Lasts really long
great handling
mileage

expensive parts (rarely breaks)

This car I would recomend, if you can find it. If you see one in good shape buy it. It's worth it.Mine has 185K miles! It is running very well.

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Everything. This car is sooo smooth it is amazing. At a red light it is hard to tell if the car is running. The new 3.0L engine delivers smooth but powerful torque the whole way through the rpm band and I mean the whole way. Vastly better then the 2.8L engine. The interior is immaculate, and the DSP stereo system has been improved and has increadible sound, it even has serious base tones. The Xenons are, of course, incredible. The sport suspension is unbelievable. This car puts all Mercedes to shame in the handling department, its like its on rails.

None. I cant find a thing to complain about. As for all the people who complain about things like cup holders, give me a break, this is a German engineering masterpiece you bought it for the engine and handling not the floor mats and drink holders. If that is the only problem this car must be good!!!

This car is expensive, there's no doubt about that. Having said that I would pay a little more to get the enjoyment it will deliver. If you've had a bad day all you have to do is drive this car and the day gets better.
The new engine is great, smooth balanced power and it will really launch ,from speed, if you want it to. The nicest car I've owned and I've had a few. Blows away the Audi in handling and driving pleasure. The Audi is a nice car with a little more HP but it will put you to sleep with its handling. I cant say enough about the looks of this car. It's beautiful.
Inside and out. The new rims and headlights make it look like a touring car. Go get one!!

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1992 BMW 325i, 1994 500SL, 2000 Audi A6 2.7

Supberb stability on the road, makes commuting relaxing. Strong power at any speed. Great braking, passing and handling. Business-like looks with no "fluff". Car is very quiet on the road. Luxurious interior is very comfortable and roomy. Love the night time display of amber lights everywhere.

Lack of working cup holders and console storage. Sound system is not a good as the 10 speakers and 200 watts would leave you to believe. Car had only 16,000 miles when purchased, yet appearance was not as crisp as you might think. Rear window deck was discolored from the sun, paint seemed dull and front light covers which are plastic, looked dull pitted and scratched. Dealer's promises quickly evaporated once the deal was made. (What else should I expect, dummy that I am?) The 97 model was the first of the new 5 Series, so there are a number of flaws which probably have been corrected, cup holders not included. Why would a company like BMW build a chintzy cupholder with over 30 parts? Talk about over-engineering for no gain.

$32,500 with Premium package and only 16,000 miles on it. In Southern California, it's a great price. It is a '97 though, so it's pricey. CAme with premium package, sunroof, etc. I had a 2000 528 on loan from the dealer, it was a noticibly better car and slighly faster with 5 speed auto instead of four speed. I would recommend this car only to those with extra money available to enjoy this toy. Why shouldn't this be a great car when it lists for over $40,000 when new?

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94 Eagle Vision TSI, 98 Mazda Millenia-Great car for the money! 97 Buick Regal GS- company car, great sleeper, fast as heck with 240HP. None of these is anything like the Bimmer. Nothing to compare.

-sports car stuffed in a wagons body(now THAT'S practical!)
-super powerful brakes
-silky smooth engine(nice torque) with great gas mileage(getting 24 m.p.g. in mixed driving)
-smooth, quiet ride
-interior coddles with comfort
-automatic transmission shifts are almost unnoticable and always in the right gear
-shifttronic works flawlessly
-headlights(high beams throw insane amounts of light and Xenons are great too.)
-cruise control(works to perfection)
-steering wheel controls for stereo/cruise control
-M steering wheel is very cool
-cargo space
-clean and sporty looks
-seats
-6 airbags up front
-premium sound system sounds quite good as long as you don't crank it(even to my stereophile ears)

-ingress/egress not that great(partly because it's low to the ground, but the door opening could be larger)
-Climate control could be better/more simple.
-No heated seats available in sport version.
-Ummmmm, I'm still thinking...Damn! Normally I can pick a car apart!
-Center console invades leg well somewhat.
-cupholders suck.

Paid $43,000 from a private seller who owns a car dealership and turns his cars over every 9-12 months. Car had 4700 miles on it. He bought it new from the local BMW dealer. List was $53,000 when he bought it in February 2000 with every option available. Not sure why he came down to my offer from his listing at $48,000 but I think it's because he and I hit it off since we're both car fanatics and I'm kind of young.

This is my wife's car. She says that her stress level decreases by 50% every time she gets in it. She says its like slipping into a state of relaxing meditation when driving. As a sales executive who drives quite a bit that kind of feeling is very valuable to her. She had a Passat wagon before this and really liked it. On my urging we got this car and boy is she happy we did. She absolutely LOVES it.

This car is a culmination of BMW's effort's over the past several decades. It amazes me how firm yet compliant the ride is(even with 235/45/17 tires). It drives superbly and loves to be pushed to its generous limit. It is whisper quiet inside when driving. The interior is gorgeous, and in the wagon form has a good amount of cargo space. Everything is right where it should be and works flawlessly. The amount of thinking and features that have gone into this car will really blow your mind; truly a technological masterpiece. It is not perfect(see weaknesses), but it is so close to flawless that you appreciate its design and craftsmanship every time you drive it.

This car is worth every penny. And if you have a lot of pennies and a penchant for speed, opt for the 540i wagon.


Other vehicles owned:

2000 Chevy Silverado
1997 VW Passat(sold as of tomorrow)
1999 Honda CBR600F4(can you say 0-60m.p.h. in 2.8 seconds?!)
1994 Honda XR650L
1995 Yamaha WR 250

dream car: Porsche 911 turbo

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Mercedes E320 wagon-tons of cargo space, fantastic build quality, engine/handling are great. Ugly exterior. Not as sporty handling as BMW.

Audi A6 wagon-2.8 engine is underpowered, steering not as good as BMW, Handling not as good as BMW. Nice build quality. Great exterior/interior.

Saab 9-5 wagon-Excellent ride quality, turbo engine is nice. Not as luxerious and doesn't seem as quality as BMW, Audi, Mercedes.

Volvo T5 wagon-2001 model- horrible ride quality-where's the dampening? All Volvos I've driven have been the same. Too much power for a front wheel drive. All wheel drive XC o.k. but less power and still atrocious ride quality. Still clueless in 2001. Not in the same league as BMW, Audi, Mercedes.

Passat wagon-Nice car for the money. Crushes the Volvo in overall ride and handling. Get a 2001 BMW 525i wagon for $8000 more than an optioned Passat.

-Great handling!
-Roomy interior (in front only)
-Smooth ride even on 17" wheels
-Xenon lights provide much improved illumination

-Not very attractive
-Expensive options
-Small trunk
-Only six disc changer compatible with factory stereo head unit
-No console storage

Overall and excellent automobile. It's slightly underpowered in my opinion, but I have only owned sports cars up to now. Handling is fantastic as it takes curves effortlessly. I highly recommend the Sports package. The exterior styling is only so-so. I added a front spoiler and BMW Style 71 wheels to give it a more aggressive look. The interior is very comfortable and roomy up front (I'm 6'3"). Leather should be standard for the amount of money they want for the car. I decided not to pay extra for the leather. The leatherette is great so far. It feels and looks like leather. In fact, it's better than the leather in my '99 M3.

The sound system is adequate. You may want to upgrade if you're an audiophile. I'm keeping it as is. I'm going to add my own CD changer for half the price of what the dealer wanted. Too bad a 10 or 12 disc changer is not compatible with the head unit. I highly recommend this car if you are a driving enthusiast. If you just want to cruise in comfort, buy something less expensive.

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-Handling
-Ride Comfort
-Stability at high speeds

-required service at dealer for oil service, & service interval lights
-cheap plastic should not be used on this caliber of a car (when the smallest thing break the whole unit needs replacement)
-no repeat or shuffle on cd player (for trunk mounted units)
-slightly underpowered, but with the right adjustment get the needle above 2000 and take flight

i would recommend this car to anyone who has the budget for it. Pretty fast handles turns like nothing. Straight out of the dealer, no mods neccesary. I do however recommend you get the trottle body, and stage 3 eng. chip from DINAN this will take of that lousy top speed limiter, and provide you with a more jumpy car.

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mercedes E-Class, provides similar luxuries, doesn't perform as well, plus seats on Mercesdes are very hard
-Acura TL, not as roomy, eats more gas, doesn't handle as well
-GS400, a bit heavier but i enjoy this car just as much as my BMW, but i love the get up and go feeling in a 528i
-CLK 320, fast car light, well powered, minuses are just too cramped
-BMW 540i similar to the 528i but more modification available, good car very heavy but hauls @$$

Acceleration, handling, braking

Catalytic converters broke!! (a common problem and very expensive to fix)
Rattles from doors, seats, and sunroof.
Squeeks from door seals.
Working of the climate control system a complete mystery..it does what it wants!
Trunk latch broke at 500 miles.
Sunroof motor broke at 700 miles.
Cramped for a car of it's size.

I would only recommend this car to real driving enthusiasts. When it works the car is peerless. Sadly, it doesn't work that often. Ownership of a $50K+ car should be without incident. Not with this car. As far as meeting my expectations it is the worst car I've ever owned. You'll have fun with it, but ultimately it will cost you too much money and grief. I will not be buying another BMW.

Ask yourself if you're really prepared for ownership of a 5-series. Are you willing to tolerate the electrical, mechanical, and quality glitches? If you are you'll have a thrill ride that is hard to beat in a 4 door car. If ultimate performance is NOT your primary concern..move on to something else.

BTW, my experience with BMW dealerships has been VERY unpleasant. Arrogance and ignorance combine to make for an unbelievably annoying experience.

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Lexus GS300. BMW handles, and brakes better....BUT it breaks. The Lexus refuses to break. I'm always visiting the dealer with the BM.

-great handling
-great accelleration
-very nice styling inside and out
-nice gage

-The car is set too low.
-The seating is'nt that comfortable compared to a caddilac or benz.
-The sound system was poor compared to some other non-luxury cars.

About $40k. I would recommend it for people living in an area that does not flood. Otherwise get and Acura or something. I had an exerience driving it over the water a couple of times and my engine died i guess it was to low to the ground. I had one problem with my engine the water hose broke but the dealership did a nice job replacing it.

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Mercedes Benz C-Class

Very powerfull
Nice detailed interior
Excellent logic when designing cockpit

Number of comparments

I recently bought a 540i (1998) after doing car research for 4 months! This is the best car I have ever driven. Excellent perfomance (torque and HP). Very detailed interior. I can recommend this car to anyone who likes a quick and sporty car, but dont want to comprimise with elegance and luxury.

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Benz C and E Class, Lexus GS, Chrysler 300M

True to BMW, these cars are all about excellence. Great handling, power and stopping. The fives are great for folks who used to drive threes or sixes and want more room but still want a driver's car.

Not many at all. If anything, there is some interior rattles with time and miles but I'd deal with those any day rather than drive something else that removes the connection with the road and car.

The five series BMWs have been great cars all along and are just now being rediscovered by America. I owned my first 5 for many years. I put over 200k on it and when I finally sold it the car still looked new! Perfect black leather interior and beautyful paint. The thing was fast as ever. I did want to move to something with the current safety standard though and I've been equally pleased with my 528.

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Mercedes, I like them but a manual trans is a must for me.
Saab, torque steer and weak dealer/parts network
Audi, nice build and designs but very spotty/poor dealership/service experiences.
Volvo, rotten ride, short lived brakes, electrical nightmare for many and with a car that beats itself up as much as they do it's very hard to avoid rattles and loose plastic.
Note: I've owned at least one of all the cars I speak of. I'm not slamming cars based on anything but my own observations. Some folks have given ratings here that haven't even driven the five series for more than a day. What a joke.