95 540i with 157k - Recommend buying?

[vermagnussen]

Hi, I'm new to the forum but not new to owning(and loving) BMW's. I previously owned a 89 325is which was in immaculate shape when I sold it with 213k miles on it. I loved the car but it was too small for me (i'm 6'5) and though I tolerated this at first it began to give me neck and back problems after a while. So, since selling that and owning a series of mediocre cars, I've been yearning to get back behind the wheel of a bimmer. I started looking and came across the following BMW 540i (http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&paId=133184277&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=1500&sortorder=descending&sortfield=YEAR+descending%2CPRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&recnum=303&leadExists=true&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_5_%7CD-_38_%7CN-N%7CR-500%7CI-1%7CP-YEAR+descending%2CPRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-22401&aff=national). It's a 6-speed which is a huge plus and it's Black, which would be my first choice of colors. The car is located about 30 minutes away and I'm going to look at it tomorrow or the day after. I apologize for the lengthy preamble but here are my main questions:

1. I am aware of the nikasil/alusil issue but have read conflicting reports as to whether this was fixed in the 95 models or not. Can someone give a more clear answer as to whether this car would have come out of the factory with a nikasil or alusil cylinder coatings?

2. Assuming that the engine isn't a nikasil how many more miles could I expect to get out of it since it already has 157k (assuming the engine wasn't replaced somewhere along the line; something I'll have to find out). Assuming the car was reasonably well maintained can I expect it to last well into the 200's like my E30's straight 6 did? If the engine hasn't been replaced and is a nikasil should that raise a red flag(i.e. their mechanic told them the engine was on it's last legs so they dumped the car).

3. Is this a good price for the car from what you can tell? I know KBB is much higher but on all the auto sites i've looked at 95 540i's are going for about the same price. I'm a pretty good haggler; would it be a good deal at 5k, 4k?

I know i'm asking alot of questions without providing alot of information but I've been scouring the net for the last two days for information and I feel like i'm running around in circles. Any advice from someone with experience with this model/year/engine would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time,
Vermagnussen

[Jehu]

I've only had mine for about 6,000 miles so far. I learned it had the Nikisil block switched at about 89,000 miles and it has 136,000 now.It shows no signs of which I'm aware of the least indication of any failure.It couldn't have felt or sounded much stronger the day it was installed.It did come with the M-Tech sport suspension and some aftermarket light allow wheels and the leather is in great shape so i paid $9,200.00.Others who've owned the 540 up into that high mileage territory will hopefully be able to put a lifespan to it.I've seen Alusil M60 engines selling for about $6K i think so it may be worth it to pay more for a lower mileage car in better shape if that's possible. The test drive should make you aware of what you're dealing with. Idle should be smooth , steady, no ticking or rapping, no smoke from the tailpipe.Check for fluids under the car where its been parked.I've heard people claim over 200,000 miles of worry free health in these engines.I tend to believe its certainly possible.I have a Chevy V8 In a '99 express van that has over 365,000 now and still putting out lots of horsepower.

[vermagnussen]

Thanks for the quick reply and the good info Jehu. I've noticed that the dealer claims this is a one owner car (good if true) and also the carfax report shows a series of vehicle services in close succession:

02/04/1999 70,587 Service Facility Vehicle serviced
09/13/1999 80,461 Service Facility Vehicle serviced
10/27/1999 81,838 Service Facility Vehicle serviced
11/26/1999 82,844 Service Facility Vehicle serviced


Makes me wonder if this was the engine being replaced...or an accident. Since the site provides the car's VIN is there anyway I can get a hold of the car's full service record and find out for sure? Something tells me the guys at the dealership won't know.

Thanks,
Vermagnussen

[Jehu]

I called BMW North America's main customer service number with the VIN and asked them to tell me if they had record of the Alusil swap. They kindly confirmed it had and also told me all other recall servive had been performed as well.

[632 Regal]

good deal all tghe way altho Nikasil doesnt scare me, expect at least 300k without doing much of anything besides maintenance.

[tim]

The short block has 70k mi. and it's a manual? WTF are you waiting for? Budget an extra $1000, read up on bruno's, and when you get it, replace the following when you get around to it: Rotors and pads, radiator, belts and waterpump, PCV valve, intake gaskets, control arms, AFM boot assembly and (maybe) the fan clutch. If you maintain it and don't crash it in the snow/ice (like I did), it will give you another 200k mi easy.

Good luck

[brosher]

If it is still running strong, idles fine, and starts easy than nikasil is not an issue. Don't be worried if the idle is a little lumpy, it's that cam in the M60. Best to get a compression test done at the very least anyways though. That is a pretty good price. From what I've seen the 6 speeds are worth about $2-3k more than an auto all things the same. You may have a dealer here who doesn't realize what he's got in the 6M.

[Eric Clark]

$6,000 is a great deal for a 540i/6. Where would you happen to be located? Jt540i is in Reston and I am in DC. We both have 540/6 and I'd be happy to look at the car with you. I am sure John would be willing as well.

[Elekta]

It's about $266 for a leakdown test.

Does it come with a folder of repairs? It'd be nice to know what's been done, because there are items that are "must replace" at some point. At 157k some of the big ticket ones may have already been done.

I drove 1100 miles for mine, so location shouldn't be a factor in your decision making...hard to carve it out I know, but repair history should come first.

good luck

[Eric Clark]

It's about $266 for a leakdown test.

Does it come with a folder of repairs? It'd be nice to know what's been done, because there are items that are "must replace" at some point. At 157k some of the big ticket ones may have already been done.

I drove 1100 miles for mine, so location shouldn't be a factor in your decision making...hard to carve it out I know, but repair history should come first.

good luck


Repair history is over rated. I have owned 3 e34 and I have the history on none of them. The first one i got from auction. Second from orginal owners and the dealer cleared the computer so the history was lost and the thrid one I only got the history on the last repair they owner had. I use to value them and the honda I had came with a huge book of repairs and that turned out to be a money pit.

[bbig119]

Looks like a nice car at a reasonable price. I paid $6200 back in may for a '94 540 with a 6spd swap. The body had 170k/engine~100k.

Make sure it drive true, turn on the heat to make sure the heater core doesn't leak(mine was), and the other points mentioned previously.

Keep us up to date

[vermagnussen]

Let me start by thanking you all for you input and advice and especially for Kohi for calling BMWNA and determining that the engine block had in fact been replaced. I was looking all over the net for the right number to call and couldn't find it. Would you mind posting it?

Anyway, I went and checked out the car and here's my report.

Right away, after arriving at the dealer, I got some good news and bads news. The good news was that, after a preliminary inspection of the car I had to admit that it was in excellent shape. No rust, beautiful paint, all the electronics worked and even the black leather seats which seem to show wear the most were in superb shape. The bad news was that the sticker price on it was 8k. I waited for one of the employees (the place is owned by a family of Pakistani's...not the easiest people to bargain with) and asked him about the price discrepancy. He said the price on the website was a "weekend special" and that the "normal" price is 8k. Right there I was dismayed because I knew my bargaining margin was probably shot.

The guy was busy so I just asked him for the keys so I could test drive it. The car fired up energetically and settled right into a low purr(from the inside). When I got out of the car while it was running it I literally couldn't even tell it was running(it was a noisy area though). So I popped the hood while it was running to see if anything looked out of wack. The engine was obviously a bit louder but aside from a light valve tap it seemed sound. I looked around and noticed that the radiator appeared new and also noticed that engine seemed kinda hot but wasn't sure if this was normal or not (after test driving it and letting it idle for a while the temp guage stayed steady at slightly above the midway mark. Is this normal for this car or an indication of a cooling system problem?). When I was checking out the interior I opened up the glove box and was happy to find a case with the original manual and service booklet. I leafed thru it and found that the car had pages of dealership service stamps all the way up to 100k miles. Another good sign was the Airplane Owners Association sticker that they'd left on the rear window. Every pilot I've ever known (both my grandfathers were pilots) have been ridiculously meticulous with the care of their machines. Now to the test drive.


Unfortunately the dealership is located on a crowded 4 lane street/highway. The speed limit was 50 but I only got one chance to really punch it. It took off like a rocket, but I had barely gotten it into 3rd before I had to brake. The suspension was very tight to my reckoning, but my only reference is the kinda watery suspension of the Chrysler Cirrus I've been driving for the past couple years, and though it's hard to remember it seemed alot tighter than the 325is I owned a few years ago. The alignment was tough to judge because the suspension was so tight that any bump in the road would send the car slightly in one direction or the other. The only thing that concerned me was, like I mentioned above, was the thermostat which had risen to and was holding steady at slightly above the mid way point. It never overheated but I'm not sure if this is normal for this car on a hot day or this is indicative of a problem.

When I pulled back into the dealership I was pretty confident with the car and was willing to buy it on the spot...but at a price I could more easily afford. Since the Internet ad had a list price of 6k I figured I'd be bargaining down from there and could easily get it down to around my threshold of 5k. Unfortunately that turned out not to be the case and I ended up bargaining for half an hour with a brick wall. First, I caught the guy lying about the price he paid for the car. When we started haggling I went on a whole spiel about the high mileage and was dropping obtuse questions about the engine to see if he knew it had been replaced. It appeared he didn't because when stated frankly I'd have replace the engine because of the Nickel Silicon cylinder sheaths(not exactly the truth but hey it's haggling :) ) he gave me this kind of perplexed, defeated "yeah you're right" look. I then said It'd be worth it to me at 4k because I knew a BMW mechanic(essentially true) who would replace the engine at cost. At this point he tells me flat out he paid $2900 for the car and needed more of a profit margin. He also mentioned that it was a 6 speed and they were hard to find (damn he was on to that angle). So we haggle and talk a little more and he won't budge but finally says that "If you can find a 95 540i for the price you're asking I'll come down on my price". I said fine, and he brought me to his office computer where I showed him one 95 540i with less miles for 4k and one for 4.5k. He obviously wasn't expecting this and got kinda pissed and immediately started backtracking. Eventually, I realized he wasn't gonna go for 4k so I said "Fine, I'll give you a 2k profit on the car right now, $4,900. Now, here is where things got off track. I expected that with this big bump in what I'd pay he'd soften a bit and bring it down to $5,250 or something. Instead, he turns around and says that he actually paid 5k for the car, even though earlier he said he paid 2.9k for it!! Now I started to get pissed and asked him why he flat out lied. He mumbled something I didn't really understand, took the keys to the car which I was still holding, half-smiled and said "Sorry, I don't think we can do business". Now after that stunt I knew he was full of sh*te. Even a naive seller much less a freakin' seasoned used car salesman isn't gonna start off by saying he paid less for the car than he actually did. Starting off saying you paid 5k for it then reluctantly admitting to having paid 2.9k would be the obvious logical progression.

Anyway, that's my rambling story. I know that 6k for the car is a good price but that is just over my threshold at this point in time and I fully expected to be able to at least get the price down into the low 5k range. Meanwhile I'll cool my heals and keep an eye on it, even though someone may snatch it up. He's already been trying to sell it for a month without success and I don't think anyone but a real enthusiast(like you folks here :) ) is gonna take it. You're average joe would be turned off by the high miles and possibly the fact that it isn't an automatic and a moderately informed BMW enthusiast may pass on it worried about the Nikisil problem.

So, to sum up.

The car is really clean, inside and out. The AC worked but wasn't "ice cold". It has the service records and is stamped up to 100k. Engine runs fine with slight (what i believe to be) valve tap. The only worry I had was with the engine temp; hopefully someone could enlighten me on that aspect.

If I had 6k on hand I'd probalby swallow my pride and pay the price, but at least until the next month or two the most I could reasonbly spend is 5k and even that's pushing it ( I just dropped almost 4k on a Sony HDTV and entertainment center, well worth it btw). If anyone here is looking for a nice 540i/6 and are willing to pay 6k up front for it then I'd seriously look into this car. I'd prefer to have it sit on the lot till the guy softens :) but I'd much rather see it picked up by one you good folks on the forum than some idiot who doesn't know what they're doing and is just gonna trash it.

Thanks again for all your contributions!
Vermagnussen

[Mike-AZ]

Well, all I can tell you is that I am 6'1" and I barely have any head room. In fact, in the morning when I am driving to work and my back is decompressed from sleep, I have to slouch down just a little bit. Weirdly enough, I swear that my previous BMW, a '95 318i 5-speed with manual seats, had more head room than the 540i.

[bbig119]

I'm 6'6" and I fit fine. I have the seat almost all they way back, and lowered all the way with the tilt way back as well, but its not a bother for me.

I previously had a chrysler concorde so I'm coming from a big car and have no problems in the 540.

As far as temperature goes, yeah the beast runs hot, but nothing to worry about.

Good luck with any further attempts at buying the car, and if you're interested keep an eye out for others.

[Evan]

I'd have turned around and left after he told me about the "weekend price."

[gtopaul]

I'd have turned around and left after he told me about the "weekend price."
I'm 6'6" and have no problems fitting in my 94 540 or 92 525iT. It really depends on if your height is in your legs or in your torso.

If the dealer had it on sale on the weekend at a reduced rate once then he'll do it again. Wait. On the other hand, if the internet price was still current on their web site I'd hold them to it or threaten them with the BBB.

Paul