It’s time to say goodbye to the car that helped me cement my love for BMW. This is also the car that got my wife into depreciated German luxury. Our stately 2001 BMW 525iAT has been a fun ride, but now we want to pass it on to someone else for the low, low price of $1,700.
Welcome to Autopian Classifieds, a new regular feature in which we highlight cars that our members have up for sale; today we’ll start with me (I’m a staffer, so that counts as a member, right?). A few of us here buy and sometimes sell too many cars. Usually, your favorite writers like David Tracy, Stephen Walter Gossin, or myself just fire these vehicles off onto Facebook Marketplace for the unwashed masses. Dealing with people on Facebook is a nightmare as you have to sift through weirdos, bigots, and seemingly endless flakers. Sometimes it gets so bad that you’d rather just keep the vehicle than deal with selling it.
We have an awesome community here, so why not give members the chance to own one another’s cars? Anyway, I’m first.
The Car
I’ll get straight to it. What you’re looking at here is a 2001 BMW 525iT (technically a 525iAT since it has an automatic transmission), which falls into the coveted E39 generation of the BMW 5 Series.
The basic specs:
Engine: 2.5-liter M54 straight-six, 184 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque.
Transmission: Five-speed automatic.
Layout: RWD.
Location: McHenry, Illinois.
Mileage: 147,000 miles and change.
I bought this stately black wagon from our secret designer, the Bishop, in late 2022. When I purchased the vehicle it had about 120,000 miles and a laundry list of issues. The vehicle’s tailgate latch sensor didn’t always work, and it had a check engine light as well as what BMW enthusiasts call the “trifecta lights,” or errors for traction control, ABS, and brake systems triggering three lights. It also had advanced rust on its tailgate and two rust holes at the rears of both rockers.
My original plan called for fixing the rust and enjoying the vehicle as it was. Unfortunately, after I bought the vehicle I learned that the body shops I knew of that performed affordable rust repair were no longer in the business of rust repair anymore. A shop recently gave us a $1,000 quote for fixing the rockers, and then it closed.
I gave the vehicle to my wife so she could enjoy it as a fun weekend car, the antidote to the boring driving experience that was her Toyota Prius daily driver at the time. That Prius was then loaned out to a friend, so Sheryl ended up driving the Beemer (yes, we know that some folks prefer Bimmer for BMW cars) as her daily.
Sheryl put a lot of work into the wagon. I diagnosed the “trifecta lights” as a bad ABS module. We had that replaced, which extinguished those warning lights for the first time in a decade. We also found the check engine light to be caused by bad catalytic converters, an easy fix. Finally, we were left with the airbag light, which I’m sure is being caused by a bad passenger seat mat sensor. We bought the bypass kit but haven’t installed it.
Other changes my wife put into the car include LED headlights, LED puddle lights, 17-inch BMW sport wheels, new brakes on all corners, new side mirror glass, European market wood trim, an Atoto CarPlay and Android Auto stereo, improved cupholders, a wireless phone charger, sequential LED turn indicators, window tint, and a bunch of other small changes. It also has cheap aftermarket coils and plugs that I recommend changing.
Sheryl then drove the car about 27,000 miles in less than a year. The vehicle’s previous driver was an elderly lady, and the vehicle didn’t seem to appreciate going from Sunday driver to road warrior. Oil consumption went through the roof, then the vehicle began misfiring and smoking badly.
Our mechanic figured out that the vehicle’s CCV system (BMW’s version of a PCV) had essentially disintegrated. Replacing the CCV resolved the oil consumption, smoke, and misfiring issues. However, after 3,000 miles or so, oil consumption is a little worse than it should be and the car is smoking a little bit. Our mechanic believes the vehicle’s crumbling vacuum lines might be the culprit. In addition to this, the exhaust flex pipe has rotted away. The alarm used to go off randomly, but we think we fixed that by disconnecting the under-hood sensor.
Sadly, Sheryl’s situation has changed and I’m trying to thin my fleet. For reasons unrelated to this listing, insurance on the BMW has gotten so expensive it’s like having a car payment. Don’t worry, my wife now has a Scion iQ as a cute daily, but the BMW has now crossed Sheryl’s threshold for being too expensive to be worth it. I don’t want the car back, either, so it’s time to let it go.
A lot of original stuff comes with the vehicle, including the original headlights, interior trim, stereo, “kidney” grilles, and coil packs. You also get a marvelously thick folder full of maintenance records.
So there you have it. This is a running and driving car for just $1,700. We’re still driving this car now and think it’ll go anywhere you ask it to take you. But you should fix those vacuum lines so you can experience the smoothness of that BMW straight-six. I’d also recommend replacing the flex pipe so the car doesn’t sound so loud.
If you’re interested, email us at classifieds@theautopian.com or contact me on Facebook. We have some wiggle room on the price, but not a lot.
I’ll admit I’m a bit tempted.
But this is an opportunity to ask a question I’ve had for a bit. I’m in NY where you don’t get plates until you walk into a DMV office with a signed title and bill of sale.
Any New Yorkers with experience buying a car out of state and driving it back? if so how did you pull that off?
In Washington state you can buy a travel permit for such an occasion. $33 gets you the right to operate a vehicle on Washington highways for 3 whole days. Not sure what you do about crossing all those states lines/if they honor other states permits, but worth looking in to.
I know that Oregon will issue a 21-day trip permit and they do recognize trip permits from other states.
I never considered that I would get a plate in the origin state. I assumed there was some sort of process where I would need to get docs from NY because it would be registered there.
Thanks all, I appreciate it.
Process for Washinton state is you present your driver’s license and the $33 at a DOL office and you get a blank permit to fill in all the details when you’re ready. Can literally just keep a few on hand in case of splurge purchases.
That sounds dangerous for car hoarders. I used to be there but I’ve been clean for a decade or so. I’m not sure how I’d resist with incentives like that
AFAIK, every state has some provision for an “in-transit” tag, or something of the like. Generally, they’re 20-30 day temporary registrations that give you the ability to legally operate the vehicle on public roadways until such time as you can return to your home state and process your home state titling and registration process. The downside, of course, is that generally you would procure such a credential from an office of some type with your typical “banker’s hours” (9-4 M-F) or something like that. For us regular, workin’ folk, we’re spending the money we don’t have on junk cars we don’t need at night, or over the weekend, or both. So, while I HAVE done it this way, I’ve grown cold and jaded in favor of the ol’ slap a plate and catch me if you can regimen. Realizing, that yes, I know it isn’t ideal, but if you’re buying a car on a Sunday, WTF else are you going to do? 30 years and some 200 cars deep I’m yet to be arrested or had anything impounded (well, for THESE reasons, anyway).
Thank you. “In-transit” was the magic word I needed. I looked up NY and a couple of nearby options and yeah, once you have the bill of sale you have to visit an office. As you say weekend purchases are still a problem.
Amusingly (funny “what?” not funny haha) in NY you can get a transit plate only for inside NY. But it looks like you need all the same documentation as registering it and it’s the same offices so I’m not sure why anyone would bother.
I don’t know what other states allow it, but both times I’ve driven a car across the country they were on 4 or 5 day transit tags that weren’t long enough. MO, for whatever reason, will give you a temporary plate if you have a bill of sale, good for 30 days, and you don’t have to be a resident. Worked out really well for me and was as easy as walking into the office and waiting in line for a few minutes.
Welp, I bought a car in Rochester and drove it back to Illinois with no plates – not even a temporary one. Nothing happened! Of course I hadn’t thought to ask the selling dealer about it before I flew out there to pick it up. They were pretty casual about, said if I got pulled over just be nice and show them the paperwork. Bottom line: turns out plates are OPTIONAL! 🙂
I love this sentence. It is the equivalent to “The car is making weird noises, so I turned up the stereo”.
As the owner of an ’04 Odyssey, when the hood latch sensor failed about 5 years ago I went the frugal route and disconnected it so it wouldn’t start the alarm at random hours of the night (or day. Mostly concerned about the night though).
I followed the links to your FB account and was amused, but not surprised, to see:
“Things in common. Also member of Obscure Cars for Sale“
Anyone who tries to haggle you sucks. If I had this thing on my lot (with the flex-pipe and vacuum lines fixed) I could easily get $3500 out of it. You have to remember, in this day and age, if it runs, drives, and moves under its own power, it can bring 2000 bucks at the auction.
I’m struggling to understand how a car made in 2000-2001 from BMW rusted so badly. Was it parked on the beach for most of its life?
Rust badly? I swear, I looked at those pics and thought “Shit for a 20 year old car that thing looks great!”
I’ve seen a lot newer BMWs here in Ohio in a lot worse shape.
Having never lived in the Rust Belt, that looks like a lot of rust. I guess everything is relative.
Absolutely. Some do rust worse than others, though. We have 2015-2016 era trucks coming in on trade that have actual holes and cracks in thier frame.
That Wanda sticker is bugging me; why double quotation on one side and single on the other?? Madness! (yeah I see it was removed)
Honestly it seems like a decent deal for a first Bimmer. Cheap way to get some skin in the game.
YES! Classifieds!
I can continue being ignorant as to the workings of Discord
So you are saying we are going to see this in a lemons race soon?
Tried to read the article, but a full screen pop up add appeared 7 different times! (Phone, not laptop/computer)
Gave up trying to read it. Ads are a waste of money if people stop reading content if they are too frustrated and move on to somewhere else.
“Autopian Autos”
Then 6 pages of legalese to protect yourself.
I could see this really driving traffic to the site as it grows. I’d also make listings for members only.
SERIOUSLY
$500 cash. Im on my way to you right now. Where are you located?
Aww, Wanda!
My mom calls them Beemers, too, despite TAKES on Bimmer vs. Beemer. Her name is Wanda and she had an Isetta, so I’ll allow it.
I just like the term Depreciated German Luxury.
Yeah right? At the last Mecum, a 2011 7-series sold for 7 grand. In perfect condition. If it was a 2011 Camry, it would’ve been worth more.
“the Beemer (yes, we know that some folks prefer Bimmer for BMW cars) ”
When I bought my last BMW we had a few months of confusion as we tried to work out how to refer to it. My other car also being a grey coupe didn’t help. We tried beemer and bimmer and BMW (weirdly much longer to say than write) but in the end settled on “Das Boot”.
It’s been gone a year now, but we still miss the smoothness of the straight six, and quietly cruising at speeds we shouldn’t be doing. It’s the only car of mine she’s ever missed.
I’d take your 5-series but I’m in the wrong continent and the steering wheel is on the wrong side.
My dad, being from Europe, but in the US for over 70 years, still calls them “Bay Emm Vay”…
Clearly not the same part of Europe as I’m from.
It’s spelled “M-O-N-E-Y-P-I-T”
Why did I sell that awesome car with a magnesium engine block which used single-use aluminium fasteners and needs a new oil pan and water pump?
Burn Many Wads
Bring Money Wheelbarrows
DOES HAVE TITLE,?
Oh, this is gonna be fun. Thinking about my passat 4motion that used to run, bought it and never got around to it, now it doesn’t. I’ve thinned my fleet from 22 down to 13 and this is way down on the list. Buffalo ny, hint hint
Oh, it’s not a rot box either
300 cash today
How about $28.33/month for 60 months? Zero interest, right? Also free delivery and a free 12 month warranty?
Trade 4 wash masheen.
Mercedes- a few things:
-don’t undersell the interior. If it hasn’t changed much since you bought it other than a few minor cracks in the wood dash the leather on the seats, the door panels, and nearly new carpet mats were immaculate. The kids never rode in back of this thing. Even the cargo floor wasn’t badly stained or anything.
-seriously, there’s an inch thick of receipts in that stack you have. Anything that broke the parents fixed.
-Was always garaged in the fifteen or so years we owned it
-Mercedes has put a big chuck of cash into upgrades on this thing that I was too cheap to do, particularly the touch screen.
-No accidents in the time we owned it, and CarFax listed nothing with the previous (and only other) owner.
-I’ve seriously considered buying it back but Certain People In My House said we have two drivers so all we need is two cars. Certain People are not Autopians. Also, oldest kid wants to buy a 944 that doesn’t run or something similar, which would be a stupid enough idea even if he wasn’t twelve years old.
I support this 944 plan. 944s are so much fun, plus what’s a better first car than a parsh you put back together since you were 12?
Signed,
Stupid BUT FUN
You’re a good man, Bishop.
It looks interesting but after growing up in NY and spending more than half my life in Oregon I want nothing to do with rust
Born and raised in NY state. My family’s cars typically rusted apart before there were any mechanical issues.
Are you from Upstate? We lived near NYC and our cars still rotted out. In contrast my 2002 pickup has no rust after 22 years in the High Desert with no road salt
Interestingly, since moving south, my cars seem to get more salt caked on them than they did in Upstate NY. Down here they just dump salt and brine all over whenever there is a flake in the forecast.
Utica NY raised here. Understood.
I, personally, cannot WAIT for the first Shitbox Showdown with cars from this very feature!!
You mean like The King’s BMW vs SWG’s swamp fever Park Avenue vs the Aztec after a prostitute has been found using it vs a piece of a Land Rover Adrian claims to have autographed?
An Adrian autographed part of a Land Rover is the only JLR product I’ve ever been remotely excited by.
Don’t forget the Ski-Klasse
That Buick is still on the list to get running! It has taken forever but it WILL happen. Thanks for keeping the torch lit, Jack!
Which car?
If someone here does buy it, they should get a guest spot to tell her story/rant about ownership a few months after thrown in as part of the deal.
I assume you’ve got codes to verify your airbag light theory; in my 530i, the codes are pointing to the airbag module itself, so nothing’s being done about it, but in my 525iT the cause was the seatbelt pretensioners, which are readily available and not sooooper expensive ($200-ish), so well worth it for the peace of mind and to get rid of the warning light.
If you figure out how this feature’s going to work sometime soon, my 900 SPG is for sale…. (SF Bay CL, in case anyone’s interested—yes, I wrote a novel, mostly to scare off time-wasters.)
Since we are plugging SF Bay CL, I have an old Subaru Legacy wagon for sale which also has a novel. The novel has successfully scared away everyone.
You don’t think $9k for a salvage titled 37yo Saab with 237k miles is scary enough?
Really, Saab alone should be enough to scare anyone.
Seriously, though, if you want an SPG in the US right now, you have one less expensive option—all of $500 less—which needs a new transmission, which my car has, and it’s not actually even in the US.
Well good luck.
Members classified! This will be awesome!
Ooh, great idea! Listings for vehicles, parts, tools, manuals, etc. Could be fun with members describing the condition and issues with their vehicles.
Ya, wish this came up last month. Would’ve loved to try an unload my Datsun to a fellow Autopian instead of explaining to fm users that a 54 yr old truck isn’t going to be as nice as a dealership certified pre-owned car.
Also, $1,700 is a bargain for your wagon Mercedes! Especially if you left the Wanda sticker on the dash.
You’re not still trying to unload that Datsun by any chance are you?
No, buyer picked it up recently.
The editors are still hashing it out, but this is basically our soft launch of our own marketplace idea. Cars and such for Autopians, by Autopians!
Ooh, I like that idea. It’ll be like 2015-era BaT. I hope there’s a minimum level of terribleness enforced to keep it from becoming like today-era BaT.
I miss the pre auction BaT
Have you tried barn finds?
https://barnfinds.com/
I always thought you guys should do this. If nothing else, Beau can use it to dump the shitbox trade ins his dealerships get.
This could be a good source of revenue, and organic traffic via SEO on terms you probably don’t rank for. Establish your niche like souped up shitboxes or whatever. Charge non members a nominal fee, and members get one to x free listings per year depending on tier.
Kaching!
Doug Demuro just raked in $30 million+ for his site targeted at enthusiast cars. I’m sure an auction site geared towards “Holy Grails” and shitboxes could net at least twenty bucks and some Harbor Freight coupons (just kidding, I think it’s a fantastic idea! Hopefully it nets tons of dough, or drives traffic/clicks)
Call “Actually Bring a Trailer….No Really, You Need a Trailer”.
Make sure your tetanus shots are up to date