Scoops

The title says it all, what should I be looking out for around the car and on the test drive?

Thanks in advance.

PS: I've done a search and not found any threads pertaining to this but let me know if this is in fact a repost.

-Mike-

Good choice!!

If it is a CPO, ask to review the checklist with your sales person. Obviously, exterior damage scratches etc. On the actual test drive, get up to highway speeds to ensure you have no vibration, which can point to bent rim(s). This has been a very common issue I have seen on this forum with CPO vehicles. Other then that, the rest should be pretty straight forward. Good luck!

Scoops

Thanks for the quick reply! I'll make sure to take it to highway speeds in that case.

The vehicle is not CPO but it's from a very large used car dealer here in the Montreal area which sells everything from Hondas to Ferraris. The vehicle only has just over 60,000km (37 282 miles) so my only worry about it not being CPO is that I only have a few months of warranty left so I'll be looking to see if an extended warranty is available.

Anything i should be checking with the i-Drive or something along those lines?

Thanks again!

dixon

i'd make sure to know what options u want in your e60 since they have quite a few. for example front and rear heated seats, comfort seats, dynamic or sport pkg, how much tread on tires is left, listen to your car when you brake cuz a lota e60s have a squeeling problem i notice and test out all the options on your idrive to make sure they r workn properly.

v_therussian

all I can say is: if you like your car to be fast, go with a bigger engine... other than that, make sure there's no whine from the engine compartment (possible an alternator issue), listen to the rattles and shakes - ones coming from the interior can be erradicated by the dealer (usually) at no cost, ones coming from suspension - you get the idea...

If you need more specific advice, I suggest you share more specifics - mileage, price, options, etc, etc...

dalangi

Make sure it has Navigation if you have any desire to use it or anything AV related. I heard if you buy one without Nav adding one later would not be an option because of the costs. Also when you have Navigation, you make your options to add on rear cameras or front cameras a lot easier too.

Scoops

It's a 2006 525xi with 65000km (40 389 miles) As for options I know there is a heated steering wheel so I believe it has the cold weather package, it does not have nav (and there aren't many cars in Canada that have Nav for some reason) the list price is 27 000 CAD (or 23 047 USD), I know prices are cheaper in the states but I've found that importing just isn't worth it. I'm also getting a fairly good trade in value on a 2005 Dodge Caravan. I don't know much about any other options. Nav isn't really a necessity for me, due to the lack of nav cars in Canada the price jumps way too high. The color of the car in Monaco blue with what I believe BMW calls "Oyster or Cream beige" on the inside (white/beige) seats.


Also is it impossible to DIY a back up camera without nav/wide screen i-drive?

Edit: I will also be getting the car fax in a few days.

Edit 2:

I found this website:

http://www.intellichoice.com/reports/vehic...ed/2006/BMW/525

That has all the available options for a 2006 525xi so I'll be taking a look to see which options it has when i see it in person, though so far it seems to me that it only has the Cold Weather Package.

305bimmer

If it has the CWP, make sure you take a look at the steering wheel. A lot of us (2006 owners) have had issues with the steering wheel discoloring or becoming deformed in some way. Most of us (from what I gather) have had no success in having it replaced under warranty, and others have tried to clean it with mixed results. The OEM wheel from BMW is ~$575, so if you are not happy with the way it looks, be ready to part with a few C$.

Good luck!

DKNewYork

A car with 2 more cylinders j/k

GL on your decision and congrats when you get it.

cleung

can I suggest that while test driving the 525xi that you also test one with a bigger engine, the e60 is a big car and the x drive takes extra power so you may find the 525xi a little sluggish. But with that said if speed and acceleration isn't your thing then that just might be the right car for you, but you won't really know unless you try even 530 just to see the difference and decide whether its worth it. I love my 530i and the power is enough for me but many on this forum will tell you that you have to go 8 cylinder but I don't think thats true.