I am thinking of buying a 2007 525xi from a family friend.

It has about 44,000 miles (72,000 km) on it. He is looking for $14,500 USD ($16,000 Cdn). It is in very nice shape. Dealer serviced throughout. No significant accidents (a door ding that was fixed in 2009 at dealer). Nice guy. He takes good care of his things.

I have heard that the 525 may be too underpowered but I am in my fifties and a moderate driver. Also, somewhat concerned about reliability.

Formerly leased a 2007 335i and a 2010 335xi. Didn't pick up the 2013 as I didn't love the steering. Now thinking it might be nice to avoid a big monthly lease payment.

Any comments/advice from the community would be appreciated.

 

Hmmmm...

I went from a 330xi to a 530xi.
Could just be my particular set of cars, but I can tell a huge difference in initial acceleration between the two, the 530 being slower and much more gradual to build up speed. I suppose they are the same size engine and my 5-series is probably longer, wider, heavier...
I almost wondered if the 5 needed a tune-up, because my 3 had a hair trigger pedal that would jar people's necks if they weren't used to it.

So, I don't know... did you test drive it from your friend? How did the power feel?

 

I own a 2007 525 Xi. I wouldn't consider the car underpowered at all. If you are used to the scat off the line a 3 series car gives you I can understand. The engine is tuned for torque and has plenty as most cars do today. When on the road it will get up and roar if requested. The power is also affected by tune and maintenance. Mine seemed to be running just fine and seemed perfectly normal. When the time came to do some maintenance, all fluids, filters and plugs the car woke up quite a bit. The oil separation system needs to be replaced and intake cleaned around 100k miles. The seperator affects performance.

If you buy the car drop the tranny pan/filter and swap fluid every 35k miles.

I love my car it has been extremely reliable and drives like a dream. Recommend it.

 

I recently made the jump from a 97' 528i (213,000miles) to a 08' 528i (59,000miles) with all the concerns you have above. If the title is clean, the machine has been well maintenance and serviced then there should be no worry of reliability. My only advice at this time is to understand the options you want in a vehicle. The best way to do this is test drive and understand the differences between sport/non-sport, xi/i, and any other options. Take the time to get the car you want with the packages and options that are best suited for you. I passed up on some good deals and pricing just to make sure the vehicle was right for me. No regrets.