I enjoy reading the articles on the BMW CCA wesites. My 2003 530i handles better than all my previous cars. I'm a BMW owner for life, and I think it is going to cost a fortune...
Great car! Great car! The peak of automotive design and balance. (Though I might be slightly biased.) Be sure to join the e39 board.
Walt- Your comments about cost are well taken. In my view, however, when one compares the quality built in pre-2004 plus what's coming out of the factory now, I'd rather put good money into good. Better in the long run. With the euro escallating so much against the US$, its difficult to rationalize maintaining excellance with current production. The Z4 is heading back because of quality issues here. How they can make it in Munich without costing 60K+ per car is beyond me
I'm a BMW 2003 530 Owner for about a year now! My first BMW, I love it. Spent about $1800 on repairs so far, not including regular maintenance, but the car is very much worth it!...And I have an awesome extended warranty... To keep it real, when my warranty expires it's time to get a new BMW. But I'm loving this one until then.
Good luck with the 530. Sounds like you bought certified; another 2 years and to 100K. They destroyed the 5 series in that awful 04 redesign. My 02 if off waranty but unable to find another Bimmer any better. The later models don't seen same quality or ride. Looked at 06+ 3's and Z. Every one I test drove had run flats. Harsh ride in addition to quick wear, damage, and poor road tracking reports. What did you spend $1800 on?
$1800 1.) SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL 2.) ECU MODULE 3.) STARTER.....Tomorrow, I will be dropping the car off to the dealership to check out the torque converter. It's slipping at high speeds...I love the car though. Run flats are bad huh? Didn't know that. By the way, I didn't buy certified. Got a 3rd party AA warranty. That have been good to me so far. I got my 530 $6000 less than book value at the time, so I can't really complain about the repair costs.
