I've been eyeing this pre-certified 2005 525i in my area, and I test drove a similar 5 series at another dealership to get a feel (never owned a BMW). Anyway I like the size of the car, it seems to fit my somewhat husky build very nicely. However I keep reading about all sorts of problems with iDrive and other electrical failures.

Is this car going to give me a lot of problems if I buy it even pre-certified? I need this car to get to work and I can't have it be broken for days at a time (don't want to have to buy a backup car). Any advice is appreciated.

 

If its a cpo it will have 2 years of warranty. If not I would lease a new one instead of buying an old one-will be probalby the same monthly to lease new v. buy an 05.

You can never guerentee it will be out of the shop. The upside to most bmw dealers and you can ask before hand is if you get a new car-a lease too-they give you a loaner for free whenever you need it. So you can drop your car off in the evening after work or really early and pick up a loaner and not miss a beat of work. Even a new car will have unforseen surprises and end up in the shopt-less likely than a used 05 however.

If your car is not a cpo with no warranty I would forget about it unless you have a lot of money to sink into repairs for the life of the car. I would budge 10k for repairs over 5 years for an 05 525. New brakes alone can be a couple grand.

So make sure its a CPO, try get a lease on a new one and ask what their policy is on loaners-makes a huge difference to be able to drop a car off and take right off in a loaner that you can drive util your car is good to go

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I honestly was ready to pounce on the 525i (it is pre-certified up to 100,000 miles or to June 2010 apparently). However after I heard about all the problems I wonder if it might just be better for me to get a BMW Certified 325i 2006 which seems to not have nearly as many problems.

 

I just bought an 04 530i with 52k on it, no warranty! The car is pristine, SO FAR (thank God) ps: i just got it, lol. But from what i hear the 530 cars have a very solid engine, and if they were treated well they will last a long time...I ran a carfax, Auto check and got the BMW service history report from a BMW dealer (This helped me also see how the previous owner treated the car)

 

There's no way to know if your E60 will be perfect or not : many cars don't have any problem .
Get it and have fun!

 

I did the same thing, did an auto check, and everything. It's just that I've read at least a dozen stories where people with warrenties have had to leave their car with BMW for days at a time. Kind of scary. Never heard these stories with an Acura TL or even the new 3 Series.

 

I bought mine back in '03 and haven't even come close to spending $10k in "repairs" (knock on wood). The biggest problem I've had are the squeeky brakes and some annoying interior rattles (all fixed under warranty, even got a new set of rotors, pads, and sensors). I can't speak for every single 5er bimmer owner, but mine has been solid even though it was the first year of production.

 

Most of the stories you're hearing are about software/electronic items, which seems to be the weak spot in these cars. However, most of these items are just annonyances that do not render the car undrivable. Mechanically, the engine/transmission, etc are all very reliable in BMW's.

 

In your experience, what problems have you had with your 545i? What kind of maintainence do you perform on your car to make sure it performs well and doesn't break down? Any tips might make me feel a bit more confident about the purchase honestly.

Also, I would like to use $10,000 for something, maybe saving it away for house repair or save it for grad school when I decide to go back, not to repair my car.

 

If you like the fit of the 525i because of your "build", you might find the 325i a little tight. The 5 series has more interior room.