Is the sports package a must?

530i non sport is boring
530i sport is sexy

Originally Posted by mhw58

Now a guy has a 2002 525 in my area for sale, black on black which I want and it is in great shape and has the sports package. I wanted a 530 so now have to think about whether I want the 525 or not. 30 less horsepower compared to the 530, are the maintenance costs much less. Any advantage to the 525, seems it gets about the same gas mileage as the 530. Should I hold out for a 530?

Wait for the 530 like others have said, no real difference in maintenance between the two, but the extra power is worth the wait.

Wait for the exact car you are looking for, or you will regret it. trust me if you get a 5 spd 530i sport you will fall in love with the car. I love my car to death, i looked for this exact car for about a yr. sterling gey 2003 530i with sports and black interior, i wanted the manual but when i sat in this car and i saw the shades and how sexy the car looked i know that if i walked away from it i wouldnt find another one so i got it. and if this car was a 1000 miles away i would have drove for it. trust me taking a weekend to go get an amazing car like this is more than worth it.

I spent more than 7 month searching, studying and learning about the E39 and then went and test drove more than 50, and between the ones that have Sport package and the ones without I settled for the one with the Sport package and I am glad I did. So get one with the Sport package, you will be glad you did. Good luck! Cheers to you all E39 Owners!!!

Originally Posted by MikesE39

Wait for the exact car you are looking for, or you will regret it. trust me if you get a 5 spd 530i sport you will fall in love with the car. I love my car to death, i looked for this exact car for about a yr. sterling gey 2003 530i with sports and black interior, i wanted the manual but when i sat in this car and i saw the shades and how sexy the car looked i know that if i walked away from it i wouldnt find another one so i got it. and if this car was a 1000 miles away i would have drove for it. trust me taking a weekend to go get an amazing car like this is more than worth it.

Gorgeous car! Great advice, I am turning this search into a fun one. I'm only 2 hours from San Francisco and 6 miles north of LA so I'm sure I can find what I am looking for. SF has a 2002 black on black 540 with a manual transmission but I'm not sure I want the V8. Plus this car doesn't seem to have a lot of maintenance records and it has 125,000 miles so that scares me. I think the 530 is a better bet. Sounds like the 540 doesn't handle as well as the 530

Keep looking the 530 is great and the sport is a huge plus.

Originally Posted by mhw58

Gorgeous car! Great advice, I am turning this search into a fun one. I'm only 2 hours from San Francisco and 6 miles north of LA so I'm sure I can find what I am looking for. SF has a 2002 black on black 540 with a manual transmission but I'm not sure I want the V8. Plus this car doesn't seem to have a lot of maintenance records and it has 125,000 miles so that scares me. I think the 530 is a better bet. Sounds like the 540 doesn't handle as well as the 530

I would at least drive a 540 to compare to the 530 you are looking at. The change in power is more noticable than on paper. Also the repair costs are really not all that different. The only big things I can think of that I have done that you wouldn't have on a 530 would be the valley pan gasket. Other than that the costs are about the same. As to the sport package there are enough cars out there with them and they don't really sell for much more than a non-sport. In the 540 the norm seems to have been a 6 speed (of which all were sports).

it deppends on what you want in a car also... a 530i is powerful enough for me and more powerful than most of the cars on the road, but if you want an absolute beast you want a 540i. cost and maintianance is going to be the same. the only diff will be the gas milage. But that also depends on your driving style, for example my car is supposed to avg around 22 MPGS, but i get allot less than that because i drive crazy and race all the time. but it can also get good gas milage if you drive it like its supposed to be driven, for example i made 475 Mile trip on one tank.

People here say 525/528 engine is too weak to push a 5-series body. 540 can become a money pit b/c of the V8. A 530 is a good middle ground. 540 vs. 528:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1853902

Originally Posted by mhw58

Now a guy has a 2002 525 in my area for sale, black on black which I want and it is in great shape and has the sports package. I wanted a 530 so now have to think about whether I want the 525 or not. 30 less horsepower compared to the 530, are the maintenance costs much less. Any advantage to the 525, seems it gets about the same gas mileage as the 530. Should I hold out for a 530?

In my part of the world BMW's hold their value (price) longer. I got mine about 4 years ago and I thought I got a good deal. Yes, it's the lowly 525 BUT it has a 5 speed. I'd rather have that than an auto-tragic any day. I got a smoking deal on Epay on a set of 42's with excellent tread left. When i need to I'll change to sport struts/springs and I got the springs and sway bars off a member on another forum. I would like the 530 but trying to get one with a 5 speed around here is rather difficult. So in short (LOL) get a manual tranny! And in my opinion the sport steeering wheel looks goofy.

"I'm only 2 hours from San Francisco and 6 miles north of LA ...":

You must drive like hell to get to SF in 2 hours if you are only 6 miles north of LA!

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Incredible car. Handles, looks, works--all great!

I could probably think up 530 reasons to go Sport....

Originally Posted by mhw58

Thanks for all the good advice! I think I will wait for a 530 and expand my search further. Can't make my mind up about a manual or automatic transmission also. I haven't driven a manual for years but the thought sounds fun.

Wait for a manual. I have an auto and while it's a perfectly good car, I've been test driving manuals and they are a total hoot. It's a change from a sedan to a sport sedan.