BMW 5-Series (1988 - 1996)

525i SE

reviewed by tub25 on 27 September 2012

525i SE Saloon

reviewed by mattg1234 on 2 June 2011

Overall rating

How it drives

Fuel economy

Running costs

Cost of maintenance and repairs

Experience at the garage or specialist

How practical it is

How you rate the manufacturer

Overall reliability

Decent comfortable big car

Bought a 1992 K-reg 525i SE saloon in 2005. Had a manual gearbox and averaged 27mpg- excellent considering I live in rural Devon with lots of twisty roads and hills. It is not the easiest car to work on, but it is possible to do all the servicing yourself. The electrics can play up (usual old car stuff- windows, locks etc) but overall it was excellent. Tyres, oil and most other parts are half the price of the E39 5-series that replaced it. The handling was typically BMW-like, and it made long journeys and my daily commute very enjoyable. If you need a cheap, big old car and have experience of servicing cars yourself, this is a good contender.

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525 TDSA Touring

reviewed by Robertson on 5 March 2011