Best 4 door European sedan for less than $20k?

[motion]

OK, I need to get a 4 door freeway cruiser. BMW, MB, Audi, etc. I've got $20k but $16k or so would be better. Must be 1995 or newer. I'm thinking BMW 525i. Any input?

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Let's Roll!
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-Richard
'84 Carrera Cabriolet
'74 911 Widebody 3.6 Project

[ChrisL]

Saab 9000 Aero (225 hp and enough room to haul a sofa)?

Chris.

[Loual]

The BMW is a good choice. I have a 1994 530i 5 spd which I bought new and have logged over 124k miles with. It's solid, reliable, and has actually not been ridiculously expensive to maintain. The 525i is a good low risk choice. At the price you mention you could also consider a good 530i or 540i with a 5 or 6 speed and an Alusil engine. The key with either of these V8s is to make sure the engine has been replaced under the 6yr/100k mile warranty, as mine was at 92K. The original Nikasil cylinder liners waore out prematurely in many cars, but some cars with the original engines are still out there and out of warranty by now. These "E34" BMWs are more solid than the newer ones... hence I still have mine. (FYI I had a SAAB 9000 before the BMW... don't go there.)

Good Luck!


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Lou Almerini
1975 911S

[canyonlands]

A 525 is a very good choice especially if you aren't looking for a power house but rather a nice handling car that gets good mileage. Of course an auto tranny will sap even more power and 5spds are somewhat hard to find in the 525. Have you driven one yet? The 740, 540 and 328 are all within your reach as well. If it were me I'd find a 5spd 328i but I don't know exactly what your preferences are. That 2.8 gives you a much better throttle response. I don't know the numbers but I've owned cars with both engines.
BMW has an outstanding club in the US (assuming you are here). Anyway, club members get 25% discounts on parts from many dealerships through the mail or in person. Of the several Bimmers I've owned though they haven't been in the shop for much. The motors in the 525 and 328 are plenty long lived and trouble free as well.

[Jim T]

Yep, BMW 5 series. If its a 525i, a 5 speed may be critical. That engine is ok in the 3 series, but is not really a high torque engine and kind of a dog with an automatic in the heavier 5.
The V8 BMWs are great, but DO NOT buy a 1995 or earlier V8 unless you have documented proof the engine block has been replaced!!!!

[Eric Coffey]

If you are looking at a car primarilly for commuting purposes, I would also consider a late 90's 318i 5spd. They are a bit harder to find, and some view them as more "girly" cars, but the over-40mpg might be worth it. Not to mention, they have surprising pick-up for a 4-banger.

-Eric

[canyonlands]

Just a little more info regarding the 4.0 V-8 blocks. Don't let it scare you that something was wrong with the original ones. Had it not been for the high sulfur content in US fuel there never would have been a problem with the cylinder walls. BMW took care of it of course and even had a post warrantee replacement program. They might even still be replacing the old sulfur reactive blocks for free. As has been said above, there are still cars out there that didn't get caught. I'd imagine that the BMW dealer near you should be able to tell you if a 4.0 V-8 equipped car has been fixed if you give them the vin#.
All in all I'd strongly consider such a car. A factory motor two - five years newer than the car and a great motor at that.

Good luck and have fun shopping!

[canyonlands]

Oops, in my reply above add "3.0 & " in front of both "4.0"s. As another person implied, both of those motors in the five series were V-8s and were sulfur reactive. Both outstanding once replaced too. The 3.0 would actually be my choice but they are harder to find. Manual transmissions aren't the norm either but they are certainly out there. Another thing I like about BMW. Driving a sedan is bad enough. At least they let you keep the clutch pedal and shifter if you wish.

[Zendalar]

Couple words: 500 series BMW are very quiet inside. You can hear a whisper. And thats a very good thing

[Mike Feinstein]

You're passing up a lot of great prospects with your "95 and newer" requirement. Consider a late 80's or early/mid 90's MB 300E/E320. I've had my 89 300E for 5 years and will never part with it. It's quiet, smooth, reliable as a brick, easy to work on, and has timeless styling.

OK, I'll shut up now.

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Mike
94 C2 cab

[Nickshu]

I'll second the 9000Aero or 9000CSE.

An awesome performer and very practical size.
The Aero I have driven is debatably faster than my 911 (in a straight line)

Nick

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Nick Shumaker
1982 911SC Coupe
nickshu@yahoo.com
PCA -- Rocky Mtn. Region

[rboylan]

My daily cruiser is a '90 535i and I think it's a great value and a good performance vehicle. Go for the bimmer.

Rich

[mjc76]

I have had both BMW's and Audi's (2000 323, 1997 M3, 2001 A4). The BMW's are a nice car but for everyday driving the fit and finish of the Audi's is probably the best of the German auto makers. You can pick up a used A4 or maybe A6 for under $20,000.

[beepbeep]

SAAB 9000 CSE or Aero...turbo-power, luxury and plenty of room. Very reliable if serviced, pretty cool in a subdued way.

BMW's are selling on it's "sports sedan" -thing and you already have sports car that's more sporty than BMW can ever be.

[Jdub]

1970-72 280se/sel using the 4.5liter. Or up it to a 6.3 for the fastest production sedan of its day.

Appreciating classics, handbuilt, solid, cavernous trunks, and you have 15K left over and can work on it yourself. Massive club support, spare parts everywhere, huge internet sources for questions and answers. Very attractive and everyone waves at you.

Why buy a car that will depreciate in no time at all just to own a "new" car? No offense intended, but I really marvel that folks even bother with newer cars today.

Jw

[kr911]

All these BMWs are great cars but for less than $20K you'll find mostly older models with pretty high milage. The maintenance could be really expensive now.

I would recommend 1-2 years old VW Passat V6 manual (or tiptronic). They have 10y/100K miles powertrian warrantee. They are German made (as opposed to Jettas) and share 80 % parts with much more expensive Audis. Passat is also much larger than 328's (especially wagons). Insurance rates are also much lower than with BMWs or MBs.

I have a 5 years old Passat VR6 and not a single problem with it. I bought it almost new for a mere $16K.

[ljonespwc]

Consider a '97 or '98 Audi A4. Four doors, awesome fit and finish, and tons of aftermarket goodies. These cars are coming off their 3-4 year leases now, and although 150HP seems aenemic, a chip and exhaust from APR will boost output to 218HP and 245 LB-FT of torque. I've done a few other mods too--lowered with coil overs, 18" wheels, and I love it! Family cruiser with enough pull to keep up with many pure sports cars.

[thabaer]

look for an original Audi S4 or S6, they can be found for under 20K and you are starting with factory HP > 220. I never would buy an Audi (or Saab) with front wheel drive, especially with a powerful engine (sorry, drove an Aero in good shape and it was annoying). The S-cars are quattros and since the start with upped power engines, the chips get to close to or over 300hp from the turbo, that really counts up in the mountains.

Added bonus is that some versions were worked on w/ Porsche (yay!) and you can keep it in tha family. I just slapped 996tt calipers w/ 993tt rotors on the front of mine ( can you say zero heat fade? ).

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Charlie Baer
'79 Euro 911SC

[This message has been edited by thabaer (edited 10-04-2001).]

[Evans, Marv]

Just got my Conusmer Reports yesterday. They evaluated some of the new cars you are all talking about and raved about them. They said the the BMW 530 series was the best they had ever tested & suggested some older models that would be good buys. Sounds like BMW rules the ROOST !!

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Marv Evans
'72 911E

[patalive]

Richard - While I like the looks of the Audis and the Passats, for a freeway, long-haul cruiser, I would go with a larger body style. I prefer the Bimmers. We had an 87 735i that we sold about a year ago with 228k miles. The engine was perfect (no oil), but in those years, the tranny is good for only about 100k miles. They ran that same engine thru 1994, the 3.5 liter six. It's solid, dependable and fast. You can get it in the 735 or the 535. If you can find a low mileage car, well maintained car, it would be a keeper.
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We now have a 95 740il that we purchased three years ago. With the long wheelbase, it is the ultimate cruiser. The 95s have the 4.0 liter V-8 engine, but the 96s and newer 7 series went to 4.4 liters. You can get a bargain on the 95, both long and short wheel base. For a faster car, of course, get the 540. Same engine, less weight. Automatics are plenty fast enough. Besides, when you are caught in freeway stop-and-go, slush boxes are nice.

Chuck
83SC