Thinking of buying 540i - need advise

[johny1]

Thinking of buying 540i - need advice

Hi guys I am thinking of purchasing a used BMW 540i with manual transmission model 97- 2003 and need some advise: I just want to know what to watch for and be aware of. I am mainly worried about reliability because I either hear that the 97 and up BMW 540i is very reliable or that it breaks all the time. For the money I want to spend I know it will have more then 80-90 thousand miles and I don’t think it will be newer then year 2000. Also are all manual transmission models with sports tuned suspension? Please advice, thanks.

-Johny

 

[bahnstormer]

hey johny welcome to the forum

why are you buying a 540? is this
going to be your fun car? a daily
driver? what purpose will it serve?

as soon as u answer those questions
and are still sure u want the 540
try to pick one up that is CPO ...
it sounds like u're not the do it yourself
type when it comes to repairs

however, i'm not sure CPO's can be found pre 2000

so then find the most expensive one u can =]
that'd be my advice....

i went the cheap route, buying a cheaper car
that needed work and ended up spending
a ton on the car

make sure the car has paperwork, detailing
oil changes and things like that....the maintenance is
very important

good luck!

btw its advice not advise =]

 

[Tim330i]

I had a 97 540i and loved every minute of driving it. I can't say it was the most reliable car I ever owned and it left me stranded a couple of times (ruptured radiator and broken front strut). You WILL replace the radiator if it hasn't been replaced when you buy it. They all seem to fail at around 60-80,000 miles. It's around a $600-700 repair if you take it to a dealer. But the car is a dream to drive -- so much power. It's not as "tossable" as a 3 series, but it's not supposed to be. I am back in a 2005 330i now, because I wanted a newer, more reliable car (and wanted to get one before the E90 comes out).

 

[johny1]

Here are some answers for "bahnstormer" - The car will be my daily driver and if it is 5 series it must be at least 540 due to the power. I think all other 5 series (except the M) are underpowered for being a BMW. I am a fan of 4 door sports sedans, the 3 series is a little too small although I would not mind driving one for a short time. I even tested my friend's 1991 M5 (straight six 3.5L) I did not like it too much, it felt too heavy and seemed sluggish off the start, once is it going it was pretty fast but to me a quick starts is what I like. My friedn just bought his '91 M5 and although the care is in perfect shape with 60 000 miles he is alreay thinking of selling it because he does not like it either.

I will be doing some of the repairs myself of course nothing crazy, I can not rip open the engine and rebuild it but when it comes to replacing external devices like shocks, alternators, radiators.... I can probably do it.

What is CPO?

 

[MadMacs]

CPO = Certified Pre-Owned : only available through BMW dealer. I think it gets you to 6 year/100,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper warranty.

As mentioned earlier - the weakest part is the cooling system.

 

[Abdoman]

I had a ton of problems with my 97 528. None were engine or transmission. The last year spent 5k on repairs.

The car had 145k mi on it. Once it hit 115k, the problems hit one after the other. The V8 is not as reliable as the I6, so you can expect to spend more on repairs/maintenance. The car was perfectly maintained.

Even though it was a 528, the car was wonderful to drive. I loved it, but it just was too much to keep it going. I don't know if the later years are more reliable, but from the posts I have seen, they seem to be.

 

[johny1]

CPO = Certified Pre-Owned : only available through BMW dealer. I think it gets you to 6 year/100,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper warranty.

As mentioned earlier - the weakest part is the cooling system.

If all it is to change the radiator I am OK with it as long other things don't start breaking afterwards. How about the reliability of the electrical system and suspension are they all the same on all 5 Series BMW's or the 540 has a different one? Do you also know if the manual transmission model comes with a sports tuned suspension by default or only if you order one?

 

[johny1]

I had a ton of problems with my 97 528. None were engine or transmission. The last year spent 5k on repairs.

The car had 145k mi on it. Once it hit 115k, the problems hit one after the other. The V8 is not as reliable as the I6, so you can expect to spend more on repairs/maintenance. The car was perfectly maintained.

Even though it was a 528, the car was wonderful to drive. I loved it, but it just was too much to keep it going. I don't know if the later years are more reliable, but from the posts I have seen, they seem to be.

Can you please list some of the main repairs you did after 115K and how much money they cost? I am now getting worried and starting to think again about Lexus GS400 but although it is very reliable car it not a BMW, it si still a rise grinder

 

[Abdoman]

AC compressor $1k
New struts (very difficult job) $1500
valve cover gasket (did myself)
rear bushings
both rear window regulators (repaired myself)
oil pan leak ($600)
bad sunroof rattle, did not repair
Catalytic converter

That's all I can remember right now. The struts did not have to be done, but the ride was getting a little soft. This is just my experience. I am sure there are several people who have had much better reliablity than I did. 97 was the first model year and usually they have quite a bit more problems than the following years.

Go with a CPO'd as madmacs said and you should be fine. I have noticed that the 3 series tends to be more reliable and the parts are cheaper.

 

[MadMacs]

Abdoman's repairs are typical of ANY vehicle with high mileage depending on driving habit and conditions. Are they more expensive to repair with BMW? Probably a little depending on dealer/mechanic. That's why it would be better to spring for a newer with CPO...the maintenance cost would probably offset the difference, but your car would be newer.

I forgot about the sunroof rattle - just got used to it.

As for the sport option, it would have to be ordered with it I believe; for the 97 model I'm not certain it was available in early production (mine wasn't). I would think that most people who ordered MT would also order the sport pkg.

 

[johny1]

AC compressor $1k
New struts (very difficult job) $1500
valve cover gasket (did myself)
rear bushings
both rear window regulators (repaired myself)
oil pan leak ($600)
bad sunroof rattle, did not repair
Catalytic converter

That's all I can remember right now. The struts did not have to be done, but the ride was getting a little soft. This is just my experience. I am sure there are several people who have had much better reliablity than I did. 97 was the first model year and usually they have quite a bit more problems than the following years.

Go with a CPO'd as madmacs said and you should be fine. I have noticed that the 3 series tends to be more reliable and the parts are cheaper.

So far the 540 sounds pretty bad how about 7 series are they any better. I would not mind driving 740i or 740iL although it does not come with manual. I think the 99 comes with sport package heavy duty rear axel and 5 speed tiptronic transmission

 

[BMW545i]

If you want only ONE car, gotta go with the 760i. It's a limo with a V-12.

 

[Abdoman]

DON'T GO WITH THE 760 - maintenance nightmare! 740 only.

Maybe someone else with a 5 will post here.

I had better luck with my 7 series, but the most reliable car that BMW manufactures is the 3 series. I had two of those and they were very reliable.

If you are really worried about it, go with Lexus. If you want a car that is incredible to drive buy the Bimmer.

 

[johny1]

DON'T GO WITH THE 760 - maintenance nightmare! 740 only.

Maybe someone else with a 5 will post here.

I had better luck with my 7 series, but the most reliable car that BMW manufactures is the 3 series. I had two of those and they were very reliable.

If you are really worried about it, go with Lexus. If you want a car that is incredible to drive buy the Bimmer.

I agree with the comparison between Lexus and BMW and really want bimmer don’t get me wrong. I have always liked luxury sports sedans but I just test drove a 99 M3 and it blew me away - what a tight ride, precise handling/steering..... you name it. I am almost now considering 3 series too, and I also read that they are more reliable then the 5 and 7 series. I certainly would not drive the 3 series for a long but I would not mind enjoying the amazing sporty ride for some time. I am totally confused now. Are the M3's as reliable as the regular 3 series?

 

[Abdoman]

I've never owned an M3. There are several M3 owners on this board. If you don't get a response, post in the M3 forum.

I haven't seen anything negative about the M3 except for the first year engine problems, but from what I have read, BMW fixed that problem and the seem to be just as reliable.