2000 bmw 528i... what do i need to know?

[Duff1647545513]

A guy my brother works with is looking to sell his and came to me about it first with what sounds like a fair price. It has 106k on it. Are there any issues I need to watch out for? I don't know shit when it comes to BMWs really. Do these make good daily drivers? School me please Edited August 10, 2011 by Duff

[Rustlestiltskin]

pics?

[Duff1647545513]

Working on it from my brother. I'm in Maryland at the moment.

[RyM3rC]

They are nice, might want to ask if they have any receipts for the cooling system. A buddy bought one with about that mileage and had to do his water pump and radiator. Also check the wheel bearings and suspension bushings.

[El Karacho1647545492]

It'll be a nice car, when shit goes wrong its expensive, how many prev owners?

[AWW$HEEET]

pretty rock solid cars. not sure about the auto tranny, i know some were problematic. 2.8L is bulletproof though.

[ansonivan]

Everything, you need to know everything. Maintenance and condition are much more important than mileage. He could easily spend 3-5k catching the car up on deferred maintenance and worn parts.

 

Unless it's an absolute steal (like a grand) it's worth paying for a pre-purchase inspection at a bmw specific shop.

 

Tom Hatem in Grandview or Best Motor Werks near the Columbus airport.

 

Short list of common wear items:

 

- complete cooling system, belts/pulleys water pump/t-stat assy, radiator and expansion tank.

- all control arms/tie rods/sway links front/rear

- drive shaft rear cv

- window regulators - rears are only available with the motor and cost around $250 each

- oil separator system - about $90 if you buy your own parts

- vanos seals - cheap but time consuming DIY

[FST94TSI]

Most common thing as far as factory defects are the radiators. The upper part near the cap cracks and other than that as everybody else said if basic maintenance was kept up with it'll be a great dd although slower than hell. They're great in the winter too as long as you put some decent tires on it. I had continental all seasons on my 540 and it did better than some awe cars I've had. My Infiniti fx was horrible in the snow for some reason. If it's a late 2000 you should get the nicer headlights with halos too. I know not all that important but just makes the car look less dated. The stock stereos were the only thing I can remember really hating when I first got mine.

[Duff1647545513]

Thanks guise

[LS_Sonoma]

Everything Plastic in the engine bay. Srsly, if you try to remove an item made of plastic it will break.