Discussion
I've long had a itch for an e39 5 series, and that itch is getting irresistible lately. It would be a second car for weekends/summer use etc.
As it happens there are two cars for sale near me, both Jap imports, so both high spec cars with zero rust, and broadly similar prices.
One is a 525 SE Individual with extremely low miles, the other is a 540i Sport with a few tasteful upgrades.
Obviously my heart says go for the 540 but would I be driving it worried that a massive bill was always looming (apart from petrol). My mechanic who looks after our daily cars says avoid it!
My head says the 525 would do just fine and still keep me happy, especially if I upgraded the wheels, but is it enough compared to, say, a 530i?
There's a few other cars further afield that might be worth travelling for but good low miles petrol ones seem very hard to find now. Touring's even more so.
I've never owned one of these cars and have read up as much as I can but would still be grateful for tips on what to look for, advice etc.
As it happens there are two cars for sale near me, both Jap imports, so both high spec cars with zero rust, and broadly similar prices.
One is a 525 SE Individual with extremely low miles, the other is a 540i Sport with a few tasteful upgrades.
Obviously my heart says go for the 540 but would I be driving it worried that a massive bill was always looming (apart from petrol). My mechanic who looks after our daily cars says avoid it!
My head says the 525 would do just fine and still keep me happy, especially if I upgraded the wheels, but is it enough compared to, say, a 530i?
There's a few other cars further afield that might be worth travelling for but good low miles petrol ones seem very hard to find now. Touring's even more so.
I've never owned one of these cars and have read up as much as I can but would still be grateful for tips on what to look for, advice etc.
stevep944 said:
I've long had a itch for an e39 5 series, and that itch is getting irresistible lately. It would be a second car for weekends/summer use etc.
As it happens there are two cars for sale near me, both Jap imports, so both high spec cars with zero rust, and broadly similar prices.
One is a 525 SE Individual with extremely low miles, the other is a 540i Sport with a few tasteful upgrades.
Obviously my heart says go for the 540 but would I be driving it worried that a massive bill was always looming (apart from petrol). My mechanic who looks after our daily cars says avoid it!
My head says the 525 would do just fine and still keep me happy, especially if I upgraded the wheels, but is it enough compared to, say, a 530i?
There's a few other cars further afield that might be worth travelling for but good low miles petrol ones seem very hard to find now. Touring's even more so.
I've never owned one of these cars and have read up as much as I can but would still be grateful for tips on what to look for, advice etc.
You need to test drive both...As it happens there are two cars for sale near me, both Jap imports, so both high spec cars with zero rust, and broadly similar prices.
One is a 525 SE Individual with extremely low miles, the other is a 540i Sport with a few tasteful upgrades.
Obviously my heart says go for the 540 but would I be driving it worried that a massive bill was always looming (apart from petrol). My mechanic who looks after our daily cars says avoid it!
My head says the 525 would do just fine and still keep me happy, especially if I upgraded the wheels, but is it enough compared to, say, a 530i?
There's a few other cars further afield that might be worth travelling for but good low miles petrol ones seem very hard to find now. Touring's even more so.
I've never owned one of these cars and have read up as much as I can but would still be grateful for tips on what to look for, advice etc.
The 525i/530i E39s handle better than the V8s imo and I’ve test driven both, a lot and that’s why I’m on my 3rd 530i, albeit a touring this time around and a Jap import at that too
If you do deffo want a V8, the 540i is a lovely car and one of the lads on the 5 forums is selling his Jap import 540i currently (he does live in NI unfortunately), but it’s a lovely car with a great spec and he’s really looked after it!
The 525i is still a good car & for every day driving its more than adequate. I think I know which 525i you’re on about, lovely car but personally I’d never pay that & would keep looking out for a decent 530i or 540i minimum
There’s a wealth of knowledge on the 5 forums re the E39s, so feel free to join up on there also
You’ve just got to make sure that the suspension & cooling system have been maintained well with paperwork to show, otherwise you need to budget for that & haggle that off the overall price. Yes, the Jap import cars are generally spotless, but not always faultless.
If you’re good with using RealOEM & finding your part numbers, parts for the E39s are easy to source (Meyle, Lemforder, Febi Bilstein etc) & plenty of decent resellers on eBay (C3BMW / BMWmotormec etc) & the likes of BMW Cotswolds give a forum discount if you’re a member of the 5 forums etc
Feel free to PM me on here if you want to pick any brains further
Edited by d_a_n1979 on Sunday 13th October 22:33
stevep944 said:
Thanks for the replies and info, Dan I am in NI so the 540 may be the one you refer to! I am very tempted with it. Been enjoying your car thread in readers cars
Cheers Edited by stevep944 on Sunday 13th October 22:53
If it is the blue 540i, I’d be all over it personally as I don’t think there’s one that’s better sorted than that in the UK.
He’s done everything you’d need to do to it IMO, it’s a superb example
You don't say what your primary car is, but IME a second car needs to be very different to your first to remain special. I had a 525 SE E39 and found it very bland, if I was in your position I would take the 540 if the insurance is affordable. Find a good indie specialist and it will stand you in good stead for a long time.
The 6 cyl cars use a rack and pinion whilst the V8s use a recirculating ball or worm and peg, either way the sixes steer better, IMO. Beware though, they can be shockingly unreliable and expensive to run, my 530d Touring has had, off the top of my head, new front springs and dampers, front suspension bushes, exhaust cam position sensor, front wheel bearings, front anti roll bar clamps, front subframe, track rods, differential, rear upper wishbones, front and rear discs and pads, and then add in the other normal stuff like services, tyres, battery, geometry etc and you are approaching a five figure sum over the last four years.
Some of this stuff is normal wear and tear I know but down here in the South of France we have no independent specialists to turn to, only the very expensive franchised dealer who, to be honest, has charming receptionists but utterly useless technicians, the diff was completely wrecked by one who was trying to replace a weepy oil seal.
In truth I should have sold it ages ago but it is such a complete car, so comfy and it does everything well - when it works!!
Some of this stuff is normal wear and tear I know but down here in the South of France we have no independent specialists to turn to, only the very expensive franchised dealer who, to be honest, has charming receptionists but utterly useless technicians, the diff was completely wrecked by one who was trying to replace a weepy oil seal.
In truth I should have sold it ages ago but it is such a complete car, so comfy and it does everything well - when it works!!
Mike-tf3n0 said:
The 6 cyl cars use a rack and pinion whilst the V8s use a recirculating ball or worm and peg, either way the sixes steer better, IMO. Beware though, they can be shockingly unreliable and expensive to run, my 530d Touring has had, off the top of my head, new front springs and dampers, front suspension bushes, exhaust cam position sensor, front wheel bearings, front anti roll bar clamps, front subframe, track rods, differential, rear upper wishbones, front and rear discs and pads, and then add in the other normal stuff like services, tyres, battery, geometry etc and you are approaching a five figure sum over the last four years.
Some of this stuff is normal wear and tear I know but down here in the South of France we have no independent specialists to turn to, only the very expensive franchised dealer who, to be honest, has charming receptionists but utterly useless technicians, the diff was completely wrecked by one who was trying to replace a weepy oil seal.
In truth I should have sold it ages ago but it is such a complete car, so comfy and it does everything well - when it works!!
Your maintenance list is normal on any E39 really. Heck, mines had a full suspension overhaul and cooling system overhaul and it came from Japan without an ounce of rust on it. But 17 year old rubber parts and suspension parts fail with age, so they're always going to need replacing.Some of this stuff is normal wear and tear I know but down here in the South of France we have no independent specialists to turn to, only the very expensive franchised dealer who, to be honest, has charming receptionists but utterly useless technicians, the diff was completely wrecked by one who was trying to replace a weepy oil seal.
In truth I should have sold it ages ago but it is such a complete car, so comfy and it does everything well - when it works!!
The key is to find the best possible choice you can for your budget and there should hopefully be little to do to it, bar care for it and modify it to yours tastes, if you so wish
Fully agree though, apart from recalls and essential sensors (cam, crank, MAF etc); it's highly advisable to stay away from BMW with cars such as the E39, their prices are a joke at best!
Mike-tf3n0 said:
The 6 cyl cars use a rack and pinion whilst the V8s use a recirculating ball ..., either way the sixes steer better, IMO. ...
In the interest of balance I should say that I much prefer the steering of my 540i to my 530d. Possibly the best mod I ever did was to elongate the strut-top mounting holes to allow a small amount of positive camber at the front. That probably makes more difference than the type of steering mechanism.
It might depend a bit on how you like a car to perform as well.
I bought an E91 325i last year - great car but if I wanted to get moving it felt a bit underwhelming.
So I replaced it with an E90 330i earlier this year and it's just so much better!
While neither is a 5 Series, if you like to "make some progress" from time to time you might be disappointed by a 525i.
I bought an E91 325i last year - great car but if I wanted to get moving it felt a bit underwhelming.
So I replaced it with an E90 330i earlier this year and it's just so much better!
While neither is a 5 Series, if you like to "make some progress" from time to time you might be disappointed by a 525i.
I've owned my 530i SE for almost 5 years. It replaced my M535i that I used sporadically at best, and this was the plan for its replacement. My main criteria was 530i manual, and it just so happened that a lovely SE with sports suspension and sports seats popped up locally after I was in the market for only a week.
The only change I've made to it was to replace the staggered 17"'s to 18"s, that tightened up the handling quite nicely.
Its been such a good car that my usage has rocketed compared to my old 5er, and I've done almost 25k in it since I bought it. Its had a clutch, rear main oil seal, cooling system overhaul and brakes since I bought it, all usual stuff.
Reading the forums, and through my own experience, the 530i seems to be the E39 of choice, but they are quite thin on the ground. I think I would find a 525i a tough asthmatic in the mid range. Virtually all 540is are auto, which isn't my bag, and I wouldn't want to pay the sizeable premium for a manual.
OP - There is a BMW E39 Club UK facebook group that has a buy/sell page. HTH
The only change I've made to it was to replace the staggered 17"'s to 18"s, that tightened up the handling quite nicely.
Its been such a good car that my usage has rocketed compared to my old 5er, and I've done almost 25k in it since I bought it. Its had a clutch, rear main oil seal, cooling system overhaul and brakes since I bought it, all usual stuff.
Reading the forums, and through my own experience, the 530i seems to be the E39 of choice, but they are quite thin on the ground. I think I would find a 525i a tough asthmatic in the mid range. Virtually all 540is are auto, which isn't my bag, and I wouldn't want to pay the sizeable premium for a manual.
OP - There is a BMW E39 Club UK facebook group that has a buy/sell page. HTH
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff