Just said goodbye to my 06 wagon. 95,000 miles

Some observations...I've had several BMW and Mercedes Wagons and SUV's, as well as GM trucks and SUV's and two Ricers...

Overall quality on the 530 xi is average. After going thru the car and detailing it one last time for the new owner, I noticed the interior finishes have worn much more than other cars...This had primarily long distance highway miles, but the "rubbery" interior texture, plastic trims and the carpet, leather (especially on the doors) is very worn. As a comparison I have a 2004 chevy suburban (98K mile) with leather...the interior is still in very good shape and not much in the way of worn interior finishes

exterior also, has not aged well...The rubber and black trim are very worn and faded, and the car was kept in a garage most of its life...The paint seems thin and BMW would not honor a defect in the clearcoat paint on the roof of the car, so I had it repainted

Overall just not the condition I would expect a luxury car should be in.

Mechanicals...

had several issues...Water pump, radiator, ac compressor/blower motor, starter, replaced sunroof cassette...Still had leaks...Overall, the car performed mechanically well.


Driving impression - can not be beat...This is what I will miss most. Took it out on my favorite roads (not many good twisty roads here in Florida to drive, but enough...)After 6 years and 95,000 miles the car is still very tight and handled well. No rattles or squeeks, just solid performance!

Now on the hunt for something new. I may be back to MB (perhaps a used AMG wagon) or Audi. Maybe BMW will bring back the new wagon some day.

 

How many hurricanes has the car witnessed??? Maybe the sunshine state with the excessive heat, salty air and dry/humid weather took a toll on the car.

I do agree with you whereby the E61 is not the best quality interior, BMW have realized this and the F10 is a major step up. German cars are pricier to maintain, period...whether it is a BMW, Audi or MB.

Best of luck in finding a replacement, let us know what you get and stay in touch...

 

Bummer with the issues you had... There's a few used AMG wagons on Autotrader, one is an 2009 even, with 34,000 miles for $50,000. =)

Check it out

Or a 2006 with 40,000 miles for $45,000.

Here

Good luck. The 2011 E wagon looks nice, has those cool built in seats in the trunk, though the 2012 has the nicer / more powerful engine, but I doubt you'd find a used one of those already, and I'm personally not going to pay for a new one, it's out of my budget.

You might find a nice 1/2 year old A6 Avant too, very rare though. 6 for sale in all of US right now on Autotrader.

 

I like that 2006 AMG...I may need to check on it, although it would be nice to find one a bit closer...Its about as fat from Florida as you can get and still be in the 48 states...

I also looked at the Audi, Nice interior but i did not like the exterior looks...Big heavy car and I do not need the AWD

Going to miss BMW for a while. Hope they bring the F11 here

 

If you do go after the 06, be very diligent. I've had some not so good dealings with them having misrepresented vehicle specifics in the past. Like one guy telling me on the phone he's the second owner, then the local dealership who sold it originally confirmed 3 prior. Also, listing things like "original miles" as if to imply only one owner. Like what the heck is the opposite of "original" miles?

A friend passed on a new Aston Martin with them due to similar bad vibes.

My take on them, it's like the stereotypical "used car lot" except they have higher end cars.

Just be careful.

 

For only $5,000 more, it would be a no brainer to me to get the 2009 model, no? With slightly less miles too...

 

i just had water pump and thermostat go out as well... in Nevada desert. was a $1300 repair... is this a common issue? is it related in any way to the injector/turbo issues related to the lawsuit which could be covered by BMW?

thanks for any info... sorry for threadjack.

 

what the hell are you doing in Nevada. I didn't know anybody else actually used these cars to travel very far

I don't remember your year/purchase info but is yours under warranty? I'd expect those items to be covered

 

I guess it's because you Americans drive the cars too slowly. I've had 95.000 miles with just one electronical and one mechanical problem!! Just 1!! One of the antennes of the key-less go broke down and the AFS unit was replaced under guarantee.

We drive our cars probably way faster with the German Autobahn next door I mean, mine was limited to 250 km/h and I drive it that fast on a regular basis. Afterwards the car feels a lot better, so it some needs to go flat out

I got it remapped recently, so 270 to 280 km/h should be the next experience with a diesel

I don't know what cwickberg is doing in his Bimmer (and probably don't want to either), but the interior is in perfect shape. No wearing at all, both inside and outside! Still with the original paint, actually the car is completely original, except for the remapping!

I guess you just had some bad luck with this one, and I should complain to the customer service in München of BMW America. They should have solved the problems, at least that's what they do in the Netherlands, even on a used car!

 

I'd definitely have to attribute some of the wear and tear on the vehicle to the harsh Florida climate. SUPER hot and humid, mixed with saline air = big trouble with these cars. Overall though, the BMW interiors do not hold up - especially after a lot of exposure to heat and sunlight. I am going to have mine redone in the next 12 months.

The reality you have to face with these cars is if you want them to hold up and run like they are intended to - as performance driving machines - you have to put $$$ in to them. If you want something that will hold up and you don't have to do a lot of upkeep, buy a Lexus. Or, just keep leasing new BMW's.

The biggest takeaway to me though is that the driving experience of the BMW cannot be beat.
If I had not purchased the 535xi, I would have gone with the Audi A4 Wagon - it's gorgeous, functional, quick, and yet... a little too small