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Used 2005 BMW 5 Series Sedan Consumer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
151 reviews

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3.38 out of 5 stars

Automatic Transmission Issues

panthersb, 01/08/2011
2005 BMW 5 Series 545i 4dr Sedan (4.4L 8cyl 6M)
6 of 6 people found this review helpful

In all, the 545i is a well-balanced rig -- amazingly fast and agile for a car of its size and comfort. My car has been plagued with electrical issues however, and a glitch with the transmission is enough to force me to replace it. When driving under slight power between 35 and 40 mph, the car feels as if there is a disruption in the fuel delivery or ignition. When I first demonstrated this to the dealer, a tech said it was the transmission, it was normal, and by shifting it to sport mode I could eliminate the issue. Unacceptable, in my opinion. This isn't "normal" behavior for any car, and I don't want to drive in sport mode to fix a transmission malfunction. Major buzz kill.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Super Car, with Problems

Maximum Bob, 05/26/2008
2005 BMW 5 Series 545i 4dr Sedan (4.4L 8cyl 6M)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful

I know the service techs far more than I should for such a great car. Do NOT put anything liquid in the trunk and expect not to fry your iDrive. Some idiots in Germany made the trunk porous and put the iDrive electronics package in the trunk, so if you have cooler and it tips over, immediately get out your rags, etc., and get that water out. I have fried the iDrive twice in this way, and it cost a bundle to fix it. Really poor engineering.

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4 out of 5 stars

Not Bad!

Mike, 10/22/2018
2005 BMW 5 Series 545i 4dr Sedan (4.4L 8cyl 6M)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Ive owned this 2005 BMW 545i for 1 year, bought it used with 88,000 miles. Replaced windshield washer pump, 2 spark plugs and ignition coils and lost radiator screw. The first and secondary air pump valves need to be flushed out to correct lost power notification on dash. Wonderful handling vehicle and fast and powerful. I have installed 8.8 Android device in place of manufacture display to keep it up to date. I have just hit 100021 and expect to do an oil change soon and brake shoe replacement. I hook up battery maintainer once a week to keep the battery at its highest potential due to this vehicles pc never sleeps. The interior and exterior shines up well. Other than that, I have no other problems and hope it holds up at least until it hits 200,000 miles.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
4 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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4.75 out of 5 stars

Well, I always wanted one

PJINCA, 06/25/2008
2005 BMW 5 Series 530i 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful

This is my 37th car in my life (more cars than years old) and I always wanted a 5 Series and now I fianlly got one. It is exactly what I wanted performance-wise, powerful, smooth and great handling. I have yet to feel the tranny shift, it is butter smooth. The comfort is excellent, I have both Sport and Premium pkgs and nav. The fit and finish are perfect and the brakes are great. My only complaints? Lack of storage - my cell phone resides on the shelf provided by the nav system. And apparently the computer is skewed, the other day my gas gauge read just under half tank, the computer told me I had 73 miles to empty, yet the fuels light came on and I had to put 17 gals into an 18 gal tank?

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3.88 out of 5 stars

NIGHTMARE VEHICLE

T Rodriguez, 10/08/2005
2005 BMW 5 Series 525i 4dr Sedan (2.5L 6cyl 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful

This is my first BMW purchase and it has been a nightmare from day 1. The iDrive has caused problems, the steering rack had to be replaced at 6,000 miles, the run flat tire sensor continually shows up whether I have a flat tire or not. BMW is unwilling to take this vehicle back. They stated that the car has ONLY been in the shop 20 times, which is not enough according to their standards. NEVER again I will purchase a BMW!!!

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