E39 520 (1991cc Variant) Experiences

[vincenz]

Hi
I am looking to buy an E39 520i for comuting to work in, my trip is mostly motorway and 40 miles all in.

As my budget is around £2k I was considering the 1991cc car (150bhp).

Are there any pitfalls with this model? Other than the usual worn bushes, also what is a typical MPG from this car?

My E46 325ci could nudge 35mpg on a motorway cruise.

Thanks in advance.

[bull996]

I had one and loved it. However, it did less MPG than the 528 that I had after it. Problem is that you have drive it quite hard to get it to go. the extra power of the 528 makes it a much more relaxed drive too.

[Matt UK]

bull996 said:

I had one and loved it. However, it did less MPG than the 528 that I had after it. Problem is that you have drive it quite hard to get it to go. the extra power of the 528 makes it a much more relaxed drive too.

I've heard this, nore than once.

I had a 2001 e46 320i and thought the engine never quite got the better of the weight of the car, even in day-to-day driving. To put that engine in the bigger and heavier e39 would be asking for it to work very hard indeed.

You'll not get much (if any) MPG gains vs the 528i and the driving experience will not be as nice. Small, hard-working engines are not really what large exec ownership is all about IMO.

I'd say; find a 528i. You'll thank yourself when you do.

[528Sport]

I have a 528 sport auto.
last week on a 110 mile run to leeds speeds from 50-75 it avg MPG was 40.2
Round the doors it manages about 26-28.
The 520 is a good car I have had 2 e34's and have driven an e39 520 and enjoyed them all.

If the thought of a 528 puts you off have a look at a 523 or the later 520's that had the 2.2 engine fitted.

what ever you go for the e39 is a fine car but get a SE for the climate pack and alloy wheels

dont worry about high milage either

[sparks_E39]

At 70 MPH on a steady cruise my 528 will better 40 mpg (its just all the town driving that means it won't average out that high!) On a drive from Poole to Southampton and back I averaged just a little over 40 MPG, that was probably 80% motorway the rest was around town in traffic. Drove from Bournemouth to Richmond, London and back (Friday morning and evening commute) and averaged 37.7 MPG, and there was considerable traffic for about a third of the journey. Of course I was taking it easy in those circumstances, but even gunning it, and I mean reaching speeds of at least 71mph it will only be about 3-4 MPG worse on a run! Around town on a normal day its going to be low to mid 20's in any BMW 6 Cylinder, sometimes teens if its heavy traffic. I would imagine a 520 would manage that easily and would probably better it once you get going, but I think you would have to be way more restrained, your going to have to give that 2 litre engine some beans to lug around such a heavy car, the 2.8 is way less stressed than the old 2.0. As I recall there is a newer 2.2 520, or maybe look at a 523 as it will be less stressed and is actually a 2.5 litre, but honestly the MPG figures across the 6 Cylinder range are so minimal in differance, you may as well look for the bigger engines. Think of the performance gains too, for example 0-60 in an Auto 528 is around 8 seconds, its closer to 10 in a 520. Insurance on a 528 for me was only £30 or so more expensive than a 523, and about £50 cheaper than a 540....

A word of advice, no matter what condition the cooling system is in, get the radiator/thermostat etc changed asap if it hasn't been done yet. Mine failed the other week and I was lucky I didn't overheat the car, I've heard of many E39s of the same age suffer with this problem and it applies to all E39 models. Good luck with whatever car you go for!

Edited by sparks_E39 on Monday 12th October 19:53

Edited by sparks_E39 on Monday 12th October 19:54

[vincenz]

Gents
Thanks for the replies, I found from the e46 that servicing is pretty much the same throughout the 6 cylinder range, and it seems the same with the fuel.

My other train of thought was to get a 1.4 golf as they are dirt cheap to fuel, but I wanted something i can relax in on the way home.

I'm going looking at the weekend so I will report back.

Thanks once again.