- 6,092
- Phoenix, AZ
Doog's 2003 BMW 530i
Before December of last year, I didn't pay too much attention to BMWs. They were alright, I heard they were fun to drive, but I preferred what Mercedes had to offer most of the time. I appreciated the handling prowess of my mom's '06 Mini Cooper S, but it rode like a truck and was rather sparse as far as the amenities went. I preferred driving the LS430, with its excellent ride quality and isolation from the road, but it wasn't too entertaining, and it wasn't supposed to be. I wanted something that had a balance between these two cars that were both near the extremes of the comfort-performance spectrum.
After reading various reviews, lurking on dedicated forums and educating myself, I decided that a BMW would be the right car, specifically an E39 or an E46. Within these two model ranges, I preferred the 330Ci coupe, 530i and 540i the most, but was open to 325Cis, 330is or 525is in exceptional condition. Near the start of nearly a year of Craigslist lurking, I found a '92 535i that in the advertisement, appeared to be in good shape. We went to look at it a few days later, and it was in less than stellar condition. Screw that.
The better part of a year went by before I found a silver '03 525i with 74,000 miles asking for $10k in early December. The seller turned out to be a dealer in disguise, so that obviously wasn't going to happen. The same day, I found a dark silver '03 530i with 64,000 miles for $11.6k. The seller turned out to be a Romanian BMW enthusiast who had owned several 5ers and a handful of 3ers, always used, and maintained them religiously. He was selling the 530i because he had purchased another '03 530i, but with the elusive M-Sport package. He had been looking for such a car for two years.
I didn't look at the car myself. My mom went to see it while I was at school on December 13th. The deal was done, and I left school that day and noticed a dark silver E39 in the pickup line, strikingly similar to the one I'd seen on Craigslist the day before. In fact, it was the same E39. My mom had purchased it, and both parents had came along to pick me up from school in it.
We went to the usual spot where we switched places and I took over the wheel, where the sliding center armrest attempted to eat my finger when I tried to open it. Said finger was sore for the rest of the day, but the driving experience overshadowed it for sure. The steering is a bit heavy at low speeds but lightens up in normal driving. It has a good amount of response without being twitchy like the Mini. Handling is better than expected for a 3400 lb sedan (of course it is a Bimmer, so...) and it stays relatively flat through corners. Only the major bumps and cracks in the road are felt, but the way they're transmitted into the cabin makes you feel like you're in a tank. It's a firm but comfortable ride.
When I first drove the car, I started to become worried that the power would become too intoxicating. While the Lexus was more muscular as far as power was concerned, it was geared in a way that made it feel much more tame than it actually was. The Bimmer has a very good transmission-engine combination, meaning it's quite responsive. When I first drove it, I wasn't expecting it to accelerate so quickly without any drama, but luckily for fuel economy's sake (as well as any possible speeding tickets), I adapted quickly. Now it's a gradual, smooth surge of acceleration. I should note that the brakes are excellent as well, though the brake dust they create makes cleaning those million spoke wheels a royal pain in the ass. It's worth it, though.
The Bimmer just had its eleventh birthday on December 2nd (assembly date: 02.12.2002), and it feels like an eleven year old car, but not in a bad way. It has one small rattle coming from somewhere within the center console that I'm having trouble locating, but it's not very annoying. It's a relatively basic 530i, with no navigation, climate-controlled seats, or a sport package, although it does have sport wheels. The cold weather package option is left unchecked, as is the premium package...well, maybe (it does have the premium package, thanks @Ferraridude308). The car has a power rear sunshade and manual sunshades for the rear doors, which seem like things that would be included on a premium package. If anyone could clarify what the premium package entails, that would be greatly appreciated.
The car itself is in excellent condition. The paint still sparkles in direct sunlight with no evidence of fading or oxidation. There's only one real chip on the front of the car, leading me to believe this car spent most of its life in town and off the highway. There's one chip above the driver's side taillight that I'd like to touch up, as well as the aforementioned chip on the front of the car. The interior is in pretty good shape, minus some wear on one of the driver's bolsters. I plan to use Leatherique on the surfaces once temperatures rise again in two months or so. There's also two very small, but noticeable holes on one of the backseats, but it doesn't bother me much. Compared to the endless supply of E39s in appalling condition that I saw on Craigslist during my search, this is nothing.
I'm pretty happy with the car as it sits, bone stock. The only thing I've done thus far is give it a wash and remove all the rear headrests (visibility was atrocious with them in), which was a job easier said than done. I picked up a key chain from the local BMW dealer and a sun shade for the front windshield yesterday. I've also ordered a vanity plate (just for the looks, not for a witty saying) that should arrive within a week. I'd also like to pick up a chrome BMW front plate in the near future, much like this one:
Replacing the stock angel eyes with silver units would be nice, but I could live without it. A subtle lowering (maybe an inch at the most) would look good, but if it compromises the driveability or causes rubbing, screw that. Other than that, there's not much else I'd like to do, other than preventative maintenance and keeping it clean.
Before December of last year, I didn't pay too much attention to BMWs. They were alright, I heard they were fun to drive, but I preferred what Mercedes had to offer most of the time. I appreciated the handling prowess of my mom's '06 Mini Cooper S, but it rode like a truck and was rather sparse as far as the amenities went. I preferred driving the LS430, with its excellent ride quality and isolation from the road, but it wasn't too entertaining, and it wasn't supposed to be. I wanted something that had a balance between these two cars that were both near the extremes of the comfort-performance spectrum.
After reading various reviews, lurking on dedicated forums and educating myself, I decided that a BMW would be the right car, specifically an E39 or an E46. Within these two model ranges, I preferred the 330Ci coupe, 530i and 540i the most, but was open to 325Cis, 330is or 525is in exceptional condition. Near the start of nearly a year of Craigslist lurking, I found a '92 535i that in the advertisement, appeared to be in good shape. We went to look at it a few days later, and it was in less than stellar condition. Screw that.
The better part of a year went by before I found a silver '03 525i with 74,000 miles asking for $10k in early December. The seller turned out to be a dealer in disguise, so that obviously wasn't going to happen. The same day, I found a dark silver '03 530i with 64,000 miles for $11.6k. The seller turned out to be a Romanian BMW enthusiast who had owned several 5ers and a handful of 3ers, always used, and maintained them religiously. He was selling the 530i because he had purchased another '03 530i, but with the elusive M-Sport package. He had been looking for such a car for two years.
I didn't look at the car myself. My mom went to see it while I was at school on December 13th. The deal was done, and I left school that day and noticed a dark silver E39 in the pickup line, strikingly similar to the one I'd seen on Craigslist the day before. In fact, it was the same E39. My mom had purchased it, and both parents had came along to pick me up from school in it.
We went to the usual spot where we switched places and I took over the wheel, where the sliding center armrest attempted to eat my finger when I tried to open it. Said finger was sore for the rest of the day, but the driving experience overshadowed it for sure. The steering is a bit heavy at low speeds but lightens up in normal driving. It has a good amount of response without being twitchy like the Mini. Handling is better than expected for a 3400 lb sedan (of course it is a Bimmer, so...) and it stays relatively flat through corners. Only the major bumps and cracks in the road are felt, but the way they're transmitted into the cabin makes you feel like you're in a tank. It's a firm but comfortable ride.
When I first drove the car, I started to become worried that the power would become too intoxicating. While the Lexus was more muscular as far as power was concerned, it was geared in a way that made it feel much more tame than it actually was. The Bimmer has a very good transmission-engine combination, meaning it's quite responsive. When I first drove it, I wasn't expecting it to accelerate so quickly without any drama, but luckily for fuel economy's sake (as well as any possible speeding tickets), I adapted quickly. Now it's a gradual, smooth surge of acceleration. I should note that the brakes are excellent as well, though the brake dust they create makes cleaning those million spoke wheels a royal pain in the ass. It's worth it, though.
The Bimmer just had its eleventh birthday on December 2nd (assembly date: 02.12.2002), and it feels like an eleven year old car, but not in a bad way. It has one small rattle coming from somewhere within the center console that I'm having trouble locating, but it's not very annoying. It's a relatively basic 530i, with no navigation, climate-controlled seats, or a sport package, although it does have sport wheels. The cold weather package option is left unchecked, as is the premium package...well, maybe (it does have the premium package, thanks @Ferraridude308). The car has a power rear sunshade and manual sunshades for the rear doors, which seem like things that would be included on a premium package. If anyone could clarify what the premium package entails, that would be greatly appreciated.
The car itself is in excellent condition. The paint still sparkles in direct sunlight with no evidence of fading or oxidation. There's only one real chip on the front of the car, leading me to believe this car spent most of its life in town and off the highway. There's one chip above the driver's side taillight that I'd like to touch up, as well as the aforementioned chip on the front of the car. The interior is in pretty good shape, minus some wear on one of the driver's bolsters. I plan to use Leatherique on the surfaces once temperatures rise again in two months or so. There's also two very small, but noticeable holes on one of the backseats, but it doesn't bother me much. Compared to the endless supply of E39s in appalling condition that I saw on Craigslist during my search, this is nothing.
I'm pretty happy with the car as it sits, bone stock. The only thing I've done thus far is give it a wash and remove all the rear headrests (visibility was atrocious with them in), which was a job easier said than done. I picked up a key chain from the local BMW dealer and a sun shade for the front windshield yesterday. I've also ordered a vanity plate (just for the looks, not for a witty saying) that should arrive within a week. I'd also like to pick up a chrome BMW front plate in the near future, much like this one:
Replacing the stock angel eyes with silver units would be nice, but I could live without it. A subtle lowering (maybe an inch at the most) would look good, but if it compromises the driveability or causes rubbing, screw that. Other than that, there's not much else I'd like to do, other than preventative maintenance and keeping it clean.
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