Thoughts on this E39...
Discussion
Hey all,
My new job requires a fair bit of motorway munching so I need to replace my current set of wheels with an auto box and a squidgy seat. Aiming to check this beast out over weekend...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
It looks like a pretty good example to me but do you have any thoughts?
Cheerio,
Ross.
My new job requires a fair bit of motorway munching so I need to replace my current set of wheels with an auto box and a squidgy seat. Aiming to check this beast out over weekend...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
It looks like a pretty good example to me but do you have any thoughts?
Cheerio,
Ross.
Looks nice, but wouldn't a dirty diesel be better if doing lots of miles?
Or even a 530i?
I used to get 34mpg from my 530i sport touring auto in my buying season, which is when I would rack up the miles a lot.
That would drop to 26mpg when I was not in buying season and all short (sub 10 mile) journeys around town.
Which was exactly the same as a good customer of mine, he moved to the 540i and he said those figures dropped to 29 and 19.
530d will be about 4mpg better than the 530i being realistic.
Or even a 530i?
I used to get 34mpg from my 530i sport touring auto in my buying season, which is when I would rack up the miles a lot.
That would drop to 26mpg when I was not in buying season and all short (sub 10 mile) journeys around town.
Which was exactly the same as a good customer of mine, he moved to the 540i and he said those figures dropped to 29 and 19.
530d will be about 4mpg better than the 530i being realistic.
I bought a similar vintage, similar miles, black tourer for £5k a couple of months ago.
The one you're looking at has Comfort seats and M-Parallels, which would account for the small premium. (The wheels might have a slightly worse ride than the 17s, and it's on sport suspension too, so have a good test drive.)
What you're looking at is pretty much the tippy-toppy end of the market. When you see it in the flesh, the condition should reflect this.
It would be a very nice place to spend time at 70mph on the motorway. (Providing it rides OK.) Things will go wrong, and when they do it will be expensive, it's a 10 year old car, after all.
Servicing shouldn't be ruinous. I had an Inspection II at BMW Exeter, which cost £600 all in, with only a bonnet switch on top of the normal, but that is the biggest service.
Go into with your eyes open, and you'll love it.
The one you're looking at has Comfort seats and M-Parallels, which would account for the small premium. (The wheels might have a slightly worse ride than the 17s, and it's on sport suspension too, so have a good test drive.)
What you're looking at is pretty much the tippy-toppy end of the market. When you see it in the flesh, the condition should reflect this.
It would be a very nice place to spend time at 70mph on the motorway. (Providing it rides OK.) Things will go wrong, and when they do it will be expensive, it's a 10 year old car, after all.
Servicing shouldn't be ruinous. I had an Inspection II at BMW Exeter, which cost £600 all in, with only a bonnet switch on top of the normal, but that is the biggest service.
Go into with your eyes open, and you'll love it.
That looks absolutely superb, good spec and mileage. If your company is paying the mileage no reason not to. When spending anything over a couple of grand on a performance car I always go for a full mechanical report, and then get an AA breakdown and mechanical repair warranty on any used car out of manufacturer warranty. Mine all inclusive on 2 of my cars is only £20 a month for £500 of cover up to 5 times a year..
Thanks for the good advice. As far as the ride goes, compared to my Boxster (running on 18's), it will be like a magic carpet. I've owned old BM's in the past and found that, yeah, when something goes pop it costs a bob or two but, on balance, they go pop so infrequently that it works out a lot cheaper in the long run. Friends of mine running vastly more mundane machines end up spending a small fortune as each one of the budget-friendly components gives up the ghost.
So, booked in for a viewing. I shall report back next week if all goes well.
So, booked in for a viewing. I shall report back next week if all goes well.
Greenwich Ross said:
Lewis,
Very off topic, but is it possible that I met you at a DD's 'quiet drink' ages ago? Your name rings a vague bell.
R.
I have been known frequent said establishment, yes. I usually remember people by their first name, and where they live. Don't remember anyone called Greenwich, (funny name really,) but Ross on Wye is quite a nice town... Very off topic, but is it possible that I met you at a DD's 'quiet drink' ages ago? Your name rings a vague bell.
R.
Well, I picked the beast up on Saturday. The weather was atrocious so the journey home wasn't especially pleasant but here are my initial thoughts...
I bought this car because i'm starting a new job next week which will require me to do a bit of travelling. As they're offering mileage I thought i'd prefer to drive rather than hacking through London on the Tube to Paddington/Kings Cross (et al). I currently drive a Boxster which is good fun but miserable in a motorway traffic jam and pretty noisy at speed. I needed a barge with an automatic gearbox. And a huge engine. Probably.
So...it's got a really nice driving position. The steering wheel is a lovely fat affair but it does need quite a bit of turning at slow speeds (however, that might be because i'm so used to my other car). The automatic gearbox was a bit weird to start off with (I've never owned one before) but once I got moving it was perfect. The whole car feels as tight as a ducks arse; no rattles, squeaks or clonks. Compared to this, the Boxster feels like it was screwed together by a toddler.
The throttle response is surprisingly brutal if you tap it a bit hard coming out of a junction so that's something i'll need to warn the missus about. On the move it glides along beautifully. You can certainly feel the weight of the thing but it feels very stable indeed and, even in the wet, felt like it had tonnes of grip. I took a cross country route home so I didn't get a huge number of opportunities to get it the full beans but when I did...wow...it's not what you'd call dramatic; more a linear, jet plane, sort of feeling. The econo-metre (or whatever they call them nowadays) simply dives headlong into 0 MPG as the speedometer flies around to silly speeds. Dangerous/fun stuff. You certainly don't feel the speed you're actually doing. I can see this car pootling along at very naughty speeds with absolutely no effort whatsoever. It's a very relaxing drive and belies it's size.
I love old BMW's (this is my third) and I think this one is a cracker. It looks excellent in silver; very purposeful. The Sport bodywork tweaks really suit it and are so subtle. The wheels look great and the E39 shape generally seems to have aged really well. The only real downside so far is that I haven't read the manual so I have next to no idea what half the buttons do. It took me until two miles from home before I found the button for the radio. Yes, i'm a bit of a luddite.
So, well pleased and I can't wait to take it out for a proper run and see what the sport mode on the gearbox actually does
(apologies to previous owner; he took this snap
)
I bought this car because i'm starting a new job next week which will require me to do a bit of travelling. As they're offering mileage I thought i'd prefer to drive rather than hacking through London on the Tube to Paddington/Kings Cross (et al). I currently drive a Boxster which is good fun but miserable in a motorway traffic jam and pretty noisy at speed. I needed a barge with an automatic gearbox. And a huge engine. Probably.
So...it's got a really nice driving position. The steering wheel is a lovely fat affair but it does need quite a bit of turning at slow speeds (however, that might be because i'm so used to my other car). The automatic gearbox was a bit weird to start off with (I've never owned one before) but once I got moving it was perfect. The whole car feels as tight as a ducks arse; no rattles, squeaks or clonks. Compared to this, the Boxster feels like it was screwed together by a toddler.
The throttle response is surprisingly brutal if you tap it a bit hard coming out of a junction so that's something i'll need to warn the missus about. On the move it glides along beautifully. You can certainly feel the weight of the thing but it feels very stable indeed and, even in the wet, felt like it had tonnes of grip. I took a cross country route home so I didn't get a huge number of opportunities to get it the full beans but when I did...wow...it's not what you'd call dramatic; more a linear, jet plane, sort of feeling. The econo-metre (or whatever they call them nowadays) simply dives headlong into 0 MPG as the speedometer flies around to silly speeds. Dangerous/fun stuff. You certainly don't feel the speed you're actually doing. I can see this car pootling along at very naughty speeds with absolutely no effort whatsoever. It's a very relaxing drive and belies it's size.
I love old BMW's (this is my third) and I think this one is a cracker. It looks excellent in silver; very purposeful. The Sport bodywork tweaks really suit it and are so subtle. The wheels look great and the E39 shape generally seems to have aged really well. The only real downside so far is that I haven't read the manual so I have next to no idea what half the buttons do. It took me until two miles from home before I found the button for the radio. Yes, i'm a bit of a luddite.
So, well pleased and I can't wait to take it out for a proper run and see what the sport mode on the gearbox actually does
(apologies to previous owner; he took this snap
)Greenwich Ross said:
The econo-metre (or whatever they call them nowadays) simply dives headlong into 0 MPG as the speedometer flies around to silly speeds.
I think you'll find the technical term is "funometer" and you're right. Sport mode seems to hold gears up to higher revs, but not had much of a play yet.Good write up!
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff