Overview & Reviews

It's no exaggeration to say that the BMW 5 Series sets the standard for premium sport sedans. Introduced for the 1972 model year, the midsize 5 Series has long offered a near-perfect blend of performance, luxury and interior room. It's also highly regarded for its refined styling and innovative technology features.

Most BMW 5 Series models you'll come across will be rear-wheel-drive sedans, though you'll stumble upon the occasional 5 Series wagon on the used car market. In addition, all-wheel drive has been optional for some time, and many used sedans in colder climes will be so equipped. Traditionally, the 5 Series has featured an inline six-cylinder gasoline engine, but BMW has also offered V8 engines, turbocharged four-cylinders and even diesel-powered options. When people ask us to recommend luxury cars, the BMW 5 Series is invariably high on the list, new or used.

User Reviews:

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  Great car under 70k mi - 2001 BMW 5-Series
  By Maddog - February 25 - 6:03 pm

  Awesome car right up to 75k miles, when the car started having many coolant sys problems. Long term reliability not acceptable for people like me who like to keep their cars.

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  Dont buy something unless you can afford it twice - 2011 BMW 5-Series
  By Concepcion - February 22 - 11:00 am

  This car is an over priced lemon to say the least. Looks great, speed is there. But, reliability is the last thing i would say this car is good for. Had it for only 6 months ands put over 1k in repairs already. Everything on this car breaks and will cost an arm and leg to repair. I had a infiniti m35x before this car and i wish that car wouldve never gotten totaled because i was much much happier with her than i will ever be with this car. I wish i was able to trade her in but unfortunately bmws depreciation is far to great and am 7k upside down on this lemon of a car.

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  LOVE MY BMW 2004 - 2004 BMW 5-Series
  By ARMY GUY - February 8 - 2:00 am

  Everything I want in a car and more!

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  My first BMW - 2007 BMW 5-Series
  By SC Guy - January 8 - 7:11 pm

  This is the first BMW that Ive owned. My most recent cars were Jaguar and Infinity. Overall, I am pleased with my choice. The styling and handling are excellent.

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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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  Fun to drive, not to pay for - 1999 BMW 5-Series
  By Mark - January 2 - 5:34 pm

  Torque out the kazoo, lots of grunt for passing, throw it in to corners as hard as you want. I regularly drove the car on 600-mi trips and was very comfortable at the end. However, exceptionally expensive maintenance has been a downer. I spent over $3500 (incl $650 to replace a window motor) in 8 mos and could be spending another $1500 as the car has >100K mi. Will not buy another BMW w/o warranty (and probably not with warranty until iDrive tumor is removed).

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  2000 540i sport - 2000 BMW 5-Series
  By i006129 - December 30 - 8:22 pm

  After five years of driving, the 540 with the sport package is the most fun car I have ever driven. The six speed manual is a necessity. That said, this is also the most delicate car I have ever driven. Lots of issues with sensors, water pump and radiator replacement etc. The radio is also less than stellar. Not even worth calling a stereo. I spend on average $1500-2000/year on maintenance and repairs. Part of this cost is getting the wheels repaired after hitting speed bumps too fast (sport package comes w/low profile tires and alloy wheels). I dont know if this is typical, but Id suggest budgeting for higher than average repair costs. All that said, im still addicted to the drive.

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  Fun but costly - 2000 BMW 5-Series
  By shmeezil - December 19 - 3:53 pm

  Most fun car to drive Ive ever owned when its running. In 9 months of ownership have spent over 2K on repairs. Best advice is to find a competent independent mechanic who specializes in Bimmers. Going to the dealership for repairs or routine maintenance is a very costly and time-consuming adventure. From a drivers perspective the car is awesome. Enough power off the line and especially when passing on the freeway over 60. The steering makes you feel like youre connected to the pavement. If you can afford the repairs and downtime, this is a fun car to drive.

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  Poor reliability offsets driving thrills - 1997 BMW 5-Series
  By Peter - November 14 - 1:49 pm

  Fast, solid, highly capable car. I thoroughly enjoyed driving it. The 540i adds power but gives up the 528is nimbleness. The great driving experience was more than offset by poor reliability though - particularly the electronics. I had to take the car in for unexpected repairs about twice a year.

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  No issues . . . maybe Im lucky? - 2008 BMW 5-Series
  By nitch - November 12 - 11:31 am

  I seem to have gotten the opposite of lemon. Got the car as a CPO and drive it about 15k miles a year combined city and hwy driving. I have done zero maintenance other than brakes (once), tires (three t8es) and oil changes (every 10k miles). The only caveat is this car will chew through tires - youll get about 30k out of a set no matter what you buy - and because of the AWD, you have to replace all 4 at once. It drives like a dream - especially on the back roads. After a snowstorm once the seal around the rear window got dislodged and water got in the trunk and down into the well under the spare. BMW stupidly put some electronics there and the TPM monitor control until got wet and shorted out. I dug it out of there, dried it off and let it et in a bag of rice of for a day or two. plugged it back in and it worked fine.