Then again, they also politely gave me a bottled water, so that brings the service cost down to $97.50. To be fair, though, they were upfront about the costs and that price covers up to 3 moderate dings per panel (whatever punk swatted my door could have done so another couple of times and not cost me more). |
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The PDR place I visited here in the NYC area for my former 328i cost $125 per panel, plus an extra $25 for "Hard to access" dings. Given how nasty my ding was, I would have gladly have paid twice the price and still felt like I got a great deal. "Seeing a straight body panel... Priceless" Best Regards, Shipo |
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| metmdx... The local BMW dealers nearest me are NOT advertising any discounted financing, on either new cars or CPO cars. Have you checked out BMW FS web site? Guessing there are no such deals, at least not in my area of the midwest, right now. When they run bigger promotions the dealers are sure to put in their ads. Many of the really discounted financing deals from last year are over. Glad I locked mine in 11/30/01. | |
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Karro - Be sure you get all your manuals in the leather zippered case. We discovered we were missing the "Onboard Computer" manual and are still trying to get it from the dealer. Shipo, Snagiel, etc. - Is there supposed to be a written warranty booklet from Michelin/Continental included in that case? Can you list the manuals you got so we know we're not missing anything else? Thanks. |
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Does anyone have any more reliable information about the US debut of the new 5-series? I was looking into buying a 530i, but considering that a new model comes out not too distant, I might rather wait for it. So far, I have read confusing information. Some sites say it will debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in fall of 2003 (meaning it wouldn't be available before mid-2004 in the US), other sides say it will debut as a 2004 model in late 2003, then again some say it will debut in fall of 2002! Then numerous other sides mentioned that it will come out 6 months after the new E-class is released. Well, the new E-class was released in May, so that would make fall 2002 the actual date. But perhaps they are talking about the European availability, and not the US. In some cases, the US debut is a little later, in some not, but one whole year later, or even more, that sounds a little unreasonable to me. Anyone has any information? Another thing, do you know if, in general, BMW offers special pricing on just released models through its European Delivery Program? I've seen on their website, that they don't offer it for the new 7-series. Is that just in this particular case or is it normal for every new model that comes out, considering the strong demand, they might not want to give the usual discount. Otherwise, I would strongly consider the European delivery program as I am often in Germany anyway. Any information from your side would be greatly appreciated! |
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Here's what I got: - Owner's manual (US 5-series) (worth reading, by the way) - Service and warranty information (Z3 2.5/3.0, M roadster, M coupe and 5 series) - Caring for your vehicle (short pamphlet) - BMW Center Directory (US/Canada) - Owner's Manual for Radio - Roadside assistance card I also got the DSP sampler CD, as well as a VHS videotape about all the features of the car (worth watching if your dealer gives you a really quick introduction). Good question about the tire warranty; I didn't get one, so I'm not sure if one belongs there or not. |
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Wie_Gehts, Based upon what I have read, I would not bet on seeing the new E60 before late 2003, at the earliest. That said, I am just like virtually every other non-insider in that I have no concrete data. ek5, I will check the list of goodies in my manual cases when I get home today. Stay tuned. Best Regards, Shipo |
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