[aci72]

I am shopping for an used car and came across a 2010 528i with 58.0000km..car looks great, but I am worried about reliability. Any advice?
As BMW enthusiast, I would be ready to get it..but I would like to make a good choice. By the way, asking price is 22K EUR..thanks in advance.

[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Originally Posted by aci72

I am shopping for an used car and came across a 2010 528i with 58.0000km..car looks great, but I am worried about reliability. Any advice?
As BMW enthusiast, I would be ready to get it..but I would like to make a good choice. By the way, asking price is 22K EUR..thanks in advance.

I personally would never own a German car out of warranty, but thats just me.

That said, there are some pre-owned 5'ers out there that were probably wonderfully taken care of and others that are POS. Your'e going to have to do your due diligence and determine where this particular vehicle falls on that continuum.

That might mean bringing it to a dealer and have a pre-owned inspection done, seeing the repair & service records etc.

Sites like KBB and Edmunds can give you very broad perspectives only.

[STR8-6IX]

the N20 engine in the 2012+ 28i vehicles are prone to failure at around 115K

if you change your oil every 5000KM, you may get away with it but i wouldnt risk it.

if you are worried about reliability, your best bet would be to look into a 2011 528i like mine. I have 120K on it and havent had to change or fix one single thing on it so far. the 2011 naturally aspirated version is very reliable.

[wcr3d]

Kilometers, Euro's in Boston?

[aci72]

This is a 2010 with naturally aspirated 6 straight...should be good then. Thanks all for the advice.
km and EUR because the car is coming from Europe.

[Breach]

Price sounds OK, even on the low side if it's an auto, depending on specs. Also, in Europe you can normally negotiate down, on the average up to 10% of the asking price. Think you'd need to adjust headlights height to US spec (could be wrong). Not aware of any specific problems, though 2010 F10s had some teething problems. On delivery I'd update ECUs software, service oil and brake fluid and check seals for leaks. The major risk for me would be any undisclosed problems - hard to send it back.

[Tallest]

id consider a diesel car if you are buying from Europe...

[BigKutta]

Originally Posted by STR8-6IX

the N20 engine in the 2012+ 28i vehicles are prone to failure at around 115K

Is this well documented? I have not heard of widespread engine failures of the N20 engine. Perhaps I should google.

In my experience, my 2012 N20 528i has been great, as has generally been my experience with BMWs. Solid, well build cars (sure there are always issues). Still feels new to me at 52k miles. I love the G30, but I think I'll keep my F10 another few years

[STR8-6IX]

Originally Posted by BigKutta

Is this well documented? I have not heard of widespread engine failures of the N20 engine. Perhaps I should google.

In my experience, my 2012 N20 528i has been great, as has generally been my experience with BMWs. Solid, well build cars (sure there are always issues). Still feels new to me at 52k miles. I love the G30, but I think I'll keep my F10 another few years

its not widespread, but I have heard of a bunch of situations where the N20 fails due to oil pressure and timing chain issues. I would stick to the older n52 engine in the 2011 528i (which i have done) and am very happy. 75k and zero issues.

[BigKutta]

Ok, and I drove the 2011 and the 2012 (with the N20) and I felt a noticeable difference in the drive and engine. So if its not a widespread issue, I'd consider the N20. Its been around for a while so I'm sure they've fixed the issus