from e39 525i sport to e91 325i se?

[anonymous-user]

wife prefers the new car and i wont drive it much which is good because im a die hard e46 and e39 fanboy

aside from the water pump what else that you guys have replacing over time on a 60k mile automatic

will about 3.5k get me an okay one?

im seeing tax of about 300 quid and urban economy around 21 mpg. both of these would be an improvement on the e39 which is what the wife is keen on

should correct that it would like be e90 on an 06 plate right?

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 27th November 01:09

[naturalaspiration]

If you want less trouble go for 2.5L N52 engine as opposed to the later 3.0L N53 direct injection successor - I think pre-facelift N52, and facelift has N53. With 3.5K you should be able to find a very good car.

[anonymous-user]

from wiki


2005–2007 N52B25
inline-6 160 kW (215 hp) 250 N⋅m (184 lb⋅ft)

2007–2013 N53B30
inline-6 160 kW (215 hp) 270 N⋅m (199 lb⋅ft)

[naturalaspiration]

I have just quickly skimmed through the ads on a UKs large used car online advertisment platform, and it turns out inline 6 petrol E91s command much higher price than equivalent E61s? Go figure.

[g3org3y]

RC1 said:

wife prefers the new car and i wont drive it much which is good because im a die hard e46 and e39 fanboy

aside from the water pump what else that you guys have replacing over time on a 60k mile automatic

will about 3.5k get me an okay one?

im seeing tax of about 300 quid and urban economy around 21 mpg. both of these would be an improvement on the e39 which is what the wife is keen on

should correct that it would like be e90 on an 06 plate right?

Edited by RC1 on Wednesday 27th November 01:09

06 would be an N52 engine, so supposedly more reliable.

Never owned an E39, but if it's much like an E46 (which I suspect it is), you'll find the E91 feels a lot more modern.

[Mr Tidy]

I had an E46 325ti for 3 years and loved it, but decided it was time for a change so last year I bought an early E91 325i.

I only had it a year, but of course the electric water pump died - you don't get much warning as there is no temperature gauge, just a warning light.

The E46 was much better to rag around, but the E91 was way more refined (both manuals) - which may be why it just didn't feel as quick! The E91 was also very high geared - 70 mph was about 2,500 rpm in 6th which may also explain why it felt a bit flat, seeing as the red-line was at 7,000 rpm.

E9* models also don't have a dip-stick (you use a button on the dash) which isn't really a problem, but just seems a bit odd.

They can suffer from coil-pack failures and leaking cam-covers, but otherwise seem pretty robust - mine had full BMWSH but still drove really well when I sold it at 139K miles. Oh and some have problems with the fuel filler vent so when they are over 3/4 full you can smell petrol fumes but only outside the car. There is a BMW revision, or just don't brim it!

But I've no experience of E39s so can't offer any comparison with those.

Neither car commuted, and mostly tended to do 30+ mile trips on NSL roads outside of rush hours so my mpg isn't that representative for most people, but there wasn't much difference between the 2.

The easiest way to tell which engine a 325i has is if it's a 2.5 litre it's the earlier N52 and if it's a 3 litre it's the later (and potentially more problematic) N53.

Funnily enough I spotted this one the other day which didn't look dear:- https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Edited by Mr Tidy on Wednesday 27th November 23:19

[naturalaspiration]

And much more low rate compared to E39 - massive difference between the two in materials used and how it feels inside. Case in point my '01 525i with black leather (non sport), high OBC (yes it does make a difference) , real wood trim vs '07 E91 330xd with half leather sports interior and aluminium trim. My colleague felt slightly depressed that her expensive (in relative terms) and belowed E91 felt so cheap compared to my almost worthless old banger with nearly 300k on the clock. The perfectly insulated and still audible (s)creamy sound of the petrol M54 potentially added salt to injury - her M57 sounds agricultural relatively speaking.

Going from a Sports E39 to an SE E91 may make things even worse...

Edited by naturalaspiration on Wednesday 27th November 23:26

[bmwmike]

They used real wood in the e39? - really?

[naturalaspiration]

Yes - referred to as "Fine Wood", usually Vavona burl (root of the Mammoth tree - the massive Sequoia Sempervirens) or Walnut (Nussbaum) - and of course a number of individual options

https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t...

You can also have "Fine Wood" in an E90/91, usually burr walnut or poplar grain.

When BMW says wood trim it is real wood fullstop.

Some people confuse high gloss (plastic) trim in cheaper models for Piano Black, which could not be further apart. The latter is a fine wood trim painted black and varnished many times over and then polished to bring out the deep "piano" grade black - usually an individual option. That trim is special.

[Mr Tidy]

Thanks for that. :thumbsup:

So it looks like my E90 has Poplar grain in that case!

Edited by Mr Tidy on Thursday 28th November 02:17

I'll get my pipe and slippers on the way out.

Edited by Mr Tidy on Thursday 28th November 02:19

[g3org3y]

naturalaspiration said:

And much more low rate compared to E39 - massive difference between the two in materials used and how it feels inside. Case in point my '01 525i with black leather (non sport), high OBC (yes it does make a difference) , real wood trim vs '07 E91 330xd with half leather sports interior and aluminium trim. My colleague felt slightly depressed that her expensive (in relative terms) and belowed E91 felt so cheap compared to my almost worthless old banger with nearly 300k on the clock. The perfectly insulated and still audible (s)creamy sound of the petrol M54 potentially added salt to injury - her M57 sounds agricultural relatively speaking.

Going from a Sports E39 to an SE E91 may make things even worse...

That's interesting. I don't feel the E91 is low rent vs my E46 but admittedly no ownership experience of the E39.

As with anything, colour/trim options make a big difference.

Lemon leather (with Le Mans blue exterior) (sorry, not the best photos to represent the colour)





Great combo imo. [/biased]

[naturalaspiration]

Agree - interior colour scheme makes a huge impact. In the thread below there is an E39 with a colour scheme similar to your lemon leather E91.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[bodhi]

I moved from an E46 to my current 1 Series Coupé (so very similar interior to the 3), and the only way the 1 Series is a step down is the E46 had some slightly softer plastics in it. Other than that, the 1'er has been a far superior drive and ownership experience - no rust to speak of, the suspension and propshaft aren't made of chocolate.

Don;t get me wrong I loved my E46, but if I had the choice of that or an E90 based on my experience of the 1 Series? It would be the E90 every time.

[Mr Tidy]

My 1st BMW was an E46 320td that got replaced by an E87 123d.

Which got replaced by an E86 Z4 Coupe that was so impressive I bought an E46 325ti as a daily (the one I should have bought the first time round)!

Then my E46 got replaced by an E91 325i, which got replaced by an E90 330i.

As a daily driver I'd take an E9* 3 Series ahead of an E46 even if only for the lack of rust and more refinement, but for some driving fun and better looks I'd rather have an E46.

So I suppose it depends on what you want from the car - refinement or a bit of rawness.

[anonymous-user]

thanks for the input all... well it seems that despite my best efforts the e39 will have to go and make way for an e90 325i se of some description...

im not happy because i love the e39 but the wife doesnt

its far from concours and has rusty sills but with 95k miles and a full bmw and specialist history and lots of the usual jobs already tended to is there a market for this amongst the enthusiast community or are they basically scrap value these days?

[to3m]

Mr Tidy said:

Thanks for that. :thumbsup:

So it looks like my E90 has Poplar grain in that case!



I'll get my pipe and slippers on the way out.

Mine has "Upholstery LEDER DAKOTA/BEIGE (LCB4)" and "S4ABA Fine wood trim burr walnut":



The leather is a bit cheap, but I don't care. I love the old man/Rover 75 look.

g3org3y said:

That's interesting. I don't feel the E91 is low rent vs my E46 but admittedly no ownership experience of the E39.

The interior in my E90 feels a bit cheap compared to my old E46, with some inferior materials, but I do think they cut these corners sensibly. Like, how often do you actualy feel the roof lining material? How often do you press on the dashboard plastic? If you're anything like me, the answer is: never, pretty much.

The build quality feels otherwise like a bit of a step up, I think. The interior of my E46 felt more solid and a bit more plush, but the car still creaked and groaned in winter whenever driven hard, sounding like there was something structural being put under stress. My E90 on the other hand merely rattles a bit on the inside sometimes, like there's a cheap plastic clip slightly loose somewhere in one of the aircon outlets or something, nothing more serious than that...

And all this before you even get on to the subject of rust!

[Mr Tidy]

to3m said:

The interior in my E90 feels a bit cheap compared to my old E46, with some inferior materials, but I do think they cut these corners sensibly. Like, how often do you actualy feel the roof lining material? How often do you press on the dashboard plastic? If you're anything like me, the answer is: never, pretty much.

The build quality feels otherwise like a bit of a step up, I think. The interior of my E46 felt more solid and a bit more plush, but the car still creaked and groaned in winter whenever driven hard, sounding like there was something structural being put under stress. My E90 on the other hand merely rattles a bit on the inside sometimes, like there's a cheap plastic clip slightly loose somewhere in one of the aircon outlets or something, nothing more serious than that...

And all this before you even get on to the subject of rust!

Yes, I'd agree with you there.

The materials in my E46 felt better than in my E90, but the E90 feels much better put together with way less rattles and creaks.

To be fair rust wasn't a big issue with my E46, but for some reason the Compacts seem to fare much better than the other body-styles.

[g3org3y]

RC1 said:

thanks for the input all... well it seems that despite my best efforts the e39 will have to go and make way for an e90 325i se of some description...

im not happy because i love the e39 but the wife doesnt

its far from concours and has rusty sills but with 95k miles and a full bmw and specialist history and lots of the usual jobs already tended to is there a market for this amongst the enthusiast community or are they basically scrap value these days?

Sorry to hear this.

Definitely a market for a car like this. How rusty is rusty? Unfortunately as with the E46, rust can be a killer. Worth advertising on PH imo.

[lythaby]

I made the switch for my daily. I went from an E39 525i SE to an E90 325 M-Sport and it’s been a good switch for me. As an E39 SE it was waftingly comfy but roundabouts were very boaty. The E90 was a fair bit harder, mainly due to the run flats, which was the first thing I changed. I also went up one on the sidewall.
I also went with N52 for the same reasons as above.
Things to look for;
Wheels, specifically the inner of the rears, they crack which now fails the MOT.

Heater resistor recall, fire risk.

Fuel tank vent pipe, imo it should be a recall item, but VOSA don’t really care. Basically pre-07 cars don’t have a protective sleeve, pipe rubs on body, fuel spills out on hills if more than 1/2 tank.

Top of fuel pump cracks under seats.

Brake wobble over 60mph, could be disks, could be thrust arms.

They have an aggravating auto brake/hill assist that takes a bit of getting used too.