RE: Shed Of The Week: BMW 535i
Discussion
Facelift front and rear lights so no ambers (which is often a point of contention on the Barge 1-5k thread!! I'm also unsure about those wheels. BMW, in their wisdom had a different fitment for the E39 than almost all other BMWs. The centre bore on the E39 is 74.1 millimetres as opposed to 72.5 for almost every BMW before or since. Worth checking.
Aside from that this looks excellent. Prefer a 540i with the V8 fuel bills or a later 530i for similar power but at this money....
Aside from that this looks excellent. Prefer a 540i with the V8 fuel bills or a later 530i for similar power but at this money....
ianwayne said:
Somebody put 12 months VED on it at the start of this month according to DVLA. It's not transferrable any more, which is a shame, but it shows it hasn't been sitting around the forecourt for ages.
Unless a punter returned it for a refund due to a major fault (cynical, me??)
well that would be my first thought that something has gone pop...Unless a punter returned it for a refund due to a major fault (cynical, me??)
zeppelin101 said:
The Spruce goose said:
232 bhp just doesn't seem a lot.
They don't rev either (5800 rings a bell?), but this was the 90s, and the car was marketed as some kind of "eco" V8."Economical" and "V8" of course being two things that shouldn't really feature in the same sentence.
leedsutd1 said:
No interior pics may mean beige interior ?
I like beige interiors, it is those awful black interiors with the cheap silver plastic highlights I avoid. They're horribly, depressingly dark and Ikea-like.I like the E39. It looks a little frumpy (as does the E46) and so much less sharp than an E32 for example, but otherwise they're very good cars. I had a friend who had an E39 530iSE. It's ride was really very good, almost as good as an old XJ6 - and definitely better than the E66 7 Series I have frequently travelled in. It had 16" wheels though - I wonder if the 17" wheels will spoil the way it rides?
That 530i was a lovely car. It felt quite modern and very competent and the interior was in good shape at 130,000 miles. It was a shame it was so fragile. It must have been coming to the end of its service life since so many things kept failing on it. He was forever chasing problems. He would solve one issue and another would develop almost immediately. Last time I saw it, the car was laid low with cooling problems, transmission problems and a serious electrical gremlin.
It may be this is untypical. There is a veritable posse of PHers who will tell you the E39 is a wonderful car to own. I wouldn't dare try though!!
I've had my 530i for 5 years now, the longest I've ever had a car. I can't bring myself to get rid of it as it's worth so little but does so much right. It does the big road trip stuff as well as it does commuting runs to the station. It's just a great car. Currently on 94k miles. It costs a bit to keep it nice, various bits of bodywork and the usual M54 replacement cooling system and rocker cover gasket, various suspension linkages/bushes etc but it certainly drives nicer than an E60 IMO, the steering has far more weight and feel.
I'm loving my £900 E39 540 touring I got last autumn. Such a pleaseure to drive, the cabin and engine is excellent. Its sub 100k milage and general tidyness are brilliant for a 16 year old. After sorting a few little things I'm very very pleased with it. Lots of information and guides online for DIY maintinance.
jl34 said:
The author has kindly forgotten that the cylinder liners of these late 90's v8's are made of cheese.
That was the earlier 3.0 & 4.0 V8s as found in the E34 & E32 - and TBH if you find one thats lasted till now, then Nikasil liners won't be a problem.I've had both a 535 & 540 E39, of course the 540 is the one to have, however the 535 isn't too bad, they ran higher gearing so on a run 30 mpg is a achievable.
Pickled said:
jl34 said:
The author has kindly forgotten that the cylinder liners of these late 90's v8's are made of cheese.
That was the earlier 3.0 & 4.0 V8s as found in the E34 & E32 - and TBH if you find one thats lasted till now, then Nikasil liners won't be a problem.Pickled said:
I've had both a 535 & 540 E39, of course the 540 is the one to have, however the 535 isn't too bad, they ran higher gearing so on a run 30 mpg is a achievable.
I think I'd feel cheated with a 535 V8 when the 540 is out there - I'm pretty sure that the mpg difference would be negligablej_s14a said:
I love the E39, they are one of the best cars ever made imo, especially in 530d guise.
However, I would only recommend the Sport models of any E39, as the standard front seats are VERY uncomfortable and unsupportive.
Having run both SE and Sport I found the SE seats more comfortable and the SE ride on 16s compared to the Sport on 17s was way better.However, I would only recommend the Sport models of any E39, as the standard front seats are VERY uncomfortable and unsupportive.
dbdb said:
I like beige interiors, it is those awful black interiors with the cheap silver plastic highlights I avoid. They're horribly, depressingly dark and Ikea-like.
I like the E39. It looks a little frumpy (as does the E46) and so much less sharp than an E32 for example, but otherwise they're very good cars. I had a friend who had an E39 530iSE. It's ride was really very good, almost as good as an old XJ6 - and definitely better than the E66 7 Series I have frequently travelled in. It had 16" wheels though - I wonder if the 17" wheels will spoil the way it rides?
That 530i was a lovely car. It felt quite modern and very competent and the interior was in good shape at 130,000 miles. It was a shame it was so fragile. It must have been coming to the end of its service life since so many things kept failing on it. He was forever chasing problems. He would solve one issue and another would develop almost immediately. Last time I saw it, the car was laid low with cooling problems, transmission problems and a serious electrical gremlin.
It may be this is untypical. There is a veritable posse of PHers who will tell you the E39 is a wonderful car to own. I wouldn't dare try though!!
As a PHer who has had several E39s, and currently runs a manual 530i Tourings, no it is not untypical at all, and at the same time it in no way undermines the wonderfulness of the car. It's simply that if you want to run a 15 year old 150K mile 150 mph car, and have it be as pleasant and effective as it when it was new, you have to be prepared to put proper money into it. I like the E39. It looks a little frumpy (as does the E46) and so much less sharp than an E32 for example, but otherwise they're very good cars. I had a friend who had an E39 530iSE. It's ride was really very good, almost as good as an old XJ6 - and definitely better than the E66 7 Series I have frequently travelled in. It had 16" wheels though - I wonder if the 17" wheels will spoil the way it rides?
That 530i was a lovely car. It felt quite modern and very competent and the interior was in good shape at 130,000 miles. It was a shame it was so fragile. It must have been coming to the end of its service life since so many things kept failing on it. He was forever chasing problems. He would solve one issue and another would develop almost immediately. Last time I saw it, the car was laid low with cooling problems, transmission problems and a serious electrical gremlin.
It may be this is untypical. There is a veritable posse of PHers who will tell you the E39 is a wonderful car to own. I wouldn't dare try though!!
If you do it all piecemeal as things actually wear out and fail then it may feel like you are always in trouble. Some people, those with good workshop facilities and the time / inclination / skills to get their hands seriously dirty, do a great job on this basis and some of their cars are absolutely fabulous. If you rely on external labour, though, that is the most expensive and least convenient way of doing it.
My approach is that alongside routine servicing you periodically take a proper planned approach to it and say "what to I need to do now, all at once while the car is in bits, to minimise the labour cost and ensure that over next five years this car runs as well as it is capable of running?" And just get it all done. It usually costs significantly more than the typical resale value of the car but that's only important if you intend to sell the car afterwards
For someone whose need/desire is to buy a £1000 car which will cost as little as possible over the next five years and require no attention, then an E39 is the wrong choice, as would be an XJ6 or a Merc E-class.
B'stard Child said:
Pickled said:
jl34 said:
The author has kindly forgotten that the cylinder liners of these late 90's v8's are made of cheese.
That was the earlier 3.0 & 4.0 V8s as found in the E34 & E32 - and TBH if you find one thats lasted till now, then Nikasil liners won't be a problem.Pickled said:
I've had both a 535 & 540 E39, of course the 540 is the one to have, however the 535 isn't too bad, they ran higher gearing so on a run 30 mpg is a achievable.
I think I'd feel cheated with a 535 V8 when the 540 is out there - I'm pretty sure that the mpg difference would be negligableRE:Fuel around town the difference is negligible, but on a run theres around 5-8mpg difference, the most disappointing thing is probably the noise, or rather lack of noise. I actually thought my 535 was a better motorway cruiser due to the higher gearing it was more relaxed at higher speeds than the 540.
Edited by Pickled on Friday 16th January 12:37
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