'98 540i Sport questions

["John A. Virnig" <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings all.

Tonight on the way home from work I took a '98 540i for a spin.  It's
the dark burgundy metallic with current M5 wheels and the beige
interior.  It's really a stunning car and I really like the color
scheme.  It has 61,000 miles on the clock.

What bothered me was there were a few little things tickling my "watch
out" sense.  The trans has a little "tick" between 2nd and 3rd like the
syncro is going.  The seller knows this and has purchased a warranty to
repair or replace the transmission when (not if) it goes south.  Three
other points that are of note:  1) The steering did not have that "spot
on" feeling and was a little vague in the center.  The car did not drift
or wander much but didn't feel planted like I thought it should.  2) The
driver's door was a little stiff to open and didn't feel like it
returned easily once the latch was opened.  Out of adjustment?  3)
Lastly, some of the dots that comprise the odometer and OBC readouts in
the dash had failed in a vertical pattern.  Is this a) and indication of
something or b) easily fixed.

None of these problems seem like show stoppers to me and the price is
right in the wheelhouse.  What I'm curious about is does anyone else
think that there might be a larger story that I'm not getting with
regards to this car?  Opinions, suggestions, comments?  All are welcome.

Thanks in advance -

John Virnig
'97 328is

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