Hi

The car was built around Oct/Nov 2003 with 35K miles. Seller is asking for 30K. It's CPO'ed so the warrenty goes til Jan 2010. However, I have the following questions.

1. Should I avoid early production?
2. Is it common to have headlight condensation? One headlight and two fog lights has moisture build up inside.
3. Can the CD player play MP3 CD? Knowing that it's the early product, I know it's not bluetooth enabled...
4. What's the black cap in the rear AC unit underneath the vent? I did not see caps in the car. It seems that the caps are missing. I only see metal part exposed (seems like 12 volt outlet.). Presumably, I can purchase these caps from dealer...
5. An area in the panel around shifter which looks like it's worn out. Sort of like the plastic/rubber is worn and you can see the material underneath it. Is this common?

Thanks!
Pat

 

1. You shouldn't avoid it because of the production date but, to be honest, I think it's a bit too much to pay, especially with the dealership offering to pay the first two months of payments and low APR's on '04's. It's out of warranty and the CPO warranty is not like the original warranty. It's more like a powertrain warranty.

2. I don't think it's common to have headlight condensation. Check to see if headlight are covered under the CPO warranty. I don't think they are so you might end up having to get them replaced (worst case scenario).

3. Don't know but I think there is a bulletin out that talks about MP3 retrofitting on NAV equipped cars. Someone with more knowledge will speak on this.

4. Those are caps that cover the cigarette lighter outputs. You can buy them from the dealer.

5. It shouldn't be worn for a car with only 35k miles. I bet those panels are expensive to get at the dealership too.


Check on eBay, KBB.com, edmunds.com, the BMW website, and NADAguides.com so you can get a ballpark figure on how much the car is worth and start negotiating from there.

Henry

 

My dealer replaced mine (and all other scratched up interior pieces) for free at around 47k. Keep in mind, this could be a sign that the previous owner(s) didn't take care of the car like they should've.

 

I have a July '03 build.

The headlight condensation issue was quite common on my E39, doesn't happen on my E60 though.

If the trim looks worn beyond the normal wear & tear you should get the dealer-seller to replace it before parting with your $.

 

I just got mine about 2 weeks ago, 04 530i prem/cold pkg, October 03" production. So far 1200 miles and no issues, it has 50k on it (no warranty)

I can advise you to Run Carfax, and AUTO CHECK (very important) goto BMW and get the BMW service history report as well. Also i bought it from www.bigcityauto.com They were great and very honest, you should check them out. i bought on Ebay and they shipped it!

 

I've had my '04 530i for about six weeks and I'm very happy. Has the cold weather and sport suspension. Paid 30k with financing deal and first two payments. Not a steal, but a good deal. The car corners like a dream. The drive is awesome. I live in DC and drove it to Cleveland for a party at the R&R Hall of Fame and all I can say is ROCK and ROLL! I did mod the soundsystem with a Kenwood amp that allows me to play my ipod through the system (but no info) and I added XM Radio (no native controls, but the Kenwook system has a remove for changing channels. Both should have been easier, but I also could have spent 10K more for an '06. I have a Parrot Bluetooth unit which is being installed next week. Total of all three mods cost me about $500. Well worth it, as is the car.

David Dworkin
Bethesda, Maryland

 

I bought mine a month back and i think I got a decent deal on it. Its an 04 530i Grey/Black Dakota leather trim, sports package with padle shifters, premium package, cold weather, logic 7, HUD, SMG , Navigation, multi-contour seats and adaptive Xenons, it had less than 34k miles on it and I got it for $35000 with the dealership paying the first 2 payments. I love the SMG and the HUD combo, its an awesome vehicle.