BMW 540iA Sport
Discussion
Im going to look at this tomorrow (see below) mostly out of curiosity and because its local. I am also fancying an XJ8(X308).Apparently it has a FSH with 3prev owners & just had a massive service at BMW according to the dealer.Only faults are an occasional sticking on of the rear parking sensors and a crack in one of the foglights although working.The car is in Silver with Black leather and comms package also factory privacy glass at the rear which im not really a fan of.Dealer seems honest and says it has a couple of stone chips but nothing serious with virtually new tyres on tidy 18" M paras all handbooks etc.It will have a 12mth ticket what do you all think.Is it madness to spend 4k on something like this?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
mattman said:
looks clean and tidy in the pics - be interesting to here what it's like in the flesh.
Yeah I will come back with a review.Im just wondering whether I should be spending 4k on this.Half of me says fook it I could be dead tomorrow and the other half says buy a cheaper Jag or Merc.
It will be great when it's working, but at that age and mileage it will quickly become a moneypit in my experience.
My 535i (same V8 engine, but slower
) has covered 160,000 and breaks more than my TVR. The power steering pump is the current issue 
.
My dad used to have an X308 Jag that had covered over 250,000 miles and it was still like new when he sold it.
I'm not saying that all e39s are as s
t as mine, but just be warned
My 535i (same V8 engine, but slower
) has covered 160,000 and breaks more than my TVR. The power steering pump is the current issue .My dad used to have an X308 Jag that had covered over 250,000 miles and it was still like new when he sold it.
I'm not saying that all e39s are as s
t as mine, but just be warned macp said:
Yeah the mileage is concerning me as is the age which puts it directly in the firing line for stupido VED.
At the current rates, 12 months tax is £245 compared to £205 for a pre-March 2001 car. It's post-March 2006 cars that are much more expensive.http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicl...
Sorry have not been able to see it as the dealer is not available this morning.However looking around at similar examples its seems cheap and there is normally always a reason.Could it be the mileage or less demand for cars like these,it has been for sale for a good couple of weeks now ?
They arent moneypits at all.
Ive had 3 x 535i V8's and 2 x 540i's over the years. You buy a bad one and you'll pay for it but do your checks and buy only something with good historyand provinence and youll be absolutly fine.
At 136K that engines got tonnes of life left in it.
Dont worryabout it.
Ive had 3 x 535i V8's and 2 x 540i's over the years. You buy a bad one and you'll pay for it but do your checks and buy only something with good historyand provinence and youll be absolutly fine.
At 136K that engines got tonnes of life left in it.
Dont worryabout it.
Rubbish.
You've been lucky - which is great - but to suggest a full service history is some sort of guarantee that it wont drop bills on you is very neive. Even my 6 pot isn't exactly super cheap and that had probably the best provenance and history you would ever find on a 5 Series.
You can't buy one of those and hope it doesnt bill you. You need to accept it will then be suprised and better off if it doesnt.
You've been lucky - which is great - but to suggest a full service history is some sort of guarantee that it wont drop bills on you is very neive. Even my 6 pot isn't exactly super cheap and that had probably the best provenance and history you would ever find on a 5 Series.
You can't buy one of those and hope it doesnt bill you. You need to accept it will then be suprised and better off if it doesnt.
Mustard said:
Looks very nice, decently priced for a 540i Sport as well if the rest are anything to go by. Fox - you cant post up "rubbish" and think that covers it. I do 50,000 miles a year and have covered probably 200,000 miles in E39's over the years. I can only post up my experience and you yours but dont discount my experience as 'rubbish'. You may think Ive been lucky over the years but accross 8 or 9 E39's there must be more to it than luck hey??
A full history is no guarantee but its got to be the foundation from which you buy a car. ANY car can breakdown, a previous 6 month old Audi A4 supplied brand new overheating shows that but if you want a 2nd hand car condition and provinence are key.
A full history is no guarantee but its got to be the foundation from which you buy a car. ANY car can breakdown, a previous 6 month old Audi A4 supplied brand new overheating shows that but if you want a 2nd hand car condition and provinence are key.
Fox- said:
Rubbish.
You've been lucky - which is great - but to suggest a full service history is some sort of guarantee that it wont drop bills on you is very neive. Even my 6 pot isn't exactly super cheap and that had probably the best provenance and history you would ever find on a 5 Series.
You can't buy one of those and hope it doesnt bill you. You need to accept it will then be suprised and better off if it doesnt.
You and the other guy you are handbagging with need to define "moneypit". Of course any older car is going to cost more to maintain than a newer car in the majority of cases. "Moneypit" to me is buying a car and then spending more than half its purchase price in the first year. What does it mean to you? a £200 Inspection 1 service?? hahaYou've been lucky - which is great - but to suggest a full service history is some sort of guarantee that it wont drop bills on you is very neive. Even my 6 pot isn't exactly super cheap and that had probably the best provenance and history you would ever find on a 5 Series.
You can't buy one of those and hope it doesnt bill you. You need to accept it will then be suprised and better off if it doesnt.
Hello,
I have had one for over 4 years.
If a 540i is a 'money-pit' then so is a 530i (and every other E39) as they all have relatively weak cooling systems and automatic gearboxes can go down if not serviced properly. In addition, original quality suspension parts are not exactly cheap but compare favourably to other marques.
Bottom line - an executive car which was quite expensive when new and therefore, will need appropriate maintenance (regardless of cost) as it gets older.
I have had one for over 4 years.
If a 540i is a 'money-pit' then so is a 530i (and every other E39) as they all have relatively weak cooling systems and automatic gearboxes can go down if not serviced properly. In addition, original quality suspension parts are not exactly cheap but compare favourably to other marques.
Bottom line - an executive car which was quite expensive when new and therefore, will need appropriate maintenance (regardless of cost) as it gets older.
I bought a 52 535iA Sport back in May.
Over a 5 month period it cost me just over £1100, which included overhauling the cooling system and a few other issues.
I threw in the towel, and it's now been sold.
It's only had 108k miles on it too.
If you have the money to spend, then I say go for it - but if you want to buy it and run it expecting minimal expense, well then don't buy it.
Simples...
ETA: Along with the above you also need to factor in fuel costs, which at an average of 22mpg soon mount.
Those engines (in fact most BMW petrol engines with the exception of the fours) also prefer a diet of 97 as against 95. (They definately run bette ron 97, but if that doesn't concern you then run it on 95 - but they definitely produce noticeably more power on 97...)
Over a 5 month period it cost me just over £1100, which included overhauling the cooling system and a few other issues.
I threw in the towel, and it's now been sold.
It's only had 108k miles on it too.
If you have the money to spend, then I say go for it - but if you want to buy it and run it expecting minimal expense, well then don't buy it.
Simples...
ETA: Along with the above you also need to factor in fuel costs, which at an average of 22mpg soon mount.
Those engines (in fact most BMW petrol engines with the exception of the fours) also prefer a diet of 97 as against 95. (They definately run bette ron 97, but if that doesn't concern you then run it on 95 - but they definitely produce noticeably more power on 97...)
Edited by TonyRPH on Monday 8th November 13:24
I've had three E39s over the last 7 years, in short summary:
98 528 - Still in the family and now approaching 170k miles. Utterly reliably, consuming only a water pump and a couple of ARB Links (and two rear dampers) in that period of time. The car owes us nothing.
96 540 - Had this 5.5 years ago and it was a money pit, and what's more despite spending circa 5k on repairs she was ready for the skip (155k). The following is a sample of what was changed:
Two new cats
Rocker Cover Gaskets
Inleft Manifold Gaskets
New Coils
Crankcase Ventilation Valve
Radiator
Expansion Tank
O2 Sensors
2 x MAF Sensor
2 x cam sensors
Autobox Rebuild
4 dampers
Steering box adjustments (really needed a new box)
Tranny oil cooler
Tranny oil cooler pipework
Heating hoses
Numerous suspension components
To me this is a good example of a car who was never looked after, and I imagine stereotypical of the old dogs Fox refers to. Pitty it wasn't quite so apparent when I bought it.
The third is my 98 B10 V8 Touring. That's clocked up nearly 10k in bills over 3 years but is absolutely mint given what I've spanked on it. Cracking car though.
Would I recommend an old V8 E39 to anyone on a budget? No - you pays your money you takes your chance!
98 528 - Still in the family and now approaching 170k miles. Utterly reliably, consuming only a water pump and a couple of ARB Links (and two rear dampers) in that period of time. The car owes us nothing.
96 540 - Had this 5.5 years ago and it was a money pit, and what's more despite spending circa 5k on repairs she was ready for the skip (155k). The following is a sample of what was changed:
Two new cats
Rocker Cover Gaskets
Inleft Manifold Gaskets
New Coils
Crankcase Ventilation Valve
Radiator
Expansion Tank
O2 Sensors
2 x MAF Sensor
2 x cam sensors
Autobox Rebuild
4 dampers
Steering box adjustments (really needed a new box)
Tranny oil cooler
Tranny oil cooler pipework
Heating hoses
Numerous suspension components
To me this is a good example of a car who was never looked after, and I imagine stereotypical of the old dogs Fox refers to. Pitty it wasn't quite so apparent when I bought it.
The third is my 98 B10 V8 Touring. That's clocked up nearly 10k in bills over 3 years but is absolutely mint given what I've spanked on it. Cracking car though.
Would I recommend an old V8 E39 to anyone on a budget? No - you pays your money you takes your chance!
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