I had a 2000 C280 Sport which I really liked that got totaled and I have not been able to find a comparable 2000 C280 Sport. I don't care too much for the interior of the regular C280. The sport package with the C43 AMG rims I had made it handle nice too. I don't want to get something past 2000 due to the warnings I've received from the MB dealer about electrical problems with those cars. I've always liked the looks and size of the 5 series BMW but don't know a lot about them other than they have the ESP which I want in whatever replacement car I get. In my area there are a lot of them for sale to pick from. For similar milage and age the cost is about $1500 to $2000 more. Does anyone here have experience with them to compare to the C280 Sport in terms or reliability and driving characteristics? I'm thinking about getting a 525i or 530i. Don't think I'd want the 540i as I doubt the V8 would get very good gas milage. There just aren't enough 2000 C280 sports around here to find a nice one, but there are so many 5 series for sale that I think my chances would be good to find one that was well cared for. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

I have a 2000 C280 Sport. It has 72,000 miles and I am willing to sell it.It just had the service Adone and I have all the records of the car. All from a local shop.Where are you located?

 

I would compare the C280 more to a 3 series then a 5. The 5 series is a V8 yeah? When both the C280 and a 3 Series would be 6 cylinders? Looks wise the 5 series has a more aggressive look compared to the C280 of the same year in 2000.

 

I am in Orange County, CA. Where are you C280?

In the 2000-2001 range that I am looking at the BMW 5 series comes in a few flavors, with the most common being:

525i - 2.5 L I6, 184 hp 0-60 8.0
530i - 3.0 L I6, 231 hp 0-60 7.5
540i - 4.4L V8, 283 hp 0-60 5.8

I'm leaning toward the 530i but I'm concerned about reliability. Read a few things that they don't do too well after about 80K miles. Need to research some more.

 

Ah. Im on the therside of the country in Saratoga Springs New York.

 

Some issues common to both cars are that if they have been dealer serviced, they have been underserviced. BMW has been trying to convince customers that they can go 15,000 miles between oil changes, that the transmission never needs to be serviced and other various and sundry bull****. It is the result of turning the Yuppie marketing idiots loose to try to convince customers that German cars really aren't maintenence intensive (which they truly are). The reason that some of the five series fall on their sword at around 80,000 miles is the fact that they simply haven't had enough service. Things like radiators and water pumps fail because the coolant wasn't changed, calipers fail because the brake fluid wasn't changed, automatic transmissions fail because the transmission fluid wasn't changed and engines fail because they are full of sludge rather than fresh oil; in essence, they don't fail because they are bad cars, but rather because the owners were ignorant and believed the marketing bull****. If you find someone who knows the front from the back of the car, does their own maintenence and keeps their own records, the 5 series is as good or better than any other premium German car.
In both Mercedes and BMW circles, "Dealer Serviced" is often an acronym for DEALER NEGLECTED. A well serviced German Car is usually a good German car.

Regards,

Will