Hi experts. Newbie here. About to buy a 2004 525i with 80k miles. Buying from local dealer. They said will replace the transmission as I think someone traded it for a newer one. Price is US$17k. All options incl sunroof. Worth it?. What should I watch if transmission broke so soon? Not know much on cars. Just excited. Dealer cannot certify due to age but promised (or must do) full inpect per BMW of America standards, I live in the US as an FYI. Also, Auto Shield of America has 3k gold level outside warranty that seems to cover a lot more than what I thought. The BMW sales guy said it's not bad but still watch out. Pls help this new guy who does not know a lot ! Thank you much.

 

New transmission will come with warranty, so you don't need to worry about transmission. If I were you, I'd research about that warranty company you mentioned. Read the fine print on the contract - specifically what it DOES NOT cover. Was the car involved in any accident? Check CarFax. Do you have the maintenance/service history on the car? If you are buying from BMW dealer, they can print the history for you. Good Luck!

 

[font="'Comic Sans MS"]automatic or stick shift?
also ask dealer for full list of optional extras that was ordered with car originally, and post it here.[/font]

 

Dont buy it. Way overpriced.

 

Get down price 15k, because of miles. But you need to look for leaks in an engine, brakes condition, rear diff for leaks, ask for record, they should have one, check for water under spare tire (take a tire and all foam and look for water), make sure there is no vibration at 60 and above, take a long ride on hwy with speed 65-70 mph study. Make sure everything works inside: IDrive, rain sensors, turn signal and ect.
Remember you have to always get a price as close as possible to Auction price, it's a law of buying used cars. When dealer is taking your car for trade, he checked auction price, then drop it another 2K at least.

Good luck

 

Why do you want to drive BMW? Is it for "status" or do you want an Ultimate Driving Machine? If the latter, you must buy rear wheel drive, manual transmission w/sport package. Doesn't matter the engine.

 

A carefully maintained e60 525 is a good "starter" BMW. Being an informed consumer is VERY important.

Rule #1: Never believe a sales guy.
Rule #2: Get documentation - service records, maintenance records, ALL of them!
Rule #3: IF the sales guy promises you something will get fixed ... refer to Rule #1!

BEFORE YOU SIGN ANYTHING spend $100 for a thorough pre-purchase inspection performed by a COMPETENT independent BMW Mechanic and GET A WRITTEN REPORT of everything that needs to be fixed now or in the near future.

Pay special attention to brakes and rotors/discs, cooling system (known to leak/fail in 70-100K miles), electronics (TOUGH to diagnose and fix), engine leaks, and condition of battery and charging system (throws all systems into a tizzy!).

As for insurance ... paying $3K for a maintenance policy on a $15K car is poor economics. Save that money for real repairs you may need down the road.

Good luck!!

 

What they said. A 2004 525 with 80k miles is a hard sell at $17K, I am not sure I could get that for my car and I have a 2005 with barely 70k miles and a good amount of options. A detailed list of options would be a good idea - as stated, never believe the sales guy. You should be able to drive off with the car for around $13-15k.

 

Way over priced, i sold my 545 with 50k miles for $15k a yr ago...granted cheap but yours is too expensive

 

Thank you so much for all your advice. I am about to test drive it now during my lunch hour and will let know.