wynnsayz

Hi all

I'm completely new to BMW and I thought this would be a good place to ask some questions. Please help if you can...

1. In general, is E60 a reliable car? Do I have to take it into the shop every month? How bout them electrical problems? Most of the posts that I see on this forum and bimmerfest are about each individual's car problem...

2. I am looking to buy a 2007 530i. Since my budget is only $30k, is it possible to find a 530i with decent mileage (12000miles/year) and sports package?

3. Should I only look for CPO or just any pre-owned is fine? I'm inclined to find CPO because I might get more protection (or peace of mind) since BMW offers the CPO warranty.

4. Is 3rd party warranty good?

5. What does $0 maintenance and the warranty include? Since I don't know E60 very well, are there anything that I would definitely need to be covered by maintenance and warranty as a E60 owner? Heard electrical is the biggest problem with BMW and warranty just doesn't include electrical anymore. Does that mean I'm gambling with 30k + potential repair cost?

6. Can anyone recommend a dealership that gives good price? I'm in socal, but I'm willing to go to norcal to buy the car and drive it down.


Thank you so much and please correct me if I'm wrong.

protams

The car it self is good but not the N52 engines which 2007 530i have. I would go for 535i,545i or 530i pre-LCI with M54 engine.

wynnsayz

But I heard 535i has a lot of problems, esp with HPFP. I don't want a 545i because of the mpg (I don't drive fast...just need enough oomph to get me started on freeway). I guess that leaves me with pre-LCl with M54 engine. I can only assume that is 06 or earlier since 07 is N52 and 08 is the one I don't want.

Mephistopheles

Why not go with a 2008 528i? CPO'ed, most of them with ~30K miles are in your budget..

wynnsayz

Well, I thought 528 is a little slow, but now that I see it's only 25hp difference I guess I could look for CPO 2008 528i.

Here are some of my concerns, please point out if they are invalid are negligible when buying a BMW

1. 2006 and earlier are a little too...old for me. For a 4 year old car, the reasonable mileage is already 48000 miles and maybe the wear and tear is at a point that needs to be replaced. What if the car I bought hasn't done any replacement of parts and CPO warranty just doesn't cover it?

2. I drive mainly local and few freeway (like freeway twice a day). How is 530's MPG compare to 545? I know I said I don't need the extra power, but if 530 really is a lost cause then I guess I will look into it.

3. As a potential E60 owners, are there any items that I definitely need it be covered by the warranty or $0 maintenance? I heard electrical has the most problems and warranty just doesn't cover it anymore. In that case, what do you guys do and what should I do?

This is what I have so far. Thank you so much for bearing with me.

pukka

Based on what your budget and preferences are. I'd look for a non-CPO LCI (2008 or newer) 528 or 535. The CPO warranty is only good for 6 years from the date the car is placed in service and doesn't cover ELECTRONICS, which can cost a pretty penny if they go bad. Use the new car warranty until 4yr/50k hits and shop around for a good 3rd party warranty that does cover stock electronics.

I'd test drive both models before deciding. If you can live without the extra power then the 528 is the car for you. I have driven several 328 loaners and know people who own one and we all agree the motor feels too weak. You decide for yourself. As for the 535, there has been a recall for the HPFP (and I haven't heard of complaints from those that had it done to their car - maybe BMW got it right). Regardless, the HPFP is warrantied for 10yr/120k.

Good luck!

wynnsayz

pukka, are you saying that other than HPFP 535i is pretty much problem free? Do you have a 3rd party warranty?

houbmw

I have a 2007 530i and I can tell you that it puts a smile on my face everytime I get behind the wheel. For every "problem" you see on the forum, there are at least another 10 cars that run smoothly. It all depends on how you maintain the vehicle. I would say you can probably get a 2007 530i for around 20,000 due to the massive depreciation on these luxury sedans! Honestly, I would look on these forums (and others) as a great amount of enthusiast are selling their cars recently and they are the true fans of the car, so they treat it like their own child. Good luck!

tuffluck

i have a 2007 530i that is a CPO. i also thought the 528i to be a little slow. i think you and i think alike. i wanted something faster than the 528, do not like 535s for their HPFP known issues (and their price tag really isn't great IMO), and although liked the 550i, thought the mpg would be too terrible to bear, not to mention i didn't want a $40k outstanding debt on a vehicle. so, i also chose the 255hp version of the 530i.

i paid 29k for my car in June of 2010 with 2 years of CPO, plus the factory warranty which will run out at the end of 2010. so basically i got 2.5 years worth of a warranty. my car does not have the sport's package, but that was not a priority with me. i think i got a pretty good deal, especially considering the trade-in value they gave me for my old car. you could buy a 20k 530i as someone mentioned, but most likely that will be warranty-less. 10k is a lot for a warranty essentially, but when you start messing with multiple owners + used vehicles a lot of things become questionable. i personally don't think it's worth it with such an electronically-driven car. also that's assuming you actually find a 530i in good shape for 20k.

the thing you need to know about the CPO is that it does not cover maintenance or wear items. that includes anything from oil changes, brake pads, or worn hoses/seals. it also does not cover anything associated with your radio (including speakers) or associated with your navigation system (if you have it). however, all other electronic aspects are covered. pukka was slightly wrong on that one. you can look at the specifics of what is and is not covered on BMW's website--but they are pretty clear what is covered electronically speaking.

as for MPG i have some serious issues myself. i drive in a very dense area of dallas and i get about 15-16 mpg in the city. the rated is 20 mpg but don't let that fool you as you most likely will only get that if you are driving 50% freeway. a lot of people want to say mpg is based on how you drive, but in my experience it's more about where you drive than how you drive. if you are constantly on roads with speed limits <50mph and making a lot of stops, i wouldn't have expectations over 17 mpg. that being said, i think you can expect the same kind of slump from the 545i. they are rated at 15 mpg, and in severe city driving my estimates would put them at about 12 mpg in the same conditions i drive. i just had a loaner 750Li (2011) and it got 11 mpg and is rated at 14.

i'm not sure why someone said the 2007 530i engine is bad. it is not and the I6 is one of the more reliable engines BMW has ever made. if i have misinformation, someone please correct me.

16 mpg vs 20 mpg is not a huge deal, but had i know that was the mileage i would have gotten, i would have looked beyond bmw for $30k. if you aren't upset by that mpg possibility (and you might do better), i would definitely go for the E60, because otherwise i really enjoy my car. as for speed, i think it's a lot faster than most people on this board would like you to think it is. the 535 to the 550 is what bmw intended the 255hp 530i to be to the 2007 550i, so i think they are a bit faster than what bmw markets. personally i did not notice a huge discrepancy between my 530i and the 535i (2010) i test drove just minutes after driving mine at the dealer.

kev397

What exactly is not good about the N52 engines?