RE: SOTW: BMW 528i (E39)

[Jazoli]

I had a 528i just like it as a shed, cost me £800 but it was about worn out, the suspension was knocking, the abs light came on and the ecu needed replacing, I ended up swapping it for a Honda Accord as 22mpg round town was a bit pants, and that was all it was being used for by the missus.

Great car though, the interior and engine were fantastic as was the autobox,

Mine

[SuperHangOn]

Blimey thats tempting!

Expect to factor in £500 or so replacing suspension odds n sods, DIY servicing etc to make usable though.

[pSyCoSiS]

martynr said:

Whom are you trying to fool?

People who know nothing about cars!

[pSyCoSiS]

pete5570 said:

I do like these, but i had one a few years ago and had a load of problems with it. In the end it was the Nikasil wear that killed it. I would go for the S type over the BMW any time, i drove one while i had my BMW and it left me wishing i had bought the Jaguar instead, more power, felt special and far more toys. Like the 5 series, if it's looked after, it will last. Not as many out there for shed money, but they are coming down.

But the interiors are of poor quality. It feels like Ford switchgear, and nowhere near as well put together as the E39s.

[pete5570]

There is a bit of ford in there but they last well. The one i drove had 155k on the clock and the seats were perfect, as was the rest of the interior. I did like the quality of the BMW interior, but thought it was a bit bland and lacking the equipment of the S type.

[Agent Orange]

pSyCoSiS said:

The newer E60 models aren't a patch on the build quality of the E39, which was made in BMW's 'golden era'.

I think the new F10 5 Series is a better quality product than the E60, but I can't imagine them doing over 200k miles without major issues!

I'd agree and its one of the reasons I didn't chop my E39 in for an E60 a couple of years back. The E60 feels slightly cheaper inside and not as solid behind the wheel. Not a fan of the ride either.

Whether it is or not is something else but the E60 certainly feels an inferior product. Not tried an F10.

[Zwolf]

Excellent SoTW

I've only had a 520i, 523i, 528i A (x2), 523i Trg, 525i A & 530i A Sport, 530i A Trg, 530d & M5 pass through my hands. So I'm quite partial to them.

528i Auto SE on small wheels is just about the perfect all-round car. It was then and still is if you pick up a good example - and they are out there, but take some serious sifting of wheat from chaff.

Edited by Zwolf on Friday 6th April 19:18

[Number 5]

offendi said:

Chavtastic, coming to a council estate near you

Tw@

[s38b36]

Sold my 523 manual for £500 after 5 years of motoring at 202,00 miles. Averaged 28mpg. The only failures in that time were the radiator and a wheel sensor. "Upgraded" the wife to a 540 touring auto.
(My E60 for sale here.... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3743528.htm )

[TheOrangePeril]

Wiki'd Nikasil for this gem of an opening sentence:

"Nikasil is a trademarked electrodeposited lipophilic nickel matrix silicon carbide coating for engine components, mainly piston engine cylinder liners."

[Goatex]

s38b36 said:

Sold my 523 manual for £500 after 5 years of motoring at 202,00 miles. Averaged 28mpg. The only failures in that time were the radiator and a wheel sensor. "Upgraded" the wife to a 540 touring auto.
(My E60 for sale here.... http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3743528.htm )

How does the E39 compare with the E60 in your opinion?

[slashley]

neil_bolton said:

mark1970 said:

Are these prone to VANOS issues?

Put bluntly: No.

My dad has a 525i and the vanos is always noisy and my brother has a 535i but his seems o'k.

[Zwolf]

slashley said:

My dad has a 525i and the vanos is always noisy and my brother has a 535i but his seems o'k.

525i will have double VANOS, 535i either none or single - subject to year.

I've yet to experience or encounter problematic VANOS on a non-M BMW and I've bought and sold quite a few and been to view even more.

[s38b36]

Goatex said:

How does the E39 compare with the E60 in your opinion?

I found them very similar although the E60 with runflats doesn't ride as well as the E39 with non-runflats around my country lanes.

[Mustard]

Been running my 525i for the last 2 odd years doing 15k (mostly motorway miles) pa costing £800 pa in servicing, maintenance, tyres and repairs and 30mpg average

Bought at 62k now done 97k and probably runs better now than when I got it,

A well bought one for under a grand is a steal.... There are properly historied 1/2/3 owner cars out there that have wanted for nothing

Top £1000 car..... But it's no shed!

[hygt2]

S. Gonzales Esq. said:

Having recently purchased a 540i Touring, I'm going to have to disagree with that. It is usefully quicker than the 528i (282 vs 193bhp IIRC), and I'm getting consumption figures in the 20s.

That's amazing fuel efficient from the V8 !!

I mostly average 19 mpg in the M5 on country roads and low 12s in central London. My old 528i did 35 mpg on country roads and low 20s in central London and Cambridge.

Is your 540i a manual by any chance to get 20-ish mpg?

[vit4]

Great SOTW seriously considering either one of these or an E38 728i, hell of a lot of car for the money

[kentmotorcompany]

One of the nicest examples I had seen for a long time I sold recently.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190638765982?ssPageName=...

[steve_bmw]

Brilliant cars! last year I sold my 2002 525i to get a z4, I wish I had more space to have kept it, such a well made car, every part had a feeling of quality about it.
I remember my first encounter wit an e39 back in 2004 when I bought a 1997 523i, I remember opening the door with that nicely weighted handle, the door swings open and I am greeted with a lovely interior, the wood trim, close the door you get that quality thud, no rattles like the z4, superb to drive, comfy, quiet, handle really well for a big car, it's nice to read 5 pages of a thread and not a bad word said about the car.
Will there ever be another car that can equal the e39? If I ever get another 5 series I would have to think hard e39 or e60?

[NGK210]

geraldorgan said:

... Check the rear wing behind the wheel arch as thats where they all rust first...

"Rust"??? E39 bodyshells not galvanised, then?