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Worth buying? Old BMW 528i - advice needed from expert shitters


Peter C

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Gents,

I've been on the lookout for a clean six cylinder BMW E39 or Mercedes W210, looking to spend not more than £2.5k. You will not be surprised to hear that there is a lot of crap out there, rusty, knackered, not looked after by double figure number of previous owners.

I have found an interesting but not perfect 528i located 15 mins from me:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009153771886?fuel-type=Petrol&price-to=2500&radius=25&make=BMW&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&body-type=Saloon&postcode=hp100nl&minimum-badge-engine-size=2.4&sort=datedesc&advertising-location=at_cars&page=1

I've been to see and drive the car and:

Cons:

CAT C in 2014. The trader claims that a front wing was damaged in an accident and that the repairs were done by a local garage that also does work for him. I have a Porsche Boxster for 4 years, I loved and cherished it and only found out that it was a CAT D when I went to sell it. Trouble is, this is a CAT C, with a paragraph in the logbook confirming its status. Would a 16 year old BMW get written off as a CAT C just because it had a dented wing? Not sure.

All four corners of the sills are starting to rot. There is a patch of rust between the boot lid and bumper and to the rear of the offside rear arch. None of it is horrendous but it's not going to bet any better.

Most panels show evidence of use. There are no dents but there are a few typical bad parking related marks and scuffs. 

178k on the clock.

The car is fitted with Angel-Eye Xenons, which (as far as I know) were not available on the pre-facelift cars. 

Handbrake is weak.

There is a current drain, which has been dealt with by pulling the fuse for the radio. Apparently, if the car is driven daily, the drain does not cause starting issues. 

Pros:

MoT until July 2021.

The same mature lady owner for the past 20 years.

Fully stamped service book, work done by two local BMW specialists, last service done 3k ago.

The interior is absolutely mint. 

Everything works, except for the radio / CD player, which I have not tested - see above. A/C kicked in but it was too cold to check how effective it is.

The engine started on the button, runs and idles silky smooth, I can't see any coolant or oil leaks, selecting drive does not cause any jerks or bangs and the car drives absolutely spot on. The engine pulls well, the gearbox shifts smoothly, the steering doesn't shake and the brakes are good. It drives like a new car.

It's a nice colour (although it does show every mark and chip) and I like the spec. I don't want a leather interior as it gets too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. 

Should I:

Offer £1.5k cash, providing that the handbrake will be sorted, that the radio definitely works and that I can borrow trade plates to drive the car home.

Or walk away? I am not expecting a perfect 5 series BMW for £2k but at the same time I don't want a car that I will be lumbered with, unable to sell because rust and CAT C.

Have some pics:

 

bmw-528i-saloon-0d15fea54b74.thumb.jpg.d5acd03dc930fa128b1fa5506cd6854c.jpg

bmw-528i-saloon-4f4af0ee8ff2.thumb.jpg.75a8f60d3835c4950de08a14155280f9.jpg

bmw-528i-saloon-ec61be7c08ff.thumb.jpg.69b575ef0c8e01c88186b83a15391617.jpg

bmw-528i-saloon-c9d6dda1d59d.thumb.jpg.c8dfed11a987fedc0aa24c6441322474.jpg

 

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Has he put a '1' at the front of the price by mistake? Also, a 16 year old car would certainly get a 'cat' market for a wing, to be honest I'd be surprised if a few 6 year old ones didn't.

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I'd not buy a cheap one personally, I've had a couple of 528's and a 530 and they really began to show their age after 100k, you can plan to change pretty much all the consumables on it, the cooling system will need work, and it could be anything but the perfect E39 for you, and as you say the market will be very small for a 2.8 litre Cat C 23 year old BMW.

On the other hand it does look nice, one of mine was exactly the same year and spec but had the orange indicators and rear lights, they won't get any cheaper than this and if you can sort the rust out properly you should have a decent car, I'd be having a long hard look at the underside of it, the mot history is reasonable although you'll have to budget for new tyres and probably replacement of the brake pipes for the next mot.

If you can afford to take a punt at £1500 do so, but you have to buy these things knowing you are going to have to spend money on it.

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I’d say it depends what you want it for.

Realistically, IF you get lucky, you’ve got a couple of years with it and it’ll be ready for the wreckers unless you want to invest big in it. Having ‘been there’ with late 90s stuff like this, after purchase I wouldn’t invest any money in them unless you are dedicated to it. It’s always one thing after another. 

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31 minutes ago, Cavcraft said:

Has he put a '1' at the front of the price by mistake? Also, a 16 year old car would certainly get a 'cat' market for a wing, to be honest I'd be surprised if a few 6 year old ones didn't.

But a CAT C? If only the wing got damaged then I would expect to see a CAT D marker.

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32 minutes ago, Jazoli said:

I'd not buy a cheap one personally, I've had a couple of 528's and a 530 and they really began to show their age after 100k, you can plan to change pretty much all the consumables on it, the cooling system will need work, and it could be anything but the perfect E39 for you, and as you say the market will be very small for a 2.8 litre Cat C 23 year old BMW.

On the other hand it does look nice, one of mine was exactly the same year and spec but had the orange indicators and rear lights, they won't get any cheaper than this and if you can sort the rust out properly you should have a decent car, I'd be having a long hard look at the underside of it, the mot history is reasonable although you'll have to budget for new tyres and probably replacement of the brake pipes for the next mot.

If you can afford to take a punt at £1500 do so, but you have to buy these things knowing you are going to have to spend money on it.

I hear you but the 1 elderly lady owner for 20 years + very full service history from trusted local garages makes me think that this is a decent cheap E39. If the CAT C wasn't hanging over it, I expect the asking price would significantly higher.

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8 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

I’d say it depends what you want it for.

Realistically, IF you get lucky, you’ve got a couple of years with it and it’ll be ready for the wreckers unless you want to invest big in it. Having ‘been there’ with late 90s stuff like this, after purchase I wouldn’t invest any money in them unless you are dedicated to it. It’s always one thing after another. 

I want to use it daily, keep it outside on the drive, drive it rain or shine. Minor aesthetics don't bother me, a tidy interior and strong mechanical condition are far more important. I should be able to do most of the DIY stuff myself and I certainly do not intend to invest ££££ in it. After a couple of years I would probably end up selling it on here for £500.

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9 minutes ago, Marina door handles said:

Have you tried getting an insurance quote with it being Cat C? I looked at a car a few years ago that was a C and struggled to get a sensible quote. Personally I would give it a swerve, especially at that price. 

I haven't got that far with it. Good call point though, thank you. I will investigate before I take matters further.

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4 minutes ago, Peter C said:

I want to use it daily, keep it outside on the drive, drive it rain or shine. Minor aesthetics don't bother me, a tidy interior and strong mechanical condition are far more important. I should be able to do most of the DIY stuff myself and I certainly do not intend to invest ££££ in it. After a couple of years I would probably end up selling it on here for £500.

I think it could be a reasonable buy on that basis. Assuming you’re effectively happy to run it into the ground then it’s literally a cheap 6 cylinder luxo barge for £1500 (assuming you can get it for that). Let’s face it, the days of being able to run these things is diminishing....... just don’t get into trying to fix it’s foibles....

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Just now, Ian_Fearn said:

I think it could be a reasonable buy on that basis. Assuming you’re effectively happy to run it into the ground then it’s literally a cheap 6 cylinder luxo barge for £1500 (assuming you can get it for that). Let’s face it, the days of being able to run these things is diminishing....... just don’t get into trying to fix it’s foibles....

The thing is, I would be happy to drive it for a couple of years with minimum maintenance and outlay but only providing that it doesn't start fucking up big time shortly after purchase and costing me large amounts of unrecoverable investment to keep it running. Despite the careful owner and FSH, it's still a 23 year old BMW. 

I like the idea of keeping a low maintenance smoker that once cost £40k (in today's money). Like you say, in a few years time we'll all be driving something electric. 

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3 minutes ago, Peter C said:

The thing is, I would be happy to drive it for a couple of years with minimum maintenance and outlay but only providing that it doesn't start fucking up big time shortly after purchase and costing me large amounts of unrecoverable investment to keep it running. Despite the careful owner and FSH, it's still a 23 year old BMW. 

I like the idea of keeping a low maintenance smoker that once cost £40k (in today's money). Like you say, in a few years time we'll all be driving something electric. 

In my experience of buying something like this, you have to be prepared to walk away from the initial investment at any given point in time. If you can’t afford to do this, then you need something else.

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1 minute ago, Ian_Fearn said:

In my experience of buying something like this, you have to be prepared to walk away from the initial investment at any given point in time. If you can’t afford to do this, then you need something else.

At the risk of sounding like a dick, money is not the issue for me, I can afford to buy a brand new 5 series. It's the principle and economics - I don't like to lose money, however small amounts.

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1 minute ago, Ian_Fearn said:

For example, if the gearbox starts playing up on day 42 of ownership...... don’t look back in anger.

Precisely this! A significant fault that would cause a FTP would piss me right off. I've had approx 80 cars, old and new and never found myself in such a situation. I don't want this being the first.

 

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1 minute ago, Peter C said:

At the risk of sounding like a dick, money is not the issue for me, I can afford to buy a brand new 5 series. It's the principle and economics - I don't like to lose money, however small amounts.

Surely if you buy a brand new car you are going to lose a lot of money on depreciation?

 

2 minutes ago, Peter C said:

Precisely this! A significant fault that would cause a FTP would piss me right off.

Well don't buy it then.  

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I think if it’s to use and ultimately dispose of that’s fine, but that marker on it sadly will always limit its value so however nice you might make it it will never be worth lots.
 

Also good point about insurance - sometimes hidden in the small print is some sort of exclusion which is worth checking out with the prospective insurer. Personally having had stuff like this it doesn’t bother me much but would need to be cheap and overall I’d say avoid because of peripheral hassles.

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Its a bit weird it’s a pre facelift with a load of facelift bits on it. Not totally In common  but doubt a mature lady owner is scouring the 5 series forum for angel eyes headlamps . I’ve got a big soft spot for these as the 528 is probably the best engine they fitted to these. Bad ones can be a mare though 

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I’ve just looked at WhatCar magazine who say the target pcp monthly payment on a bmw 530 is £500, it doesn’t say what the deposit is either! That’s 6k a year for something you’ll never own and you’ll almost certainly get screwed on a chipped alloy on return. 
I’d say it makes sense to budget £2k a year to keep it reliable and enjoy a proper old school petrol 6. You’ll still be on top financially even with a few bigger bills.

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Also- is it a trick of the light or are the bumpers below the rubbing strip a different colour? If you look at the rear bumper in the front 3/4 view it looks Matt on the lower part. Personally and a fault on my part probably but I dislike prefacelift e39s with (aftermarket?) angel eyed fitted, but that just personal choice. 
 

TL:DR to me that’s £750 tops

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17 minutes ago, Ian_Fearn said:

Out of interest, what would the monthly PCP payment be on a new 5 series? I don’t need an answer but I imagine a single month would be enough to cover a decent size repair on an old 528i. 

Probably. Thing is, a brand new car is boring. I’ve been there, done that. I enjoy the romance that comes with a reliable old motor.

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14 minutes ago, cort16 said:

Its a bit weird it’s a pre facelift with a load of facelift bits on it. Not totally In common  but doubt a mature lady owner is scouring the 5 series forum for angel eyes headlamps . I’ve got a big soft spot for these as the 528 is probably the best engine they fitted to these. Bad ones can be a mare though 

I agree about the lights, most odd that an old lady would feel the need to make such upgrades.

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