I have a 2012 BMW 535I M-Sport we bought new in December of 2011. It is one of four cars that my wife and I share and is used primarily as a highway and travel car. It currently has 39,000 miles on it. When I ordered it I knew I would keep it for a long time so I picked out the options that were important to us. It has been a great car. Very comfortable, reliable and good highway gas mileage; 30 MPG.
Like all cars these have depreciated by 50 per cent. The window sticker was $71,773. After all the rebates and discounts and dealing (& doing a European Delivery), we paid $64,189.44 out the door. You should be able to find a nice one in the $35,000 range (I think). IMHO, stay away from the 550I with the V8s. The early ones have some major engine issues. The later ones are better but are not proven. The 528I is an under powered (IMHO) 4-cylinder. The 535I is a straight 6 with a single dual scroll turbo and has great power and will cruise all day at 90 MPH. We have driven to Idaho a couple times to white water rafting and on one leg did eleven hours. The Luxury seats have a massaging feature on the lower cushion that moves the muscles in your lower back to keep it from cramping up… it works! The active cruise control is amazing and works in stop and go traffic. The heads-up display is very cool. I can’t recommend this car enough.
The 2013 model added a feature where the seats side bolsters can be adjusted. For someone that is slim (6-2 160) this would have been nice to have.
I would go for a 2012 or 2013. The 2011 was the first year for the F10 model and there were some growing pains. Next year they are introducing a new 2017 5-Series (the G31). This will depreciate the current F10s even more.
Because you are buying used, there is a gamble there. How was the car driving and maintained? BMW offered free maintenance on these cars for the first 50,000 miles. But on my car they would only change the oil when the car’s computer recommended it. This could be anywhere from 10,000 to 16,000 miles. No way. I make sure it is changed every 5,000 miles.
I would recommend finding a car optioned to your liking with the lowest miles. Take your time. There are a lot of them out there. Consider CPO from BMW or buying a third party warranty.
There is a very good and active BMW 5 series forum that is very informative;
F10 / F11 (2011 - 2016) - Bimmerfest - BMW Forums
My car
2012 535I;
Alpine White
NASW Black Nappa
Anthracite Trim
ZCW Cold Weather Package
ZLS Luxury Seating Package
ZMP M Sport Package
ZPP Premium Package
ZPS Premium Sound Package
ZTP Technology Package
2TB Sports Auto Trans
610 Heads-up Display
5DF Active Cruise Control
Mods - Quad Exhaust Tips, HID Fog Lights, Clear Front Reflectors, M5 Spoiler, Soft Close Doors, Calipers Painted Black, 12.5 mm Rear Wheel Spacers, Tint - 15% Rear, 35% Front & 50% Windshield - BlackVue Dash Cam, Blendmount for Valentine One
