Affordable BMW?
ASK around and many will not agree that the two words (Affordable and BMW) should go together.
"Impossible, the parts are more expensive than my house," said one of our readers from Facebook.
Well, Dr Syamsul Ismail begs to differ.
He claims that unless you are buying new, a used BMW can be quite affordable.
Staying in Johor Baru but working in Singapore as a doctor, Syamsul actually drives a Waja to work. He also has a Chevrolet Nabira as an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) for the family but his baby is actually his BMW 5-Series E39.
"My first BMW was the 325i E46, and the car taught me a lot about cars. The more I learnt, the more I hated the E46," he recalled.
"I did a lot of research and I was confident that the E39 is the best used car one can buy."
He further added that the E39 has good handling, it is rear-wheel driven, has a tough engine, the cost of parts are not too far from his old Perdana V6, has no unnecessary electronic gadgets and "it can do 250km/h on the highway".
He bought his 530i from Naza Auto Mall. It was the last unit there and he considered himself lucky.
He frequents a few mechanics and some of them are actually ex-Auto Bavaria mechanics.
"I change engine oil every 5,000km, the ATF every 10,000km, air filter every 40,000km and water pump, spark plugs and the beltings every 100,000km."
The car had problems before but mostly due to wear and tear. He also took it to the Pasir Gudang track and that made his suspension arms wore out prematurely.
The best part of Syamsul's ownership experience is how affordable his parts are.
Some of the examples are the spark plugs (around RM27 each), absorber mounting (around RM77), a complete set of alternator (RM1,200), OEM ATF at RM30 per litre, cross-drilled front disc brake (RM390 each), brake master cylinder (RM313), tie rod (RM136), ATE brake pads (RM170 per pair, front), rear wheel bearing (RM133), water pump (RM170) and many others.
Syamsul, however, refused to reveal where he buys his parts from, but he claims that one can easily find the shops in Singapore.
"You must ask around and if you ask nicely, BMW owners can be a helpful lot!" he said.
For those interested in getting a E39, Syamsul recommended the one with the M54 engine.
"Whether it's a 2.2L, a 2.5L or the 3.0L, make sure it is the M54 engine because it is bullet proof," he said.
If you are in JB and happen to see a golden 530i E39, don't bother giving a chase because this is one doctor who can really drive.
