The end of my 5series ownership...for now at least

[Alan_525i]

This morning was a big deal for me. I agreed to sell my car and agreed to buy something new.

I've had the car seven years and my current situation just doesn't lend itself to keeping the car and doing with it what I wanted. So it's moving on to a friend who will care for it until I'm ready to buy it back in a couple years (maybe).

I'm picking up a Dinan modded E38 to replace it so it won't be too bad. Barring any huge change in circumstances, I should be signing the papers this time next weekend.

Thanks to all of you (especially Ed, Bill R., Winfred, Bruno, Tim (TC535i), Rob (Shragon), Jon K) for all the help and advice you've provided over the last 7 years. Being a part of this community is a wonderful thing.

I'll still lurk around and of course will post pics next week.

[MPD47]

Alan, cant wait to see the new ride next time I'm down there. :)

[LunatiC]

Good luck with the E38 Alan, it is a very decent upgrade from the 525i. The E38 is the only "old" BMW I would replace my E34 with, yet the E38 literally being my dream car I am a little hesitant to ever own one, in case something bad happens during my ownership and shatters my dream and vision of it being the quintessential, perfect BMW ever made ever.

Post up pics when you get it! And not owning an E34 anymore is no excuse to neglect the rest of us :p

[Torque]

I completely agree with Lunatic; e38 will be quite an upgrade; as much as I love the e34, I'd love to have a e38.

btw, if you don't mind me asking: what front lip is that on your 525? i want it. badly.

edit: never mind on the question; just searched for some of your older posts. rieger. maybe after i buy front shocks and thrust arms i'll be able to start saving for one. heh

[Paul in NZ]

I dont get it.Surely there must be quite a chunk of cash going towards the 7...

[Alan_525i]

Not sure what you're getting at Paul. It's not a financial situation that is forcing the sale, its a commuting situation. My new job is 17K a year in driving up and back and I'd hate to put that burden on my 135K 525i. Also, I wouldn't really want to turbo it and get all spiffy just to do highway duty. I wanted to get the 7 to do the up and back AND keep the 5 as a project, but it just seemed stupid to do so when insurance and garage space is so expensive here in Philadelphia.

Basically, it boiled down to two things: (1) I didn't want to daily drive the 5 and (2) Keeping two cars was just really stupid.

[Paul in NZ]

tough decision!
How far do you drive each day?.I thought I was doing it tough at $100 petrol every 7 - 8 days.....also the 7 will be a nice place to be if you are spending a lot of time behind the wheel.
I get it now ;)

[Alan_525i]

35 miles each way. So 70 a day.

[Bin_jammin]

35 miles each way. So 70 a day.

Hah, child's play! I used to have a commute of 65 each way. Then I got a job that required me to manage employees in 17 different locations, I put just shy of 50k on my car in under 8 months. That sucked, I was doing oil changes every three weeks. I hope the job is worth the miles.

[Alexlind123]

My job is 30.2 miles away. Whats wrong with the e34 as a daily driver?

[Anton CH.]

I went to a few dealerships yesterday going through something similar that you went through. I was seriously considering selling my 5 for something newer and more reliable. Went to Acura, Honda and BMW dealerships.

The Acura dealership didn't have any TSX in 6 speed in stock. I didn't even bother test driving the auto.

Drove the 335i, was heavily dissapointed with it. Engine feels like it runs out of breath near redline. Engine bay is tiny and a pain to work on.

I was impressed by the M roadster but just couldn't justify the sticker price.

In the end, I decided it was best to keep the 5 for a little more. Yes the car is 15 years old but in my case I can't find anything else worthwhile on the market. I bet your new e38 is going to be a much more comfortable car to commute in.

[TC535i]

Been a couple years, huh? We're all sorry to see you go, hopefully your car will be treated to the same attention you gave it.

[Jon K]

Ah man you're actually doing it this time?! Oh no! Well, hopefully whoever gets it next will respect it like you have. The truth is guys Alan has been talking a lot about how to make that particular car go faster and the issue is that he's down in Philadelphia which means when the car does come out, it isn't all that fun. I commuted almost 1.5 hrs EACH WAY my freshman year of college in my E34 down to Philadelphia and back, and I will be the first to admit it was hell. Now having an automatic range rover to daily drive, I have been extremely spoiled. When I get in my car it's because I want to have fun, not because I want to work the heavy clutch pedal and dump fuel in hand over fist :)

Good luck with the change-up Alan - E38 is pretty solid and it'll be a nicer car to commute around in. PS check your PMs.

[Alan_525i]

Thanks for the kind/encouraging words guys. The car is being sold to a friend who has been begging me for it for years now. I trust he will take good care of it for the next couple years. If I end up moving out of Philadelphia to the suburbs you can be sure I'll buy it back and do all the things to it I've always wanted to. (Go fast stuff, not creepy stuff you perverts!)

PS - Today was a REALLY tough day. The weather turned cool here in PA and for some reason every move the car made was spot on. On ramps were destroyed with zero effort. It's days like this that will have me missing this car. The 7 handles great too, but I doubt it will be as fun as the 5.

[DrewZ]

Congrats, old timer. I'd call you a turncoat, but I'll be doing the same thing some time soon. E38s are the last (and best) of the classically good looking BMWs. The fact that they only came stateside with slushboxes is easily remedied. ;) Enjoy the new ride!


This morning was a big deal for me. I agreed to sell my car and agreed to buy something new.

I've had the car seven years and my current situation just doesn't lend itself to keeping the car and doing with it what I wanted. So it's moving on to a friend who will care for it until I'm ready to buy it back in a couple years (maybe).

I'm picking up a Dinan modded E38 to replace it so it won't be too bad. Barring any huge change in circumstances, I should be signing the papers this time next weekend.

Thanks to all of you (especially Ed, Bill R., Winfred, Bruno, Tim (TC535i), Rob (Shragon), Jon K) for all the help and advice you've provided over the last 7 years. Being a part of this community is a wonderful thing.

I'll still lurk around and of course will post pics next week.