# What do you guys think of my hypothetical 530i deal...



## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

I'm very casually toying w/ the idea of getting a 530 before the current generation ends production:
I think I could live w/ a base 530i. 
I decided that I don't need the sport package because:
-i'd special order cloth (I have leather in my 325i and I could do without it).
-you're forced to get leather which makes true package cost about $3300
-The std 5 series seats are comfortable (unlike the std 3 series seats which I can't stand).
-I can add the sport springs and shocks later
-I don't actually want 17" wheels w/ high performance tires-- too much tramlining and wheels are too easy to damage. Plus, I don't really like the fussy look of the 5 series sp wheels.

Here's my deal:
34785 (ED invoide)
1400 (dealer profit)
695 (destination)
-1000 (BMWCCA discount)
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$35880


Compare this to a 330i. Now, w/ the 330 I would actually get the sport package solely because I can't stand the standard 3 series seats.
29285
955
695
1090
1400
-500
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$32925

The $2955 difference isn't so bad for the extra solidity, safety, space (admittedly there isn't a big space premium) comfort, better steering ( i like it better than all iterations of the e46 steering) and build quality of the 5 series over the 3 in this case.

What do you guys think? I'm starting to get this feeling that I have to buy a car I can be happy w/ for a long, long time--all of the new models seem so unappealing to me. I like my 325i a lot, but I think the 530i would be the perfect car.

I like the e34 too, but I'd like more power than a 525i, don't want a car as old as a 535i would be, and don't want to deal w/ the first-gen V8s. There's really no point in getting a recent CPO'd e39, since euro delivery + CCA discount would effectively make the cost of buying this car equivalent to that of a 2000 or 2001 model. I did Euro-delivery on my 325i, so I wouldn't actually take a big bath on trade in. (Estimate about $4500 of depreciation over 22 months-- about $205/month--not bad at all). I'd be hard pressed to do better than that even over 10 years given the additional maintenance costs after the 4th year.

Am I rationalizing or what? :lmao:


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

Sounds like a plan. :thumbup:


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## intempo (Feb 19, 2003)

Hi robg,

Did you end up ordering an 530? I too am following your same line of thinking. I plan on an ED in July am trying to pick the BMW that will be a keepr for the next 10 years. I will be replacing a '97 Saab 900SE. I have test driven and ridden in many 330i and 330Ci and am beginning to think about checking our the 530 for reasons you have mentioned. 

What are your latest thoughts on the 530?

Tom


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

intempo said:


> *Hi robg,
> 
> Did you end up ordering an 530? I too am following your same line of thinking. I plan on an ED in July am trying to pick the BMW that will be a keepr for the next 10 years. I will be replacing a '97 Saab 900SE. I have test driven and ridden in many 330i and 330Ci and am beginning to think about checking our the 530 for reasons you have mentioned.
> 
> ...


Funny that you should ask--I'd managed to suppress my craving for the e39, but with the end of production looming I find myself wanting one more and more. I just posted this in another thread, but decided to move it here when I saw your follow-up to my old post:

I'm waffling about what I should do-- this is my last chance to get an E39 via ED, but my 325i is only about 2 years old, and it would probably cost me about 14k to upgrade to the 530 i'd want. If I wait another year or 2 and buy a CPO'd e39 it'll cost me about the same (or more) than an ED + BMCCA discount car would cost now- and I won't have the control that comes with having a car since it was new.

That 14k would be a bitter pill to swallow-- i'm trying to think of ways to make it more palatable and was actually considering the possibility of signing up for one of those car wrap programs that apply ads to your car in return for $400/month. I'm probably better off just waiting a few years and picking up a used 2003 530 in a few years.

I basically feel the same way you do-- I want a car that I want to keep for 10 years or more. I don't really love my 3 series enough to keep it that long-- I find it annoying on the highway-- the steering doesn't feel right, the seats are uncomfortable, and the car generally doesn't feel as solid or well-built as the e39. I find myself generally irritated with it--although from a reliability standpoint I can't really complain. Yeah, its fun in the twisties, but an e39 w/ sport pkg is also very good and its a lot more solid and comfortable when cruising long distances. I might even forgo the sport pkg (gasp!), if I got the e39 so that I could get those wonderful "comfort seats". In short, it seems to be the best "all around car" you can buy. You have a much easier decision since you'd be trading in a 97 model year car-- its much harder for me to justify trading my perfectly good 2 year old 325 for a brand new 5.


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## nate (Dec 24, 2001)

I do like the standard seats in the 5 series, very nice.

Other than that, a non-SP 530 is SOFT. Weak suspension and poor steering, IMO :thumbdwn: The build quality is no better than a 3 series, btw.


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

nate328Ci said:


> *I do like the standard seats in the 5 series, very nice.
> 
> Other than that, a non-SP 530 is SOFT. Weak suspension and poor steering, IMO :thumbdwn: The build quality is no better than a 3 series, btw. *


Yeah, you're right....If I actually do this, I'd probably need to spring for the sport pkg. I like the 5 series steering better than the 3's though. Regarding build quality-- yeah, they use a lot of the same components, the same paint process, same type of assembly process, etc... but the 5 just comes off feeling more solid-- which is really what I care about. If I wanted pure "build quality", I guess I'd buy a Lexus (which I would do if the GS300 wasn't so ugly and if it had a stick or if the IS interior was not so terrible). Unfortunatley, I don't see BMW's build quality improving with their future models-- everything seems to be getting cheaper feeling and looking (based on the e65 and z4). I really should just drop this whole 5 series fetish--realistically it'll probably cost me about 14-17k to upgrade which is a little ridiculous.


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## kneebiters (Sep 8, 2002)

No, stick with it, but get the SP. I agree with Nate on that score.

I love the E39. I am week 14 production on my 2003 530i, not quite the last to come off the line, but close.

I know this is like religion - it's a matter of personal choice - but I just love this car. I couldn't care less that it is the end of the E39 run. That is what makes it all the more necessary that I nab one before they are Bangled away.

59 more days...


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## intempo (Feb 19, 2003)

Hello kneebiters,

So when is the last week of E39 production? I will be in Europe on July 13. Is that too late to order an E39 for ED?


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

intempo said:


> *Hello kneebiters,
> 
> So when is the last week of E39 production? I will be in Europe on July 13. Is that too late to order an E39 for ED? *


I think this would be ok-- they build the car a month before you arrive anyway. You could probably pick it up in August too (they'd still build it in May or June).


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