what to buy 528 or 540?

[Sltwister]

I am just about ready to buy my first BMW. It will have to be a used 5 series, I'm looking around '98 to 2000. So the question is do I get the 528 or the 540, my wife will be driving it 90% of the time, I'll get to enjoy on the weekends. Will I be wishing I bought a 540 if I get a 528? Also as far as repairs go, I hear the parts are alot more money. Is it really that much more costly for repairs?? Thanks for any input.

[jaco]

I have a '97 540i A/T. I also shopped around between the two, 528 and 540, but in the end I think it's personal taste. Although there isn't much difference in the luxury department, although the 540 has a few more "nice things", I enjoyed the sheer grunt of the 540. It's an amazing V8 and it sounds great. My wife cannot stay out of the car and it's a joy and pleasure to drive. Handling on the 540 and ease of use is great and if you need to use the power, the 540 delivers!
Only negative on the 540 is the fuel consumption, but compared to the 528, there isn't much in it, taking into account the comfort and, did I mention the grunt?

As for spare part prices, BMW is BMW: You are going to pay no matter what you drive.

If you test drive the two vehicles, watch out for one thing on the 540: When you floor the accelerator, you'd better hang on and it's going to take you weeks to get rid of the grin.

[salvagediver]

While I believe it's always better to have more horsepower, I opted for the 528i. The straight 6 is a great engine; creamy smooth with loads of torque, the car is well balanced, and my wife and really enjoy it. For us, it boiled down to $$'s. With two kids in currently in college, I look for "Certified" used vehicles (I'm sorry, "previously owned") and don't think - unless it's an M5 - I could convince myself to bite on the 540 for performance reasons. Heck, there is plenty of opportunity to get in trouble with the 528i. Besides, I have a 2002 that sucks a lot of $$$ out of my wallet.

[salvagediver]

Oh yea, one more thing...we routinely get very good gas mileage. In one case, just over 29 mpg while avg 71.2 mph on a nice cool day. Maybe a K&N filter would add a tenth or two.

[autobahn_clem]

I just recently purchased a 528 5sp and think it is wonderful. Someone mentioned that it would be "weeks before you could remove the grin" from your face when you accelerate on a 540 and it is true, however the 528 with a K&N is also good, when matched with a 5 speed. My e39 is a '98 model with 45.3k miles when i purchased it. Remember, any used car will have it's hidden monsters that don't show until you have driven it for about a week.... good luck!