LexNYC

After about six months of owning an es300, I now want a 528i (99-01) BMW. My lex is tight, but I always wanted that 528i. If i sell my lex i'll still get to drive one, cause my mom has a 2001 Pearl white platinum edition es 300. My es 300 is a 1998, oyster pearl, with 34,000 miles (actual), i'm planning to sell it for 12,000 (salvage title).

Nabeel

The 528i is a very good car. Try and get a Certified pre-owned vehicle with the BMW extended warranty. If possible, go for a stick shift. The auto 528i is not very fast, about the same as an ES300, or maybe marginally better. I believe a 5-speed automatic was introduced for '00, replacing the old 4-speed. The stick shift models are pretty quick, they will run 0-60mph in under 7 seconds. The handling is awesome for a sedan of its size, but unless you get a car with the premuim package and a few options, the ES300 would be more luxurious. The routine maintenence will be more expensive than an ES300 also. You should keep that in mind. The engine and major mechanical componemts should be trouble-free if properly maintained. Electronic glitches were very common in the early 528s, but they should be sorted out for the '99+ models you will be looking at. I think you should wait for the '04 models to hit the dealerships in fall. Then the price on the current E39 bodystyle will drop. Also look at a '98+ 540i. A 540i 6-speed is a sweeeeeeet car.

Gekko

say goodbye to the the Japanese/Lexus reliability and say hello to German mechanical gremlins.

XenonES3

Yup, I agree with what they've said.

If you do jump for a 528i, I recommend getting some euro tails/front corners from autodynamic.com, and painting the black moldings body color (if you car is not black). You may want to debadge the 528i unless you'd like the whole world to know you're driving the "lower level" 5.

Those subtle changes clean up the appearance 100%. Good luck!