Olaf

check out http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/bmw/5-series-e60-2003/ Summary of my friend's views having owned one for many years: - awesome car. likely the best sedan in the world bar an M5. Indicated 32MPG highway running. Spacious & comfortable. - a few recalls on misc bits; also alternator failure & trans seal issue. ++$ repair. Engine heat damaged xenon headlamp housing, allowing dust in. - tyres expensive though result a wonderfully balanced car; sometimes tiring with runflats. later cars had better balance. This thread also has some gems: http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=478766 - a google on e60 V8 etc will reveal lots of views/experiences. As you can see, I've found the idea of an e60 V8 a very interesting prospect. I'd be budgeting for a new set of springs and shocks there. How to turn a classy businessman's express into a teenagers ideal of a "car". you know, one man's meat is another man's poison. Vendor claim of selling because can't afford the gas? Be cautious of deferred maintenance, IMHO! Good luck with your search.

there's one barrier eliminated then! why not pay a good indepenent (from the selection of forum sponsors) for a thorough PPI. Perhaps its priced where it is because most folks are scared of 100k miles, and the vendor wants to sell it. the suspension setup is pretty trick (compared with, say, my e46) and will run you a bit of coin for a refresh kit from OEM Lemforder. - 4 control arms, endlinks, tie rod ends. The rear looks awesome. some say this is due around 100k mi. Shocks are very reasonable - none of those pesky mcpherson setups. Brake parts don't look any worse (cost wise) than my e46. it does run an accumulator setup, the pump costs little more than the vacuum booster I just had to replace on my e46. Assuming the trans is good, and CCV is serviceable (I see there are many aftermarket catch-can kits so perhaps this is an issue), it appears to be one of those cars where one can buy at the right price, lob in about $3-4k of suspension and brake parts, engine mounts, to catch up with wear and mileage-related servicing, and have a well-sorted smooth tight car (moreso than the lower mileage example that will need the same in two years), and it should be good for 8 years with regular servicing, and feels like a $100k car did when new. I wonder if the electricals are troublesome? I might have to find one myself. Surely there are a few contributors here who've owned the e60 545i?

169,000 kms at ten years old, and you think that's a high mileage? average 16,900kms per year. nope, that's about right. 10,000kms per year is average low, 20,000kms per year average high. In Oz 16,900 per year would be considered low. As for 'good deal' - if you can't afford or are disinclined to buy a 'better' one, you're prolly better off without. The 545i is said to be a great car, I've been tempted. My mate had one for years, grew tired of it's niggles and repair costs in the end. Seat occupancy mat, steering column sensor, brakes, balljoints - all those modern BMW things. Okay if you're spannering yourself, not so exciting if you're paying someone else. You'd buy the 4.5 V8 for mile-munching - cruising around the north island. when you consider that, 16,900kms per year is great restraint. YMMV

I've just read through your thread. Wondering how your trans is going? Some of the symptoms you'd mentioned are the same as I experienced on my 325i Touring (2002).... before it shat itself badly (at about 120,000kms (!) yep). Full rebuild, new trans cooler and hoses, and Penrite synthetic ATF. To be fair it shifts better now than a new sub-20,000km falcodore. As I'm approaching 20,000kms since the rebuild I'm going to start the regular trans flush/filter/gasket replacement regime that BMW didn't recommend; don't get me started on lifetime fills. It seems the trans on our circa 2002 models is known as a weak-point, unless regularly serviced. Hopefully your getting an ATF change and filter done has helped you avoid the wallet-shock (and unhappy expression from your other half) that I experienced. Volvo 850's also 'feature' (suffer?) lifetime fills. Late last year we did a fluid flush on my 855-T5 at about 178,000kms, a relatively simple procedure. Ran 400kms with a little TransTune in there to help suspend the rubbish and address condensate. Then disconnected the trans output hose at the input to the cooler, and connected some clear hose. Ran the car up (through the gears until 1.9 litres of foul-smelling tar-coloured DexIII was emmitted, and shut down. Added 1.9 litres of fresh raspberry-coloured Fuchs Titan DexIII through the dipstick tube. Repeated until the fluid running out of the trans was clear and raspberry-red. This took us about 25 minutes and 14 litres; having bought a 20 litre container of DexIII, I was well made up. Added TransTune to keep things fresh, and the car shifts much smoother and quicker now. result. Cheers

I always used Genuine Nissan for my A32 Maxima, and Genuine VW for my Golf GTI A2 - I can understand this thinking. I've been using Mann filters for some time, on the basis they're OEM for the vehicle I'm using them with.

how's the sound quality when your phone is blue-toothed into the Dension, through the faccy stereo? I understand the CD change still works with the Dension connected? Interested in your thoughts now you've been running it a while. cheers

I know this is an old thread.... FWIW I fitted Meyle HD (made in Turkey, from memory): - lower control arms - control arm bushes - end links to my e46 325i Touring. I'm certainly happy with the results. Much more precise steering than the original items (120k kms old), no more clonking. Found flogged out ball joint, LCA bushings with tons of play, and dead end link balljoints. There's a difference between Meyle and Meyle HD - the HD badge is where Meyle have gone beyond the OEM specs. The US forums note that Meyle HD is beyond the spec used in the BMW ZHP setup. Note also, Meyle HD has replaceable Ball Joints, so next time you won't need to replace the whole LCA, just press in new replacement Meyle HD balljoints - bonus. I beleive Lemforder is the OEM for e46; I can vouch for Meyle HD for this application. They've been on mine since sept 2012 and about +18,000 kms, they're still tight and precise as you'd expect. Hope that helps.