Found an '09 E60 Daily 5'er To Buy!

[JMD]

Well, I was wanting to find a nice reliable E60 535xi to drive as a daily, but it has been hard finding one with decent mileage a the right price,...color combo, and with backup sensors (...a must have)! I also spent some time reading about the things that go bad,...turbo(s), wastegate,...walnut blast, etc. So, I reduced the need of my wants down to a 528xi. Note, the X/drive is needed for wintery roads in the Norther VA area, etc.

That said, I just completed an extensive test drive and look over of an '09 528xi. The car is clean,...cold a/c/, lots of thread on tires,...brake pads, no rattles, stopped well, good handbrake, and is in overall good condition.

Note, my only reason for wanting the 535 was due to it having more Hp and Torque. But after re-evaluating my needs, I think I'm going to go with the 528xi!

The only things it seems to be lacking,...as far as a 'like to have' is Sirius XM radio module.

That said, the car is an '09 with 116k on the clock. Anything you guys care to share would be great.

PS - Parting Shot! I did some 16+ miles on the hwy,....and the car was quiet to say the lease!

Tia.

Edit: I did notice that it has a lot more sway in the suspension than I would like. So, I ask does anyone know if the swaybars can be upgraded to larger bars. Note, I'm sure I can swap out the shocks, but I'd rather just upgrade the swaybars. Again, Tia...

[mishka69]

If you have with sport package, then you have adaptive swaybar ( I believe that's the name), then I don't think you can upgrade.

[mishka69]

I see you in NorVA. There is a shop call RRT racing, www.rrtptm.com
Call them and ask them, they very good and prices is better than dealers

[JMD]

Originally Posted by mishka69

I see you in NorVA. There is a shop call RRT racing, www.rrtptm.com
Call them and ask them, they very good and prices is better than dealers

Much appreciate,...calling.

[JMD]

Originally Posted by mishka69

If you have with sport package, then you have adaptive swaybar ( I believe that's the name), then I don't think you can upgrade.

I'm sure it doesn't have the active suspension bars,...there is too much Left-to-right body sway when doing 1 - 2 switchback on the steering.

I'd be happy with just larger than stock swaybars,...as I know what they can do for handling first hand,....having once installed a set of E28 M5 swaybars on my previously owned '88 535is!

....I wore the biggest BMW grin this side of the Mississippi,...on a daily basis.

I did a VIN Decode lookup and did not see Active Suspension,..nor Sport Suspension.

Thank you.

[mishka69]

What color moldings around door windows(black or chrome)?
If black you have sport package.

[JMD]

Originally Posted by mishka69

What color moldings around door windows(black or chrome)?
If black you have sport package.

Naah,...it's chrome. Perhaps BMW offer a larger swaybar set. I will contact my man Charles.

[DAKA]

With older cars, the condition is the key factor, you can get a feeling for the car by seeing it before it gets a dealer cleanup.
I'm willing to pay top dollar (and did) for a car that has a CLEAN Carfax and shows service by the DEALER.
Cars that have been dealer serviced are generally "over serviced" what I mean is that following the mfg recommended intervals a is an indication that the person spent the money in the cars early life...generally a better car. (IMHO)
My recently purchased 2007 530xiT was a one owner car that showed BMW service just about every 7,000 miles..I paid a few thousand over for this car...and for an 07 with 39,000 miles .. (took a LONG tome to find this car)

[JMD]

Originally Posted by DAKA

With older cars, the condition is the key factor, you can get a feeling for the car by seeing it before it gets a dealer cleanup.
I'm willing to pay top dollar (and did) for a car that has a CLEAN Carfax and shows service by the DEALER.
Cars that have been dealer serviced are generally "over serviced" what I mean is that following the mfg recommended intervals a is an indication that the person spent the money in the cars early life...generally a better car. (IMHO)
My recently purchased 2007 530xiT was a one owner car that showed BMW service just about every 7,000 miles..I paid a few thousand over for this car...and for an 07 with 39,000 miles .. (took a LONG tome to find this car)

Concur! Suweet find! The '09 528xi is fairly clean and priced right! In fact, I had 3 VINs that I ask my Service Advisor to research the maintenance/service history. They are a 2010 535xi,...Alternator replaced,...injectors (multiple times), belt tensioner, battery cable, valve cover gasket, and a few others; a 2010 528xi (Sport),....serious issues left and right! My SA told me the 2009 528xi had been serviced at Annapolis BMW, and had few issues,..and no major issues.

The interior looked good,...there was no crazy wear and tear,...excellent weather seals all-around.

[DAKA]

Sounds good, if it was serviced by BMW and kept up, that is a good sign
You only find out if it is really good after a week (a few weeks) so of driving it day/night etc
Good luck with it.

[JMD]

Originally Posted by DAKA

Sounds good, if it was serviced by BMW and kept up, that is a good sign
You only find out if it is really good after a week (a few weeks) so of driving it day/night etc
Good luck with it.

Yeah! I know,...I'll prolly will see dings, that I didn't see the 1st and 2nd go around. Np though,...it's just is to perform reliable daily driver duties!

Thx

[skrelnik]

These guys were trying to do a group buy for sway bars but they are currently in nightmare status. You could reach out to the group leader for options that he found.

https://5series.net/forums/group-buy...2/#post1589701

[hockey21]

i personally would keep the BMW's for the hobby/ weekend car and stick to japanese for the DD- so much better of a car for reliability.

i absolutely would not get a 09 bmw for a DD- it will not be economic

[JMD]

Originally Posted by hockey21

i personally would keep the BMW's for the hobby/ weekend car and stick to japanese for the DD- so much better of a car for reliability.

I absolutely would not get a 09 bmw for a DD- it will not be economic

Good point!

However, I wouldn't want to go through the routine of getting out of an M model BMW,...a la M5,...X5M,...and hop into a Toyota,..Lexus,...Mazda, etc. I don't want to got through the thought process of where controls are, etc.
The 525,...528 are the most efficient of the 5 series,...compared to 535i,..545,...550, etc. Believe it or not, I had actually considered a 535xi,...but a 'really' good one at the right price point was hard to fine. So, after really thinking about what I needed (....and wanted), the 528xi made more since.

The E60 528xi,...has the same Hp as the E39 530,...of which I once owned,...and really liked to drive, and the X/Drive will come in handy during any Northern VA wintry weather.

Heck,...I can drive it for a few years,...and give it to my daughter,...and may be decide to pick up a 535xi,....in 2 or 3 years or so.

[hockey21]

Originally Posted by JMD

Good point!

However, I wouldn't want to go through the routine of getting out of an M model BMW,...a la M5,...X5M,...and hop into a Toyota,..Lexus,...Mazda, etc. I don't want to got through the thought process of where controls are, etc.
The 525,...528 are the most efficient of the 5 series,...compared to 535i,..545,...550, etc. Believe it or not, I had actually considered a 535xi,...but a 'really' good one at the right price point was hard to fine. So, after really thinking about what I needed (....and wanted), the 528xi made more since.

The E60 528xi,...has the same Hp as the E39 530,...of which I once owned,...and really liked to drive, and the X/Drive will come in handy during any Northern VA wintry weather.

Heck,...I can drive it for a few years,...and give it to my daughter,...and may be decide to pick up a 535xi,....in 2 or 3 years or so.

i had the same thought process as you before- got rid of my lexus DD because i didnt liek teh controls, etc.

we now have a m3 and a 535 daily driver... let me tell you- the pain in the ass you hve to deal with getting the bimmer fixed, far outweighs any benefit of lexus. you wil feel like you're am dealing wth a vintage porsche or something lol

unless you are a DIE HARD bmw fan or a mechanic yourself- GO LEXUS!