purchase advice out of warranty 530xi Hello, I'm considering the purchase of an '07 530xi with every option. The vehicle has 67,000 miles and is out of warranty. Any advice on possible cost of repairs or what to look for? Also if this was a prior CPO can this warranty be continued to a new owner?
Will need more information. A lot of factors affect the cost of repairs Repair costs depend on what type of repair it is, simplicity or complexity of the repair, and in no small way, up on the skill set and experience of the technician doing the service. Don't forget that the cost of the parts plays a big role in repair costs. Repair costs and parts cost do not go down with the vehicle's value (I own a 23 year old V12 7-series -- ask me how I know). You can reduce repair costs by learning to do your own servicing, as well as purchasing your own tools and a Bentley service manual. Also, seek out independent service technicians who are a lot less likely to charge you an arm and a leg for repair work, as long as they're competent and certified to work on your vehicle. If this is out of the question for you, it's adviseable that you reconsider purchasing an out of warranty vehicle and either purchase a new vehicle, or a CPO with a recertified CPO warranty
BC - Thanks for the sage advice. I wrench a little on my M coupe and know a good independent shop to take it to if the repair is over my head. I'm thinking that these E60s though have sensitive and complicated electornics that only the a BMW dealer will be equiped to diagnose and repair. I see posts about the '04 models having some teething problems with electronics and I'm just wondering if by '07 these had been worked out and if not what should I expect. Also I wonder if aside from possible electronic woes if there are other common gremlins lurking in this model? Any thoughts from fellow memebers is greatly appreciated.
General rule of thumb is to consider the LCI mid-lifecycle update models .........if you want to avoid bugs or buy the more refined models. The 2008 models are considered to be the LCI model year for the E60, not the 2007 models. The E60 was produced from model year 2004 through model year 2010. I have two questions: Does it HAVE to be an E60? The preceding E39 model is considered by some to be more attractive than the E60, and has many of the same basic comfort features, such as navigation and bluetooth support. Also, it's somewhat simpler mechanically and electronically. While these are a lot less likely to be under a manufacturer warranty than an E60, it's also likely to be less expensive to acquire and maintain. An E39 530i is comfortable, sporty, and economical to run. The E39's LCI was model year 2001. Also, does your vehicle have to have all wheel drive? While the E39's didn't offer all wheel drive, the E46 3-series did, in nearly every bodystyle. If you're willing to bite the bullet on the increased mechanical complexity and expense of owning an all wheel drive vehicle, an E46 offers nearly all of the same advantages as the E39, albeit in a slightly more compact package. The E46's LCI was officially 2004, although several running changes and refinements were made on the 2003.5 cars as well. I'm not sure what your transmission choice is, but it's advised that you skip the E46 if you prefer a conventional automatic gearbox, as the GM-sourced automatic transmissions are known to be somewhat failure prone.
BC thanks again I'm glad you're here and appreciate your thoughtrs. just to explain my situation a little better - I live in upstate NY, the home of lake effect snow. I also drive 180 miles round trip to the office every day. So I'm really leaning towards AWD. I have a grown family so I would like the bigger vehicle and I really like the idea of the 255 hp 530 vs the '08 528's 225. Lastly I did the M school last year and personnally thought the M5 was the best of the three vehcles tested so I'm trying to capture a little of that. I further need a bargain and for a 16K difference 530 vs 535 Is huge to me but don't want to break the bank with repairs. Hence the questions. thanks again. Joe
One more option to consider Have you considered the BMW E90 3-series 4-door sedans? The 2009 model LCI E90 328xi was offered in all wheel drive format. It's also a fairly nice sized vehicle for your needs, and has a reputation for being pretty surefooted in the snow. Best of all, depreciation has taken a two year bite out of its value, so you could probably pick one up for a good price.
that's my next choice but in that vein I'd be looking at a 335 and could use it at the track instead of the coupe. (not that you couldn't use any bmw at the track) So many options and desired outcomes makes it difficult. So generally I jsut see what happens on the local dealer lots and unfortunatley not a lot of sport package equipped models make it here. Hence this high mileage 530Xi shows up which seems to meet most of my criteria and was I just wondering if it's more of money pit than it appears. BC thanks for you time. 0 but
The CPO warranty goes with the car. No charge to transfer, it just continues. The E60 has its own set of issues but it's an anvil of a car compared to an E39. A solid billet of a car that will out-handle an E39 and an F10. I'd look for one myself, but only with a manual transmission. That's just me! Not sure I wouldn't choose a good RWD version with a set of winter tires on a second set of wheels, even where you live, because I prefer the handling in good weather of the RWD to the AWD. I often told my wife she could put on my tombstone, "He never owned a BMW that started with the number 3. " (Unless it was built before 1940!) IMHO, of course.
Mike is a bit of a Luddite who still thinks a '91 318i is a great car. We don't agree on everything. I like Mike. I edited his tech suggestions for ten years. Time marches on. Mike bought a new BMW and I have much more respect for an E90 than his E46. Same goes for the E60 compared to the E39. To each their own. Let's get some perspective. Us 5-series guys all loved the E28. Many of us still do. Simple, light, no power, but what an improvement over the E12! We always think of them as dependable and easy to fix. Even after three instrument panel circuit boards, five ECUs, two oil pumps, sunroofs that don't know where to stop, and innumerable control arm bushings and diff mounts. We tend to forget how fragile the old stuff really was. I loved my E28 but my E34 has already done the same mileage with none of the drama. If your criteria for a good BMW is the ability to do 200,000 miles with no repairs, none of them will do that. No car will. But a newer one will do it better than an older one, even if they have ten-times the airbags and electric motors and carry enough bogus electronics to sink a battleship-just to satisfy government standards. History will remember the E60 as a great BMW. Drive an E60 M5 if you don't believe it. Could be the last real driver's 5-series we'll ever see. In all fairness, Mike Miller can't begin to do the job he loves in only 3.5 pages each issue. Let your board members know you want your Roundel pages back! Seven pages of a Z8 tour; think how much Tech Talk could have fit in just that fuzzy rainbow two-page opening shot? Seven more pages with an X5M on tour. Five more on a MINI SAV. (And only three for ViV???) Five more for Jeremy's annual drive in his old Six. Two (2!!) articles with Corvettes? Tell 'em you want more Tech Talk!!
In defense of older, out of warranty cars. First of all, I second Mike Miller's opinion of the newer cars. I'm only 41 years old, but my affection for "older cars" built before 1996 exceeds any interest I have in BMW's made after that period. My 750iL has a level of technical complexity that, I am "told," scares most BMW service techs. A lot of fear is, I feel, irrational, considering that modern cars are just as complex if not more so than my 750. Case in point, is that I bought my 750iL when it was already an 18 year old vehicle. I flew to Jacksonville, Florida from Dallas, TX to purchase this car's stablemate, a blue 1988 735i. As it turns out, the 735i was not ready for sale, but the 750iL was. I bought the 750iL, and proceeded to put another 1,000 miles on it just getting it home. Since that time, I then put another 8,000 miles on this vehicle before I was dumb enough to use an incompatible tool to try and reset the SRS light, which wound up killing the ignition and temporarily retiring it from the road until I can fully sort out its bugs. This car WILL be back on the road. I'd say that if you can't afford to tote a new car note, consider paying cash for one of these older cars, and use the funds to bring the car's maintenance up to date. Since buying this car more than five years ago, I can definitely say I am in love with the E32 7-series. I even found an immensely supportive and helpful hobbyist group devoted to these cars on bimmerboards.com. Another point in my particular car's favor is that its date of manufacture preceded BMW's globalization drive, in an age when BMW's were real German cars, and not the over-plasticized, overteched vehicles they are now. The E30's and E28's reputations for being perhaps the most rock solid BMW's ever made is well deserved. Just my $20.02
CCA1 Thanks I know where your coming from I agree that more tech in the mag would be better but I assume that CCA needs to promote and give props to Big BMW to get whatever funding or access they get. So I understand that. I am surprised at how objective the articles are though and appreciate those. BTW I did dirve an M5 at M school and thought it was the best vehicle offered. It's actaully why I'd like an E60 to begin with. I'm really just hoping for input on what specific bugs I'd run into and end up possibly paying for. Thanks again for your time.
BC - I also apreciate the points your making. I like my E36/8 for just the same reasons you state. I can actually do most of the maintenance, diagnosis and repair work myself. Further as you know a well kept older vehicle is a rarity. When I'm commuting to work I see many E60s but rarely a Z-3. I only sparingly use mine for the daily commute. When I do and come across another Z-3 there's always big grins and waves involved. Best regards. - Joe
Are you telling me your complete experience with your E32 is based on 9,000 miles over five years and the car is currently inoperable? I've owned BMWs since 1971. Driven E28s since they were new, sold 2002s when they were current model cars, drove the first E34 at our dealership and currently own one of the last E34s built. I've sold all of them in my job and the E34 is the most dependable of the bunch and mine is driven daily and currently has 185,000 miles on it. I drove the first E60 and wrote the first Roundel article about it. If anyone wants to take your limited experience as a useful metric, then more power to them. Many things improve with each new model. Many get more complicated. I remember when the first electronic fuel-injected BMWs hit the market and everyone said that was the end of the dependable user-serviceable BMWs. We made it through that and I'd still take a new car over many older ones. That's just me though.
Limited experience? I've owned and driven BMW's since 2001! Since when is BMW ownership your own personal p*ssing contest? If this is what collective years of BMW ownership does to your social skills, I want no part of that "experience." Some of us are trying to move BMW out of the shadow of its "snob" reputation. Apparently you didn't get the memo. Thanks for setting polite owners more than two steps back, and giving the rest of us a reason to continue fearing getting our doors keyed. Looks like we're going to have to keep that touch up paint with us for a while longer, people. Thank you for making sure BMW owners continue to look like jerks to rest of America. Even to our fellow owners.
Nothing of the sort going on here. The Club has always provided the best BMW information for its members from qualified people with some actual credentials. With the advent of the Club's sticking its collective toe into on-line forums comes the possibility that good advice will be mixed with bad. It's inevitable that informed opinions and advice from experience and empirical evidence will be countered with opinions, prejudice, and misinformation. I come to this forum because I love the Club (not always those who run it) and want Scott Blazey's vision of the Club being the "premier Internet portal for all things BMW" to get a shot at realization. We've got a long way to go. I can't control the contributions from those who don't have a clue what they're talking about and choose to endlessly prove it here. But I can call BS when I see it. Even when they excuse their ignorance with a sig line in support of free speech and then accuse others of some elitist agenda. Do you even own a helmet? Constantly repeating your own prejudice without experience to back it up doesn't make it true. Sometimes listening to others without trying to monopolize the conversation enables us to actually learn. Listening is a skill. Talking, for some, seems to be an autonomic response. Take a deep breath. And put on that helmet.
Joey, you're just a whiner who can't keep politics out of a car forum. Actually this helmet comes in pretty handy. You should try one. By the way, in case you didn't notice, SIX people DIED as a result of the toxic political hostility in this country last week. If that's the sort of homicidal tendencies you want to associate with your toxic politics, take it elsewhere.
Not to cause you to continue to respond and, as they say, "remove all doubt" but what did Joey do and where are the politics in this thread to which you refer?
