31 might be too low but you should try.
They're going to tell you they have a new "no room" price structure that everything is priced as is to avoid haggling. Its BS. Haggle away.

 

In NY locally a 2008 528i with 18k miles for $28k. CPO of course.

 

if i had 30 grand to spend i'd be lookin for an E46 M3

 

What he said times ten and a half ^^^. I'd even be looking at e39 M5's. You'd have hella money to spare on mods AND rims...
BUT, I think the OP is looking for a headache free 'easy does it' BMW. Unfortunately, my experience shows they all require TLC.

 

well. Definitely not looking into M3 because I don't race and I dont use that extra hp. Plus it's very small. I'm 6'3. Now I'm back to looking for a 528/535i and see whichever hits my fancy first (by a combination of mileage, packages, year, and price)

 

+1. Should test drive both the 528i and 535i


528i with 21k miles and premium, sports, and xenon. Price: $31,000 - Nick Alex, downtown LA no longer shows this car in their inventory.

a 528i with 34580 miles, premium, sports. didn't show xenon, costing $32,991 - seems expensive still. $36k OTD sticker..

and a 528i with 42920 miles, costing 34k. with comfort, sports, premium, navi, and xenon - $34k. fail.

 

528i: 240hp / 230 lb-ft of torque
535i: 300hp / 300 lb-ft of torque

Thus, 535i has +25% hp / +30% lb-ft of torque


This 535i at Pacific BMW seems fair, if you change your mind to a 535i.

$30k with 40k miles. Warranty up to 10/2011 or 10k more miles. Prem/Sports/Xenon(pretty sure almost always with prem/sports pkg)/Paddle shifter(this called M-sport? - anyways, super fun)

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...5&aff=national

 

I was in your shoes 4 months ago, didn't want or need the 535, didn't want the problems...well, I am regretting it now...Should have went with the 535 when I had the chance...Now I am going to lose my a$$ trying to trade in this 528 for a 535..

 

I was in your shoes six months ago as well. Sort of.

My wife and I have a 2 year old (18 mo. then). I have a 4 door Tacoma (our only baby hauler at the time), and my wife had a BMW /M Roadster. Both have manual transmissions, and we discovered during a medical emergency this year that we NEED an automatic that anyone can drive if necessary.

We looked at the 135i, and decided that we could deal the the hassles of a 2-dr coupe. After a little research, we learned about the HPFP issues with the N54, so we balked.

That left 335i's, and 535i's out of the running too.

We found that Pre-LCI 550's were in our price-range. $35k for a car with HUD and the 20-way adjustable seats was WAY more important to my wife than the fact that she didn't have CIC Nav, cool tail-lights, or a new shifter with a sport button.

I understand your mileage and budget limitations. I also understand your reluctance to purchase an N54 equipped car due to HPFP issues. I also understand your potential MPG concerns.

Interestingly, my wife's 550i get's 23mpg avg., and we manage 27+MPG on long distance interstate trips. That results in my Tacoma sitting in the garage a lot. Especially since it doesn't have a HUD! :thumbsdown:

I'm glad that we made the choice that we did. I love my wife, and she loves her 550i.

 

thx for the input guys, but the reason I'm not looking for a 550 is because the potential increase in my insurance premium. and Leese, I lol'd when you said fail to those cars, in a good way. Everyone says they found super great deal like fully loaded 528i for 27-28k, but the problem is there aren't any like that in cali. not even norcal. I'm stuck with the socal listings and there aren't any decent ones.

For the cars.com listing that leese posted, I've actually considered that one before, but was a little worried the mileage is a little bit high and I only have 2 yrs and 10 months of warranty left. I don't plan on changing cars in two years...