BMW 530i

Asked by Brigd53 Aug 27, 2019 at 11:56 AM about the 2002 BMW 5 Series 530i Sedan RWD

Question type: General

I don’t know if people still answer these, but I’ve
been doing a ton of research on the bmw 5 series..
I’m 17 and looking to buy a 530i older than 2003
for less than 5k I’ve found about 5 solid options
from about 160k to 220k miles (which is somewhat
expected for a 16-20 year old car right?) my
parents are helping me pay but they keep trying to
convince me to buy a different make because
bmws are “expensive to repair” my argument is
they’re not expensive to repair if you take good
care of it and don’t need repairs. I understand
these cars last up to 300,000 miles if maintained
so I plan on checking up on it’s history but I need
to know what in the car history I should look for
and any other information on 5 series cars that I
need to know before buying. I want to be an expert
on 5 series beamers so just tell me everything you
know about them, I already know I want either a
525i or 530i so preferably info on those, but I don’t
know much about 528i except that they were
discontinued so if there are reasons I should look
into those I would appreciate that as well

4 Answers

41,350

Dude, E39's rock. Here is a E39 forum. https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=103

1 people found this helpful.
41,350

Your parents are right. Unless you do you own work and maintenance, maintaining a BMW can be expensive, plus the parts can cost more. At 200K miles you are not just looking at tires and brakes, an engine or transmission can let go. Do you have thousands of dollars to dump into a car that only cost $2 to 3K? A good first car is a Toyota or Ford sedan around 100K miles, IMO It will get you through school till you can get a decent job and pick up a BMW M series vehicle.

7,855

Not at all a bad choice for a first car, especially if you're willing to learn. They are not expensive if you DIY, however they can be expensive if you pay a shop to do the work (if you go this route, PLEASE find a BMW specialist, not Firestone). The 6 cylinder will be the best choice as far as being easy on maintenance, and the 530i is a great car. The 528i was replaced by the 525i and 530i, no other reason it was discontinued. We've had one for about 8 years now, bought it at 99k miles and it now has 235k miles... most reliable car we've had, no joke! It requires maintenance like anything else, but it's nothing crazy. I highly recommend creating an account on bimmerfest.com and checking out the E39 section of the forum. You'll find tons of valuable information, and learn just about everything you want to know. The E39 is a very safe car, and it's great to drive. You won't be disappointed, just make sure you find one that's well maintained and not abused.

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