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Sedans BMW 5-Series BMW 5-Series Sedans
12657 messages, Last post on Nov 05, 2009 at 6:14 PM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Well, it's been just over a month since I purchased my '97 540. Would have filed this earlier, but I've spent too much time behind the wheel! As if there is such a thing as too much time behind a BMW wheel. Have finally managed to wipe the last vestiges of the seemingly permanent insane leer off of my ugly mug. Thought about new 528's, about the same money +/- a bit, but saw a black/black 540 on the pre-owned lot at Advantage in Houston. Yes, I got screwed on the price, but it was the ONLY 540 new or used that I'd seen after checking three BMW (2 in Houston and one in Pensacola) dealers. Highs: Previous owner left K40 in the bumpers. FAST! Comfy as it can get. FAST! Neat right-side mirror reverse thing. FAST! Beautiful. FAST! Handles like it's glued to the pavement. Pretty darn quick. Safest luxury sedan (Source: Boca Raton magazine, Sep/Oct 00). Did I mention it's FAST? Lows: $52,000 (new MSRP, b4 lux) car without a CD player???? Will be clicking that Pacific BMW parts shop link real soon. No automatic door locks. $149 for a spare key??? Cruise on/off button on dash. 131 MPH speed governor (yes, I've bounced off of it). Questions: Anyone know if the Nakamichi glovebox changer can be run in parallel with a trunk unit? Is the Naka unit install a D-I-Y job like the trunk, or will a dealer have to futz with it? What are the major service intervals? 30K/60K/90K? It came with Yokahamas that have about 20K left, given my driving habits. Any advice from long-term owners on replacement performance rubber? Gentlemen, I have never been able to keep a car longer than 18 months or so. The only reason I'd ever get rid of Darth Vader (hehe) is for a newer one with a stick. From me, that's stratospheric praise. Enjoy yours, all. If you are still thinking about one, STOP. Go out and get your 5 series NOW. |
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tedt1, I believe it is me you are referring to regarding the $3,600 discount. jccssc is correct above. The ONLY reason I received such a good discount is because the dealer screwed up my original 528 order and was making up for it. You certainly WILL NOT find another dealer who will do the same under normal circumstances. I have heard of some folks on the www.bimmer.org (E39) site claim they received discounts from dealers on the East & West coasts. I don't believe there have been any better discounts than what you have already found. Some areas will not discount at all based on location. Keep in mind when you are negotiating the 528, that the 530 is actually $500 cheaper than the 528 opt for opt since BMW include their $1,000 moon roof into the premium packages with no price increase. The base price increased $500 so it is about $500 cheaper overall for what I THINK is a better vehicle. (design, engine, etc..) I just added the rear sun screen (Opt 416) to my order since I can't add meaningful tint to the car. Any comments from anyone who has or seen it? |
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Just musing. I ran BMWs for many years and recently, a little reluctantly, swapped my last for a new Saab 9-5. Reason - more space and power, less money, that's all. Am I happy? No. Too many problems with car and dealer. It's interesting to note the complete difference in tone between the postings on the BMW discussion sites, as here, compared with those on the Saab sites. The latter are contantly inundated with problems, calls for help and complaints, often not at all trivial. I guess that speaks for itself, but I just wondered whether there were any BMW owners out there who are actually regretting buying theirs... |
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| All of a sudden the other day while I was admiring my ultimate driving machine it dawned on me that I do not know what the letters BMW stand for. Does anyone here have infinite knowledge as to what those 3 beautiful letters mean??? | |
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Bayerische (sp?) Moteren Werke. The hood ornament is an interpretation of an airplane propeller in motion. Enjoy yours. Jonah, you speak heresy! Trading your Ultimate Driving Machine for one of those front-wheel Swede-mobiles??? ::writhing in pain:: And how did it rate more power? If power was the issue, go up to a 540, believe me it's worth it. |
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| Stands for Bavarian Motor Works | |
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Yeah, I know. I should be grateful they even let me in here! But I need to put right my sins and this seems like a good place to start. Out of curiosity, how much is a 540 from where you speak? In the UK one of these will cost me the sterling equivalent of US 64,314 dollars at today's exchange rate... |
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hoehnjc, I have the power sun shade on my 528. It's worth it and really cool (double meaning) too. It's neat watching them go up when you push the power button. I bought it mainly for my kids, to allow them to sleep comfortably without the sun getting to them (even better when used in conjunction with the manual side shades). Re: BMW initials -- they do stand for Bayerische Motoren Werke. The English translation is Bavarian Motor Works. |
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hccal, Thanks for the sun shade info. I am looking forward to it. I thought I recongized the German definition. I figured I supply the english version for the request. |
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My son, say 5 Hail Bimmers and a couple Our 540s and you shall be forgiven. Go forth and sin no more.  Well, here in the States you can get a 540-6speed (which includes the Sport package) for about 57K USD, inclusive of luxury and gas-guzzler taxes, but not local sales tax. When you start adding on Nav, PDC, DSP, phone, etc. it can get into the low/mid-sixties very quickly. The above assumes that the dealer is not gouging above MSRP due to scarcity of six speed cars. Those numbers being out of my league, I went with a 3 year old 540 with an automatic. Could not find a manual. From dealer, it ran 37K, which was 3-4K higher than a private party sale, but try to find a private party with a 540 to sell. Regards, MGD |
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