Looking into buying an E60, need some pointers.
12-17-2008, 07:32 AM
#1
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My Ride: '04 530d Executive, all options except sunroof and comfort seats
ECU remapped by ZipTuning to 260+bhp.
I've waited a long time and last week i finally decided to go for a used 5-er.
I'm from the Netherlands (Europe) and car prices are thru the roof here (prices for new cars are about twice the price Americans pay for the same car... thank you Dutch goverment...)
So, today i had a look at a used 545i (2004) with all options (I think that BMW US calls this premium, BMW Holland calls this High Executive).
(Link to dutch car site)
I really liked the car, but i saw some worrying things. All rims were badly damaged and the right front tire had a bulge on it.
The salesperson assured me the car was always driven responsibly, but when i see that kind of damage i begin to wonder...
The price was really good, especially for this specific type (545i High Executive), but i'm beginning to think the price is too good to be true. (It's about $38.000, that's low for dutch standards)
I saw the complete service history and it looks okay, but seeing the family who owns the showroom (not really the types to be trusted) and seeing the damage, i told the salesguy that i'd sleep on it.
The problem is, i have no frame of reference on how a 545i SHOULD drive, so i can't really tell if the car is up to spec. It doesn't wiggle or drift to one side while driving, but i know that doesn't mean that there is nothing wrong underneath.
I'm not in a hurry to buy a car, but i really like the 5-series and now that i can afford one, i really want one.
What do you guys say? Let it pass and look for a better (perhaps pricier) 5-er or go for it?
(BTW, a 545i isn't a must, but a 530i is my minimum and it really has to have the High Executive package (big nav-screen, electrically controllable seats, etc...))
I'm from the Netherlands (Europe) and car prices are thru the roof here (prices for new cars are about twice the price Americans pay for the same car... thank you Dutch goverment...)
So, today i had a look at a used 545i (2004) with all options (I think that BMW US calls this premium, BMW Holland calls this High Executive).
(Link to dutch car site)
I really liked the car, but i saw some worrying things. All rims were badly damaged and the right front tire had a bulge on it.
The salesperson assured me the car was always driven responsibly, but when i see that kind of damage i begin to wonder...
The price was really good, especially for this specific type (545i High Executive), but i'm beginning to think the price is too good to be true. (It's about $38.000, that's low for dutch standards)
I saw the complete service history and it looks okay, but seeing the family who owns the showroom (not really the types to be trusted) and seeing the damage, i told the salesguy that i'd sleep on it.
The problem is, i have no frame of reference on how a 545i SHOULD drive, so i can't really tell if the car is up to spec. It doesn't wiggle or drift to one side while driving, but i know that doesn't mean that there is nothing wrong underneath.
I'm not in a hurry to buy a car, but i really like the 5-series and now that i can afford one, i really want one.
What do you guys say? Let it pass and look for a better (perhaps pricier) 5-er or go for it?
(BTW, a 545i isn't a must, but a 530i is my minimum and it really has to have the High Executive package (big nav-screen, electrically controllable seats, etc...))
12-17-2008, 07:36 AM
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My Ride: 2009 535i
Originally Posted by OverSoft' post='747209' date='Dec 17 2008, 11:32 AM
I've waited a long time and last week i finally decided to go for a used 5-er.
I'm from the Netherlands (Europe) and car prices are thru the roof here (prices for new cars are about twice the price Americans pay for the same car... thank you Dutch goverment...)
So, today i had a look at a used 545i (2004) with all options (I think that BMW US calls this premium, BMW Holland calls this High Executive).
(Link to dutch car site)
I really liked the car, but i saw some worrying things. All rims were badly damaged and the right front tire had a bulge on it.
The salesperson assured me the car was always driven responsibly, but when i see that kind of damage i begin to wonder...
The price was really good, especially for this specific type (545i High Executive), but i'm beginning to think the price is too good to be true. (It's about $38.000, that's low for dutch standards)
I saw the complete service history and it looks okay, but seeing the family who owns the showroom (not really the types to be trusted) and seeing the damage, i told the salesguy that i'd sleep on it.
The problem is, i have no frame of reference on how a 545i SHOULD drive, so i can't really tell if the car is up to spec. It doesn't wiggle or drift to one side while driving, but i know that doesn't mean that there is nothing wrong underneath.
I'm not in a hurry to buy a car, but i really like the 5-series and now that i can afford one, i really want one.
What do you guys say? Let it pass and look for a better (perhaps pricier) 5-er or go for it?
(BTW, a 545i isn't a must, but a 530i is my minimum and it really has to have the High Executive package (big nav-screen, electrically controllable seats, etc...))
I'm from the Netherlands (Europe) and car prices are thru the roof here (prices for new cars are about twice the price Americans pay for the same car... thank you Dutch goverment...)
So, today i had a look at a used 545i (2004) with all options (I think that BMW US calls this premium, BMW Holland calls this High Executive).
(Link to dutch car site)
I really liked the car, but i saw some worrying things. All rims were badly damaged and the right front tire had a bulge on it.
The salesperson assured me the car was always driven responsibly, but when i see that kind of damage i begin to wonder...
The price was really good, especially for this specific type (545i High Executive), but i'm beginning to think the price is too good to be true. (It's about $38.000, that's low for dutch standards)
I saw the complete service history and it looks okay, but seeing the family who owns the showroom (not really the types to be trusted) and seeing the damage, i told the salesguy that i'd sleep on it.
The problem is, i have no frame of reference on how a 545i SHOULD drive, so i can't really tell if the car is up to spec. It doesn't wiggle or drift to one side while driving, but i know that doesn't mean that there is nothing wrong underneath.
I'm not in a hurry to buy a car, but i really like the 5-series and now that i can afford one, i really want one.
What do you guys say? Let it pass and look for a better (perhaps pricier) 5-er or go for it?
(BTW, a 545i isn't a must, but a 530i is my minimum and it really has to have the High Executive package (big nav-screen, electrically controllable seats, etc...))
12-17-2008, 07:40 AM
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Aren't you considering the diesels? It took me a long time to decide between 545i and 535d. Any random day, if you'd asked me, I would have said the opposite to last time. Somehow I finally went for 545i, so naturally I now think I should probably have gone for the 535d for fuel consumption reasons. I'm sure if I'd gone for the 535d I'd be thinking I should have gone for the 545i. It's extremely close between the two of them on performance (excluding the 0-60 test). Maybe the best option is a 530d and have it remapped. Luckily for me I drive less than 15.000km (9,000m) per year, so the fuel consumption isn't as bad an impact as it would be for someone driving double that.
12-17-2008, 07:46 AM
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My Ride: '04 530d Executive, all options except sunroof and comfort seats
ECU remapped by ZipTuning to 260+bhp.
Well, i don't drive that much either (about 15k km/year (9k mpy) too) and because diesels are considerably more expensive to drive (not the fuel, but the roadtaxes), i'm looking into a petrol one.
A diesel certainly is an option, i don't really care about the 150 bucks a month extra (i get that back in fuel costs anyway), but there's a bit of a problem there.
Almost all diesels for sale here are ex-lease cars. In Holland, that means cars with NO options at all (because they charge - you guessed it - taxes for that).
Diesel 5-ers with the options i want, are far more expensive than a comparable petrol 5-er.
A diesel certainly is an option, i don't really care about the 150 bucks a month extra (i get that back in fuel costs anyway), but there's a bit of a problem there.
Almost all diesels for sale here are ex-lease cars. In Holland, that means cars with NO options at all (because they charge - you guessed it - taxes for that).
Diesel 5-ers with the options i want, are far more expensive than a comparable petrol 5-er.
12-17-2008, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by OverSoft' post='747223' date='Dec 17 2008, 05:46 PM
Well, i don't drive that much either (about 15k km/year (9k mpy) too) and because diesels are considerably more expensive to drive (not the fuel, but the roadtaxes), i'm looking into a petrol one.
A diesel certainly is an option, i don't really care about the 150 bucks a month extra (i get that back in fuel costs anyway), but there's a bit of a problem there.
Almost all diesels for sale here are ex-lease cars. In Holland, that means cars with NO options at all (because they charge - you guessed it - taxes for that).
Diesel 5-ers with the options i want, are far more expensive than a comparable petrol 5-er.
A diesel certainly is an option, i don't really care about the 150 bucks a month extra (i get that back in fuel costs anyway), but there's a bit of a problem there.
Almost all diesels for sale here are ex-lease cars. In Holland, that means cars with NO options at all (because they charge - you guessed it - taxes for that).
Diesel 5-ers with the options i want, are far more expensive than a comparable petrol 5-er.
I'm very happy with my choice. Options I'm really happy I waited (to find the right car) for, are heated seats, ventilated seats, full "Pro" navigation, multi-function steering wheel, full electric comfort seats, non-sport suspension (it's a 5er, even the non-sport suspension outperforms Audi and Mercedes OEM sports suspension), 17" or 18" wheels (I find the bigger than 18" rims spoil the ride), run-flat tyres (if you're running non-sport suspension and max 18" rims, you won't notice any negative ride issues run-flats give).
12-17-2008, 08:53 AM
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How many miles are on the car and/or how long till the warranty expires ?
If you have some time then I would say pull the trigger. BMW's warranty process is normally top notch....and given that the economy is going down the sh*tter you might be able to get an extended warranty at a good discount. WIth the BMW warranty you dont pay a dime for ANYTHING, it is quite nice (at least here in the US).
If you have some time then I would say pull the trigger. BMW's warranty process is normally top notch....and given that the economy is going down the sh*tter you might be able to get an extended warranty at a good discount. WIth the BMW warranty you dont pay a dime for ANYTHING, it is quite nice (at least here in the US).
12-17-2008, 08:55 AM
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My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
Consider the car (especially with the tire and wheel issues) ONLY if it has a warranty!! 
12-17-2008, 09:01 AM
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My Ride: '04 530d Executive, all options except sunroof and comfort seats
ECU remapped by ZipTuning to 260+bhp.
Unfortunately, there's no original BMW warranty left. It has 142500km's on the clock, which is about 88500 miles.
The car is not at an original BMW dealer, but more a generic dealer (it's a bit more than that, also deals Lambo's and Ferrari's).
It has 6 months of BOVAG warranty, which isn't really any warranty, because it only validates the warranty when the the defect was already in place at time of purchase.
I have had bad experiences in the past with this type of warranty, they'll always blame it on you or your style of driving and you end up paying for it anyway.
The car is not at an original BMW dealer, but more a generic dealer (it's a bit more than that, also deals Lambo's and Ferrari's).
It has 6 months of BOVAG warranty, which isn't really any warranty, because it only validates the warranty when the the defect was already in place at time of purchase.
I have had bad experiences in the past with this type of warranty, they'll always blame it on you or your style of driving and you end up paying for it anyway.
12-17-2008, 09:08 AM
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Originally Posted by OverSoft' post='747281' date='Dec 17 2008, 07:01 PM
Unfortunately, there's no original BMW warranty left. It has 142500km's on the clock, which is about 88500 miles.