Advice on purchasing a 3k 523iSE / 528iSE
Discussion
Would love some friendly advice, our old family bus got rear ended and once repaired i plan to sell it and buy a 523i / 528i as i dont really do MPV's.
I'm looking at spending about 3- 3.5k for 99/2000 cars that have about 80-100k.
I need it to last me about 3 years before i can properly replace it once the kids aren't costing me the national debt in nursery fees.
How reliable, if previously well maintained is a 523 /528 with this sort of mileage, i dont object to spending money on the maintainance but would like to hear peoples thoughts on a) buying a high mileage car and b)how easily these engines can do 150000 miles.
They seem like alot of car for no money - can it be this good?
Thanks in advance
I'm looking at spending about 3- 3.5k for 99/2000 cars that have about 80-100k.
I need it to last me about 3 years before i can properly replace it once the kids aren't costing me the national debt in nursery fees.
How reliable, if previously well maintained is a 523 /528 with this sort of mileage, i dont object to spending money on the maintainance but would like to hear peoples thoughts on a) buying a high mileage car and b)how easily these engines can do 150000 miles.
They seem like alot of car for no money - can it be this good?
Thanks in advance
A year ago I was in the same situation.
Bought a '00/W 528iSE auto, 74k, 2owners, fsh, for £2895.
Passed its Mot in July with a clean sheet.
Cooling system (rad & water pump) and suspension bushes are the main areas of concern.
Water pump failed in December. I stopped and switched off when I saw the trail of steam, and the engine survived. Might have been a different story if it had happened at night, as the temp gauge didn't initially register the problem.
New pump & drive belts c£200 at my local independent garage.
Get a slight 'rubbery' wobble through the steering wheel when braking hard on an uneven surface. Same mechanic has checked all the bushes and found nothing untoward.
So I assume that it's down to every joint in the front suspension being nine years old and slightly softer than it was when new.
Headlamp lenses are prone to condensation. Best cure is to fit '01-on units, but they are £300.
Standard stereo is disappointing, and complicated to upgrade.
Great cars; quick enough, glorious engine note, tidy handling, superb ride, very refined, reasonable thirst (28mpg, over 30 on a run).
Done 6k miles in mine now, and topped up the oil for the first time last week - just a cupfull to take it back up to 'max'.
Excellent value these days if you're careful; they're old enough to be in neglected 'banger' territory, so history and provenance are important.
Once described, when current (by 'Autocar', I think) as 'the best car in the real world'.
In the list of PH BMW owners I think the 528i scores highest.
Bought a '00/W 528iSE auto, 74k, 2owners, fsh, for £2895.
Passed its Mot in July with a clean sheet.
Cooling system (rad & water pump) and suspension bushes are the main areas of concern.
Water pump failed in December. I stopped and switched off when I saw the trail of steam, and the engine survived. Might have been a different story if it had happened at night, as the temp gauge didn't initially register the problem.
New pump & drive belts c£200 at my local independent garage.
Get a slight 'rubbery' wobble through the steering wheel when braking hard on an uneven surface. Same mechanic has checked all the bushes and found nothing untoward.
So I assume that it's down to every joint in the front suspension being nine years old and slightly softer than it was when new.
Headlamp lenses are prone to condensation. Best cure is to fit '01-on units, but they are £300.
Standard stereo is disappointing, and complicated to upgrade.
Great cars; quick enough, glorious engine note, tidy handling, superb ride, very refined, reasonable thirst (28mpg, over 30 on a run).
Done 6k miles in mine now, and topped up the oil for the first time last week - just a cupfull to take it back up to 'max'.
Excellent value these days if you're careful; they're old enough to be in neglected 'banger' territory, so history and provenance are important.
Once described, when current (by 'Autocar', I think) as 'the best car in the real world'.
In the list of PH BMW owners I think the 528i scores highest.
Get a 528i over a 523, the 528 has exactly the same MPG figures and other costs of a 520 and 523, £3500 will get you a great 1999/2000 SE example. Over the last year I have taken mine from 107k to 120k with not a lot of trouble, here's a list of what has been done/what needs doing:
Pixels on dashboard were missing, fixed for £80
Two front tyres £180ish fitted, getting done in next week or so (SE 16 inch Turbines)
Idle on start was lumpy, fixed under warranty, was something to do with the air filter apparently
Unidentified rattle from passenger side wheel, garage can't find it, suspension looks fine, only happens when going over bumps in the road, its annoying me immensely.
Rear number plate light has blown
Rear lights kept blowing (before I changed them for facelift LED Celis, as well as clear indicators and some awesome OEM Angel Eyes)
Rear cup holders are held in by blue tak by previous owners!
Some of the heater buttons have cracked, interior build quality is otherwise brilliant
They are fantastic cars, economical for what they are too :-)
Pixels on dashboard were missing, fixed for £80
Two front tyres £180ish fitted, getting done in next week or so (SE 16 inch Turbines)
Idle on start was lumpy, fixed under warranty, was something to do with the air filter apparently
Unidentified rattle from passenger side wheel, garage can't find it, suspension looks fine, only happens when going over bumps in the road, its annoying me immensely.
Rear number plate light has blown
Rear lights kept blowing (before I changed them for facelift LED Celis, as well as clear indicators and some awesome OEM Angel Eyes)
Rear cup holders are held in by blue tak by previous owners!
Some of the heater buttons have cracked, interior build quality is otherwise brilliant
They are fantastic cars, economical for what they are too :-)
Edited by sparks_E39 on Thursday 3rd September 22:50
Edited by sparks_E39 on Thursday 3rd September 23:04
Shameless plug incoming!
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Glad to be of assistance!
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1188815.htm
Buy this, and buy an MX-5 with the other half of your budget.
Glad to be of assistance!
Evo said:
How reliable, if previously well maintained is a 523 /528 with this sort of mileage, i dont object to spending money on the maintainance but would like to hear peoples thoughts on a) buying a high mileage car and b)how easily these engines can do 150000 miles.
They seem like alot of car for no money - can it be this good?
Thanks in advance
I've had a 520 (MY99), a 535 (MY99) and currently a 540 touring.......on the 520 I bought it with 110k on the clock and ran it without a hitch (bar the nikasil issue)up to 135k when it was written off in a front-end smash. They are heavy on rear tyres. I ran the 535 from the 125k when I got it to 140k over a year and had a rad hose burst,no other issues.They seem like alot of car for no money - can it be this good?
Thanks in advance
IIRC TotalBMW rated the 523 as the best allrounder but having had the same 2.8 engine in an E46 328 coup that was remapped I'd still plump for the 528.
stone-islandV8 said:
IIRC TotalBMW rated the 523 as the best allrounder
It amazes me some of the 'advice' from magazines like that (Reading a 'buyers guide' as an enthusiast of the car is particularly painful). I can think of nothing about the 523i which would make it a better buy than a 528i - the fuel economy, running costs and repair costs are pretty much the same.Someone who played Elite - if any else remembers
BBC model B - classic polgon graphics
Dont think i made it past Dangerous.
Back on the car, i really quite like the idea of wafting around, if i want a hoon i'll take the TVR out, maybe it would be wise to get the box serviced straight away then.
BBC model B - classic polgon graphics
Dont think i made it past Dangerous.
Back on the car, i really quite like the idea of wafting around, if i want a hoon i'll take the TVR out, maybe it would be wise to get the box serviced straight away then.
Edited by Evo on Sunday 6th September 23:30
CommanderJameson said:
All E39s left the factory with broken rear cup-holders.
M-sport models have blue-tack holding them in place, whereas SEs tend to have sellotape.
FACT.
BMW fixed this with the facelift....M-sport models have blue-tack holding them in place, whereas SEs tend to have sellotape.
FACT.
...by simply removing them and replacing them with a cubby hole so small it has zero use.
matt21 said:
my auto box is on 150k, not been rebuilt yet, and yes, I worry daily!
My 06/98 528iSE is at 126K miles never worried a thing about steptronic gearbox, knew it was sealed for life, so to hell with it. Only problems been - fuel pump failed a few years back (2006?), and the usual thermistor/hoses overheating, keep regular eye of radiator water level.
Finally failed an MOT at weekend - not a bad run to date - need hand brake balanced and corroding brake pipes near. Simple enough to do.
No pixels out, couple of cracked heater switches been like that since 2003. MFSW etc all work fine, even on optional M suspension/17" split rims it wafts wonderfully.
sparks_E39 said:
Unidentified rattle from passenger side wheel, garage can't find it, suspension looks fine, only happens when going over bumps in the road, its annoying me immensely.
Almost certainly the brake backplate - replace both, the other will go.sparks_E39 said:
Rear cup holders are held in by blue tak by previous owners!
I got an oddment tray to replace my rear cupholders - just as useless, but it doesn't break... 
...and that's about as bad as it gets.
jz325i said:
Also, forgot to add... manuals last much much longer than autos, esp if you flush the fluid regularly (30-60k miles), and don't ram it into gear. Autos need a rebuild after 70-100k miles.
My 740i's autobox was still going strong at well over 150k, and maintenance need not be expensive
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