BMW 5-Series Saloon (1996 - 2003) 525i SE 4d Auto Owner Review
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In their own words
The handling is superb wonderfully balanced- they really are drivers cars- I find it remarkable how the old Panzer turns in, hunkers down and just grips.
I find myself pushing her along and loving the way She digs in and drives in the twisty bits She really is so good to drive sticks to the line and feels utterly surefooted.
The straight 6 ( its the 192 bhp, 24v version) picks up well, has a lovely rumble and it cruises effortlessly.
Very comfy on a long trip - I do monthly weekend 400-500 mile round trips to Norfolk, no probs at all.
They are substantive cars- and pretty long, so beware-luckily mine has parking sensors as standard which are useful.
She has road 'presence', and I think is a pretty good looking saloon-I've had a few people remark on that too ...kinda regarded as an emerging classic and far nicer to look at than the ugly Chris Bangle styled follow on from 2005.
I'm up to 155,000 miles now She still feels fresh and lively and I've decided to keep her going as long as I can... I've had over 50 cars, and I can say this beast is right up there with my favorite motors, the 3 Rover SD1's I had.
So... if you can find a decent one-go for it!
How reliable do you find the car?
This car has been absolutely, totally solid and dependable... I've done 14,000 in 11 months and it hasn't missed a beat.
Does the car do everything you expected it to do?
I never thought I'd ever own a BMW, ever...I bought as a stop gap when my Zafira ( another good car) dropped a big MOT bill on me, and I needed wheels and couldn't find a decent local Rover 75... I wanted something auto, at least and it had to be solid and safe to take the family out in... cost me £1350 on Ebay- had a load of history and nearly a years MOT, so I took a punt... was the highest mileage car I've ever bought (141,000) but drove like a car with much lower miles... felt very well put together ....and damned if I haven't been totally won over!
Cherry on the top was a week ago (Jan 16th)- She went straight through Her MOT...what more can I say- other than proper Bangernonmics!
About their car
- Fuel type Petrol
- When purchased February 2024
- Condition when bought Used
- Current Mileage 155,000 miles
- Average MPG 29 mpg
