im new to the BMW world, and im about to buy a 528i with 150k on it, it's a 97. he's already had the rear diff replaced, and he's said he's had the oil changed every 3k.
what exactly am i getting myself into? hahaha

what exactly am i getting myself into? hahaha

Hell. Pure Hell.

Edit: Joking, I just picked up a '97 528i 5speed with 145k on it. Fairly reliable cars, actually. Be prepared to do some of your own work - oil changes, spark plug changes, new radiator, etc. It's best to become buddies with someone with a lift - even better with a full shop. Then just fix as you go - it'll require maintenance, but aside from the typical radiator neck failure, nothing should put you out of commission.

cooling system: radiator, water pump, thermostat
suspension: rear ball joint, struts, shocks, control arms, ti rods, sway bar links.
motor: tension pulleys, timing chain and tensioner(150K mi maybe?), gaskets.

I just picked up a 98 528i with 140K mi... this is my first BMW and It is by far the nicest car I've ever owned, it is clean tight and runs great considering the high mileage. However, there is one thing I've learned over the past two weeks is to listen to the guys here who say that the cooling system overhaul is a must... I have ordered all components to do it ($313 for tranny oil cooler, $867 for everything else) and am not driving the car until I do this work... search this forum for a post by Fragzem with the word 'BOOM' in the title... his fan clutch blew and pieces went through the hood!...

thanks for the help guys, anyone else? i plan on doing some other things like get a M5 front bumper and rear bumper. anyone know around how much those 2 cost?

I've got a '97 528i w/ 125k. I bought it 3 years ago with 85k. Here's the things I've done:

new radiator (nissens lasted 6 months)
2nd new radiator w/ hoses (Behr 12k and running)
new fan
new fan clutch
new pulleys/belts
new power steering hoses
new control arms/thrust rods, sway bar links, tie rod ends
new front bearings
new struts/shocks
new eibach springs (not necessary, but wanted to upgrade while it was apart)
new brakes/rotors
new brake sensors
new ABS sensor
new cup holders
new A/C control buttons (3 of the 4 temp buttons were cracked)
and of course the usual maintenance stuff oil changes (every 5k w/ mobile1 0w40 synthetic), new airfilters w/ oil change, tranny fluid @ 85k & 115k (and will do again at 145k), new coolant every year.

and my A/C compressor is starting to whine due to a bad bearing.

I do most of the work myself so its not too bad, but if I had to take it in to do all this stuff I'd be broke. Hopefully you're handy. But inspite of its maintenance I LOVE THIS CAR so its all worth it.

I just picked up a 98 528i with 140K mi... this is my first BMW and It is by far the nicest car I've ever owned, it is clean tight and runs great considering the high mileage. However, there is one thing I've learned over the past two weeks is to listen to the guys here who say that the cooling system overhaul is a must... I have ordered all components to do it ($313 for tranny oil cooler, $867 for everything else) and am not driving the car until I do this work... search this forum for a post by Fragzem with the word 'BOOM' in the title... his fan clutch blew and pieces went through the hood!...

In the future if you need parts let me know- I could have pointed you to website selling oem trans cooler for 240 something..

Is your trans cooler leaking? This part usually lasts the life of the car unless you hit something.

In the future if you need parts let me know- I could have pointed you to website selling oem trans cooler for 240 something..

Is your trans cooler leaking? This part usually lasts the life of the car unless you hit something.

Hey, thanks for your message. the tranny cooler that is the problem with my car so I have to replace it... the folks at Pelican cannot get the ~$200 tranny cooler at the moment due to problems with their supplier so they ordered me one through a dealer at hopefully a better price than I could have gotten it anywhere else (and I don't want to wait)...

the good news is that I expect to have an awesome and fairly reliable car in about a week...thanks!