Quote from max401:
Here is a sample of recent wholesale prices from a national auction chain, which seem to indicate that this car is too much money:
12/18/2002 BAY CITI.... $ 11,000...50K.. RED
12/18/2002 DAYTONA..... $ 10,000...79K.. GREEN
11/27/2002 FRDKBURG.... $ 7,900....97K.. GLD
12/20/2002 NEVADA...... $ 7,500....85K.. GREEN
11/14/2002 RIVRSIDE.... $ 8,400....104K. ARCTIGRY
12/04/2002 UTAH........ $ 14,300...74K.. RED
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All 95 540i's. Data not publicly available, neighbor is a dealer and I get access. Also, www.cars.com for more or less retail ask prices for specific areas or nationwide. And to compare your deal with a dealer's offer: Is your friend offering finance? Warranty? Service with rental car, etc.? Does he have an overhead to pay or commission to a salesman, etc.? If a seller wants what a dealer is getting, ask why should he get as much without any liability or expenses and offering no warranty.Quote from Foz:
Max,
Yes, I'm familiar with the Nikasil problem. The car I'm looking at had a complete engine replacement done at 60k miles. In fact it is now a 4.4 liter instead of the original 4.0 liter.
That's great auction info! Thanks. Where did you get it? Is it publicly available? Were these all 1995 BMW 540i's? I'd like to reference your source in negotiating a better price.
Quote from max401:
It takes premium fuel. The bigger first question, is the price even a good value? All BMW V8's until 96 were prone to abnormal cylinder wall wear and the factory would warrant them, but only to 100K. Since a fix wasn't made to this engine until much later, the only way BMW could save its reputation was to replace the engines with the same defective design, until they could find the problem. They eventually found that the blocks cast in Nikasil reacted with the high sulfer content of US gasoline, but that their flagship V12 blocks made from Alusil, had no such problem.
If this 5 has an original engine or a Nikasil replacement short block, you would be out of luck, Some cars had as many as 4 short blocks. Here's how to determine which which compound the engine is cast in:
You have to get underneath the car and fine the casting number located below the number 3 cylinder:
Nikasil M60B40 1 725 963 or 1 742 998
Alusil M60B40 1 745 872
Alusil M62B44 1 745 873
Here is a sample of recent wholesale prices from a national auction chain, which seem to indicate that this car is too much money:
12/18/2002 BAY CITI.... $ 11,000...50K.. RED
12/18/2002 DAYTONA..... $ 10,000...79K.. GREEN
11/27/2002 FRDKBURG.... $ 7,900....97K.. GLD
12/20/2002 NEVADA...... $ 7,500....85K.. GREEN
11/14/2002 RIVRSIDE.... $ 8,400....104K. ARCTIGRY
12/04/2002 UTAH........ $ 14,300...74K.. RED
Quote from Foz:
Max,
Yes, I'm familiar with the Nikasil problem. The car I'm looking at had a complete engine replacement done at 60k miles. In fact it is now a 4.4 liter instead of the original 4.0 liter.
That's great auction info! Thanks. Where did you get it? Is it publicly available? Were these all 1995 BMW 540i's? I'd like to reference your source in negotiating a better price.