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Thread: Considering a 550i

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Considering a 550i

    I'm thinking of buying a 2015 550i M Sport, Carbon Black, totally loaded with everything / luxury seating / LED lights / stupid driving aid stuff / etc., 30k miles, about 32k at the dealer with 15 months left on warranty including the CPO year.

    I drove the car and its awesome and the price is right, but I am concerned about long term reliability. I am also somewhat concerned about maintenance costs. I'd like to drive the car 150-200k miles if possible.

    1) is it realistic that the car can run this long with proper maintenance?

    2) are there ways to reduce maintenance costs, ie using aftermarket parts rather than original BMW? Seems like there are a lot of aftermarket alternatives for shocks / brakes / etc that are 50% or less of the BMW original price.

    3) would a 535i be substantially less expensive to maintain and/or substantially more reliable? Pricing on a CPO 535 with similar miles isn't really much less expensive, despite the different in MSRP in the cars originally.

    I can afford a few thousand a year on maintenance but would hate to have a blown engine at 70k miles or some such.
    Last edited by fogelbaby; 10-25-2018 at 01:27 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Dallas, Texas
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    '14 550/M, '03 540/M
    Quote Originally Posted by fogelbaby View Post
    I'm thinking of buying a 2015 550i M Sport, Carbon Black, totally loaded with everything / luxury seating / LED lights / stupid driving aid stuff / etc., 30k miles, about 32k at the dealer with 15 months left on warranty including the CPO year.

    I drove the car and its awesome and the price is right, but I am concerned about long term reliability. I am also somewhat concerned about maintenance costs. I'd like to drive the car 150-200k miles if possible.

    1) is it realistic that the car can run this long with proper maintenance?

    2) are there ways to reduce maintenance costs, ie using aftermarket parts rather than original BMW? Seems like there are a lot of aftermarket alternatives for shocks / brakes / etc that are 50% or less of the BMW original price.

    3) would a 535i be substantially less expensive to maintain and/or substantially more reliable? Pricing on a CPO 535 with similar miles isn't really much less expensive, despite the different in MSRP in the cars originally.

    I can afford a few thousand a year on maintenance but would hate to have a blown engine at 70k miles or some such.
    similar to my deal earlier this year. 2014 with 40k miles. loaded. extended CPO warranty. good price.
    one thing I did was ask the dealer for the CPO checklist and Service History (not Carfax) They can print you a copy minus the previous owner's name.
    If it all checks out, I'd go for it.

  3. #3
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    Pelican Parts is offline Senior Member Supporting Vendor
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    In addition to what the above user mentioned, I would recommend getting a thorough PPI (pre-purchase inspection) done by an indy BMW shop. The results will be all you'll need in deciding whether the car is worth pursuing or not. Best of luck!
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  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2018
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    2015 BMW 550i M-Sport
    FogelBaby - regardless of what you have heard about the V8 engine I know of many that are still driving the engine well past 200K with care and some decent repairs along the way. However, your question about maintenance versus the 535. Well - more oil in engine - more cylinders, another turbo, etc... yes this will costs more to operate and repair over the life of the vehicle.

    But awesome car! and I love driving the wheels off mine.

  5. #5
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    The N63 engine is garbage. The N63TU (which is what a 2015 model has) is proving to be only minimally better. There's a class action law suit regarding the N63 engines. I would never expect to get more than 100k out of one without rebuilding or replacing it.
    ASE and BMW Master Certified Technician

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