Overview & Reviews

BMW improves its 540i by making a six-speed manual transmission available. That option includes 12-way power sport seats, a sport suspension and beefy antiroll bars. Unfortunately, all models lose their V-rated tires in favor of wimpy H-rated tires in an attempt to improve fuel economy.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 65.00

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  Great car for the buck. - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By jbimmah - December 16 - 1:24 am

  I have been in teh BMW family for a few years now and this car has been a lot of fun to drive even as an automatic. For a 17 year old car it can still handle well, even after years of New England weather. My car has started every day in hot, cold, wet, dry and snow filled days with out issue and has never left me stranded, it is a higher maintenance 5 series due to it being the V8. Average extra cost a year would be estimated at around $2000.00, for a typical do it yourself er. I have had the car 11 months now and have bought new suspensions, mounts, brakes, exhaust, and typical other things.

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  Germany builds a muscle car - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By Anonymous - December 8 - 2:00 am

  Simply put the best car you can buy for a few grand. Build quality/ride/handling/braking rivals new cars. Steering is ok, loads up well, good feedback but poor on center and is not as quick as modern cars. V8 with a 6spd manual (proper) gear box is a dream. These things take a good deal of maintenance and repair, simple as that (find me a 16+ year old car that doesnt!). Parts are reasonable, labor is pricey. Parts availability and technical info is outstanding (old bimmers have a great group of owners!) I like this car a lot but it just isnt the best fit for my needs. I would prefer to sacrifice some of the greatness of an old BMW for a less hassle newer car.

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  What next? - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By Tony - May 28 - 3:46 pm

  Bought it with carfax one owner 72k miles. Now 166k eight years later only major repair new radiator and a/c components. Most important thing is to have a great mechanic whose accurate diagnosis can save you thousands. He warns me higher operating temps of later bmws is main reason for parts failures. Really want a 528 or 530 2001-2003. How many miles can these cars go? Very wary of late model bmws unless on a lease.

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  Shell cost you! - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By eholmes - May 16 - 4:02 pm

  I bought one of these private sale last year. What a great ride!. I had never driven a vehicle that tight before. Lots of power and handles like a monorail. Rear-wheel-drive with traction control was fantastic in the snow I was really surprised. Unfortunately the one I bought was a little beat. Rust on the bottom of the doors, front end parts kept loosening up ($400 each), needed pads and rotors, and tires, leaked oil, seemed to be burning coolant, window controls shot, antenna broken, sun-roof broken - you name it, it was broken. But it was a fun car to drive. So I traded it in towards a newer 528i.

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  14 Years old and still smokes em! - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By Eric - September 5 - 3:20 pm

  What can I say? Fast, luxurious, ergonomic, loads of technology such as OBC (On-Board Computer) that tells you MPG and other stuff, pretty good handling for a sedan, and all around a great car to have. To this day, as soon as people step in the car the first thing they ask is, "what year is this car?" I tell them 1995 and jaws hit the floor. Ample rear space not to mention the ridiculous trunk space. Awesome stock sound system, comfortable leather seat and leather upholstery. Did I mention the V8 power? Haha!

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  Big Disappointment - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By Paul - January 5 - 4:29 pm

  The 95 540i is among the last understated, genuinely beautiful cars from BMW. It is tremendously powerful and the routine maintenance consists of little more than oil changes and brake jobs. The downfall is the transmission. It is a sealed unit with "lifetime" fluid (complete nonsense). It _will_ fail at 100k mi. and cost $5k to replace. The car is worth $4k. My trans has disgorged its fluid on the driveway fully 4 different times. Each episode requires a limping trip to the shop and a bill of $300. On the road, the car is heavy and ponderous and not in the least bit fun to drive. Brakes have only two modes: off and full lock up. Zero finesse. Big disappointment.

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  still a great car - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By jeepguy - November 5 - 1:13 am

  Bought the car with 140K and drove it home (eBay...1000 miles away) getting 28 MPG all the way. I thought I wanted a 540i till I saw the MPG. Kept it mainly as a road trip vehicle for a year, then started driving it daily. Here we are 2 years and 25000 miles later. My only monetary investment has been tires, brakes, a/c compressor, spark plugs and a radiator. Not bad for a car with 166,000 miles. Still runs very strong, corners like a dream, great curb appeal. My wife tries to trade vehicles with me on an almost daily basis (Grand Cherokee Overland). The valets all ask me to let them know when I may be selling it!

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  Teutonic engineering at its best! - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By Matt - June 4 - 9:46 am

  I never intended to buy a BMW but thank goodness I did! the 530 is an awesome car, it is comfortable yet still has a sporty feel. The engine response is slightly delayed due to the automatic gear box (it takes half a second longer than a manual shift to kick in) but after that first pause, it flies. I have only owned this car for 3 weeks but it has stolen my heart. I would recommend a 95 BMW 5 series to anyone. P.S. If you are getting a very weak airflow through the dashboard vents, make sure you check the pollen filters (found buried under the dash, you can access them from the drivers foot well on right hand drive models). They clog up with dirt quite quickly and reduce air flow.

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  1995 BMW 5 Series - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By Dream Master - May 5 - 1:06 am

  This car is a mixed bag. It is extremely comfortable in front but cramped in back. It gets fairly poor gas mileage, about 19 mpg in mixed driving. OTOH it is fast even by todays standards the engine is a joy, and it handles amazingly well for such a big car. The steering is perfect, the brakes are excellent, and the controls are generally within easy reach. One exception is the window controls, which inexplicably take up most of the area between the front seats, where a console should be instead.

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  Wow - 1995 BMW 5-Series
  By DrFrank - July 12 - 7:20 pm

  Purchased a used Dinan 5, 540ia supercharged. I had owned a 1985 735ia before. Interior was very close to the 735. Power and handling was vastly better. 0-60 in under 5 sec and 60-0 makes your stomach turn. Corners are FUN. 90 degree corner at 60 kph and no problem staying in my lane and No tire squeal. Wow, I have driven many sports cars, but this defines sport.