britribe v1.1: BMW... My Abbreviated History

1981 BMW 528i (E12)

It has been quite sometime since I've had a BMW. I have had one back in the 90's for quite awhile. Prior to that I drove one that wasn't mine off and on over a year or so. That one was a 1981 BMW 528i (E12). It took a bit for that body style to grow on me but I enjoyed driving it. I can't remember if it was an automatic or standard transmission. I think it was an automatic. It also was not equiped with a mirror on the passenger side. Because I enjoyed it so much I thought I had to have one of my own. Below is a photo of a BMW that looks very close to the '81 528i. This was my introduction to the BMW.

1985 BMW 528e (E28)

The search was on. I had no idea what was available and I wasn't all that well educated on BMW's. I was a guy that came from Wyoming and enjoyed fly fishing and the great outdoors. I drove four wheel drives. BMW's had a bit of a yuppie reputation at the time. At least amongst some of my friends. I still knew I wanted one for my next car. In that time there wasn't a way to shop on the internet for a car. No craigslist or cars.com. It was by newspaper classifieds and car ads. The only other way was to drive to the dealerships. I knew of a BMW dealership in Boulder and drove down there to take a look. I didn't shop for very long. I found my next car. I was now driving a 1985 BMW 528e (E28). I believe I bought it in 1989. The car cost either $13K or $15K (I just can't remember). It had around 60,000 miles. I drove this car like there was no tomorrow. It had a 5 speed manual transmission and always got great gas mileage. I think it was around 24 mpg in the city and over 30 mpg on the highway. I finally moved on at around 220,000 miles. It was a great car for me. Below are photos taken from right around the time I bought the car.

2003 BMW 540iA (E39)

Many years passed since I owned the 528e. I went back to SUV's. In 2010 my SUV had been slowly becoming a victim of age and mileage. Reliability was becoming a factor. I had boys to haul around to hockey games as well as their other sports. So I started looking for another vehicle. I wasn't in a hurry and time was on my side. I looked at a lot of cars and SUV's on craigslist and cars.com. I didn't set out looking at BMW's but I looked for those as well. At some point I decided on a car over an SUV. It didn't take long to realize I wanted another BMW. What did I want? I liked the Z4's a lot. Not good though with two kids that are busy in sports. The 3 series is great but still a little small when transporting hockey bags and sticks. I like the 5 and 7 series but what did I want to spend and what didn't I want to spend. Since I wasn't in a hurry I just kept looking. I had hoped to get something with lower miles and in good condition. The same thing everyone else looks for. In March or April of 2011 I saw that a local dealership had a 2003 BMW 540iA (E39). This car had 51,000 miles and was in near perfect condition inside and out. The car came into the dealership in February and they were asking $17,900. I think when I saw it the car was priced at $16,900. After some back and forth discussions I got the car for $15,500. That seemed reasonable to me. The 2003 540i's have received strong reviews across the board. This one is a 5 speed automatic transmission. It has a v8 and is fast with great acceleration. It's July 2 now and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I look forward to driving it everyday. Been awhile since I enjoyed a vehicle this much. The photos below are from the last month or so.

From Edmonds... The fourth-generation BMW 5 Series was produced from 1997-2003. Many purists consider this the finest era for the BMW 5 Series, as exceptional on-road dynamics, premium furnishings and unparalleled refinement came together in one classically styled package. Resale value has always been high for this generation, so expect to spend more than you would for competitors of similar age. Reliability has been strong as well.