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NGK210
418 posts
15 months
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geraldorgan said: ... Check the rear wing behind the wheel arch as thats where they all rust first... "Rust"??? E39 bodyshells not galvanised, then?
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Slapon
228 posts
21 months
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carl0s
418 posts
98 months
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NGK210 said: "Rust"??? E39 bodyshells not galvanised, then? My E46 has rusty arches. The arch liner rubs against the inside and wears through to the steel, and oxidation begins..
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Jobbo
7,272 posts
134 months
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hygt2 said: You need to go back to the spec sheets. Model for model, the E60 was lighter than the E39. An early 528i manual saloon may have been not much over 1500kg, but my pre-facelift 540i auto Touring was ~1800kg, and my 545i Touring with more kit is no heavier; and manages 5-10% better mpg. The interior of the E60 isn't as good as the E39 generally, I would accept.
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The Stiglet
1,278 posts
64 months
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hygt2 said: S. Gonzales Esq. said: Having recently purchased a 540i Touring, I'm going to have to disagree with that. It is usefully quicker than the 528i (282 vs 193bhp IIRC), and I'm getting consumption figures in the 20s. That's amazing fuel efficient from the V8 !! I mostly average 19 mpg in the M5 on country roads and low 12s in central London. My old 528i did 35 mpg on country roads and low 20s in central London and Cambridge. Is your 540i a manual by any chance to get 20-ish mpg? I have a 540iA sport saloon and it will do 28 mpg on the motorway at an indicated 80 mph. In town, I can get it to drop to 16 mpg with a roof rack on and racing bike carrier, without that paraphernalia usually around 18.5 mpg. Combined average is circa 21/22mpg over 2 years with much of my driving urban based. Big difference in grunt between the 3 litre 6's and the 4.4 v8.
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Major Fallout
4,111 posts
101 months
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strangehighways
209 posts
35 months
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hygt2 said: To be honest, 528i / 530i with high-20s mpg is all you need in everyday driving. Otherwise, the next step up would be the M5.
I am still puzzled by the point of the 535i / 540i V8s as they are not that much faster than the I6 engines yet comes with high-10s mpg fuel bills ? High 10s? I didn't experience that. I had an e34 540 auto and got about 23/24mpg combined.
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thewheelman
2,194 posts
43 months
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There are plenty of E39s around for that money, in tidy condition.
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S. Gonzales Esq.
1,677 posts
82 months
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hygt2 said: Is your 540i a manual by any chance to get 20-ish mpg? Yes - wouldn't want an auto as a daily driver. Perhaps you'll get a chance to see it at an ADUK event this year. Somehow a consumption figure that starts with a 2 seems almost bearable, even if the rest of it is often 0.0.
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my93wrx
38 posts
87 months
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RandomTask said: If Quentin Wilson was to look at this he'd say 'Stick a private plate on it, and people will think you paid 4 times as much for it'
Nice shed. No such thing as a provate plate as the DVLA own the number you just own the right to use it, hence why its called a personal plate! On another note, nice SOTW.
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e30s50b30
41 posts
20 months
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I would have to put a 2.5 inlet manifold and throttle body on it to release those extra 20+ horsies
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Kidders
738 posts
33 months
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I'm not a BMW fan BUT.. huge respect for the E39. A friend of mine had a 528i manual, lovely car. I used to work at BMW at they too agreed this was one of the nicest cars they made as an all rounder. A 530i sport would be the one for me, or an M5, in that light blue colour..  Apart from my 220, one of the best real performance saloons of its time.
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TomM
661 posts
65 months
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Great car, but the E39 is not as bulletproof as many report.
I had a 1996 528i years ago and had a gearbox oil cooler failure and dash pod speedo failure in a year of ownership. I later had a 2001 facelift 530i sport in black, only to have the common traction / abs ecu fail and have to be replaced, then had the radio module thing die which meant no sound - both of these not cheap to fix, and pretty common. Also had to replace the rocker cover as this cracked. It alo had a strange wheel vibration that 3 trips to BMW never solved. Both cars were about 4 years old when I had them and had FBMWSH and under 60k miles.
However, even with the costs incurred I loved both cars (especially the 530) and would recommend them all day long.
Woud still be tempted by a facelift Velvet Blue 540i sport with 18" parallels and champagne leather........mmmmmm
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Bacon Is Proof
3,024 posts
101 months
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my93wrx said: RandomTask said: If Quentin Wilson was to look at this he'd say 'Stick a private plate on it, and people will think you paid 4 times as much for it'
Nice shed. No such thing as a provate plate as the DVLA own the number you just own the right to use it, hence why its called a personal plate! I'm having a party. You're not invited.
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Kidders
738 posts
33 months
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TomM said: Great car, but the E39 is not as bulletproof as many report.
I had a 1996 528i years ago and had a gearbox oil cooler failure and dash pod speedo failure in a year of ownership. I later had a 2001 facelift 530i sport in black, only to have the common traction / abs ecu fail and have to be replaced, then had the radio module thing die which meant no sound - both of these not cheap to fix, and pretty common. Also had to replace the rocker cover as this cracked. It alo had a strange wheel vibration that 3 trips to BMW never solved. Both cars were about 4 years old when I had them and had FBMWSH and under 60k miles.
However, even with the costs incurred I loved both cars (especially the 530) and would recommend them all day long.
Woud still be tempted by a facelift Velvet Blue 540i sport with 18" parallels and champagne leather........mmmmmm Like any car, they always have their issues, BMW's are no exception.
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Jobbo
7,272 posts
134 months
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my93wrx said: No such thing as a provate plate as the DVLA own the number you just own the right to use it, hence why its called a personal plate! No such thing as a personal plate - it remains with the car not the person, hence being called Cherished Marks by the DVLA 
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Nigel Worc's
5,315 posts
58 months
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S. Gonzales Esq. said: Yes - wouldn't want an auto as a daily driver. Really ?, I realise different people like different things, but I've become very much an auto fan because of the driving experience of the ZF auto in my 528i
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The Stiglet
1,278 posts
64 months
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TomM said: It alo had a strange wheel vibration that 3 trips to BMW never solved. Both cars were about 4 years old when I had them and had FBMWSH and under 60k miles. Most likely to be the front bushes, which should be replaced with polyurethane ones. A fairly common complaint tbh.
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derin100
1,889 posts
113 months
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These are such good cars and now such incredible value!
I've had:
523i Saloon and a (mega-spec) 540i Touring both of which I sold to fellow PH'ers.
My wife has for the last 5 years driven her (big spec) 528i Touring.
My mother drives a 520i Touring which I bought for her...at her insistence. Probably best to avoid that engine as it seems to give very little...actually no fuel economy advantage for its very uninspiring performance.
We even have a 525i Touring at our house in France which we bought here took there and French registered.
In fact, I know in my heart of hearts that I should probably be driving one again myself as my daily car if I had any sense! And so, I almost never look at classified ads for these anymore because it would just reinforce my foolishness for not doing so!
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The Stiglet
1,278 posts
64 months
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Nigel Worc's said: Really ?, I realise different people like different things, but I've become very much an auto fan because of the driving experience of the ZF auto in my 528i The v8 in particular really suits an auto, I wouldn't want a manual unless it was an M5.
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