BMW 5-Series Saloon (1996 - 2003) 525i SE 4d (2000/X) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

Personally I think it says "class, sophistication and success" and as its a 525i it also indicates you know a little bit about motors and performance.It nice to have the 525i badge over the more common 520i too. However as I'm fairly young (26 at time of writing) and because of my particular tastes in music and fashion, coupled with my generally scruffy appearance, it probably makes me look like a drug dealer to be honest. :( Parked up, it looks like it should be driven by Allan, the captain of the Golf club. It's very "middle aged man" in a sense, the mahogany dash trim does make this slightly worse but to be honest, I quite like that. It adds to the imgae I suppose.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

Everyone who has seen it loves it so far and has been very impressed. Again most comments have been along the lines of it being a drug dealer's car or a pimp's ride. I think everyone of my friends, family and collegues have been very impressed with it.

Would you buy this car again and why?

So far, yes I would. In fact I'd go as far as to say I'd never by another make of car ever again! Ask me in a years time though...

What are you likely to buy next?

I would say at this stage Im likely to stay BMW, probably another 5 series, ideally a 525i again, but obviously the newer shape.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£5,000

When did you buy the car?

May 2007

Did you get a good deal and why?

I beleive I got very good deal I part exchanged my old T reg Astra and got around £1300 knocked off the price and managed to wrangle 6 months tax and a 6 speed CD changer into the deal.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Big family car with performance, style and of course the prestige! ;) It was advertsied as a family saloon, and me being a family man I thought I'd take a look. I was looking for a practical family car with a good size, but also wanted some performance and something a bit special under the bonnet as well as stylish looks. I'd always been a fan of BMW's but found it very hard to find one with a petrol engine and a manual gearbox with under 100,000 miles on the clock for an affordable price. I had been looking at the high end mondeos and was waiting for the new shape to come out and reduce the prices of the Zetecs, ghias or even the ST's, however this 525I SE caught my attention. THere is clearly no comparison betweena mondeo and a 5 series Beemer - at the end of the day, even

What was the dealer like?

Not bad, wasnt pushy and seemed very genuine. There were a few incidents that deleyed the sale that could have been attributed to the dealer, but I can't complain myself as I also had a hand in some of the delays. All in all though he was very friendly and approachable and so far has been fine with the minor problems Ive had with the the car (CD Changer kept locking up). Not much offered int he way of a warrenty, but there again the car is almost 7 years old now.

What's it like to drive?

Amazing, takes a little while to get used to the size and power (especially if you have previously owned a smaller car) and the layout, pedals seem a little strange at first (mayeb thats just me though) but after a short while its the most comfortable and smooth car you'll ever drive. Perfomance is spot on, glides effortlessly around town,j but can tear up the road if need be. On the motorway is where it belongs though. It crusies effortlessly and so smoothly its unreal. Petrol economy is much better here. Steering is lovely. Verys rigid and easy to control - you can practically use your index finger to drive! And the smooth breaking from the 4 wheel disc breaking only adds to the total feel of control. It feels liek it can be driven in any gear at any time too because of

What's it like to park?

In all honestry its a bit of a pain in the arse to park. Those parking sensors are really needed 'cos the bonnet and the boot go on forever and you cant see a bloody thing. Its also really wide. I'm not bad at parking manouvers but even I reley on the parking sensors and tend to take it a little more cautiously when parking in it. The parking sensors are very annoying though and tend to panic and turn themselves on even if you turn them off. They throw a dickie fit and beep as if you are actually inside whatever the obstruction is, when in reality you are probably a good 2 feet away. That may be just mine though, they may need adjusting or cleaning.

Have you had any problems with the car?

Not yet (touch wood!). The only problems I've had have been withteh BMW CD changer. It locked up and hadto be taken appart to get the disk player out several times. This was largely down to me beigna bit too keen with swapping between CD's though.

What's most practical about your car?

The space ! It's absoloutly huge inside and can carry loads of junk in the boot! Having two young kids (one only 6 months old!) I tend to have to haul a lot of stuff around, pushchairs, bags, over night equipment, toys etc. and thats just for me! ;) No the luggage space in the boot is fantastic, much better than it looks - and its by no means small looking! It can fit in a pushchair and luggage really comfortably. It's also nice to have pleanty of space inside the car for long journeys. Very comfortable for the driver, the front seat passenger and rear seat passengers. Lots of leg room and space to keep comfortable.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

So many to chose from:- I do like the auto adjusting rear view mirror that adjusts if i get too much glare from an idiot behind who doesnt know how to adjust their head lights. Thats a very nice touch.I also like the optional CD changer that i got fitted VERY MUCH! Other nice gadgets include alarm, electric wing mirrors, all round electric windows, a sound system that auto adjusts in accordance to the sound of the engine, parking sensors (these are useful but I think they put them in for women ;) ) anti-skid control, air-con, computer controlled everything - a million and one buttons for other things on the dash. Baisically the car is cleverer than I am! Oh and the standard alloys are nice (16 inch alpines I think) Although i will probably get these upgraded later in the year to