2004 BMW 545i Sport, 75k miles, superb condition, excellent service history

2004 BMW 5-Series Description

FOR SALE: My beloved and excellently cared for accident-free 2004 BMW 545i Sport.
DESCRIPTION: Super awesome sports sedan! 325hp, 330lbs torque 4.4L 32v V8 engine, fast, quiet, planted, and smooth as silk. Top of the line for its day (no M5 in '04). $66k MSRP. Fully-loaded beauty with expensive STEPTRONIC sport package, premium Logic 7 sound system, comfort seats (best seats ever), cold weather package, heated steering wheel, parking distance radar, electric rear sun shade, active steering, dynamic stability control, adaptive headlights (turn with steering) etc. Has every option available in '04 except for split rear seat and head-up display.
CONDITION: In a word, excellent. Drives like new. Motor is strong and quiet, no squeaks or rattles, everything works as it should. Interior seems much younger than the age of the car. No rips or tears. Exterior paint is very glossy with only a moderate amount of blemishes (the usual small rock chips, a couple of tiny door dings). Wheels are in good shape with a just a bit of curb rash and pock marks from brake dust.
UPGRADES: The car is basically stock with only a handful of cosmetic upgrades. Specifically, in 2010 I added "M" pedals, medium window tint (looks great), and the interior wood trip piece for center console ('04 model year was plastic). I also updated the NAV system DVD and installed BMW's BTUM blue tooth integration module -- works seemlessly with my iPhone and previous Windows Phone.
SERVICE HISTORY/MECHANICAL: Car has been very well maintained with no issues left unattended. No accidents, needs nothing. Well-documented service history. All-season sport tires (Bridgestone Potenzas) are in good shape and the front brakes are new (installed by BMW Darien). Has had many oil changes on schedule. New alternator a while back. IMPORTANTLY the car's engine has already had the secondary air injection system cleaned out. If you are not familiar with the issue, the emissions-related secondary air injection system on BMW's N62 engines have a nasty carbon build-up issue. Tends to occur on higher mileage vehicles but mine got it early. Repair is labor intensive and expensive ($3,100) but I had it done @68k miles and have have had no issues since - I expect it'll be good to go for its remaining life (50k+ more miles?). My advice? Do NOT buy an aging BMW 4.4L without knowing you're in for this repair.
OWNER HISTORY: I am the vehicle's third owner, having bought it as a "barn find" with 27k miles on it in 2010. My understanding from talking with the second owner is the first owner had it for a year before trading it in for a Mercedes. The second owner bought it on a whim but rarely drove it, putting around 15k miles on it over 5 years. So I'm the guy who has actually driven the car! I've used it mostly as a long-distance highway shuttle between Stamford, CT and Cape Cod but also to shuttle about town with occasional trips to NYC. Overall it has been fantastic and I'll be sad to see it go.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE CAR: It is terrific! Really a wonderful vehicle and probably my all-time favorite. It drives like it's on rails and particularly excels in the fast line on the highway. The heated 27-way adjustable comfort seats are to die for as is the heated steering wheel (very underrated options). Make no mistake, this is a fast car that wants to cover great distances. No muss no fuss attitude -- the strong and quiet type! Personality is like a business exec going about his business in a methodical professional manner. The cabin filters keep the air superb (no jet fuel smell at JFK) and mechanical sounds are unobtrusive. Stereo sounds great, but watch out for speeding tickets b/c this is the most effortless car to 100mph I've driven. I am particularly fond of the active steering system which produces a very tight steering wheel radius at all speeds -- no bus driver style spinning the wheel as everything happens within 180 degrees of steering. The active suspension also dips the car into turns such that there is near zero body role. Corners like a much smaller/lighter vehicle. The car has a lot of systems constantly doing things but you don't notice them -- comes together to drive like a dream. Blast down the highway in total controlled comfort.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE: That I'm selling it? Seriously though, the driver's cup holder is an awkward design and the iDrive/NAV system can be tedious. Also the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) can falsely declare punctured tire alert when tire pressure is only low, for example due to onset of cold weather. Lastly, the wheels are wider than the tires such that curb rash is likely. That's about it though, overall the closest thing to a "perfect" car I've driven.
REASON FOR SELLING: Too many vehicles! Newly added pickup truck and sports car rendered the BMW redundant. Need the garage/driveway space. I'd love to keep it but we just do not have space for it.
SALE TERMS: Reserve price is $8,499, which I believe is fair given the condition of the vehicle. $500 deposit due w/n 48 hours of auction end or it re-lists. Final payment due in cash, cashier's check or wire to my account. Vehicle and title will not be released until all amounts due are in hand. I can coordinate vehicle pickup with shipping companies if necessary. If you are in the NYC-Metro area the car is near the Stamford train station on the New Haven line. I can also bring it to your local mechanic for inspection (would need to discuss logistics).
BOTTOM LINE: This is A LOT of car for the money. I doubt you'll be disappointed.