Dilemma: BUY mint low mile '02 BMW 525i *OR* keep problem free 1995 E420? HELP!

[Jim B.]

This needs to be decided right away!

My best and oldest friend who is 64 y o. and has signed papers to trade in his champagne colored 2003 BMW 525i sedan tomorrow on a new Kia Genesis.

I have always coveted this BMW; it is the last year of the E39 model, I was with him the day he bought it in Berkeley California, and he was offered $11,000 by the dealer for it in trade tomorrow, so I think for a few hundred bucks more I could get it if I gave him the cash.

This car is immaculate! It has never been smoked in, garaged from day one, and very gently driven, and NEVER had pets smokers or children in it, ever! -- and the body is perfect, and the interior even looks and smells new! It has only about 45,000 miles on it, all books and records from brand new and taken care of, and all service and repair records. Serviced to facto5ry spec so not fanatically, but all records are there.

He has also a 1993 Bentley and a 1956 Packard so it has not been abused, and I like the cart a LOT except for the low performance 525i motor. He told me yesterday he is rather bored and lkooking for a new daily driver.

I have known the owner since 1969 and is one of my best friends, who knows I really liked the car since he bought it new, and would never sell it to me, though I had asked many times. It cost him abut $40k and he did not have enough money to buy one with a 530 or 540 engine, (About $5,000 more for the next lartger motor) and this is the last year of the pre-Chris Bangle BMWs and it looks mint and very iconic.


~~~~~~

The car I would have to give up to get it is my beloved "Red Plum" that I have had for 10 months, the top of the line, last year of w124 Mercedes Benzes, the bulletproof ones designed by Bruno Sacco and in production since 1986-1995.

I love this car too, and have put over 15,000 miles on it since July when I bought it for $3,000.00


PLUS over $8,000 into it, for paint, AMG wheels, a Remus exhaust from an E500 and a Lorinser spoiler on the trunk; and euro front blinkers and a triangle.

It has 146k on it, and has been maintained franatically, all fluids updated, even the sunroof lubed, new Bilstein HD shocks, new brakes, new Contintinental Extreme Contact DWS tires, and I even replaced the spare, tires, no expense spared. Even the desireabloe OLD style wiring harness is replaced with the non bio degradeable one.

It is the top of the line w124, in my favorite color, (Almandine Red) and has a great looking leather & burlwood interior, CARFAX is perfect, tool kit, jack and first aid kit all there, original windshield, and I know the history from brand new on it.


It's a delight to drive and I adore it. It cost about $53,000 when new in 1995. It was the best of all 1995 E class sedans, with the biggest engine (the dohc m119 engine, and is very fast. it is maybe 70% the performance of the legendary MB/Porsche E500 that was made for $85,000 by MB and Porsche that was sold for $85,000 new.

Both cars user premium gas, and obviously the V8 w124 is really really fast.




Can anyone give me thoughts as to which path to follow here, buy the 525i or keep my old Mercedes?


Both are known cars in perfect turn key running condition, and need NOTHING.

[spdrun]

Does the BMW have a real gearbox or an auto-tragic?

[Jim B.]

Originally Posted by spdrun

Does the BMW have a real gearbox or an auto-tragic?

It's an automatic. Model year 2003.

It's... very leisurely, compared to the 1995 E 420.

[spdrun]

Originally Posted by Jim B.

It's an automatic. Model year 2003.

Shame

[The Swede]

I'd keep the Mercedes. Why would you want a small-6 in a medium sized BMW? If the BMW was a V8? Different story.

[PaulC]

I guarantee that you'll miss the torque of the V8 if you buy the 525. OTO is the 5 was a manual, it might be more entertaining to drive.

[thatguy]

Well as a former BMW owner and fan who converted to Mercedes in recent years, I'd vote for the E420. I actually had a E39 525i a few years back and it did require more upkeep than my 95 E300D, even though the Benz now has over 160k and the BMW was at 70k when I sold it. Something to keep in mind with the BMW's of that vintage are the suspension (not a big deal) and the weak cooling system (can be a really big deal if it happens 50 miles from home and over heats). Also, I had some auto trans problems with the car, probably relating to sensors or something, mine was equipped with the GM automatic like most of the US market cars. If you're willing to dump $200 into a EMP Stewart water pump and a Zionsville all aluminum radiator and expansion tank, it should completely bullet-proof the cooling system of the Bimmer, but boy oh boy are those radiators expensive ($700 minimum), still, those E39's tend to go through stock cooling systems at an alarming rate.

The 525i was a nice, smooth driver with a bullet-proof engine, but it was definitely down on power, not much better than my W124 diesel to be honest. I also had to replace the entire cooling system at 65k, luckily the radiator blew up 50ft from my driveway. I feel the Mercedes is a better-built car, the W124 is arguably the best Mercedes built it sounds like yours is one of the nicer ones out there that has been gone over and prepared for another 200k+ of reliable motoring. I almost bought a 94 E420 last year on impulse, but it was gone the next day and I am kicking myself every day for not pulling the trigger; I can tell you I won't make that mistake again if I ever see a nice one pop up in the future. That said, a 2003 530i Sport 5-speed at a good price that would allow me to upgrade the water pump and radiator would tug at my heart strings pretty hard, German cars are an addiction.

[iwrock]

Ehhh, pass.


Not enough motor for that car, IMO.


Would be a different story if this were a 540/M5.

[E150GT]

why on earth would anyone spend $11k on a car and then sell it for a fraction of the cost just to buy another car??

[engatwork]

I'd keep the 420.

[HuskyMan]

a german auto mechanic once told me that BMWs are much more expensive to maintain than a Mercedes.

[engatwork]

I work on alot more BMW's than I do MB's and in my opinion, they can't hold a candle to the MB's. Do a search on BMW oil leaks sometime. For some reason after about 100k miles they leak oil like a sieve. Not sure why.

[Hatterasguy]

If it was a 540I with a stick I'd say go for it, but a 525I isn't really anything to interesting.

[Fulcrum525]

If the E420 is that color and looks that good then keep it. It will only get classier as it ages

[HuskyMan]

Originally Posted by Fulcrum525

If the E420 is that color and looks that good then keep it. It will only get classier as it ages

Mercedes Benz forever, forever Mercedes Benz.