RE: SOTW: BMW 528i (E39)

[fluffnik]

hora said:

shimmy

Top link hydraulic bushes.

[hygt2]

Where would be the best place to find a good deal on a 528i / 530i? Below £1,000, I would be only looking at petrol as there are too much to go wrong on a 530d.

Gumtree or eBay or Autotrader or ...?

[jonnydm]

hygt2 said:

Where would be the best place to find a good deal on a 528i / 530i? Below £1,000, I would be only looking at petrol as there are too much to go wrong on a 530d.

Gumtree or eBay or Autotrader or ...?

I avoid Gumtree.

ebay, Autotrader and PH should yield most decent ads out there. Perhaps C&C but unlikely below £1k.

ETA Below that price a 530 will have lots wrong with it. 528 is your best bet although if a nice one comes up maybe worth considering a 523.

[Stinkfoot]

That cheap shed priced E39

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-E39-540i-Manual-Six-...

Has suddenly put on some serious value.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-540I-6-SPEED-MANUAL-...

1400 odd quid in a couple of weeks

[r7ehw]

I have a e39 sport tourer and love it. Mines a 2003 model with 116000 and its a great family motor. Sad to see them fetching so little.

[Neil G60]

I love my 53iA Sport. I put up with the fuel consumption but most of my longer journeys are at 40p/mile and longer motorway work is pretty good MPG-wise (ca. 28-30). She goes into Munich Legends this Friday for a check over and some new rear suspesnion joints. They can get expensive if you want to keep them mint but there's a healthy dedicated forum and following so you're never short of cheap parts and advice. I can't think of anything else to match it for looks, price, size, practicality and desirability (I would say that though!)

[pSyCoSiS]

Zwolf said:

There are leather interiors, and there are leather interiors...

It's true what you have said about the leather, but you do, every now and then, get a little gem of a car with full spec and everything working. It's worth waiting for as it makes you feel better that you got a lot more car for your money.

[pSyCoSiS]

The Crack Fox said:

I once bought an almost identical 528se, 1997 car, manual box. It had 140k on the clock with FSH. Everything worked. I added another 30k without spending a penny on it other than replacing a broken coilspring (bloody speedbumps/potholes). I don't think I even washed it. It was fast, comfy, frugal and well equipped. But, it was boring, utterly boring. Looking back, I wish I'd had an XJ6 instead, or another E34, and swapped some reliability for character.

E34s and XJ6s can be just as reliable, providing you pick up a good example in the first place.

E34s were superbly built, and the AJ6 engines in the Jags are bulletproof.

The problem with cars around this sort of price is that people buy them, but forget that they were over £30k when new, hence still need the correct oil, maintenance, etc.

They maintain them on the 'cheap', which can lead to problems and failures.....

[pSyCoSiS]

Zwolf said:

Things to look out for have all been mentioned above really.

Manual or auto? Which do you prefer driving? Buy that one as both are very good.

528i (193 PS) was pre-facelift (1996-mid 2000) only, it became the 530i (231 PS) thereafter, similarly the 525i (192 PS) superseded the 523i (170 PS) and the 520i went from a 2.0 (150 PS) to a 2.2 (170 PS).

528/530 upwards I'd tend to go auto but if the car overall was in good condition I'd buy it with either 'box, engines below that works better as a manual IMO.

Well said.

I would avoid the 520i, unless you go for the 2001 onward 2.2 engine, as they feel under-powered.

I don't think that the 528i drinks much more than the 523i, so go for either a 528i Auto or the facelifted 525i Auto.

They are very smooth cars, and people who don't really know cars will sit in them and think you've paid over £5k for it!

[pSyCoSiS]

urquattro said:

I bought a E39 540iA Touring for £1590 delivered last year, with no serious faults, I am picky and did some bits that I felt necessary etc. Wonderful car for money, doing 27.1 average over the year but a few motorway miles and not a lot around town.
£40k plus for under £2k - I will accept the risks and manage the car and any issues, a real goer without being an M5, 85% of the performance for £2k and it will carry stacks of stuff in quiet sophistication.
ps I also have the big white W126 500 sel that appears on P/H sundays and has been posted a few times as flavour of quality now long gone.

Edited by urquattro on Sunday 8th April 12:15

Edited by urquattro on Sunday 8th April 12:20

You have a very good taste in cars, sir!

[kbee540]

The Stiglet said:

The v8 in particular really suits an auto, I wouldn't want a manual unless it was an M5.

Sorry Stiglet, but have to disagree. The v8 with the manual turned my 540 into near enough a sports car. Sure the auto is nice for wafting about, but the 6-speeder meant you could properly drive it. The steering on the v8 wasn't as good (recirc ball), but good enough.

The I-6 5ers were indeed brilliant, and I suppose in some ways to some folk 'sweeter'. But letting loose a great big v8 always crushed any qualms I had about getting a proper mill.

She cost a packet to run, with the usual ABS seat sensor problem recurring too often, and had to replace 2 catalytic converters as the originals had 'melted' inside. Couple of electrical gremlins too. Mileage wasn't too bad if you drove sensibly (so I've heard). Servicing was harsh.

Replaced after 12-yrs and 100k with an E92 335d (unmapped!) that whilst decent just can't hold a candle to me old blue bomber. Still miss her and this SOTW is in danger of reigniting and old flame...

[ziggy1024]

Jon_Bmw said:

I had a manual 540i touring for 2.5 years and did 24k miles in it.

A five forty manual? That's a ****ing good car.

[The Stiglet]

kbee540 said:

The Stiglet said:

The v8 in particular really suits an auto, I wouldn't want a manual unless it was an M5.

Sorry Stiglet, but have to disagree. The v8 with the manual turned my 540 into near enough a sports car. Sure the auto is nice for wafting about, but the 6-speeder meant you could properly drive it. The steering on the v8 wasn't as good (recirc ball), but good enough.

No worries, each to their own

My view is based on the fact that these cars just aren't sports cars, they are pretty heavy and you do feel that. I've got sport suspension on mine and it's a great ride with exceptional damping, good composure and it's fine in the corners but there are times when the nose wants to wash-out. The V8 steering is a little wooly for the reason you describe and although the car is perfectly acceptable being hustled down B-roads, it's far from being a lithe, nimble 3 series.

I've always seen it more as a continent cruiser with a nice big V8, comfortable seats, a very nice driving position, toys and the ability to hustle should you need to. For this application I think the auto box is better.

Going off topic, having never driven an E39 M5 I have always wondered how much better they actually are in the twisties. I would be very disappointed if, after a test drive, I viewed that vehicle in the same light as my 540i sport. Thing is, how different can the suspension actually be? I have almost the same suspension (M-Sport II) minus some strengthening and weight saving; the steering ratio is tightened up, sure but I wonder if that's enough to make me think Wow?

Or maybe I just need new bushes!

[fluffnik]

The Stiglet said:

Or maybe I just need new bushes!

Could be...

I've not driven an ///M5 either but the B10 V8 is a remarkably capable B-Blaster...

[Jobbo]

I used to take my 540i Touring (which had the MTech suspension option) to Wales for a blat quite regularly. Much better at playing the fun car than either of my E60s.

[Goatex]

The Stiglet said:

Going off topic, having never driven an E39 M5 I have always wondered how much better they actually are in the twisties. I would be very disappointed if, after a test drive, I viewed that vehicle in the same light as my 540i sport. Thing is, how different can the suspension actually be? I have almost the same suspension (M-Sport II) minus some strengthening and weight saving; the steering ratio is tightened up, sure but I wonder if that's enough to make me think Wow?

Back in 2004 I did back to back drives in a Civic Type S and then a Type R. The Type R was obviously a completely different car from the moment I drove off - you could feel instantly it was so much firmer, sporty sounding and eager. So I thought my first drive in an M5 having come from a 530iSE (std suspension but Sport sized wheels) would be a similar experience but this was not the case; it was quiet, the ride was subtle - no noticeable loss of comfort over the 530i which pleasantly surprised me. The steering felt a little odd at first but not in a bad way although I did prefer the rack and pinion feel of the 530i. The clutch was also a bit heavier in the M5. It was not until out on the B roads that the differences became clear. The M5 rolls a lot less in the corners and turn in is noticeably sharper but it's the performance and soundtrack that completely transform the car. The 530i always sounded muted under acceleration where as the M5 a lot more engine noise is heard yet it still cruises in near silence. The finer, extended leather in the M5 cabin also really helps make the, already nice, cabin feel more special. So 2 very similar yet very different cars - I've always assumed a 540i Sport would be somewhere in between.