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BMW 5-Series Sedans
12737 messages, Last post on Feb 16, 2013 at 11:05 PM
You are in the BMW 5-Series Forum.What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Sedan
#7620 of 12737 1998 528i sedan 5sp, Premium by casey103
Oct 20, 2003 (7:37 pm)
I haven't owned a BMW since 1985 (320i). Yesterday I test drove a 98 528i sedan w/ 5sp. It drives really nice..80k miles. Two owners.17 inch wheels. He wants $14,100. This seems to be reasonable based on Edmunds or KBB. It seems that other comments indicate that I need to be able to verify service records to be comfortable. Any other feedabck would be greatly appreciated. I am anxious to get back into a BMW. 14k seems pretty reasonable...but I guess it won't seem cheap if I had a major engine problem. Any suggestions??
#7621 of 12737 mbukukanyau by div2
Oct 20, 2003 (9:50 pm)
Yeah, I'll bet you'll see a bunch of CTS-Vs at the track... Grandpa would be scared that driving over 60 MPH might blow the cabriolet roof clean off.<Did you know that BMW’s 5-speeder is GM-sourced?>
Yes, and note that the transmissions are designed/built in Europe. Anyway, GM slushboxes aren't the problem; it's the rest of the car.
<GM has changed much. Especially Cadillac and soon Buick>
Let's see... the Allante was supposed to beat the SL 500 at it's own game. Then the Catera was going to put the A4, C Class, and 3er on the trailer. Oh yeah, and Cadillac was going to dominate LeMans-just like Audi, BMW, and M-B. Refresh my memory; just how many podium finishes did Cadillac score??? Now the CTS-V is going to put the S, M, and AMG cars in the shade? I'll bet there will be darn few CTS-V drivers willing to race an E39 M5 for pinks. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if a chipped E28 or E35 M5 ran and hid from the CTS-V either. As habitat said, come back here when Cadillac has had three decades of experience building real sports sedans.
#7622 of 12737 casey103 by div2
Oct 20, 2003 (10:05 pm)
The six cylinder E39s are just about bulletproof. The '97s(like mine) had a few teething problems, but they were pretty much resolved by the time the '98s came out. I bought my 528iA in early 2001 and I now have 95000 miles on it. Mileage has averaged
22 mpg. Service/repair costs have averaged $56/month-$77 if you include the cost of four Artic Alpins, steel wheels, and OEM BMW wheel covers. Get the service history and have a BMW tech inspect it. At 80K it should have had a water pump fitted not to long ago. It sounds like a good price, but don't get too attached; there are a ton of used 5ers out there and it's worth waiting for a good one. See bmwtips.com for good E39 info as well-and you can also contact me via the web page listed in my profile.
#7623 of 12737 mbukukanyau by div2 by joatmon
Oct 21, 2003 (5:23 am)
Div2 meant to say E28 or E34 M5s. Just to keep the record straight. BTW, an old E28 M5 still rides, handles, and moves like few cars produced today.Happy BMW Motoring,
Jack
#7624 of 12737 Best time to buy a 5-series by lazura
Oct 21, 2003 (9:52 am)
It's a fact that most BMW's and Mercedes depreciate 50% in 3 years (the exception being limited editions like the M5). Therefore, the 'sweet spot' for these cars (like the 5-series) is years 4-6. The benefits are huge: a) 50% cheaper price, b) still under full warranty (1 year original, 2 years CPO), c) lower insurance costs and d) first owner has beared the burden of service delays with all the recalls. That's how I purchased my BMW E39 and MB C43 AMG; the same great vehicles at 1/2 the cost. The fact is the new 5-series is WAY over-priced compared to the previous E39. The earliest I will even consider the E60 is 2007.P.S. - My biggest gripe with the E60 is not the styling (which is after all subjective) but the sub-standard quality of the exterior and interior materials. The entire lower 1/3 of the exterior is PLASTIC! Almost the entire back-end is also plastic. The interior contains very cheap plastic (especially in the door inserts and center console) compared to my E39. Also, the leather seat coverings (that's right, coverings, not full leather) is very thin and not very comfortable. I'm sure the driving experience is better than my E39, but for over $50,000 I expect some level of quality materials.
#7625 of 12737 LAZURA........ by bmwseller
Oct 21, 2003 (10:05 am)
wrong...........5 doesn't deprieciate 50% in three years. Try to find a 2001 525 for 21 grand. MSRP on a typically equipped model would have been about 41-42 grand. Average wholesale black book on the car is over 26 grand. So, that blows your theory.Furthermore, it seems that all this chat with people that have E39's is directed at bashing the new five. I have heard the 'cheap' references before. Your car (E39) is fabulous, that goes without saying, but there is nothing cheap about the E60. It's just a totally different presentation. I hope that you can begin to appreciate the differences because it is greatly improved in all areas.
#7626 of 12737 bmwseller by div2
Oct 21, 2003 (11:00 am)
I know you have to toe the corporate line on the E60, but I have yet to find anyone NOT employed by BMW say that they prefer the E60 interior or exterior to that of the E39. It seems like Bangle and his cadre of minions are changing things simply to be different.Example 1. The E65 shift lever. It's obvious that BMW wnted to admit to building a car with a column shift, so they adopted a non-intuitive procedure that requires you to give a info card to the valet so the poor schmuck can get the thing out of park.
Example 2. Using the turn signal wand on the E60 now requires a moderate learning curve. Now, just exactly what was wrong with the setup BMW used for the past four decades? I sure don't remember hearing anyone complain about turn signal switches in the past.
Yes, BMWs are still excellent driving machines, but now you have to get past the gawky styling and infuriating stechnology to appreciate them.
#7627 of 12737 Depreciation and Resale by riez
Oct 21, 2003 (11:02 am)
Final (overall) depreciation calculation is simply the difference between what the original buyer actually paid less what the original buyer gets when s/he finally sells the car.Depreciation is NOT based on MSRP (unless that reflects the actual cost of the car) or what another dealer later sells the car for after they take it in trade or buy it in auction.
Keep in mind that dealers ordinarily acquire their used cars at wholesale and sell at retail. The markup is their profit. They rarely buy or sell cars at a loss. An original owner who sells car by him/herself, likely gets more than wholesale but less than car dealer retail.
Future value of a car is what it actually sells to a paying buyer for years later.
Future value depends upon time, mileage, condition of the car, and condition of the market vis-a-vis the particular car. [See what happens to resale if you buy an "odd" car that no one wants (e.g., a stripper non-metallic white 525i 5-speed manual with no options). Or try to sell a RWD convertible in winter in Minnesota.]
#7629 of 12737 E60: hit or flop? by timtran
Oct 21, 2003 (11:40 am)
Time will tell whether the E60 is a hit or a flop. BMW cars used to be considered cheaper cars than, let's say, Mercedes (the 1st BMW car had a motorcycle engine, believe it or not.) Let us not let ourselves divided by different opinions. A car is just a car, not worth losing temper over. We can curse Bangle but it does not change anything about the E60. People will buy it nonetheless. C'est temps de laisser ca aller.To POST a message, please
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