Cheap-ish E39 advice
Discussion
Looked at a 523i yesterday and have now decided I really want one so need to know a bit about which ones are the best and what to look out for.
I think I want an auto but I'm not too fussed about it really, leather would be very nice too. I do enough miles to justify a diesel (20k plus ) but would rather have a nicer car and pay more for fuel and it appears there are no E39 dervs for under my £2k budget.
I remember road tests at the time saying that the 170bhp 520i was the one to go for and some people saying that 528i has a few reliability issues so is this true? Is it true that all the 6 pot cars have similar fuel economy so you mint as well just buy the biggest engine?! What ae the big money jobs that need doing and what should I look out for? The one I looked at yesterday was perfect but a bit too much money as it was a '98 car at £2.5k (albeit with low miles and fsh) but I don't know if I'm just being too fussy!
Thanks!
I think I want an auto but I'm not too fussed about it really, leather would be very nice too. I do enough miles to justify a diesel (20k plus ) but would rather have a nicer car and pay more for fuel and it appears there are no E39 dervs for under my £2k budget.
I remember road tests at the time saying that the 170bhp 520i was the one to go for and some people saying that 528i has a few reliability issues so is this true? Is it true that all the 6 pot cars have similar fuel economy so you mint as well just buy the biggest engine?! What ae the big money jobs that need doing and what should I look out for? The one I looked at yesterday was perfect but a bit too much money as it was a '98 car at £2.5k (albeit with low miles and fsh) but I don't know if I'm just being too fussy!
Thanks!
No, its no true and I cannot imagine why a road test would say that.
The 520i is 150bhp, 523i is 170bhp and 528i is 192bhp in prefacelift form.
There is NO reason to chose either the 520i or 523i over the 528i. Reliability is identical, fuel consumption is within 1mpg on the combined cycle, the servicing costs are identical, everything is pretty much the same, but the 528i has the power a 5 Series ought to have.
Go for a 528i.
The 520i is 150bhp, 523i is 170bhp and 528i is 192bhp in prefacelift form.
There is NO reason to chose either the 520i or 523i over the 528i. Reliability is identical, fuel consumption is within 1mpg on the combined cycle, the servicing costs are identical, everything is pretty much the same, but the 528i has the power a 5 Series ought to have.
Go for a 528i.
...But there are reliability issues with the E39. All are well known:
Radiator side tanks split or the fins balloon out
Water pump goes
Thermostat goes
valley pan corrodes
o rings on the front to rear cooling pipes
engine coolant pipes split
expansion tank splits
Viscous fan can be known so seize, which then self destructs and shreds AFM and dents bonnet.
Front traction arm bushes wear out causing a shimmy
pixels go missing on the dash or central display
hedgehog (final stage resistor)
ABS pump/sensors fail
Handbrake weak and often needs adjusting prior to the MOT.
Not only that, but they are getting on a bit now (age as well as mileage). I would think twice about using an old car for 20K+ miles per year. You'll likely as not be chasing your own tail, fixing the faults which will ovver one after the other...
(and yes, I do own an E39. A 540i). Lovely thing, but at 12 years old and 115k miles, using it everyday and keeping it in good condition would become a real chore.
Radiator side tanks split or the fins balloon out
Water pump goes
Thermostat goes
valley pan corrodes
o rings on the front to rear cooling pipes
engine coolant pipes split
expansion tank splits
Viscous fan can be known so seize, which then self destructs and shreds AFM and dents bonnet.
Front traction arm bushes wear out causing a shimmy
pixels go missing on the dash or central display
hedgehog (final stage resistor)
ABS pump/sensors fail
Handbrake weak and often needs adjusting prior to the MOT.
Not only that, but they are getting on a bit now (age as well as mileage). I would think twice about using an old car for 20K+ miles per year. You'll likely as not be chasing your own tail, fixing the faults which will ovver one after the other...
(and yes, I do own an E39. A 540i). Lovely thing, but at 12 years old and 115k miles, using it everyday and keeping it in good condition would become a real chore.
Fox- said:
Neil G60 said:
Get the 530i! 40 more ponies than the '28 and the car is likely to be a facelift version. The ultimate 6 pot E39 no doubt!
He has a sub £2k budget, this will buy a nicer 528i as they are a tad older. Sub £2k 530i's are ropey.Neil G60 said:
Get the 530i! 40 more ponies than the '28 and the car is likely to be a facelift version. The ultimate 6 pot E39 no doubt!
All 530is are facelift, all 528is are pre-facelift.Go for the nicest 528i you can find. A late one (1999/2000) will be rarer but they did have detail improvements every year (such as a 1" smaller diameter sport steering wheel on the 2000MY cars where that was specced).
Jobbo said:
Go for the nicest 528i you can find. A late one (1999/2000) will be rarer but they did have detail improvements every year (such as a 1" smaller diameter sport steering wheel on the 2000MY cars where that was specced).
None of the 528i's have the revised sport wheel - it was only fitted to cars built after October 2001. Only the E39 M5 had the newer wheel in 2000, and even then it was only the facelift models.Actually, looking at the OP I'm not sure I would even be looking at an e39.
You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
Fox- said:
Jobbo said:
Go for the nicest 528i you can find. A late one (1999/2000) will be rarer but they did have detail improvements every year (such as a 1" smaller diameter sport steering wheel on the 2000MY cars where that was specced).
None of the 528i's have the revised sport wheel - it was only fitted to cars built after October 2001. Only the E39 M5 had the newer wheel in 2000, and even then it was only the facelift models.
Matt UK said:
Actually, looking at the OP I'm not sure I would even be looking at an e39.
You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
Unless you buy one like mine which has had everything done and worth less than £2k You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
Matt UK said:
Actually, looking at the OP I'm not sure I would even be looking at an e39.
You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
Repair costs aren't a big issue, I'm fairly handy with a set of spanners and can get most parts cheap. I've done 20 k plus a year in loads of cheap cars including an intergalactic mileage Mondeo and a 10 year old Clio so I'm sure an E39 will manage fine if properly looked after. I will also have a second car which removes some of the stress of running something at the banger end of the market but as this will be my daily driver it needs to be pretty reliable.You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
The verdict is that I need a 528i and nothing else is worth considering? Or is it worth looking at the 523i if there's one in the right colour and spec with sensible miles and good history?
Just need to get the Cooper S on Auto Trader now so I can start shopping properly!
Fox- said:
Jobbo said:
Go for the nicest 528i you can find. A late one (1999/2000) will be rarer but they did have detail improvements every year (such as a 1" smaller diameter sport steering wheel on the 2000MY cars where that was specced).
None of the 528i's have the revised sport wheel - it was only fitted to cars built after October 2001. Only the E39 M5 had the newer wheel in 2000, and even then it was only the facelift models.Obviously the new-style wheel would only ever be on 530is so I didn't bother mentioning it.
jamiebae said:
Matt UK said:
Actually, looking at the OP I'm not sure I would even be looking at an e39.
You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
Repair costs aren't a big issue, I'm fairly handy with a set of spanners and can get most parts cheap. I've done 20 k plus a year in loads of cheap cars including an intergalactic mileage Mondeo and a 10 year old Clio so I'm sure an E39 will manage fine if properly looked after. I will also have a second car which removes some of the stress of running something at the banger end of the market but as this will be my daily driver it needs to be pretty reliable.You say the budget is £2k. If that budget is a strict budget, then I'm not sure I would buy a £2k e39 if I didn't have at least £1k in my back pocket (even a set of tyres is £500).
Unless you plan to go the 'shed' route and run it until it breaks. They are cheap to buy but need money thrown at them to keep them fit.
Just IMO
The verdict is that I need a 528i and nothing else is worth considering? Or is it worth looking at the 523i if there's one in the right colour and spec with sensible miles and good history?
Just need to get the Cooper S on Auto Trader now so I can start shopping properly!
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