"Friend" is thinkin about picking up an 04 545i as a daily...
this particular model has 75K on it & couple of aftermarket items. the body is mint, everything seems to run well and solid. it is a cpo car so that takes all the worries away.
what are peoples thoughts on this car? reliability? performance? winter performance with good winter tires?
any and all opinions would be great! thanks all!
Aj
"Friend" is thinkin about picking up an 04 545i as a daily...
this particular model has 75K on it & couple of aftermarket items. the body is mint, everything seems to run well and solid. it is a cpo car so that takes all the worries away.
what are peoples thoughts on this car? reliability? performance? winter performance with good winter tires?
any and all opinions would be great! thanks all!
Aj
I have driven one but I honestly don't have a lot of experience with them. That being said, I'm confident that I can answer some of your questions...
Performance: Good
Reliability: Bad, and expensive to fix
Winter performance: Below average
I have never owned a V8 BMW, so take this with a grain of salt, but I have heard that some BMW V8's are prone to head gasket issues. The I6 isn't a hot rod, but IIRC you can get the 535i which is bi-turbo charged. May be worth a look.
My wife and I drove an '04 530i a couple weeks ago, and for a car with 75,000 miles we were amazed. The interior really holds up well in those cars.
i have a 2005 530i and i love the car. just about to hit 60k miles. no warranty. all services done at reeves bmw and never had any issues with the car. the e60 is a very reliable car. why not go to a bmw forum and read what people have said. everyone thinks the bmw is a unreliable car but its not. the 7 series i would never own but the 5series is a great car. im actually selling mine i need a bigger car/suv mines black/black. 20inch wheels. other then that stock for 20,000$ slammedburban22s@aol.com
Don't own a used BMW without a warranty. I have a 97 540i and so far I've gone through 2 radiators, 5 or 6 window regulators, a water pump, dashboard LCD, power steering hose, valve cover gaskets, cam position sensor, oil pressure sensor, a set of catalytic converters and a few other things I forgot. Brake jobs are expensive because you have to replace the rotors every other time. The car leaks oil from the front main seal and the transmission pauses for a second before going into reverse. Some of the interior trim is falling off, the cupholders have broken and the glovebox is locked and won't open anymore with my key. My FM part of the radio stopped working a few years ago and my A/C fan sometimes doesn't turn on. However when it is running right the car feels great on the road. At least get an aftermarket extended warranty to help defray some of the costs. Did I mention parts are EXPENSIVE? For a while it seemed like every time my car needed a repair the bill was $1000. And this was my 50th post. I'm not a junior member anymore!!!
I had a 5-er as DD before buying my vette.
Test-drove the 545 and wasnŽt convinced - the engine lacked some punch IMHO. (I went for the Biturbo diesel - chipped - with some 310+ hp...man, talk about torque ).
For 3 years and some 50k mls no probs - good handling in the dry, nice interior, EXCELLENT seats....about average in the wet and no traction at all on snow ( and I had VERY good winter tires!). So if your friend lives in a snowy area IŽd look elsewhere.
Location: City of Angels Socialist Republic of Kah-Li-Fohnia
We have always owned at least one BMW in our garage and currently have one, but I have to echo the above comments: stay away. Apart from the fact that all BMWs are VERY expensive to repair, the E60 in particular seems to have numerous electrical issues and the BMW V8s are known to have recurring $1,500+ repairs due to the tight packaging of the engine and manifold warpage problems etc. etc. Then there is the infuriating POS "I-drive" interface.
My mom has an 08 528i and it has already left her stranded several times with DBS-type problems. The prior-gen 5er in a 6cyl would be OK and a lot cheaper. Otherwise, the current 3 series reliability is good and the interior is not much tighter than the 5. What you gain mainly with the 5 is trunk space.
All that said, an E60 with a sport package is an amazing-handling car. That is most of the reason they get away with the other crap.
Let me tell a little story about my ex girlfriend and her bimmer. I'm sure not all BMWs are nearly this bad, but most really are unrealiable in my experience. Her dad bought her a brand new 3 series when she was 16. After she had it for about it year, and after it had been in the shop several times, the horn started blowing at a stop light. The the guy in a pickup in front of her got out to yell at her, but he felt sorry for her when he saw her situation. She drove it to the nearest service station with the horn blairing, and couldn't even get the car to shut off. She took key out of the ignition and it kept running with the horn still on as well. She ran inside to ask for assistance by anyone that could help. While she was talking to a mechaninic, the 3 series burst into flames and burned to the ground. I promise this is a true story. Stay away from those bimmers!
Corvette Store
thoughts on bmw 5 series?
).
