topman

Hi, i'm actually looking at a 04 530i with 73k mile, well maintained, clean record. This car is selling by the owner, not the dealer, so its not CPO. So do you guys think the mileage is too high for a used E60? I'll use 6k miles per year, just for taking my 1 yr old to parks or shopping. Or should i buy one with less than 50k with some extra money? I really don't want to have nightmare like my Audi gave me before. Any advises are welcome. thanks.

flyingpuck

The mileage does seem a bit on the high side for a car with NO warranty. Unless the price is an absolute STEAL, I wouldn't do it and perhaps even if the price were a steal! There are many CPO cars available and at some fairly reasonable prices too, I would compare before I bought! IMHO of course. Good luck with your decision!

elyk

+1

73k miles kind high, 04 too.

Try finding a decent mileaged 05+ model

my 2 cents

elk42

i looked for a long while and went with a CPO 05 525i. i was able to finance it at 2.9% over four years. its covered til jan 09 maintennace-wise BUT big stuff is covered until 2011. good luck.

topman

Thanks for the replies, i'm really appreciated. And before i head to the CPO, theres another 04 with 40k miles still in factory warranty. Overall condition is good, clean. What do you think? And is sport package makes big difference? thanks again

bauska

I have a CPO 04 530i and I am very satisfied. My original maintenance is over, but I got a free engine & brake oil done, new wiper blades & new cup holder. I have not had any problems so far. I got mine with 30K miles. I have not driven a non-sports package car, but I like mine. The car is a little bit lower, shadow-line and different wheels. Good luck on your research & purchase!

UK 5 Series

It's impossible to answer your questions without knowing the prices!

Of course a lower mileage vehicle will be better, but a higher mileage one can be better value.

73k for an 04 vehicle is a little high, but as you do very low mileage, within 2 years it will be avergae mileage, so you may be better off going for this one if the saving is good enough. You get the 'bargain' now as the miles are a little high, but at resale it's average miles (or even lower) so you will get a smaller depreciation hit.

snkpkp

get the one with the sport package, I regret not having sport package. its fantastic ....

DrLev99

You can take over the lease on my '07 530xi, till November of '09. How does $573/mo sound, 12K mi/mo.? It has just over 10K miles. See my signature for details. I might even consider throwing in my 19" tires/wheels for free as further incentive ($2200 new, only 3000 miles on them).

luigi524td

Topman,

Every preowned car is unique.

Mileage aside, first thing you should do is have a local BMW service center run the VIN to determine what work a BMW shop has done. Also ask them to run the accessory and option list. You may find, for example, that the car had been CPO'ed by a previous owner or had purchased the BMW Extended Maintenance Plan ... both of which follow the car.

The overall general condition is a better determinant of value. I've seen some preowned cars driven less than 5K miles a year and they were junk. Others received care and attention and driven more miles. Were they highway miles or pounding the streets of Brooklyn. Check for not-obvious damage - under body and suspension, that all accessories function as they should, doors, windows (all of them), moonroof, etc.

A CARFAX is a MUST! And if you are not mechanically astute you should have a reliable and reputable BMW shop do an inspection. If you're thinking about spending $XX,XXX.YY dollars for a car, spending $100 up front might save you big bucks and headaches later. A good question to ask the tech (NOT THE SA) who examines the car would be, "If YOU were buying this car, what work would you have done to make it 'right'? "