My friend was asking me if I would recommend a 5 Series and I honestly told him I have only ridden in a BMW but dont know much about them. I dont know what engine package he is looking at and all the details but any info would be appriciated. The biggest question is how is maintanace on these and could a descent mechanic whith experience with mostly doemestic cars hold his own with this car? I told him if anything needed repair it more than likely would be high dollar but again I dont know because I havnt messed with theses cars. thanks

 

lutz performance has great mechanics if he needs one. also yes BMW's are much more to maintain. for instance my 318i radiator is $350 when my honda radiator is $40. but g/l and i love the 5series

 

parts and labor prices are greatly over-exaggerated by people who dont own BMWs or ignorant owners.

as far as info and maintenance, it really depends on the model and year. 1997 and up youre starting to get into a more complicated car with more expensive parts and maintenance. but as it will be newer it probably wont need as much of either. either way the baby six motor is shared with the 3 series of those years, so 97+ 528 is same motor as 97+ 328, same goes for the older 525/325. so parts wont be much different than the 3. and the 535s have an old style single cam motor thats cheap to maintain. however, the v8s will become quite a bit more expensive.

 

it is a 2002, 6 speed manual, but he doesnt know what engine

 

nice. if its a 540 six speed they are strong and fast, but the v8 parts will be more and theres more of em. could also be a small six which would probably be cheaper parts. either way great with the 6 speed. i wouldnt worry much about maintenance on that vehicle if its in good condition it shoudnt need much for a while being a 2002.

 

+1 my 93 318i runs strong and very clean under the hood. honestly i love bmw. if you repair what broke usually it will not give you problems ever again. i love these cars and their reliability as well as comfort and style

 

Its a 540.. A nice ride with the Manual 6 speed. The 525 528s were 5 speeds.

He will only get 15 MPG around town driving normal.. It can go lower if he has fun.. 20 hiway.

The interior mainly door panels will fall apart. Or need re glueing. If the car has more than 100k miles and has not parts in the front end replaced that will need to be done. About $400 in parts.. dont know what labor will be since I did the e34 myself.

The car has a dual climate system so the heat and A C may need minor things.
It was common on the 90s models. not sure about a 02.

I would say as long as the engine was cared for and has some sort of Maintance history for the car.. It should be a good car.

B

 

is it a getrag tranny? Also for my own interest how compact is everything under the hood?

 

Photos here. Not sure if the car is this generation or the next body style up.

I looks pretty tight. plus there is the plastic covers.

 

^thats an e39 bay with a vf blower in it, which would be the generation in reference.

the bay on the 540 is fairly tight but as you can see there is enough room to fit a blower or some guys on bimmerforums have fit a pair of turbos