RE: Shed of the Week: BMW 528i (E39)
Discussion
F4R said:
As long as you're not expecting a sporty drive the e39 will be a pleasant thing to waft around in, and the straight six does sound very nice indeed. I had an E46 328i manual and it felt lazy and slow so it would put me off buying anything less than an e39 530i
You would be surprised, the E39 Sport does handle very well. It is not just a cosmetic upgrade. Depending on the year as specs varied, but the optimal, MSport models (not the very early cars) had uprated M sport suspension II, lower gearing, the staggered 18inch M-Paralells on wide 235 Fr 265 Rr Michelin Pilot Sports, M5 inspired bodywork, Sports seats and the M-Tech steering wheel.You can really hustle one of these along, but yes, the 525 and 528 are a little lacking with little torque and just 190bhp. Optimal would be a manual, whether 530 or coveted 540.
tch911 said:
F4R said:
As long as you're not expecting a sporty drive the e39 will be a pleasant thing to waft around in, and the straight six does sound very nice indeed. I had an E46 328i manual and it felt lazy and slow so it would put me off buying anything less than an e39 530i
You would be surprised, the E39 Sport does handle very well. It is not just a cosmetic upgrade. Depending on the year as specs varied, but the optimal, MSport models (not the very early cars) had uprated M sport suspension II, lower gearing, the staggered 18inch M-Paralells on wide 235 Fr 265 Rr Michelin Pilot Sports, M5 inspired bodywork, Sports seats and the M-Tech steering wheel.You can really hustle one of these along, but yes, the 525 and 528 are a little lacking with little torque and just 190bhp. Optimal would be a manual, whether 530 or coveted 540.
I'll second this. They're a big, heavy car. They go alright in a straight line and give great feedback, but due to their weight, they're no spring chicken on the bends. They do however go sideways a treat, and the V8 sounds awesome.
paulmaurice99 said:
Love how we’ve digressed onto Mk3 Mondeos (and briefly MX5s) and pleased to see people sticking up for them. I think the poster who did bring them up was right: people generally won’t spend heavily to keep them in good condition, because ultimately they aren’t sufficiently sought after to justify the expense.
Part of the appeal though is you don’t feel obliged to. My 55 plate has minimal rust and is barely looked after. My cherished MX5 however...
Nice shed it would seem.
Agree on all counts. Fords (and Vauxhalls) are just white goods usually and they last as well if cared for. You’ve only got to look at some of the e46s which are now with the boy racer brigade to see how ropey they get too, with neglect. I always felt the E39 was much better built however than the e46. Part of the appeal though is you don’t feel obliged to. My 55 plate has minimal rust and is barely looked after. My cherished MX5 however...
Nice shed it would seem.
greenarrow said:
paulmaurice99 said:
Love how we’ve digressed onto Mk3 Mondeos (and briefly MX5s) and pleased to see people sticking up for them. I think the poster who did bring them up was right: people generally won’t spend heavily to keep them in good condition, because ultimately they aren’t sufficiently sought after to justify the expense.
Part of the appeal though is you don’t feel obliged to. My 55 plate has minimal rust and is barely looked after. My cherished MX5 however...
Nice shed it would seem.
Agree on all counts. Fords (and Vauxhalls) are just white goods usually and they last as well if cared for. You’ve only got to look at some of the e46s which are now with the boy racer brigade to see how ropey they get too, with neglect. I always felt the E39 was much better built however than the e46. Part of the appeal though is you don’t feel obliged to. My 55 plate has minimal rust and is barely looked after. My cherished MX5 however...
Nice shed it would seem.
Triumph Man said:
daveco said:
I think autocar got a 0-60 time of 6.8 seconds out of a manual 528, and a fairly impressive 0-100mph time as well.
Would that fuel the rumours that these engines are sometimes (a lot of the time) more powerful than the manufacturer's data? The 530i manual with 230bhp was supposed to do 0-60 in 7.1 seconds so the 528i surely must have been running more than 193 bhpBaddie said:
I might be a mild dissenter.
Had a 2002 530i Sport. Great car, apart from I had to be nearly falling off the road to feel like I was approaching it’s limit, and I really disliked the throttle pedal’s calibration, 90% load at 50% travel (to make it feel “sporty”) made it difficult to modulate the very light pedal over undulations and when going for it.
I’ve had two E34’s, M5’s admittedly, and much preferred the more analogue steering, handling and accelerator calibration. It was ultimately less capable, but I enjoyed brisk road driving more in the E34 more than the E39. The E34’s also broke away more progressively than any Z-axle BM I’ve driven, depsite semi-trailing arms at the back. No stability or traction control in the E34, but even with 340 hp, neither were needed whatever the weather.
Still, the E39 is one of the last BM’s you can probably still run into the ground without major electronic bork factor. Major components are durable, and it won’t blow a turbo after 50k miles. It also felt much more structurally solid than the E34, was quieter and more stable at legal speeds. When permitted, the E39 would cruise at 85. Which was dull, so nudge the cruise control gradually upwards and at about 110 it felt “right”.
And yes, 193 BHP was probably conservative for domestic market tax reasons, even with the restrictive manifold. Though I suspect the 530 wasn’t quicker off the line than the 528 due to longer gearing in chase of fuel efficiency.
I have compared the equivalent E46's when I owned one. My friend's 330i was night and day quicker than my 328i. The e39 is a very heavy car and the 2.8 is a poor choice unless you're not bothered about performance. A 530i or 530d would be a much better car.Had a 2002 530i Sport. Great car, apart from I had to be nearly falling off the road to feel like I was approaching it’s limit, and I really disliked the throttle pedal’s calibration, 90% load at 50% travel (to make it feel “sporty”) made it difficult to modulate the very light pedal over undulations and when going for it.
I’ve had two E34’s, M5’s admittedly, and much preferred the more analogue steering, handling and accelerator calibration. It was ultimately less capable, but I enjoyed brisk road driving more in the E34 more than the E39. The E34’s also broke away more progressively than any Z-axle BM I’ve driven, depsite semi-trailing arms at the back. No stability or traction control in the E34, but even with 340 hp, neither were needed whatever the weather.
Still, the E39 is one of the last BM’s you can probably still run into the ground without major electronic bork factor. Major components are durable, and it won’t blow a turbo after 50k miles. It also felt much more structurally solid than the E34, was quieter and more stable at legal speeds. When permitted, the E39 would cruise at 85. Which was dull, so nudge the cruise control gradually upwards and at about 110 it felt “right”.
And yes, 193 BHP was probably conservative for domestic market tax reasons, even with the restrictive manifold. Though I suspect the 530 wasn’t quicker off the line than the 528 due to longer gearing in chase of fuel efficiency.
Over the last 10 years, myself and a few mates have done a kind of top gear challenge, buy a car for £500 then get it to the ring and back and have as many sideways opportunties as possible.
So the basic car needed to be RWD and manual and as powerful as possible.
Our go to car has always been a BMW 5 series, we started with E34 535i but they became too expensive, then moved on to E39 528i, shame that now they seem to be hard to find for £500.
Both types were absolutely brilliant, think the next £500 car is going to have to be an RX8
So the basic car needed to be RWD and manual and as powerful as possible.
Our go to car has always been a BMW 5 series, we started with E34 535i but they became too expensive, then moved on to E39 528i, shame that now they seem to be hard to find for £500.
Both types were absolutely brilliant, think the next £500 car is going to have to be an RX8
kellyt said:
All in all, good to see Shed making a come back to form, by simply picking a nice car. That's all it takes isn't it?
For me, I have a renewed curiosity in a 540 E39. The guy that put the DAB in my current motor was extolling their virtues and they don't half look good.
You can buy mine next year if you want. Going to be putting it up for sale in Spring.For me, I have a renewed curiosity in a 540 E39. The guy that put the DAB in my current motor was extolling their virtues and they don't half look good.
crusty said:
Over the last 10 years, myself and a few mates have done a kind of top gear challenge, buy a car for £500 then get it to the ring and back and have as many sideways opportunties as possible.
So the basic car needed to be RWD and manual and as powerful as possible.
Our go to car has always been a BMW 5 series, we started with E34 535i but they became too expensive, then moved on to E39 528i, shame that now they seem to be hard to find for £500.
Both types were absolutely brilliant, think the next £500 car is going to have to be an RX8
Had an RX8 from brand new. Imagine a car with the same torque as a hairdryer. Wouldn't bother. Get a Clio 182, cost a bit more, much better car.So the basic car needed to be RWD and manual and as powerful as possible.
Our go to car has always been a BMW 5 series, we started with E34 535i but they became too expensive, then moved on to E39 528i, shame that now they seem to be hard to find for £500.
Both types were absolutely brilliant, think the next £500 car is going to have to be an RX8
the article said:
Does anybody know what effect that tiny little boot-top lip had on the handling?
Quite possibly more than you'd imagine.Aero is not just about size of spoiler:: it's advantageous for the airstream to have a clean break from the surface of a vehicle at the rear and this is achieved with a sharp edge.
Because the rear lip spoiler is moulded in plastic you can generally achieve a sharper/tighter radius on the edge of the spoiler than you would on the bootlid itself which is formed in metal.
Caddyshack said:
I don’t think most police cars are bullet proof but I haven’t needed to shoot at one yet.
Lol 😂 Well, no ... most weren’t “bulletproof” but we had some that actually were “bulletproof”
530i petrols as BMW wouldn’t convert the diesels
Drove them over from Germany fully armoured .. but they were pigs to drive and they didn’t stop too well either !
Very good cars though
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