[Chad20]

Anyone noticed all the 545i are worth 10,000$ or less now . Are they worth buying past 100,000 miles and this old? I've drove many before it's a world difference in handling

[ping65810]

Yeah..My understanding is most of the cheap ones have been poorly maintained and need lots of $$ to make right again. Same thing with lots of BMWs and Mercedes. Look at the price difference for W211 E Classses- sure you can pick one up under $10k, but plan on doing rear springs, motor mounts, brakes, tires, pollen filters, trans service, brake flush, and more. On a 2005 E320, thats about $5k worth of work..so is it really a bargain after all?

[Chad20]

Originally Posted by ping65810

Yeah..My understanding is most of the cheap ones have been poorly maintained and need lots of $$ to make right again. Same thing with lots of BMWs and Mercedes. Look at the price difference for W211 E Classses- sure you can pick one up under $10k, but plan on doing rear springs, motor mounts, brakes, tires, pollen filters, trans service, brake flush, and more. On a 2005 E320, thats about $5k worth of work..so is it really a bargain after all?

Ya I just noticed one in my area for 8995$ 150k miles every option and black on black 2 owners looked very clean but who knows what's going on underneath . But the few I've drivin in were some of the most satisfying cars I've been in the active roll stabilization makes the car feel limitless.

[ping65810]

Oh they are great cars! I am just usually very wary of prices too good to be true, since usually they are a mess and take a ton of money to clean up.

[P-rex]

Originally Posted by ping65810

Yeah..My understanding is most of the cheap ones have been poorly maintained and need lots of $$ to make right again. Same thing with lots of BMWs and Mercedes. Look at the price difference for W211 E Classses- sure you can pick one up under $10k, but plan on doing rear springs, motor mounts, brakes, tires, pollen filters, trans service, brake flush, and more. On a 2005 E320, thats about $5k worth of work..so is it really a bargain after all?

Have a e320 4matic... With equiv of 65k miles on it...

Overall, the car has been great and I did have to change all the things you mentioned except the brakes which wear down well (impressed)... I spent approx 2Gs over a course of 7 years of ownership...
I think e-class is well worth the price given the advanced options offered... And it's quality build

[cabimmer]

I had a 2004 545. Great car. I had 97k miles on mine when I got rid of it. The cost of ownership rather costly . I kept mine maintain and still expensive to repair. The motors on those are solid and last. Everything connected to it is a problem. Most bmw lose most if there value after 100k.

[John 070]

Doesn.T Matter How Nice They Look I Would Not Want To Pay 10K For A Coolant Leak That's A Hella Don't

[Chad20]

Originally Posted by cabimmer

I had a 2004 545. Great car. I had 97k miles on mine when I got rid of it. The cost of ownership rather costly . I kept mine maintain and still expensive to repair. The motors on those are solid and last. Everything connected to it is a problem. Most bmw lose most if there value after 100k.

About how much have you spent yearly on maintenance ?

[cabimmer]

My was under cpo warranty plus I biught the extended maintenance warrenty. After that ran out I found a coolant leak brakes all around and the tranny was slipping. They replace the tranny at 77k miles under warrenty. Coolant, brakes were going to run about 3500. They may of been 1 or 2 more things. BMW treats the v8 5series as 7 series maintenance wise. I will tell there are days I wish I still had it.

[ping65810]

Originally Posted by P-rex

Have a e320 4matic... With equiv of 65k miles on it...

Overall, the car has been great and I did have to change all the things you mentioned except the brakes which wear down well (impressed)... I spent approx 2Gs over a course of 7 years of ownership...
I think e-class is well worth the price given the advanced options offered... And it's quality build

We have a 2005 with 170k miles on it, same car, E320 4MATIC, and its been a very impressive car. Excellent build quality, very few problems, and most of what it has needed was just regular maintenance. However, as you know, this can get a little costly at times, but we do most of our own work so its not that bad. Recently we had the water pump break, which also took out the serpentine belt and tensioner with it. Oh, and the pesky SAM units which like to have issues and make the indicator lights hiccup at times. I find the brake wear to be beyond impressive with these cars, and quite the neat technology on them. My biggest annoyance is the motor mounts and rear springs which seem to be an "every 50k" type of deal.

[NorthernCAE90]

Originally Posted by Chad20

Anyone noticed all the 545i are worth 10,000$ or less now . Are they worth buying past 100,000 miles and this old? I've drove many before it's a world difference in handling

a world difference in handling as the e90 is better or the e60 is?

[Chad20]

Originally Posted by NorthernCAE90

a world difference in handling as the e90 is better or the e60 is?

I really prefer the handling of the e60 with sport package over the e90 sport but I do like both cars in different ways maybe it's just the v8 in the e60 I like

[cabimmer]

Chad, the handling on the e60 with sport was amazing my e90 doesnt have sport. So I can't compare. This post has made me miss my e60. Chances are at 150k mile the coolant leak has been done. Have a trusted indy check the tranny as that was mine major problem. Diy on those are rather simple. Check out The e60 forums might have to google that. They will give you the lastest on ownership. You can go wrong with either.

[ping65810]

True, if you can even do basic DIY most of the issues and maintenance on these cars won't be nearly as bad cost wise. We also own an older Range Rover and its the same way- don't buy one unless you work on it yourself.

[Alohaaaaa]

I've heard a lot will have massive oil consumption issues due to warn piston rings. So the seller will throw some thick oil in and try to ditch it.

I looked at a lot of 545's before my 335, I prefer turbo torque over V8 madness. That and the 5 series is too laid back for me, I'm a younger guy, I like my cars aggressive.

[Chad20]

Originally Posted by cabimmer

Chad, the handling on the e60 with sport was amazing my e90 doesnt have sport. So I can't compare. This post has made me miss my e60. Chances are at 150k mile the coolant leak has been done. Have a trusted indy check the tranny as that was mine major problem. Diy on those are rather simple. Check out The e60 forums might have to google that. They will give you the lastest on ownership. You can go wrong with either.

Ya I've honestly wanted an e60 even before I bought my e90 but I thought let's test the waters and see if I can even afford the maintenance on this car at all . As much as I complain about maintenance on the car it's worth it and I'm sure most of the members on this forum can agree. I'm hoping after my income tax return I might be able to find a reasonable 06 530i or 545i I'm shooting for the 06 530i better reliability ,better gas mileage, and cheaper on insurance . But more expensive buying price . For some reason the 04-05 530i seemed somewhat slow to me but even my 07 328i seems slow to me unless I'm constantly running in DS mode. Is the maintenance on the 545i astonomically high ? I've seen members before reporting 20000$ repairs then again I don't go to the stealership I have a decent Indy who I make sure doesn't rip me a new one .

[Chad20]

Originally Posted by 3SPKY5U

I've heard a lot will have massive oil consumption issues due to warn piston rings. So the seller will throw some thick oil in and try to ditch it.

I looked at a lot of 545's before my 335, I prefer turbo torque over V8 madness. That and the 5 series is too laid back for me, I'm a younger guy, I like my cars aggressive.

The turbos are really nice id love to have one but I've heard they are hit and miss and have lots of turbo issues but then again I've never had nor driven one so I can't say. The styling is nicer on the e90 but a white/black grey/black e60 with black msport rims just does it for me

[John 070]

Does anybody believe that people give things away, for less than they're worth? Some markets are pretty efficient, such as eBay, and used cars. And due to efficiency, sometimes, things are cheap. Like a USB/aux adapter for a 2k7 to be used for iPods, $3 to $5. there are other things that are not cheap, like 7 series that cost 12k, or 5 series that cost 10k. These are 8 cyl vehicles whose repairs are known, and expensive. i.e the previous owner is not giving anything away when you see a price tag in the 10-20k range. The repairs are already factored in.