Hi all, I'm still doing research on my next car. I really like the E60 and my wife took a bit of a shine to it too today.

I've been doing all the research in the competitors and I gotta ask, is there anything to look out for on an E60?

Most cars have some sort of flaw that can drain your wallet. E.g, the Audi has the 7 speed gearbox that is know to have issues (except the quattro) and the Merc... well forget the Merc.

Anything on the E60 that is a know problem? Your feedback would be so helpful.

Forgot to add, 2004-06 model would be most in my budget.

 

Steering clear of turbo 535's and early m5's, remaining models have been fairly resilient, steelar even at this point if you could find a fairly low mileage e60, as depreciation is in full effect with the way the economy is going, along with the arrivals of the newer f10's....

 

The only thing I would say is GAS..

 

Valve cover gasket if your interested in a 545 Inspect for any oil leaks

 

Depends what model you're after - the 6 cyl gas or petrol as you say(non-turbo) are pretty bulletproof, the V-8s have the valve cover gasket leak as the main concern, the diesel's have the swirl flap issue and particulate filter issue (member anzafin is the expert for that). Early M5's had issues with the gearbox apparently. Good luck with your seach

 

all the models we get here in Australia appear to be 6 cyl models. Starting with the 525i. The models in my price range would be 525i or 530i. The diesels are stupid crazy money in Australia. Probably more pre-owned then you guys get brand new overseas.

Also, would it be better to go for newer years and higher KM or older year and lower KM?

 

I've still got over a year left on my current car lease so I got plenty of time. But I like to do my research well beforehand. At the moment its between the Audi A4 B7 quattro & E60.

 

Good question, in 2003 (Europe) - 2005 the cars came with the M54 I6 engine (172hp - 525 and 225hp - 530). In 2006-7 they came with N52 I6 engine (215hp 525 and 255hp 530). The main difference (besides power obviously) is the composition of the engine block. If I recall correctly the M54 was a magnesium block and the N52 is all aluminum - which makes it lighter but not quite as strong (so suprecharging is out)

you can't really go wrong with either one. The BMW I6 design has been around for a long time so they don't have a lot of real mechanical gremlins. That said, finding a car with an extensive maintenance history is the key, more important than mileage in my opinion. I'd rather know the car was well cared for than not really driven.

 

Good points...

The 525i is kind of slower, 0-100 in over 8.6 seconds. Where as the 530i is faster, 7.5 (or so) seconds. My budget will be about $35,000-$40,000AUD. At the moment you can get a 525i with around 70,000km or a 530i with about 90,000km in that price range. In a year or so I'm hoping we will see more models around $35,000.

Do you guys know if there is much difference in fuel economy between the 530i & 525i? On is 3 ltr and other 2.5 ltr.

 

The 04-05 I believe have that passenger restraint problem that BMW has recalled and fixed. Check that out before you buy. The light comes on at times and will not come off until a reader tool or dealer takes it off. My 530i was awesome on gas. I don't think that there is a significant difference at all between the 525 and 530 in gas. A tank of gas would last me around 5 - 6 days depending on how I drove.

In the end it comes down to service. If the previous owner hasn't been taking care of the car then I would steer clear of that.