530i Sport, general advice

[heinzeman]

Hi guys!

I am strongly considering moving into the world of BMW ownership, and think i've spotted just the car to take me there!

It's a 2001 530i Sport. (It has the 17" alloy wheels and sports bodykit front and rear). It also has the widescreen sat nav, which I am assured by the dealer was an option! It's showing 70,000 miles, and a full BMW history.

Could y'all please feed me with some general advice about this car?

I need to know what to look out for. What might I need to replace? What might break? What will probably break! Why should I or shouldn't I buy her? What spec/options shouldn't I live without!??

I know how it feels to be an expert in a specific car (I became that way with my previous car), but now I also know how it feels to be completely ignorant with a car!

So i'm really relying on some expert help please guys, anyone who could advise me on what to avoid, or be wary of, i'd be so grateful. And at the same time, what to go for!

Thanks to all you kind people, in advance,

Mr K. S Nice

[632 Regal]

Mr K,
this forum is primarily an E34 forum, the older 89-95 models. There is a lot of help here including your car in question but it will take more time for answers as most of us are just learning about the newer series.

[SharkmanBMW]

where are you located, and at what price are you talking?
this will be helpful. us, uk? your name doesn't help me guess!
Is it a listing you could post for us to review?

[heinzeman]

Thanks so far guys, saorry I left so much info out!

It's £10,500 sterling, (I'm in the UK). I do believe the listing's also on e-bay at the moment, but i've seen it advertised privately, and locally. Here's a link actually: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4624603050&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

thanks again chaps, and to anyone else who can help out from my original post...

Mr Nice.







Hi guys!

I am strongly considering moving into the world of BMW ownership, and think i've spotted just the car to take me there!

It's a 2001 530i Sport. (It has the 17" alloy wheels and sports bodykit front and rear). It also has the widescreen sat nav, which I am assured by the dealer was an option! It's showing 70,000 miles, and a full BMW history.

Could y'all please feed me with some general advice about this car?

I need to know what to look out for. What might I need to replace? What might break? What will probably break! Why should I or shouldn't I buy her? What spec/options shouldn't I live without!??

I know how it feels to be an expert in a specific car (I became that way with my previous car), but now I also know how it feels to be completely ignorant with a car!

So i'm really relying on some expert help please guys, anyone who could advise me on what to avoid, or be wary of, i'd be so grateful. And at the same time, what to go for!

Thanks to all you kind people, in advance,

Mr K. S Nice

[SharkmanBMW]

your info is worth a ton BTW
is it normal that the dash is showing -40 on the cluster?! cold in the uk this time of year?!
also... oil was changed once a year, 12k miles apart... then 16k miles..

it LOOKS sweet, but I have not driven an e39...
wait for some others to help out,
BUT... have YOU driven the car?
does it feel good to you? handling ok? not too rough or too something for your taste? too heavy? sloppy? or JUST RIGHT?!!
what are you driving now BTW?

[heinzeman]

I don't want to waste the guy's time, so don't intend to drive it until I am 'armed' with an encyclopedia of knowledge from you guys! (I don't want anyone pulling the wool over my eyes). Thanks for what you've spotted so far, very beady eyes!

But please keep it coming ... what do I need to know!

For now,

Kerr.

Sorry, forgot to add, i'm now driving a Peugeot 406 Coupe. It's a late 2001 in scarlet red with full black leather interior and all the toys. A lovely car in all respects ... but it's no BMW eh guys! ;)

[DueyT]

Kerr, that looks like a very nice car...very similar to a good friend of mine's. He also has a 2001 530i 5-speed with M-Sport package. We swap each other's cars from time to tiem driving around town since, although he loves his 530, he loves the growl of a big V8 hooked to a 6-speed perhaps just that little bit more. That said, the E39's are not as easy a DIY'er as the E34's and are know to have more issues with the significantly more complex electrical system. That's not to say the E34 was/is not fault free wither...LKM (lighting modules) have issues with both series...suspension (thrust arms, etc...) are senitive to wear on both cars. Bimerdood is our resident high-time E39 owner and might have more input for you (albeit his is a 540/6 I believe...) Not sure, but I would consider an E39 540/6 if it came to a time where my lovely E34 was no longer making the grade...

The car's a beaut! I think you'd be very happy with it, and that's a killer price for a car with 70k mi on the odom. My sister lives just outside London and bought a 2.0 Z4.....Imola red as well, but I'd take the car you're looking at any day!

Cheers,
Duey

[heinzeman]

Duey,

you're a sweetheart. Thank you for taling the time to give me your advice tonight. Hopefully Bimerdood will have a moment to write at some stage, and I take it from what you're saying that it's mainly going to be LKMs (?) and suspension components that I have to be thoughtful about ...

and when you say, "killer price for a car with 70k mi on the odom", do you meant that that is low for a e39 530i? Or do you mean that it's over priced for it's mileage? ...

Kerr

[KenB]

Looks great, I'd ask if the oil was changed other than at the dealer. 12-16k miles between oil changes would worry me, even with synthetic oil. Looks like the idle is a little high at 900rpm but am not sure what this would indicate or what is normal for this motor. Looks like the temp sensor is gone, all other electric accessories ok? Original tires and brakes? Do you have carfax in the UK? Seems like a great price though. Good luck in your search.

[Evan]

buy her and a warranty to go along... you'll be very happy

[DueyT]

Kerr, killer as in great...£10k is about $23k CAD/$20k US and for 70,000mi, I'd put down that much for that car, especially knowing prices always seem a little higher in Europe. KenB raises a good point, however...I would consider requiring the seller to drop the oil pan to show the condition (oil filler cap is not a bad indication but you really want to see if there's any sludge or other deposits in the bottom-end of the motor).

Cheers,
Duey

[Zeuk in Oz]

Looks great ! I wish they sold manual E39s in Oz.

Why are the MOT and Road Tax out of synch ? Is this normal in the UK or has the car either been de-registered or had something else happen to it ?

Apologies if this is a stupid question, I just presumed that both would be the same !

Hope it is a nice car and you are happy with it if you buy it !

[heinzeman]

no it's perfectly normal for the road tax and MOT to be out of synch over here! They are bought independantly of each other, and as the first MOT is only required once the car reaches 3 years, and due to it also being possible to buy road tax in either 6 month or yearly intervals, they rarely tally.

Listen guys, i'm so grateful that you all took the time to write... obviously if anyone else knows of anything specific to look out for on this ride then i'd be very glad to hear...

in the meantime, i've taken everything on board, and am starting to get a picture for what I should be looking for, for sure.

Kerr. :)

[BASEBALL248]

I have the E39 sport edition with all the other options, including Nav. (2002 530i). Purchased it in Nov of 2005 with 45k miles for $26k, which was a great price, considering the bank valued it at $32k. Great car. Now has 48k on the odometer and not a single problem. Previous owner changed the oil every 6k.

I changed out the brake pads, painted the calipers black and replaced all filters when I got it.