[sh4y4n]

Hey guys, so I have been looking into G30's for a while now, and I've been going back and forth between a 540i and M550, but I keep going back to the M550i. I just found 2 M550i's near me, both with 60k miles.

The first one is Dark Graphite Metallic on Black Nappa Leather, with the 19" 10 spoke m sport wheels. It was a New Hampshire car, had 2
owners, no accidents, clean Carfax, and 42 detailed records (22 service records).

The second one is Alpine White with the Night Blue Interior (No nappa leather), with the 20" 5 Double Spoke M-Sport wheels, and it has the Dynamic Handling Package (DHP). This one was actually owned in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It has also had 2 owners, but a arguably better service history. No accidents, clean Carfax, and 49 detailed records (34 service records, daily oil changes, every 3k-6k miles).

Both of them are listed for $30k, however the Dark Graphite is being sold at a very reputable Mercedes-Benz dealership in NJ, and then Alpine White is being sold at a pretty good rated used car dealership in Long Island NY. Also, they've both had the spark plugs changed at 45k/50k miles.

Now what I'm concerned with mainly, is that with my budget I'm not really considering a warranty right now. You might think I'm crazy, but with either of these cars, I will probably put 3,000 miles on it (MAX) in 1 year. Would I get any crazy, problems during 60k-70k miles, given the service history? Do you guys think I should even consider buying a 60k mile M550, and if you do which one? People say the 540i will last much longer, but for almost the same price, which one is more worth it if it's only being driven 3k miles a year, and not as a daily? For some background I am trading in my 2019 Accord Sport, and already own a 2012 Merc GL450 and 2016 Audi Q5 2.0T. Thanks!

(Graphite 550 had pictures posted, Alpine didn't so I just got the picture from a vin report)

[ezaircon4jc]

Not sure about the white one, but the pictured car appears to be showing significant wear on the driver's side of the armrest. Looks like the leather/vinyl is failing.

[AP]

Yeh looks a bit tired

Coolant issues are a common problem on the 5 series range. It may have already had the issue and been fixed but it’s something to be aware of. A good look in the engine bay and a look at the reservoirs and cap would be beneficial

Be prepared for the possibility of expensive repairs though, these are not cheap cars to fix. You may be fine but it’s a risk everyone just has to way up.

I think you need to have some fund to cover yourself to be on the safe side, I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t push your finances to the limit, if you can only just afford to buy it then you may be making a mistake

There will be good examples out there so be patient and find a really good one

[TreyWaters]

Agree with AP here. The cheapest repair I've had done to this car (owned since new) is replacing the headlight switch - and I think that's $500.

I've replaced multiple control arms (one pothole, one POS tow truck driver), at about $1500 each - including alignments.
Front passenger seat occupancy sensor - $2k.
Turbo coolant lines - $4-5k (covered under factory warranty)
A/C evaporator coil - $4k
Thermostat leak - $10k (which took out Integrated Supply Module and one engine computer) yes, ten thousand dollars for that repair
Transfer Case - $5k

Now, the transfer case comes with a big asterisk. I have a feeling the stealership just wanted some work. Admittedly, I did have some mismatched tires (as in wear, they were all the same brand+model), and I was getting hesitation on heavy acceleration. In hindsight, I have a feeling that if they told me just to get a new set of tires I would have been good. But they wanted to replace the transfer case.

On the "plus" side - when the turbo coolant lines failed, I had a knee-jerk reaction and bought an extended warranty. With the exception of the seat occupancy sensor, it's covered all of the other repairs. So, I'm definitely the exception on after market warranties not being worth it - even if you take out the transfer case.

I'm not saying you should get an extended warranty. I'm just agreeing with AP in that if you're stretching your budget just to buy the car, then a single repair could seriously hurt.

[Joe-BMW33]

60,000 miles is not a lot for a 2018, so I would not be concerned about that and especially since you will be bringing down that yearly average pretty quickly with your 3,000 a year. I have 53k on mine.

I am definitely intrigued by that Night Blue interior. Isn't that an individual option? If so, it is certainly leather.

In general, I am a "never drive a BMW out of warranty" guy. I get that you are only driving 3,000 miles per year and you think an extended warranty is not in your budget, but one major thing can easily cost more than an extended warranty. You should really checkout the Route 66 warranty thread. It's $3,000 for 7 years and it covers some wear and tear items like bushing and control arms. Since you are in the process of buying and assuming financing, you could roll this into your payments.

It is good the plugs are done, because 60,000 miles calls for all of these (my dealer quotes from my inquiry a few months ago):

spark plugs $910
Coolant service $280
Cabin filters $290
Air filters $275
Transmission Fluid Change (no price from the dealer supplied as she doesn't think it calls for it, but I am pretty sure it's in the schedule of maintenance).

When looking over the service records for both cars, you want to make sure the turbo coolant lines were done, the flex disk and some passenger seat fault issues. Honestly, these are the only things that seem to go south on the M550 consistently. Route 66 would cover all of that.

The V8 N63 is proving to be just as reliable as the B58 (540).

Post the VIN for each car so we can do a VIN decode and look up the car and options in detail.

[AP]

I recall the blue leather was an option when the g30 was introduced but doesn’t appear to have been a common choice and I guess they dropped it soon after.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by AP

I recall the blue leather was an option when the g30 was introduced but doesn’t appear to have been a common choice and I guess they dropped it soon after.

Yeah, thinking about it more, I think you are right. I recall seeing a few cars online with it, but pretty uncommon. Sounds like a cool color for an interior. Was it Dakota or Nappa?

[AP]

In fact I think the photos were pat on this website when the g30 was introduced. Loads of variation of various models. Might still be there potentially

[maDjzo]

Honestly just like any car, high mileage will have added cost because 60k + is where maintenance cycles creep in ie plugs, fluids etc. Plugs were done that’s a good thing. I’m in the camp where with German cars you will need to either have an extended warranty, or rainy day fund for repairs, I don’t think this is a foreign concept in any vehicle. With that said, these drivetrains are really good now, both b58 and n63 are solid, you will have cheaper maintenance with a b58. Then again my M550 is at 3.4 with Stage1, won’t get that with a b58. Secondly it all depends on the original owners, the grey one from Paramus does look tired inside. Coincidentally I live 15 min north of that dealership. For reference my 2018 has 64k miles and the interior is flawless, Nappa Ivory..

Interior of a vehicle will show pretty much everything you need to know about an owner, some people don’t give shit about their machines. Then again I’m OcD lol.

[AP]

True
If a car has been well looked after it will be obvious. It’s the small details that tell.
Curbed wheels, scratches, cheap or mismatched tyres, minor items simply not fixed

Usual stuff really

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by maDjzo

Honestly just like any car, high mileage will have added cost because 60k + is where maintenance cycles creep in ie plugs, fluids etc. Plugs were done that’s a good thing. I’m in the camp where with German cars you will need to either have an extended warranty, or rainy day fund for repairs, I don’t think this is a foreign concept in any vehicle. With that said, these drivetrains are really good now, both b58 and n63 are solid, you will have cheaper maintenance with a b58. Then again my M550 is at 3.4 with Stage1, won’t get that with a b58. Secondly it all depends on the original owners, the grey one from Paramus does look tired inside. Coincidentally I live 15 min north of that dealership. For reference my 2018 has 64k miles and the interior is flawless, Nappa Ivory..

Interior of a vehicle will show pretty much everything you need to know about an owner, some people don’t give shit about their machines. Then again I’m OcD lol.

+1, when I look at used cars, I look for the one that had an OCD owner just like me. It's pretty easy to tell what the prior owner was like from visual condition as well as the service records. I have actually gotten in touch with the prior owner of my M550 as well as my E39. Both car guys and BMW enthusiasts. My 2018 M550 is spotless inside and out. PPF also helps with that.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by AP

I recall the blue leather was an option when the g30 was introduced but doesn’t appear to have been a common choice and I guess they dropped it soon after.

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Yeah, thinking about it more, I think you are right. I recall seeing a few cars online with it, but pretty uncommon. Sounds like a cool color for an interior. Was it Dakota or Nappa?

My 2019 Bluestone...

Upholstery... Leather Dakota/night blue/exclusive seam

[sh4y4n]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

My 2019 Bluestone...

Upholstery... Leather Dakota/night blue/exclusive seam

Do you think you could post some pictures of your interior (if you have any)? Been trying to find a M550i with the Night Blue interior for reference but can't find any. The car is still in transit to the dealer so they still haven't posted any pics.

[Neusser]

Originally Posted by maDjzo

Honestly just like any car, high mileage will have added cost because 60k + is where maintenance cycles creep in ie plugs, fluids etc. Plugs were done that’s a good thing. I’m in the camp where with German cars you will need to either have an extended warranty, or rainy day fund for repairs, I don’t think this is a foreign concept in any vehicle. With that said, these drivetrains are really good now, both b58 and n63 are solid, you will have cheaper maintenance with a b58. Then again my M550 is at 3.4 with Stage1, won’t get that with a b58. Secondly it all depends on the original owners, the grey one from Paramus does look tired inside. Coincidentally I live 15 min north of that dealership. For reference my 2018 has 64k miles and the interior is flawless, Nappa Ivory..

Interior of a vehicle will show pretty much everything you need to know about an owner, some people don’t give shit about their machines. Then again I’m OcD lol.

The B58 was partially developed/refined with Toyota (since it is used in the Supra). Watched a very interesting documentary on this a while back.

You proably aren't going to find a more reliable BMW engine.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by sh4y4n

Do you think you could post some pictures of your interior (if you have any)? Been trying to find a M550i with the Night Blue interior for reference but can't find any. The car is still in transit to the dealer so they still haven't posted any pics.

Give me a day or two. I know I took some, I just have to find them or take new ones.

[sh4y4n]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

Give me a day or two. I know I took some, I just have to find them or take new ones.

All good, take your time 👍

[ezaircon4jc]

Here you go. The pics are through filtered sun (high clouds) and doesn't really show off the blue all that well. The blue is a shade darker in bright sunlight, which may be a while getting here.










I can't figure out why the pics are sideways; I didn't take them that way...

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

I can't figure out why the pics are sideways; I didn't take them that way...

My OCD couldn't stop me from fixing the orientation of these. Don't mind me....(still jealous of your gentleman's switch).

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

My OCD couldn't stop me from fixing the orientation of these. Don't mind me....(still jealous of your gentleman's switch).

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

What's the key to that? I've tried to rotate them in my file, but they still came out sideways.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by ezaircon4jc

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

What's the key to that? I've tried to rotate them in my file, but they still came out sideways.

I just right clicked on them, save as, saved them to my machine, opened them in the default Windows program, rotate, save. Then just uploaded them to the thread.