Used Cars: I am looking to a buy a bmw never bought one before, chrysler concorde, 2000 chrysler concorde

Question
Hi, I am looking to buy a 2000-2001 BMW 525i or 530i automatic trans, gasoline engine. This is the first time I am buying a bmw, I have test driven a few, but never really a 5 series, I do like the 3, but it is a bit small and underweight for me. I plan on finding one with 85-90k on it, and in relatively good condition possibly spending about 13k on it. Used, not certified used, but going to a dealer that I personally know the owner. Any idea what the long term reliability of a car like this will be, any things that may need to be changed right now. I am finally getting rid of my 2000 chrysler concorde which I've had for about 5 years and it has almost 126k on it now, but is still doing well for its age and mileage. I plan to keep this bmw for atleast 5 years, as long as it stays sound. How is the maintenace on these cars, I hear they are expensive, but I am curious to know as to how many times do they visit the shop or do they actually break down. I know it is RWD, but these cars drive very balanced, will it hold up in snow in northern nj. Our winters are not very bad, but I am planning on driving in atleast 2-3inches of snow in all season tires, not snow tires. Any preventive maintenance I can do to ensure no future problems, do these cars need special fluids or different waxes or leather conditioners, as I see this car is engineered quite a bit differently from other cars. Any info would be helpful thank you.

Answer
Well the only thing I know about BMW's is they are extremely safe, extremely reliable(short term and long term), and they are built quite a bit different than most cars.  You can truly expect to get a long history with that car with proper maintenance.  With the fact that you know the dealer you are buying it from, I would ask him what is all required to maintenance the car.  I do not have a lot of BMW experience, maintenance related.  I do know that I have had quite a few 1980 to 1985 models come through here with 200k to 300k miles on them, and they are still humming right along.  You will definetly have a quality car, with BMW and maintenance as per Dealers specifications, and you will be satisfied well beyond the 5 year period.  Enjoy your new car.
Jay