Hi, I'm new in this forum as I never own a BMW before.
I'm interested to buy a used BMW 530i, and I saw one that I like. The condition of the interior is good, body panels are good, and the engine didn't emit weird sounds, so I'm guessing the engine is in good condition. I checked with the local BMW dealership for the service history of this car, and the service advisor told me that the car is in good condition as its maintained regularly. However, there was an engine overhaul on the record because of water damage. The car has been driven over a big water puddle, and some water has been sucked up into the engine. He confirmed the water did not enter the cabin, and the damage has been repaired and there wasn't any other problem since then. (this occured about a year ago).
Although the service advisor told me that the car is in good condition now, I'm having doubts whether to buy this car or not, as I'm worried if there will be problems in the future that connected to this damage. On the other hand, it is rather hard to find a used, 5 year old 530i with this condition. (interior and body)
Tough call. Water can wreck all kinds of havoc, but if it was overhauled correctly and no electrical things got wet, then it should be okay. Was it overhauled by a BMW mechanic? The dealership you spoke with seems to know a lot about the car, was it repaired by them and is it for sale by them? Is it a good price? How many miles total on the vehicle and how many miles since the overhaul? I'd have it thoroughly checked out by a BMW mechanic for any mechanical abnormalities and for signs of other water damage. Run a Carfax on it. You certainly don't want to buy a car that was ever in a flood (e.g., Katrina).
The E39 530i is arguably the best car on the planet. Good luck!
Tough call. Water can wreck all kinds of havoc, but if it was overhauled correctly and no electrical things got wet, then it should be okay. Was it overhauled by a BMW mechanic? The dealership you spoke with seems to know a lot about the car, was it repaired by them and is it for sale by them? Is it a good price? How many miles total on the vehicle and how many miles since the overhaul? I'd have it thoroughly checked out by a BMW mechanic for any mechanical abnormalities and for signs of other water damage. Run a Carfax on it. You certainly don't want to buy a car that was ever in a flood (e.g., Katrina).
The E39 530i is arguably the best car on the planet. Good luck!
The car is for sale by a private owner, the dealer i spoke to is the one who maintain the car (its an authorized BMW dealer). The price is actually slightly below the market price, but not by much. it has 60,000 km on it (about 37,300 miles).
Unfortunately, we don't have carfax here.. the best we have is service history from the BMW authorized dealer. I sure wish we have carfax here like you guys do, I used to live in canada, and carfax helped me a lot in finding a used car.
m5next : do you know how much approximately the new engine will be? (ballpark?).. that is actually a good idea if the new engine is not so expensive..
Hi, I'm new in this forum as I never own a BMW before.
I'm interested to buy a used BMW 530i, and I saw one that I like. The condition of the interior is good, body panels are good, and the engine didn't emit weird sounds, so I'm guessing the engine is in good condition. I checked with the local BMW dealership for the service history of this car, and the service advisor told me that the car is in good condition as its maintained regularly. However, there was an engine overhaul on the record because of water damage. The car has been driven over a big water puddle, and some water has been sucked up into the engine. He confirmed the water did not enter the cabin, and the damage has been repaired and there wasn't any other problem since then. (this occured about a year ago).
Although the service advisor told me that the car is in good condition now, I'm having doubts whether to buy this car or not, as I'm worried if there will be problems in the future that connected to this damage. On the other hand, it is rather hard to find a used, 5 year old 530i with this condition. (interior and body)
I agree. There are lots and lots of 530s out there, and few of them have issues like this one. Keep looking and be patient. BMWs make good used cars, but you have to be careful. Keep checking the records like you're doing. You'll find the gem you're looking for eventually.
I wouldn't buy it. Plenty of E39s out there in great condition. Just check out all of the forum boards and you will see them. So skip it and keep looking for one that didn't take a bath in the Katrina hurricane.
I think I better wait for the other one. There was other 2 530i, one is 01, and the other is 03 model, but they are both in another town. I'll check on those and see if they are any good.
Another question guys, as I never own a BMW before, does this car reliable? particularly the E39? I would have to dig in deeper into this forum and see the problems you guys have. I hope this car doesn't have a serious reability issues, as I'm in love with the car already.. hehe
Another question guys, as I never own a BMW before, does this car reliable? particularly the E39? I would have to dig in deeper into this forum and see the problems you guys have. I hope this car doesn't have a serious reability issues, as I'm in love with the car already.. hehe
The only reliability issue that comes to mind is that the radiator, water pump and thermostat are the weak links in this otherwise very reliable car. Expect to replace them at around 60K miles. Also, get a manual transmission if possible; automatic trannys have been known to become problematic at around 80 - 100K miles. Also, like many cars today, you might experience occasional electronic problems. Overall, the E39 is an outstanding machine and you will love it every time you fire it up.
Consumer Reports judged the E39 530i to be the best car EVER. Since they are not whores to their advertisers, that is a very credible statement. Also I have one, 03, and it has not given me a single problem. It is by far the best E39. 540i is fast but has multitude of engine issues and 525i is a bit slow for my taste. So 530i is the best option especially if you want enough power but with the reliability of an inline 6.
I think I better wait for the other one. There was other 2 530i, one is 01, and the other is 03 model, but they are both in another town. I'll check on those and see if they are any good.
Another question guys, as I never own a BMW before, does this car reliable? particularly the E39? I would have to dig in deeper into this forum and see the problems you guys have. I hope this car doesn't have a serious reability issues, as I'm in love with the car already.. hehe
It took me about 6-8 months to finally find one that met my standards. For the most part what I found was that 90% of the cars dealers had were bought from an auction off lease vehicles and were average at best in condition. I would wait and find a private seller that is an enthusiast that bought it new. You can tell immediatly because they will tell how they kept it up service wise, detailed it regularly, parked it a mile away at Wal Mart etc and you'll be able to tell from it's paint and interior condition. I found an '03 last year with 9000 miles with no scratches period and only the drivers seat was sat in regularly. It's better to wait it out rather then buy something in a rush. You will know when you find the right one.
Yeah I just got back few months ago to my home country in indonesia after finishing my study in canada. I'm in the market of a used BMW 530i E39 or 525i depending which one I can find in pristine condition. I can't afford the new E60, and apparently the 5 series depreciates more than the E46 3 series, so maybe buying the E39 would be more worth it as the price only differs around U$3,000-U$5,000ish for '01 318i E46 and 01' 530i E39 depending on the condition of both cars of course, and judging for the bigger engine on the E39 (and the new price tag (at 2001) was around $45,000 for the 318i and $69,000 for the 530i)..
just for information, the new E60 520i is roughly around $63,000 and the 530i is around $97,000 (a few thousand more you could get an M5 in North America with that price tag.. taxes are crazy here)
As for now, I havent found one in pristine condition, but I'll try to be patient rather than having more problems later.
Oh, I have a question.. is this 530i shares the same engine as X5 3.0i?
Thanks for all the opinion guys, I will keep looking and will keep you guys posted (and the good news when i have my first BMW )
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