Kasmo

Iv been doing some thinking. This July (so 6 months from now) its going to be 2 years of owning my 2006 525xi. Suprisingly there is a weird pattern with me and cars. The cars I enjoy seem to stay for 2 years and then a oppertunity surfaces and I get another car. I guess its just timing I guess haha

So Iv been thinking, Id like more power, I like the E60 chassis a lot. I like the comfort and the looks. So i gave it a thought to pay off the rest of my car payment in August. Which would mean I would be able to sell my E60 and get something else.

The situation I am in is that I am a college student, graduating in May. I finished all my classes last semester but now I am on a 8 month co-op (internship). Long story short, I make pretty good money now, and the place I am renting for the time being is cheap and good enough until the end of my internship. The town is also small and there isnt much to do so saving money is a breeze, also I dont have a garage or any space to work on a project even If i wanted to. So saving even more money.

With all that I hope to pay off my E60 and get another E60 but a 535i. I want more performance and mods. My 525xi is fun and all but its just missing the extra umph. My 2nd choice would be a E92 with the N54 motor. My 3rd choice is to just keep the car and possibly embark on a project by the near end of next year (hopefully ill have a place with a garage by then). 4th choice is to keep the 525 and just save up and deal with the 218 hp I have and and sell it after a few year and get a M4. (hopefully ill be making a little more by then)

So any suggestions? Ideas? Anyone go from one E60 to another? What should I watch out in the N54 motor?

rice_rocket88

You were doing some great progress on your 525.. but as you already have heard about the getting more power, you might as well buy a new car it certainly is true. However.. I think financially it's probably a bad idea for you. Seeing as you have to pay off the note for your current car.... THEN go look for a good deal on a 535xi, which would then involve more $$$ to upgrade. Then any other maintenance. My thoughts are, if you don't have the disposable income now to straight up do it, you're playing on a thin line.

If you're lucky.. let's say you can get.. even 8K for your car... that's after paying off the note, then trying to sell it. A "good" but not necessarily great deal for another E60 would be a 2008 535xi and priced at let's say an even 15K. You're going to cough up 7K more (ie double) what you have for your 2006. I don't even know how much you need to pay off the note.

Things to watch out for is the regular maintenance, the HPFP, injector replacement, water pump replacement (since it's probably up to 100K miles for that price). Maybe even wastegate or turbo (under warranty ? or not). An E92 is going to be pretty much the same, but you could drop to a 2007 year... but probably not going to save a lot of $$$. Personally, once I you have the 5 series.. you realize how much they skimp on a 3 series to make the difference.. I love the extras in the 5 series.

BostonJon

i think rice_rocket has given you some really good and practical advice. and he's probably right with all the comments on the finances of the upgrade. and what i am about to say doesn't apply if you still have a mountain of student loans. if that's the case, my advice is to keep the 525 (which is a far nicer car than most of us had right out of college i would guess) and get your debt situation in order.

but.....assuming you are debt free and have 2-3 month emergency fund in place....

you are young. it sounds like you have a decent job and some disposable income. now is probably a time to indulge a little bit on yourself. you've worked hard in college and it has hopefully paid off with decent job prospects and earning potential in the future. as you get older and start to assume more responsibilities (significant other, kids?, mortgage) it is going to get harder and harder to justify spending more money (if it's even available) on luxury cars and other toys. case in point, when I met my (now) wife, I had two motorcycles. i sold one to buy her engagement ring and the other because i wasnt riding much anymore. I always told myself i would get another someday. fast forward a few years. now i have two kids. there isnt a chance in hell my wife would let me get another bike now ("do you really want to leave your kids without a father?" is one of her favorite guilt-inducing lines whenever the topic comes up).

long story short, if you're in a financially secure place in your life without a lot of external obligations and can comfortably afford a car payment on a 08/09 535xi, go for it. will you regret it at some point when you're replacing the turbo a month after the warranty is up? sure, maybe it will sting for a minute. but the rest of the time you'll have a blast driving the car and you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of your new "project"

Kasmo

Good points guys. I posted on a E92 forum and basically they gave me the vibe of "have a good amount of money stashed on the side if anything goes wrong." Yea im in debt, but not a lot. Honestly I could make the decision of either paying off my car or paying off loan. Obviously Id pay off the loan.

The more I think about everything as a combo, it seems like the 525xi would just be the best choice. To stay with it. Granted my all time dream car right now is a M4 or a E92 M3. And thats one personal goal that I have that keeps me wanting to work hard and motivated. So getting a newer car that I would have to pay off I feel like It would slow down the process.

I keep forgetting that when BMWs break its expensive. Mainly because Iv owned a E34, and a E39. The E39 only had 1 small issue but I guess we got rid of it before anything else would have went wrong. The e34 was a tank, but it was rusted pretty badly but parts were cheap. Mechanically it was one of the best cars iv owned next to the E60. I guess newer the car, more new stuff, more things to go wrong.

I guess I just need to find something that will bring a little more umph to my E60 thats cheaper than another car. I just dont know what. If you guys know of anything let me know. All i know of is custom exhaust of some kind, air intake, intake manifold (stage 3) but that manifold is around 1,300 bucks, a tune for around 400-500 bucks extra to go with that, and I might be pushing 260-270. I dont know if anyone here went with a stage 3 intake manifold on their N52 here on the forums. It would be interesting to see if its a worthy investment.

After this post, all signs point to keep the E60.

BostonJon

i think that's a smart and mature choice. and i mean that without any condescension whatsoever. if your dream car is a truly an M3/M4, paying off your loan and establishing more financial freedom is going to be your quickest path to that goal. like you said, another car payment would just delay you in obtaining your ultimate goal. and besides, the longer you wait and harder you work for it, the sweeter it will feel when you get there because you will know you've earned it.

i cant speak much to modifications but I will say that I shudder when people call them an "investment". dont expect to recoup that money when you sell the car. depending on what your longer term plans would be with the E60, remember that any modifications (especially those that are difficult to reverse) will likely make the car harder to sell by reducing the pool of interested buyers. even buyers that appreciate mods might not appreciate the mods that you've chosen or think they are as valuable as you do. bottom line, keep all your stock parts if you plan to mode the car.

rice_rocket88

Now that you've decided to keep the car.... and knowing you really want an "M" car.. my new answer is to... not spend a dime. Save up all your money, and get into that M car as soon as you can feasibly do it. Don't waste your time and $$ on the E60. It's easier for me to say this.. because I've "been there, done that" ie had plenty of cars, plenty of FAST cars.. As mentioned.. you get married, have a house.. have kids.. it's all really now on the back burner. I have an N54.. it does have some tweaks and mods.. a JB4. It does pull like a freight train... it handles slower, it launches slower.. but I really just drive to work, and have two carseats in the trunk.. It's a NICE, and comfy ride. I can spend more $$ and time to make it faster, but the chances and times I get to use it would be almost none.. so why do it?

I'm thinking of it in your case.. you have pretty much no choices to make "big" power gains for little money. I would say the $2K you might spend on the manifold, tunes, etc.. is money better left for your M car.. or, how about this.. spend it on a "race" car? Get an older 99 M car.. or, my favorites from before.. a Mitsubishi eclipse. Gobs and gobs of power, cheap, easy.. Or again.. just put it in the bank, save up for 2 or 3 years, sell your E60 and hop right into a nice M car.

I'm a total ricer at heart.. I love the exhausts and little extra flare you can add to make things look different, yet nice. I'd forget about the go fast, get something that'll put a smile on your face, while at the same time saving for the M car.

You want quick easy speed? Get a motorcycle

Kasmo

Hahaha thanks!

I still want to do mods to my E60, nothing too big tho. Id be pretty comfortable on dropping like 3k still on the car (thats including performance and cosmetic mods). Not anytime soon but in pieces. Mainly because if i keep the car ill just make the monthly payments until I get to a comfortable point to pay off the rest with one go. I dont see myself owning a M4 anytime soon (probably like 3-5 years from now) unless I get a really good paying job. Im not sure what id be paid per hour if Im employed full time at the company I am now. The most they said they can give me is $18.00 since I am a intern and senior standing. Its the highest paying job iv ever had so far.

I did think about a motorcycle. But I like 4 wheels better.

And trust me, I think everyone is a ricer at heart. I got Need for Speed for my Playstation and man... hahaha did I come up with some ideas.

Thats why I was also thinking about scooping a cheap E30 and building that with my dad. Or just build it by myself and learn while I drive the E60 still. Im a little set on keeping the E60 and still dumping some money into it. I really wanted to do bumpers since day one, I already got wheels and tires, its already lowered for daily driving and its sitting good in my opinion. Id want to get the upgraded version of iDrive and a little bit more power. I drove it today on about a 30 mile ride and when I hit the highway, yea I didnt feel it but damn... once I saw the speedometer I had a huge smile on my face. The E60 to me is just an unexpected car. So many versions of that car, with twin turbos, a V10, V8. To me its a unique generation of 5 series.

I see myself driving that E60 until I get the M4. Or unless something goes wrong with the E60. I also know my dad is a fan of my car, he even said that If i came to a point where I wouldnt want it anymore, he would gladly take it. And I would give it to him If i got the M4. I would daily the crap out of that M4. hahaha

Gregm

[QUOTE]

I still want to do mods to my E60, nothing too big tho. Id be pretty comfortable on dropping like 3k still on the car (thats including performance and cosmetic mods). [\QUOTE]

your comparisons of the E60 sedan to the M car should be the M5. For the $3k in mods the 535 will keep pace with or outperform the M5.

The 135 or 335 with the same motor as the E60 535 could also be an alternative option for easy power that are capable of inexpensive mods that will give you that M car power.

Just some other options to consider.


You will have to trust me that NOT EVERYONE is a ricer at heart.

The most valuable piece of advice is the financial....it's great to dream, but take the time to build true financial independence first and the car (aside from basic transportation needs) is a minor piece of the total equation. Don't get too far out in front too early.

Good luck and have fun

Kasmo

[QUOTE=Gregm;1573472]Thanks! I thought about the M5. And I am aware of that as well. The 535i is a really good start when It comes to E60 for a small build. Like you said it can outperform the M5

I actually drove my E60 today and I had a smile on my face because currently im in a rural area where there are country roads and speed limit is 55-65. I had a blast. I rather just take care of the financial stuff first and do small things to my E60. The M4 is still ways away, might as well have a little bit of fun with the E60.

rice_rocket88

Woah that's a long shot.. an M4! Pricey considering... they just came out in 2014!

I hope to be able to build a care with both my kids one day.. I have a lot of knowledge and experience, and passing it along would be priceless. Again I would say bang for buck to leave your E60 alone! Okay, new bumpers would look awesome, but it'll set it back a little bit.. same with an exhaust.. it'll make you "feel" better... Exhausts, intakes.. those all sound and feel good!

My thoughts again.. the closer you get to dumping in money for little gain it hurts me to think about it. In the end, you have to do what makes you happy. It sounds like 3K now isn't a big deal.. but now we're getting halfway to buying that 535xi Of course you get the 535xi and start from scratch.. BUT you have a motor that is going to be easily more power than the current 525.

If your dad is planning on taking the E60 when and if you're moving on.. then awesome, your mods won't go to waste. If you're selling it, then it's all going down the tubes. But then this is the game you play with modifications, it's only worth it to the right person. The last car I got I paid 15K for it. I drove it for 5 years.. upgraded or repaired probably 5K. I sold it for 13K 5 years later. Not bad if you think about it.. I essentially out of pocket paid 7K in 5 years, which is like a cheap lease. The E60 isn't going to make those returns most likely..

Enjoy it, have fun... if the goal is an M4 3K out of your pocket isn't going to make a dent for a 70K price tag.. your car insurance per year is that price However, for an older M3 at 9K..