Do E39 540i Tourings exist anymore?
Discussion
The obvious step up from my 330i touring is the 540i touring but i can only find leggy examples.
Are there any enthusiast websites where i might find some more relevant classfieds of either the 540i or 530i or should i expect that theres not many around any more and those that are for sale are mostly dogs
Are there any enthusiast websites where i might find some more relevant classfieds of either the 540i or 530i or should i expect that theres not many around any more and those that are for sale are mostly dogs
http://www.thealpinaregister.com/
Not an expert I'm afraid, but try here ^^
In terms of price, go in with your eyes open. As with the M cars, buying it is only the start of the journey..
Not an expert I'm afraid, but try here ^^
In terms of price, go in with your eyes open. As with the M cars, buying it is only the start of the journey..
You should look on forum.bmw5.co.uk and go to the e39 section. There's not many cars for sale but there's plenty of people who know a thing or two so somebody may have/seen one somewhere. It's worth a punt!
I own a 535 saloon (they didn't make a touring in this variant for some reason) and love it but you will need a contingency as when they go wrong, which they will in one way or another, they will cost you.
The V8's are notorious for poor cooling systems so expect to replace the rad, stat, waterpump and hoses fairly sharpish! I think the air suspension can be a bit flakey too.
As you have said though they are effortless cruisers which is why I'd be surprised if you find one sub 90-100k but good luck!
I own a 535 saloon (they didn't make a touring in this variant for some reason) and love it but you will need a contingency as when they go wrong, which they will in one way or another, they will cost you.
The V8's are notorious for poor cooling systems so expect to replace the rad, stat, waterpump and hoses fairly sharpish! I think the air suspension can be a bit flakey too.
As you have said though they are effortless cruisers which is why I'd be surprised if you find one sub 90-100k but good luck!
Matt UK said:
When you say leggy, do you mean high milage? I wouldn't let miles put me off so long as the car is in good hands.
Problem is, they are so good to drive and put the miles on, that's what people do with 'em.
My 530i is now in the +100k bracket, but still feels very fit. Great cars.
I agree. I've put 22k miles on 540i Touring in the last 9 months alone. The non-M 5 series aren't special enough to be garage queens or Sunday cars and will have been used accordingly. I love mine :-)Problem is, they are so good to drive and put the miles on, that's what people do with 'em.
My 530i is now in the +100k bracket, but still feels very fit. Great cars.
Ive come to the painful conclusion that hell would sooner freeze over than me being able to pick up a decent low mileage 540i or alpina.
ill now focus the search on a 530i sport touring which dont seem as scarce but will do the job. ive only seen one interesting one on auto trader so if anyone knows an auto with below average miles thats coming to the market id love to know
ill now focus the search on a 530i sport touring which dont seem as scarce but will do the job. ive only seen one interesting one on auto trader so if anyone knows an auto with below average miles thats coming to the market id love to know
Just out of interest, why low miles?
Only reason I ask is that when I was looking, it was the lower mileage cars that were rougher. Town cars, lots of short journeys, speed humps, traffic jams, service intervals of 2 years...
The high miles cars had probably sat at cruising speed on the motorway most of their lives, which is what these cars were designed to do.
In terms of wear and tear, some of the high milers feel fresher, so I wouldn't rule them out. Just IMO.
Only reason I ask is that when I was looking, it was the lower mileage cars that were rougher. Town cars, lots of short journeys, speed humps, traffic jams, service intervals of 2 years...
The high miles cars had probably sat at cruising speed on the motorway most of their lives, which is what these cars were designed to do.
In terms of wear and tear, some of the high milers feel fresher, so I wouldn't rule them out. Just IMO.
Drop derin100 a PM. A mine of information. www.bmwclassics.co.uk
Matt UK said:
Just out of interest, why low miles?
Only reason I ask is that when I was looking, it was the lower mileage cars that were rougher. Town cars, lots of short journeys, speed humps, traffic jams, service intervals of 2 years...
The high miles cars had probably sat at cruising speed on the motorway most of their lives, which is what these cars were designed to do.
In terms of wear and tear, some of the high milers feel fresher, so I wouldn't rule them out. Just IMO.
I agree - it's hours of use, rather than miles, which determine how fresh the car really is. Low mileage 540is are likely to be London-dwellers, I suspect.Only reason I ask is that when I was looking, it was the lower mileage cars that were rougher. Town cars, lots of short journeys, speed humps, traffic jams, service intervals of 2 years...
The high miles cars had probably sat at cruising speed on the motorway most of their lives, which is what these cars were designed to do.
In terms of wear and tear, some of the high milers feel fresher, so I wouldn't rule them out. Just IMO.
Edited by SJobson on Wednesday 22 September 10:09
I have a E39 540 with just over 100K miles and the engine still feels tight and responsive. I would not worry about the miles. Many high milers would have spent many hours on the motorway and unless they have been driven everywhere at 150mph then the engine would have lead an unstressed life.
I had an E39 540i Touring (1999)and ran the car from 32000 miles to approx. 90000 miles.
A really great car with the only major replacement being the air mass meter at approx. 80000 miles.The car would have easily achieved 150000/200000 miles but I traded it for an Audi S4 Avant, which was'nt such a good car to drive.
The local BMW dealer in Inverness had a 540i touring in for a service, at the end of last week and so they do still exist!
You could phone them to enquire. ( 01463 236566 )
A really great car with the only major replacement being the air mass meter at approx. 80000 miles.The car would have easily achieved 150000/200000 miles but I traded it for an Audi S4 Avant, which was'nt such a good car to drive.
The local BMW dealer in Inverness had a 540i touring in for a service, at the end of last week and so they do still exist!
You could phone them to enquire. ( 01463 236566 )
Hiya!
As Matt UK says .. why does it 'have' to be low miles?! You've given your reason as to why and thats perfectly fine, I just wanted to point out that my 2003 E39 Touring is up at 202,000 miles and feels like a car with 150K less!
I definitley agree with the notion of having a higher mile car that's been a motorway cruiser most it's life rather than a stop start town dweller.
The Alpina's are lovely there's no doubt, and there will be a few 540i low mile tourings tucked away here n there throughout the country, but a 530i touring is also a fine choice !
I'm very happy with my 3 litre Diesel!
Cheers, Dennis!
As Matt UK says .. why does it 'have' to be low miles?! You've given your reason as to why and thats perfectly fine, I just wanted to point out that my 2003 E39 Touring is up at 202,000 miles and feels like a car with 150K less!
I definitley agree with the notion of having a higher mile car that's been a motorway cruiser most it's life rather than a stop start town dweller.
The Alpina's are lovely there's no doubt, and there will be a few 540i low mile tourings tucked away here n there throughout the country, but a 530i touring is also a fine choice !
I'm very happy with my 3 litre Diesel!Cheers, Dennis!
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