Should I Buy 1990 525i

[REGGIECMANAGEMENT]

I Am Looking At Buying An Immaculate 525i For 6000 It Has 90000 Miles On It Do You Think Its A Good Deal It Has New 18 Inch Bmw Wheels And Tires Perfect Paint And Cd Player Subwoofer. Would You Recommend The Car If You Have One.

[Presley348]

Originally Posted by REGGIECMANAGEMENT

I Am Looking At Buying An Immaculate 525i For 6000 It Has 90000 Miles On It Do You Think Its A Good Deal It Has New 18 Inch Bmw Wheels And Tires Perfect Paint And Cd Player Subwoofer. Would You Recommend The Car If You Have One.

I do not have that BMW same model, but I do own a BMW, and I have been around the block a time or two,(jk LOL), and let me give you some free advice.

I own a new 2004 530i, but I came real close in to buying a preowned 525i. I have no problem in buying a preowned BMW, providing it has been taken care of, and the one you are looking at seems to fit that criteria!


You know I have heard over the years one cannot go wrong with any BMWs, and the 90,000 mileage for a 1990 model that you are looking at, is low for the annual mileage average (12,000 annual), and the one you are looking at buying has only 6,500 miles average per year Total 90,000! it sounds like that you might have found a cream puff!

But just keep in mind you could have some more expenses than with a new one. But personally I would ask the owner for a FULL set of maintenance records, i.e. oil and air filter changes, etc., then have it checked out by a BMW mechanic, if it ALL checks out, and if it looks good as you described, I would probably go for it!

Also you might want to do some price research on the www. I would suppose the price one should be willing to pay for a 1990, BMW 525i, automatic, with 90,000 miles, in excellent condition, would be approx.:

Private Party Value: $5,200.00

The asking price: $6000.00

Is it worth $800.00 more to you? (But you might be happy with the asking price of $6,000.00, but realize this, times are tough all over $$$, (even for us Bimmer owners, Jk LOL), you might can talk him/her down some $$$, I would make an offer for: $4,300.00 for it, based upon the Kelley Blue book value,(Private party), negotiate, (Wave money or a check in his face, that type of buyers tactic worked for me when I bought my 530i three weeks ago. I placed a bank certified check on the table, (from the LOAN), and kind of waved the check as I prepared to leave the BMW dealership that day, and that is all it took. The salesman saw that I was serious, and he accepted my offer!

Today, we are in a used car buyers market, especially on preowned BMW's, and all used cars. Now we get low interest rates from banks on most all new 2004 car loans.

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I hope this www research helps you with your decision, and I wish you the best with your 1990 Bimmer... but always remember: ALL BMWs, and the 5 series (From: 1973-2004, foward..), to us men, most of the time our BMW's can be compared to a fine wine, they tend to get better with age!

Sincerely,

Ep aka Presley348

[mark mills]

I own a 91 535. You might look at a few E34s with the 3.5l engine. It's one of the best BMW ever built. If you get the 2.5, make sure to do the timing belt before it's due every time. I've seen more than a few shatered heads from belt failure.

[4-Door Flunky]

Hi, Reggie-
I own a 1985 535i with the 3.5 motor (which has a timing chain and never needs a timing belt) which I bought for $1800. I thas 186,000 miles on it. I've spent $600 fixing stuff, including the starter, torn-up heater controls (from an incompetent buffoon who tried to install a CD player and just ended up tearing stuff up), power antenna, floor mats, fan clutch, fuses, main relay, etc...and this car had great maintenance.
Even if the car's in good shape, when something wears out, the part is expensive.
Remember that new car manufacturers are offering very low financing. This has made it where there's not as much demand for used cars...which means they have lower prices now.
I wouldn't pay more than $4000 for the car you described. If the car really appeals to you (and it probably does!), take $4,000 cash over there, and when they guy won't come down, just take it out of your pocket and wave it around a little.
Works for me!
Flunky

[panzershreck]

i own a 90' 525i w/ 135,000 miles on it... plain & simple suggestion, look for one with an M30, M50, or M60 engine in it *when it comes to E34's* (525i's starting with 91', all other 5 series of that time)

my engine runs perfectly and is just enough for me (manual helps alot) but changing out the timing belt is a real pain, save yourself alot of trouble

[csieminski]

I've owned a 1990 535i for three weeks now (had a 1986 528e for two years--that was two cars before this one) and I really like it a lot. It's quite fast--I imagine more so than the 525i (I've also driven a 1989 535i but never a 525i). ONE THING TO CONSIDER is the fuel economy--my 535 is averaging 16 mpg. on gasoline that's very expensive right now. 525's on the other hand can be expected to avg. about 22, much like my old 528e. If this is a concern to you, you'd do well to continue focusing on a 525i rather than a 535i like others are telling you. Still, both the 2.5 and 3.5-liter engines are known to be very reliable.

If you can, get a late-1991 or 1992-1995 525i rather than an early one. These later cars had a more sophisticated 2.5L that makes 189 hp versus 168.

[4-Door Flunky]

Ok, if I rev it up to 5 grand in each gear every time, and drive over 85mph on the interstate, I get less than 20 MPG.
Driving normally (which is abnormal for most of us), I can get 22. If I'm on a highway trip and I keep the speed to below 85mph and use the cruise control, I actually get 26 MPG.
It is possible to get better mileage, it's just hard to resist blowing everyone away at the stoplight.
But yes, fuel is definitely a consideration. How many miles do you drive in a year? I have put 30,000 to 40,000 on my previous car each year. That adds up to lots of money.
Over just 2 or 3 years, it might be enough to justify getting one of the newer cars, just to get better mileage.
I was awestruck when my mom's cadillac with a V8 could get close to 30 MPG, courtesy of modern engine management...but it's not nearly as fun going around the corners as my 535i!
Flunky

[csieminski]

4-door Flunky, is your 535i an E28 or E34 (somewhere I think I remember you saying it's an E28). I am unfortunately mired in traffic much of the time, maybe that's why my E34 only gets 16 mpg overall. Plus I cruise between 75 and 90 on the highway (although I still get quite good range under those conditions.

Also, thank you! I don't feel so bad now--I drove my Acura 36,000 miles in 2003 and thought I was the only such maniac. By the way, I sadly crashed that car almost a month ago, but at least I'm back in the BMW fold with my 535i! I'll have to remove its picture from my profile so it no longer appears with my posts.

[Presley348]

Originally Posted by 4-Door Flunky

Ok, if I rev it up to 5 grand in each gear every time, and drive over 85mph on the interstate, I get less than 20 MPG.
Driving normally (which is abnormal for most of us), I can get 22. If I'm on a highway trip and I keep the speed to below 85mph and use the cruise control, I actually get 26 MPG.
It is possible to get better mileage, it's just hard to resist blowing everyone away at the stoplight.
But yes, fuel is definitely a consideration. How many miles do you drive in a year? I have put 30,000 to 40,000 on my previous car each year. That adds up to lots of money.
Over just 2 or 3 years, it might be enough to justify getting one of the newer cars, just to get better mileage.
I was awestruck when my mom's cadillac with a V8 could get close to 30 MPG, courtesy of modern engine management...but it's not nearly as fun going around the corners as my 535i!
Flunky

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Hi 4-Door Flunky:

Sounds like fun!

Last week on a 400+ mile trip I got 34.3MPG with my new 04 530i! (The only thing I had to hold it down on our intestates below 70mph!)

Presley348