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540 or 530

3K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  RDroz 
#1 ·
Ok I am new to the board I hope u guys can help me out. I am considering a 5 series but am not sure which one. I spent most of today at the dealership & I drove a 540 with the 6 speed & a 530 with a 5 speed. I really loved them they are virtually identical both are 2001, both are silver, both have black interior, both have the sport package. Anyway my questions are 1, how much of a difference in gas mileage could I expect between the 2 of them because I really liked the extra power of the 540 but if I am going to be stopping at the gas station everyday because of it I can do without that, especially since I am driving 88 miles round trip to work & back home so the mileage is kind of important. The dealer kept insisting that there would only be a minimal difference between the two since the 540 had the 6 speed. The only other thing I am a bit concerned with is the mileage on both cars & the price. The 540 has 69k & they want 26,795 the 530 has 64K & they want 24,995 now I am not worried about the engine & tranny but I do want to know if there is anything that typically needs to be replaced around that mileage, also do those prices seem high with that kind of mileage? I know I kind of rambled on but any info u guys can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
#4 ·
Heres some information I have learned about my own 2000 540i. I purchased the car with 52k last year for 25.5 it was still under warranty until 60k. Good thing because the transmision went out at 59.900. This is my first beemer, I wanted a 2000 M5 but due to alot of San Diego stop and go driving I needed a Auto, anyways I was really shocked because I thought a pretty new top end BMW should not have this type of problem at with such low miles. The tranny was replaced under warranty (BMW of San Diego) They have a excellent service department probably the best of any dealership I have seen. Within 1 week they had a brand new transmition installed. My radiator, brakes, water pump, and serpintine belt were all shot by 65k as well. The 540i will eat through tires pretty quick but thats the price you pay for the excellent handing I got about 15koff my first set of Bridgestone Potenzas. I also had the Dinan intake, mass air, strut tower brace, Free flow exhaust, factory M5 wheels, and the Dinan stage 4 software installed, trans included. The car shifts better, pulls hard, handles outstanding, and gets about 20 mpg. Also my Mk11 navigation just went out at 82k so thats another issue as well. Hope this helps I have no idea if the 530i is prone to the same problems but if you are looking at a used2000 or newer heres some of the common issues. My best advice is if you buy from a dealer get the longest type of factory warranty you can get with the car, it would definately be worth it if you end up needing a new 7k transmition anytime soon.
 
#5 ·
Well that is some pretty scary stuff. :eek: Both of the ones I looked at were stick not automatic & I am assuming yours was an automatic, so I dont know if the stick would have that sort of problem but the other stuff like the brakes, belt, radiator, all of that could an issue. I would appreciate some more input from any others out there that can let me know if these sorts of things are common or was he just unlucky. I mean I know brakes & belts are wear items so I am not as worried about that but the transmission thing is alarming if it could be an issue with a stick. So more info good or bad would be greatly appreciated. I really need to know if I can depend on one of these cars if I get one, since as I said in my original post this would be my everday car & I do put about 20k a year on just going back & forth to work not to mention other running around. Thanks again.
 
#8 ·
I have a 2001 540i/6. I will need a new transmission in the near future. I have only 50K miles on the car and it is a manual. If you are interested in the transmission issues, you can have the gearbox fluid tested for particles. If you see bronze/gold particles, it indicates there is a problem with the gear box.

I would get the 540i. It is a great car even though I will have to replace the tranny.
 
#9 ·
...And Now for Some Good News

Wow, there's some scarey stuff on this post, so I had to chime in. I bought my 1999 540 6-speed last year with 103K and it now has nearly 121,000 miles. It looks like new, runs like new, and I've only had it at the dealer once, and that was for something I really could have done myself (rear differential fluid change). I have put some money into this car, but it needed a lot of maintenance items done when I bought it, and I pretty well have it all sorted out now for the long term. I find it to be fairly reliable and it is built like a bank vault. Oh, and I get 24mpg average (about 67% highway) - I think its great on gas and I got over 28 mpg on a 2 hour trip once.

Parts are reasonable, but labor is expen$ive. If you can spin your own wrenches, then I think you will be happy; if you have to take it to the dealer for every frappin' little thing, then you will likely get tired of those expensive Dealer repair & maintenance bills.

As to whether to go with the 530 or 540 - they are both very nice and you will get opinions in favor of each. To me, the handling advantage of the 528 that I drove was negligible compared to the massive power advantage of the 4.4 liter, all-aluminum, Quad-cam, 32-valve, 282 HP/324 lb-ft V8...B)
 
#10 ·
You can look up the mileage of each on the web. I've got the same dilema.
In imperial gallons (I'm in Canada) the 528 gets 38MPG and the 540 31MPG. That's a solid 20% difference. City was similar with 25 vs 19.

I'm replacing a 1992 Jaguar XJS and don't really want to get into a car that gets LESS MPG than I already do! I didn't think it was possible!! :)

Droz
 
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