what would you tell yourself about your 545i
04-07-2011, 04:25 PM
#21
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My Ride: 06 550i
Model Year: 06
before i bought my 545..........if i had spent 15 mins in this forum reading all the whacked out things that go wrong and how generally unreliable they are....there is no way i would have gone through with it. mine only has 45k on it, bought it with 34k, but i don't even enjoy driving it b/c i'm so fearful of it breaking, this forum has a way of doing that, but i'm still here reading it every morning filling my mind with nightmarish visions of broken e60s. when it chimes and tells me that its 37º or that the fuel is low, i almost have a heart attack, b/c i assume its serious
i thought i would be ok since i got a 6mt, ignorance was bliss.
had an audi ZF automatic once, broke at 80k, 4000 to replace, never again with automatics, the bmw smg may be worse.
if you must have one.....drive it for about 2 miles until its nearly at operating temp (of course there is no gauge so how is one to really know) and listen carefully to the top end, if it clacks or ticks, walk the F away. valvetronics can do that you know, so many moving parts, how could it be as reliable as a normal valvetrain.
the first time you get an active steering warning and you find yourself driving down the road with the steering wheel 90º out of phase from center, you'll know what i'm talking about.
i did not do my research first, don't make the same mistake i did.
don't intend to sound negative and hopefully have not offended anyone, cuz i know you all love your cars....but you asked for opinions.
i thought i would be ok since i got a 6mt, ignorance was bliss.
had an audi ZF automatic once, broke at 80k, 4000 to replace, never again with automatics, the bmw smg may be worse.
if you must have one.....drive it for about 2 miles until its nearly at operating temp (of course there is no gauge so how is one to really know) and listen carefully to the top end, if it clacks or ticks, walk the F away. valvetronics can do that you know, so many moving parts, how could it be as reliable as a normal valvetrain.
the first time you get an active steering warning and you find yourself driving down the road with the steering wheel 90º out of phase from center, you'll know what i'm talking about.
i did not do my research first, don't make the same mistake i did.
don't intend to sound negative and hopefully have not offended anyone, cuz i know you all love your cars....but you asked for opinions.
04-07-2011, 04:39 PM
#22
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My Ride: ///M5 BEAST
Model Year: 2006
id go for the 04 with 50k miles on it before the one with 75k on it for sure....its only a year difference in age.
beyond everything...aim for a E60 with an actual bmw warranty left on it. please dont fall for any of that aftermarket/local non-bmw dealership extra warranty sh!t lol...
go for a certified car...its def going to be more $$ but its going to be worth it in the long run.
beyond everything...aim for a E60 with an actual bmw warranty left on it. please dont fall for any of that aftermarket/local non-bmw dealership extra warranty sh!t lol...
go for a certified car...its def going to be more $$ but its going to be worth it in the long run.
04-07-2011, 06:24 PM
#23
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DO NOT buy! Just my opinion. I baby my car and have had bad luck. I've had to replace the driveshaft, have had various coolant leaks and not to mention 100k mile maintenance(spark plugs front end susp work etc) Now I have bad seals and the dreaded weep hole leak I regret buying this car it looks nice and still turns heads but its not even that fast I shouldve got a 335i :thumbsdown: Happy hunting
04-07-2011, 08:09 PM
#25
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My 04 545I is great, got it last year august with 51,400 miles,the only problem I had was a coolant leak from the reservoir and my extended warranty took care of it. other than that Ive done routine pre-emptive maintanance like brakes,spark plugs,airfilters. Remember every car has problems no car is perfect so wether you go fo a 545,535,550 or any other brand theres a chance you will have problems. Be prepared regardless of any car you purchase and if you end up with a decent car you are ahead of the game.
04-08-2011, 06:16 AM
#26
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okay so im looking at these 4 this weekend
#1: 2004 - 545i - 56K miles
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-5...fCarsQ5fTrucks
#2: 2005 - 545i - 82K miles - ($3500 - 4 year, 46000 mi service agreement available non-BMW)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-5...fCarsQ5fTrucks
#3: 2006 - 545i - 56K miles - ($3500 - 4 year, 46000 mi service agreement available non-BMW)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/550i-...item5d2e2ca7b6
#4: 2005 545i - 75K miles ($3000 - 4 year, unlimited mi service agreement available non-BMW)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT
i kind of like #4 the best appearance wise but if i could get the 06 for a reasonable price id do it. Im nervous about the light color carpet in # 3 and #1 though i can see myself getting those too dirty to ever get clean again. also it looks like #4 may have an illegal amount of tint for NY...any opinions on that?
Reliability is key - and thats what has me nervous on the 04 - I feel like of all the years 04 seems to have the most bad blood.
if someone could give me an idea of what to offer pre-tax on each of these cars assuming they're in great shape at the test drive id appreciate it a whole lot. and should i just get the cheapest one, no service plan and take the 5-6k savings and use that as a maintainence flex account maybe?
#1: 2004 - 545i - 56K miles
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-5...fCarsQ5fTrucks
#2: 2005 - 545i - 82K miles - ($3500 - 4 year, 46000 mi service agreement available non-BMW)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-5...fCarsQ5fTrucks
#3: 2006 - 545i - 56K miles - ($3500 - 4 year, 46000 mi service agreement available non-BMW)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/550i-...item5d2e2ca7b6
#4: 2005 545i - 75K miles ($3000 - 4 year, unlimited mi service agreement available non-BMW)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT
i kind of like #4 the best appearance wise but if i could get the 06 for a reasonable price id do it. Im nervous about the light color carpet in # 3 and #1 though i can see myself getting those too dirty to ever get clean again. also it looks like #4 may have an illegal amount of tint for NY...any opinions on that?
Reliability is key - and thats what has me nervous on the 04 - I feel like of all the years 04 seems to have the most bad blood.
if someone could give me an idea of what to offer pre-tax on each of these cars assuming they're in great shape at the test drive id appreciate it a whole lot. and should i just get the cheapest one, no service plan and take the 5-6k savings and use that as a maintainence flex account maybe?
04-08-2011, 06:25 AM
#27
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My Ride: 2005 545i Sport 6 speed Manual
two reasons: i paid 26k for it, bet its worth 15k now, and i am too honest to sell it to somebody knowing what a pos it is. could trade it in at the dealer, but they would give me 1/2 what i paid. so i'm stuck with it i guess.
Dude, you're doing the same thing to him that you said happened to you. Like I've said before, it all depends on the indivdual car that you buy. You've had a bad experience but many others have had great experiences. The same could be said for any other car. I saw a post from earlier where you said you paid cash for the car. If you paid cash why don't you just sell the car, if you dont even enjoy driving it?
04-08-2011, 06:56 AM
#28
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My Ride: ///M5 BEAST
Model Year: 2006
if i were in your shoes...i wouldnt buy any of those four. none of them stand out to me as a particularly good deal to be honest. but here is perhaps some more useful advice, you should really check out the classifieds section of this forum. one thing i would have done differently is bought my car off this forum...great deals and people who really care about their cars can be found on this forum. given the criteria that youve provided, i did a five min search and found two awesome deals that might work out for you man. good luck!
https://5series.net/forums/topic/111...-cpoext-maint/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/110320-fs-2004-545-i/
either one of these id jump on immediately!
https://5series.net/forums/topic/111...-cpoext-maint/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/110320-fs-2004-545-i/
either one of these id jump on immediately!
04-08-2011, 07:35 AM
#29
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if i were in your shoes...i wouldnt buy any of those four. none of them stand out to me as a particularly good deal to be honest. but here is perhaps some more useful advice, you should really check out the classifieds section of this forum. one thing i would have done differently is bought my car off this forum...great deals and people who really care about their cars can be found on this forum. given the criteria that youve provided, i did a five min search and found two awesome deals that might work out for you man. good luck!
https://5series.net/forums/topic/111...-cpoext-maint/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/110320-fs-2004-545-i/
either one of these id jump on immediately!
https://5series.net/forums/topic/111...-cpoext-maint/
https://5series.net/forums/topic/110320-fs-2004-545-i/
either one of these id jump on immediately!
i want to make it clear again that im not broke or toeing the line with this purchase, ive done my homework on car prices and everything and this is way lower than what i can afford - im just trying to do very very thorough research on the V8 e60's because i come in my ants a little when i think about pushing one.
that seems like a bold statement... why are the ones on this forum any better than the ones ive been looking at? mileage/year:
rice ratio seems even a little higher here on the forums. I feel like its a complete toss up - just because someone is a member of this forum doesnt mean they arent going to lie about a used car, id actually expect a car on these forums to have been driven HARDER than just some random 545/550 but i guess im the one asking questions so how can i sit here and scoff your answer.but the 04' is pre march - isnt that a warning flag? and the 06 has 77k miles on it... thats considerably high for a $26k ask... i do appreciate that they are manual instead of automatic, but unless im actually adding RELIABILITY to the car by going manual i could care less
id also like to reiterate that im not in a financial pinch by any means, i could probably afford 8K a year on maintainence for this thing... do i want to pay that? shit no. Im just very "thorough" when i do stuff like this and want to make sure that i have the absolute best information before i make a move. and if that best information is "dont buy one" then fucking-a looks like i dont get one.
well for the 06 550i w/ 77k miles...its currently listed for 22k...which given its condition and the add ons seems like a nice price (maybe even a bit negotiable if youre good at it) i thought it would be a good alternative to the #4 choice that you said was the leader of the pack...that car has 75k miles and is/was going for 19k...very close imo esp if you are good at negotiating.
as far as buying something from a user here on the forum...many of us are very active...hell u can search threads people have posted about their cars for years/months back and see what issues they may have had, what upgrades they may have had, how they treated their car, etc. you can just get a little more info about the history of the car (potentially). beyond that, i prefer personal car deals as opposed to the dealer exp when possible. its easier to get a better price that way. and if u ask me, unless its a BMW certified pre-owned w/ the extra long BMW warranty, you will run into the same amount of lies & treachery from a personal seller than some ebay dealer across the state or country imo.
good luck either way!
as far as buying something from a user here on the forum...many of us are very active...hell u can search threads people have posted about their cars for years/months back and see what issues they may have had, what upgrades they may have had, how they treated their car, etc. you can just get a little more info about the history of the car (potentially). beyond that, i prefer personal car deals as opposed to the dealer exp when possible. its easier to get a better price that way. and if u ask me, unless its a BMW certified pre-owned w/ the extra long BMW warranty, you will run into the same amount of lies & treachery from a personal seller than some ebay dealer across the state or country imo.
good luck either way!
thanks for the help!
04-08-2011, 07:50 AM
#30
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My Ride: ///M5 BEAST
Model Year: 2006
well for the 06 550i w/ 77k miles...its currently listed for 22k...which given its condition and the add ons seems like a nice price (maybe even a bit negotiable if youre good at it) i thought it would be a good alternative to the #4 choice that you said was the leader of the pack...that car has 75k miles and is/was going for 19k...very close imo esp if you are good at negotiating.
as far as buying something from a user here on the forum...many of us are very active...hell u can search threads people have posted about their cars for years/months back and see what issues they may have had, what upgrades they may have had, how they treated their car, etc. you can just get a little more info about the history of the car (potentially). beyond that, i prefer personal car deals as opposed to the dealer exp when possible. its easier to get a better price that way. and if u ask me, unless its a BMW certified pre-owned w/ the extra long BMW warranty, you will run into the same amount of lies & treachery from a personal seller than some ebay dealer across the state or country imo.
good luck either way!
as far as buying something from a user here on the forum...many of us are very active...hell u can search threads people have posted about their cars for years/months back and see what issues they may have had, what upgrades they may have had, how they treated their car, etc. you can just get a little more info about the history of the car (potentially). beyond that, i prefer personal car deals as opposed to the dealer exp when possible. its easier to get a better price that way. and if u ask me, unless its a BMW certified pre-owned w/ the extra long BMW warranty, you will run into the same amount of lies & treachery from a personal seller than some ebay dealer across the state or country imo.
good luck either way!