Mint E39 530d M Sport - how do I value it?!
Discussion
First world problems, I know, I know.
I have a near-showroom 2003/53 BMW E39 530d M Sport with 70,000 miles. It’s been in the family for years and has a service history and maintained within an inch of it’s life – (Mobil 1 used as flush for oil changes in between oil changes, undersealed yearly etc etc).
I love the car. My missus hates it. She (somehow) pulls rank and drives my new Touareg.
However, I am now having to do a commute that will see the mileage of the E39 rise dramatically. I am toying with the idea of selling the E39 and getting a cheapish lease (£200/month Seat Leon FR or something). If I had more room, I’d probably keep the E39 under a sheet in the garage.
How do I value my E39?
I have seen plenty on AT and Fleabay, but they all have 150k+ miles and look a little bit tired. I get offered money all the time for it… ranging from £2500 to £6000. I’ve seen a couple of decent E39s, FSH, enthusiast owned etc, but still 120k+ miles. Not an “apples for apples” comparison.
Can anyone suggest a “good” strategy to figure out a fair price that matches the condition/history of my car… without attracting the usual muppets who says “well, it’s a 11 year old car”…?
I have a near-showroom 2003/53 BMW E39 530d M Sport with 70,000 miles. It’s been in the family for years and has a service history and maintained within an inch of it’s life – (Mobil 1 used as flush for oil changes in between oil changes, undersealed yearly etc etc).
I love the car. My missus hates it. She (somehow) pulls rank and drives my new Touareg.
However, I am now having to do a commute that will see the mileage of the E39 rise dramatically. I am toying with the idea of selling the E39 and getting a cheapish lease (£200/month Seat Leon FR or something). If I had more room, I’d probably keep the E39 under a sheet in the garage.
How do I value my E39?
I have seen plenty on AT and Fleabay, but they all have 150k+ miles and look a little bit tired. I get offered money all the time for it… ranging from £2500 to £6000. I’ve seen a couple of decent E39s, FSH, enthusiast owned etc, but still 120k+ miles. Not an “apples for apples” comparison.
Can anyone suggest a “good” strategy to figure out a fair price that matches the condition/history of my car… without attracting the usual muppets who says “well, it’s a 11 year old car”…?
Aha. I did feel reasonably brave... at the time...
After being silently watching for months, I know when to ignore the trolls and when to take notice!
I thought £6k was fair enough and was tempted but wasn't in the mood to sell my pride and joy at that time.
I'll sit here patiently waiting for the onslaught!
After being silently watching for months, I know when to ignore the trolls and when to take notice!
I thought £6k was fair enough and was tempted but wasn't in the mood to sell my pride and joy at that time.
I'll sit here patiently waiting for the onslaught!
I suppose what I'd be asking myself is what would a mint low miles E60 be selling for and price it less than that.
A similar car sold on BMW5 for about 6 grand- here's the advert for you as it will be easier than you signing up and then trying to find it.
QUOTE ADVERT:
Hi to all,the time has finally come for me to sell on my beautiful 530d sport .I purchased this car just under 2 years ago & I can honestly say the car has been a pleasure to own. I am an mature enthusiast when it comes to bmws, the 1st 1 I ever owned was way back in 1996, a beautiful;H reg e30 325i sport in alpine white, 18K miles, anyway back to this 1. I have not come across another e39 530d sport comparable to this 1,i even have the original sales invoice ,sold for £37802.00 back in july 03 (amazing). Here goes....
1 previous owner
68k miles
F.S.H
Titan silver
Full black leather interior
Electric glass sunroof (£1000 extra)
Electric front seats + driver memory( £1500 extra)
Heated front seats ( £320 extra)
Through load system, ski hatch;(folding rear seats ,£230 extra)
Xenon headlamps (£550 extra)
Hi fi speaker system (£470 extra)
Communications pack (£;3,500 extra) sat nav ,telephone,tv,etc
Electric steering column (with memory)
Rear electric blind
Rear passenger doors manual blinds
Silver dash inserts
Led interior lights
Front cup holders
Ac schnitzer 19" split rims (£1500 inc refurb)
continental sport 2 tyres 275 30 19 rear & 245 35 front ,no rubbing issues whatsoever
Kw street comfort coilovers, please google probably the best on the market (£1400 ,inc fitting) adjustable height & ride settings
Genuine m5 heated ,folding mirrors,with reverse dip
Dvd player
Quad exhaust system (no chavvy sound)
Carbon fibre boot, bonnet,steering wheel badges
M5 bumper grill
Lightly smoked privacy glass
M5 rear arch fenders (new) the list goes on....
Im pretty sure I must have missed something out ,also I have had the gearbox oil & filter changed for peace of mind (with receipts).
Swirl flaps have also been removed by PMW in Essex (with receipt) at the same time the oil breather was replaced with the newer vortex type & egr cleaned.
The car has also had a very recent major service inc both thermostats changed, complete new front & rear discs & pads, mobil 1 fully synthetic engine oil ( always in my ownership) .Also only ever run on shell v power diesel in my ownership.
The car comes with a FSH ,part bmw & part bmw specialists. Fully stamped service history ,loads of receipts for work carried out & parts brought, every mot from new.
All I can say is this car is truly a one off, interior is in excellent condition no rips or wear, paintwork is beautiful ,drives like a dream. I also had it remapped to 235 bhp awesome smooth power, on a run I average around 40mpg, local mid to high 20,s.
The car will come with a full mot , tax expires july 14, well there you have a well looked after,pampered bmw e39 sport like no other.
PLEASE NO TIMEWASTERS AS THEY WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED,SERIOUS ENQUIRES ONLY.dont want to hear oh there worth this much & that much blah blah,.BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT FIND ANOTHER LIKE THIS. PRICE REVISED, £7250 ovno maz 07817691439. (PS OPEN TO SENSIBLE OFFERS)
I will let the pictures do the talking.
That car was an auto, a manual car would be more desirable due to rarity I suppose. It sold for 6500 according to the owner. The forum consensus was that it was way overpriced. Obviously not if he really did sell it for that.
Personally I wouldn't pay anything like these prices for an old E39 diesel when I could put a couple of grand more in the pot and get a 535D. Remember though you can always lower your sale price but it's bloody hard to put it up.
Good luck with the sale hope that comparison helped.
A similar car sold on BMW5 for about 6 grand- here's the advert for you as it will be easier than you signing up and then trying to find it.
QUOTE ADVERT:
- *****************************************************************************************************
Hi to all,the time has finally come for me to sell on my beautiful 530d sport .I purchased this car just under 2 years ago & I can honestly say the car has been a pleasure to own. I am an mature enthusiast when it comes to bmws, the 1st 1 I ever owned was way back in 1996, a beautiful;H reg e30 325i sport in alpine white, 18K miles, anyway back to this 1. I have not come across another e39 530d sport comparable to this 1,i even have the original sales invoice ,sold for £37802.00 back in july 03 (amazing). Here goes....
1 previous owner
68k miles
F.S.H
Titan silver
Full black leather interior
Electric glass sunroof (£1000 extra)
Electric front seats + driver memory( £1500 extra)
Heated front seats ( £320 extra)
Through load system, ski hatch;(folding rear seats ,£230 extra)
Xenon headlamps (£550 extra)
Hi fi speaker system (£470 extra)
Communications pack (£;3,500 extra) sat nav ,telephone,tv,etc
Electric steering column (with memory)
Rear electric blind
Rear passenger doors manual blinds
Silver dash inserts
Led interior lights
Front cup holders
Ac schnitzer 19" split rims (£1500 inc refurb)
continental sport 2 tyres 275 30 19 rear & 245 35 front ,no rubbing issues whatsoever
Kw street comfort coilovers, please google probably the best on the market (£1400 ,inc fitting) adjustable height & ride settings
Genuine m5 heated ,folding mirrors,with reverse dip
Dvd player
Quad exhaust system (no chavvy sound)
Carbon fibre boot, bonnet,steering wheel badges
M5 bumper grill
Lightly smoked privacy glass
M5 rear arch fenders (new) the list goes on....
Im pretty sure I must have missed something out ,also I have had the gearbox oil & filter changed for peace of mind (with receipts).
Swirl flaps have also been removed by PMW in Essex (with receipt) at the same time the oil breather was replaced with the newer vortex type & egr cleaned.
The car has also had a very recent major service inc both thermostats changed, complete new front & rear discs & pads, mobil 1 fully synthetic engine oil ( always in my ownership) .Also only ever run on shell v power diesel in my ownership.
The car comes with a FSH ,part bmw & part bmw specialists. Fully stamped service history ,loads of receipts for work carried out & parts brought, every mot from new.
All I can say is this car is truly a one off, interior is in excellent condition no rips or wear, paintwork is beautiful ,drives like a dream. I also had it remapped to 235 bhp awesome smooth power, on a run I average around 40mpg, local mid to high 20,s.
The car will come with a full mot , tax expires july 14, well there you have a well looked after,pampered bmw e39 sport like no other.
PLEASE NO TIMEWASTERS AS THEY WILL NOT BE ENTERTAINED,SERIOUS ENQUIRES ONLY.dont want to hear oh there worth this much & that much blah blah,.BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT FIND ANOTHER LIKE THIS. PRICE REVISED, £7250 ovno maz 07817691439. (PS OPEN TO SENSIBLE OFFERS)
I will let the pictures do the talking.
- ******************************************
That car was an auto, a manual car would be more desirable due to rarity I suppose. It sold for 6500 according to the owner. The forum consensus was that it was way overpriced. Obviously not if he really did sell it for that.
Personally I wouldn't pay anything like these prices for an old E39 diesel when I could put a couple of grand more in the pot and get a 535D. Remember though you can always lower your sale price but it's bloody hard to put it up.
Good luck with the sale hope that comparison helped.
Many, many thanks.
This is a perfect comparison - near identical, except for the Comms Pack and the AC alloys. Oh, and mine is perfectly standard, no remap, as it came out the factory - apart from the usual vortex filter and swirl flaps etc.
I know what you mean, the E60 535d's aren't much more (but obviously leggier)... on the flipside, there seems to be more of a desire for E39s or just more of a following due to "arguably being the best 5 series that BMW did" - I am paraphrasing, but I'd probably agree.
£6000 does seem realistic +/- a few hundred...
Hmm, thanks for the thoughts - given me something to think about.
This is a perfect comparison - near identical, except for the Comms Pack and the AC alloys. Oh, and mine is perfectly standard, no remap, as it came out the factory - apart from the usual vortex filter and swirl flaps etc.
I know what you mean, the E60 535d's aren't much more (but obviously leggier)... on the flipside, there seems to be more of a desire for E39s or just more of a following due to "arguably being the best 5 series that BMW did" - I am paraphrasing, but I'd probably agree.
£6000 does seem realistic +/- a few hundred...
Hmm, thanks for the thoughts - given me something to think about.
Don't be taken in by the headline lease rates if you're about to embark on a high mileage commute... frankly a low mileage well cared for E39 is probably the best thing you could use for high mileage in terms of comfort, economy and with barely any scope for depreciation... keep it!
I had one which I took from 40k to 172k in four years of intensive commuting and, especially considering it took a 50k beating in my final year of ownership, it was superb and didn't miss a beat. I spared no expense on servicing, and wish I'd run it into the ground.
I had one which I took from 40k to 172k in four years of intensive commuting and, especially considering it took a 50k beating in my final year of ownership, it was superb and didn't miss a beat. I spared no expense on servicing, and wish I'd run it into the ground.
Edited by theboss on Monday 14th July 11:28
Here's a different angle,which you probably won't like.
Use the E39 for this new commute,you say it's been maintained perfectly for years.it's a diesel
so MPG is reasonable and the car should go on for well over 10,000s of miles yet.
Worth a thought ?
It'll also be a nicer place to sit than some new supermini.
Use the E39 for this new commute,you say it's been maintained perfectly for years.it's a diesel
so MPG is reasonable and the car should go on for well over 10,000s of miles yet.
Worth a thought ?
It'll also be a nicer place to sit than some new supermini.
It's an Auto. I know there are plenty out there, but not seen many with 70k miles and an OCD set of owners.
At the end of the day, it is an old diesel, it's only 193bhp and you must *actively* want an E39 to buy an E39.
Alternatively, I just run the damn thing into the ground and enjoy the driving experience!
At the end of the day, it is an old diesel, it's only 193bhp and you must *actively* want an E39 to buy an E39.
Alternatively, I just run the damn thing into the ground and enjoy the driving experience!
brixo said:
It's an Auto. I know there are plenty out there, but not seen many with 70k miles and an OCD set of owners.
At the end of the day, it is an old diesel, it's only 193bhp and you must *actively* want an E39 to buy an E39.
Alternatively, I just run the damn thing into the ground and enjoy the driving experience!
I'd do this. They are expected to have high mileage as they wear it well, and it's not like it is one of the thirsty petrols so MPG is not a huge issue. At the end of the day, it is an old diesel, it's only 193bhp and you must *actively* want an E39 to buy an E39.
Alternatively, I just run the damn thing into the ground and enjoy the driving experience!
The problem with the E39 is possible rust/corrosion.
It'd have to be completely clean and good looking underneath and everywhere someone might look for that price.
If yours is then you're probably attracting the collector type at that kinda price imo.
I still really like the sports a great deal, but like a few have said the E60 sports are also nice and can be had for really reasonable prices, and are quite a bit newer too, so less worries about corrosion and time-wear items etc.
Dave
It'd have to be completely clean and good looking underneath and everywhere someone might look for that price.
If yours is then you're probably attracting the collector type at that kinda price imo.
I still really like the sports a great deal, but like a few have said the E60 sports are also nice and can be had for really reasonable prices, and are quite a bit newer too, so less worries about corrosion and time-wear items etc.
Dave
I'd strongly recommend keeping it and using it, E34s and E39s are so good as these types of journeys and should remain a pleasure to own with a near perfect blend of comfort, pace, handling and fuel economy. If it is worth £6k, it will prove an inexpensive, smart and fairly classless way to get around - so much nicer than a crummy £3k per year supermini lease...
An automatic 530D is never likely to be a real collectors item anytime soon (even the older handbuilt M5s struggle with this more than they should).
An automatic 530D is never likely to be a real collectors item anytime soon (even the older handbuilt M5s struggle with this more than they should).
Mr Whippy said:
The problem with the E39 is possible rust/corrosion.
It'd have to be completely clean and good looking underneath and everywhere someone might look for that price.
If yours is then you're probably attracting the collector type at that kinda price imo.
As my dad is retired, had nothing else better to do, the car got a good clean and fully undersealed in every crevice every year... just for the sake of it... Old Skool!It'd have to be completely clean and good looking underneath and everywhere someone might look for that price.
If yours is then you're probably attracting the collector type at that kinda price imo.
I am coming to the conclusion that I am better off enjoying the experience and accepting that the 35mpg I get on my commute (town, m-way, town) is acceptable for the level of comfort and forget trying to wrap it in cotton wool. I just wish it was as economical and as fast as my Touareg...
Thanks all. Impressed at the actual constructive advice rather than abuse/trolls! (cue abuse/trolls!)
Use it.
If I were in the market for an e39 530d, it would be as commuter car. They were designed for that purpose and are still damn good at it.
Not sure how much premium a cherished example of a car like this can command - there's a buyer for everything but I feel you'll be fishing in a very small pond and could be in for a long wait.
If I were in the market for an e39 530d, it would be as commuter car. They were designed for that purpose and are still damn good at it.
Not sure how much premium a cherished example of a car like this can command - there's a buyer for everything but I feel you'll be fishing in a very small pond and could be in for a long wait.
brixo said:
As my dad is retired, had nothing else better to do, the car got a good clean and fully undersealed in every crevice every year... just for the sake of it... Old Skool!
I am coming to the conclusion that I am better off enjoying the experience and accepting that the 35mpg I get on my commute (town, m-way, town) is acceptable for the level of comfort and forget trying to wrap it in cotton wool. I just wish it was as economical and as fast as my Touareg...
Thanks all. Impressed at the actual constructive advice rather than abuse/trolls! (cue abuse/trolls!)
I'm amazed a slushbox and an extra half litre deplacement results in such a low average mpg. My manual 525D will easily do low forties in mixed driving and gets into the high 50s on the motorway.I am coming to the conclusion that I am better off enjoying the experience and accepting that the 35mpg I get on my commute (town, m-way, town) is acceptable for the level of comfort and forget trying to wrap it in cotton wool. I just wish it was as economical and as fast as my Touareg...
Thanks all. Impressed at the actual constructive advice rather than abuse/trolls! (cue abuse/trolls!)
I know your car is standard but if I was you I'd be thinking about replacing the downpipe and mapping it. Should improve the MPG and keep pace with the Touareg a little better.
http://www.ecotune-scotland.co.uk/product/BMW_E39_...
Map shouldn't be any more than 300 quid from someone like emaps.
http://www.e-maps.co.uk/products/BMW/5+Series+%28e...
edit to add :
20 quid cheaper on ebay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ST-STEEL-BMW-E39-530D-52...
Edited by Motorrad on Monday 14th July 12:43
32-35mpg on this particular commute. 1/2 town, 1/2 motorway, 30 miles. Not too unhappy with that. And I do drive like Miss Daisy is in the back.
On a long run (over 200 miles) it will happily do 45mpg sat at 70mph +/- 5mph.
Round town, 22-25mpg! Thankfully, hardly any of this.
Looked at the remaps previously, but concerned about the premature (?) wear of the turbo and associated components.
I've remapped previous VAG cars and they were superb (AMD remap of my B6 A4 1.9TDI 130 was unreal!), but I seem to treat my E39 with a higher level of respect.
On a long run (over 200 miles) it will happily do 45mpg sat at 70mph +/- 5mph.
Round town, 22-25mpg! Thankfully, hardly any of this.
Looked at the remaps previously, but concerned about the premature (?) wear of the turbo and associated components.
I've remapped previous VAG cars and they were superb (AMD remap of my B6 A4 1.9TDI 130 was unreal!), but I seem to treat my E39 with a higher level of respect.
35mpg is fine, so is 30mpg.
Anything that gets better mpg will just cost you in other areas by a whole lot more.
Most cars I end up getting hold of that are new and apparently great mpg just seem to be crap in the real world of making progress where possible rather than driving like a gaylord everywhere.
Dave
Anything that gets better mpg will just cost you in other areas by a whole lot more.
Most cars I end up getting hold of that are new and apparently great mpg just seem to be crap in the real world of making progress where possible rather than driving like a gaylord everywhere.
Dave
Six/Seven grand for an 11 year old (none M) BMW seems like the high end, but they do seem to have a following, i would have said three grands worth.
Why would anyone use expensive engine oil as an engine flush ?
And the image of it being undersealed yearly just makes me think there are 11 layers of black crud, abotu two inches think covering everything, even if it is nothing like that.
Why would anyone use expensive engine oil as an engine flush ?
And the image of it being undersealed yearly just makes me think there are 11 layers of black crud, abotu two inches think covering everything, even if it is nothing like that.
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