Pre-Purchase advice sought - E39 530i

[adam85]

Hi Guys,

Would anybody offer any advice before viewing the following two cars this weekend?


http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Or, £500 cheaper, older and slightly higher miles:

http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...


Comments greatly appreciated,

Adam

[Vic_S]

I think you'll find a lot of info + maybe a buying guide over on bmwland.co.uk

These are great cars, but with a few known weakspots, such as front supension wear (producing a ~50 60mph "shimmy"); cooling system (header tanks can split)& most important to check out is the auto gearbox for smooth gear shifting. These cost ££££ to fix

Good luck

[danp]

Does it have to be a Sport? Got my brother a lovely facelift (2000 X) 530i SE for much less than the Sport would have been.

It's been very solid, common problem is the air con resistor (hedgehog) which meant the a/c didn't work (seller sorted that before purchase). He's got some dead pixels on the NAV (which is rubbish, wouldn't worry about having that personally). Believe they can also rot suprisingly badly so make sure you have a good dig around.

But yes I'm sure there are some good buying guides about..

Looks cheap for a Sport (assuming it's straight and 57k is backed up with history!): (but it's in England I'm afraid)

http://www4.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Good luck with the hunt!

Edited by danp on Friday 7th October 15:46

[eastsider]

adam85 said:

Hi Guys,

Would anybody offer any advice before viewing the following two cars this weekend?


http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Or, £500 cheaper, older and slightly higher miles:

http://www2.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...


Comments greatly appreciated,

Adam

Mileage difference is so small its irrelevant on value. Age difference similarly, unless road tax is different, isn't there something about March 2002? Can't remember.

Neither ad mentions service history. Obviously that is key - what has been done most recently, and watch out if its due something big soon - Inspection 2 etc. Personally I'd want a decent history file with old MOTs and plenty of receipts.

At that mileage, I'd budget to change the autobox fluid straight away - £150-200 at a decent indy. Opinions vary on this but I did mine (E46 convert) at 90k miles and it made a marked difference.

For me, the light coloured wood trim of the first one is nastly - I prefer the interior look of the second.

BMWland is a good idea, you might also try bimmerforum.co.uk and e39.co.uk

I seriously thought about one but ended up getting an E60 for various reasons.

Let us know how you get on!

[adam85]

Thanks for that guys, I will report back on my findings !

[ChrisDT]

I just bought a 528i Sport last weekend after lots of looking at adverts and worrying about mileage, I ended up buying one with good history and the smoothest drive of any of the ones I tested, but it had 150k on it! All the recent bits had been changed and insp 2 just been done.
The biggest bit of advIce I got given on here was buy on history/condition not mileage.

I agree with the comments on the wood, not something I could live with in a sport but the kits do appear on eBay (I was tempted with black inserts as there was some with a BIN of £35 for the whole kit! I currently have a black sport with black leather, silver trim and privacy glass).

Good luck with it!

[sparks_E39]

Get one with 200k miles if it's been cherished by it's owner. Avoid 80k mileage abused ones. You will likely need to spend £500 or so on it if the cooling system is original anyway.

[dave87]

sparks_E39 said:

Get one with 200k miles if it's been cherished by it's owner. Avoid 80k mileage abused ones. You will likely need to spend £500 or so on it if the cooling system is original anyway.

Definitely true. I bought a low mileage 2001 530i Sport (61k on it when purchased) and since purchase I have:

Rebalanced Rear Tyres - £18
Replaced the Radiator & New Long Life Coolant - £265
New Front Discs & Pads - £187.60
Oil Change (Castrol Edge 5W40 & Filter) - £105 (done shortly after purchase for peace of mind)
4 New Tyres (Falken FK452 235/45/17s Front & 255/40/17s Rear) & Fitted - £450
Tax - £260
Insp. 1 - £190
New Inlet & Exhaust Cam Position Sensors - £131.94

So £1607.54 so far in 10 Months on routine maintenance and servicing. The best part of £1k of that inside a month. Oh, and I've got the MOT in the next two weeks aswell!

However, when you you think it is a 155mph Car, as comfortable as a leather armchair and is as happy on a backroad blast as plodding down the motorway, that isn't bad value at all. What does hurt a bit is the MPG, but that is mainly due to the city centre driving I've done since owning it - when cold, large petrol autos do like a drink. (19mpg out of SUL is the average on a 5 mile each way commute).

[Nigel Worc's]

OP, I'd imagine you don't mind, but you're giving us your postcode with those links.

As others have said, if you really want a sport then so be it, but you'll pay for it !

I'm on my 4th 5 series, but 1st E39, I currently have a 528i SE auto.

Mine is just showing its first rust blister, but what I've found dissapointing is electronic module faliure, I've had two in the just over twelve months I've owned the car, the first was the abs ecu, this is common, very very very common on the six cylinder models.

The one I'm dealing with at present is the main ecu, I'm told this is a very rare faliure, but jesus it's a pain in the bum, level three euro security and all that, I'm on my way to fixing it, but a dealer supplied module is £1,300.08 .. all done, providing there are no other faults.

Service history is the key (as others have said), but they do seem weak, electronically, compared to the three E34's I've owned

Mine had full comprehensive, almost total BMW history (only the very last service before I bought it was non BMW), but still it's failed twice !

It seems all modern cars are like this, BMW's only saving grace is the vast amount of internet help and specialist scrapyards.

Good luck.

[adam85]

Thank you all for the input, very useful advice indeed as so far the cars I have gone to see aren't in great condition.

I viewed the cheaper car in the links above, it was disappointing. There was what a scratch right along off side wing and both doors and two noticeable Parking Dings on the near side drivers door. The interior looked like it had NEVER been cleaned either and v. worn. The car spent the last few years in Dublin which could explain things, they also have an NCT test which isn't nearly as demanding as an MOT....best avoided.

This one is next on the viewing list, I don't mind that it's the 530D it looks clean in the photos and appears to have had quite a lot of work recently (however could that be a bad sign?)

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

Edited by adam85 on Monday 10th October 09:57

[ChrisDT]

Love the 'genuine reason for sale' bit then straight under it it reads MORE CARS FROM THIS DEALER!

Looks lovely, it's the colour and spec I wanted before I got mine but I was just too impatient! Let us know how it goes...

[adam85]

ChrisDT said:

Love the 'genuine reason for sale' bit then straight under it it reads MORE CARS FROM THIS DEALER!

Looks lovely, it's the colour and spec I wanted before I got mine but I was just too impatient! Let us know how it goes...

Cheers Chris, Yeah I had a chuckle at that too - genuine reason for sale....to make ££ !
I am hoping to view this on Thursday

[Nigel Worc's]

I wouldn't be looking at that one (this is only my opinion of course, but you are asking)

It has been screwed with, the type of owner that fits privacy glass worries me, and you'd need to check the windows are legal.

It's had a gearbox service ...... and he isn't keeping it ....... why ?

The gearbox is sealed for life, and although you can have the oil and filters changed by a specialist, I've been warned by my specialist, this can in itself cause problems.

It's had a new turbo .... diesels do that .... and lift pumps ..... and injectors !

I'd suspect that somebody has bought it, needed to spend quite a lot of dosh on it, and thought they'll drop it.

I, personally, wouldn't bother with a BMW diesel, they are nice, but not really economical, so why bother ? ...... if you want economy, get an ovlov D5 !

My 528i will do 44.8 if you drive with the lorries, 40 if you stick to legal limits, 34.8 if I drive what is normal for me (long trips, 85 ish), and about 21 if you use it around town ..... a lot

Sorry, but I'm a suspicious git, I looked at about eight before I bought the one I have, and even that's had two module faliures.

[Nigel Worc's]

I'd have a glance at this one, but it's not a sport so may not interest you, but that's seriously low mileage, if true :

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[Nigel Worc's]

Not keen on the wheels ....... but ...... 4.4 litre V8 ?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[adam85]

Cheers Nigel,

I hadn't looked at it that way to be honest, The 530D in question most likely isn't available to me anyway I made an enquiry yesterday.
There's just something about the SE I don't like (appearance wise) I think the Sport is a fresher looking car, I had an E46 SE Coupe and regretted
not getting a sport.

I think I'll stick with the 530i .. Hadn't thought of the 540i, economy isn't an issue really as I do around 10K a year.
Will keep me eyes peeled, If anybody spots any in Northern Ireland give me a shout

[The Stiglet]

Nigel Worc's said:

The gearbox is sealed for life, and although you can have the oil and filters changed by a specialist, I've been warned by my specialist, this can in itself cause problems.

What sort of problems?

I'm at 101,000 in my 540i sport and feel that it needs an oil change. I've got a non BMW warranty on the car but don't know if it will cover the gearbox if it goes pop and I've broken the 'sealed for life unit' for an oil change.

Sorry OP for high-jacking your thread but no doubt this will prove useful to you if you buy one.

[Nigel Worc's]

The Stiglet said:

What sort of problems?

I'm at 101,000 in my 540i sport and feel that it needs an oil change. I've got a non BMW warranty on the car but don't know if it will cover the gearbox if it goes pop and I've broken the 'sealed for life unit' for an oil change.

Sorry OP for high-jacking your thread but no doubt this will prove useful to you if you buy one.

To get the true story, without me screwing it up, ring and ask for Paul (he owns the company), it was his advice to me, it can be a good thing to change the oil, it can be a bad thing, he tended to suggest to me it's more likely to be a bad thing if the gearbox has changed in anyway, making you think it'd need doing.

http://www.bmeuroservice.com/


And to the op, although I drive an SE, I agree with your sentiments regarding looks, mine is a workhorse and will have nasa mileage when I've finished with it, so will be worthless, this made me shy away from paying the extra to get a sports model.

I actually think the E39 is the worst 5 series shape ever, take its badges off, and it's just another euro box.

They are however superb to drive.

[Patrick Bateman]

Nigel Worc's said:

I actually think the E39 is the worst 5 series shape ever, take its badges off, and it's just another euro box.

The e39 Sport is a fantastically handsome thing.

[sparks_E39]

Patrick Bateman said:

The e39 Sport is a fantastically handsome thing.

Agreed. I haven't seen an OEM E39 that I didn't like.