01' E39 stick good deal?

[e34musician]

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/501770635.html

What do you guys think? 1 owner. I'm tempted ;) I'm going to see the car this Sat. I can't really tell the rear panel dent from the pic. Let me know what else to look for when buying an E39. Thanks!

[dennyg]

This car does not have the sports package as add says. Steering wheel seats and suspension are changed with this along with 17 inch wheels. Looks like the wheels is all it has. I have an 03 525 with sport package. I would look for 530 model if I had to do over again. 25 more horses and almost the same gas mileage.

[e34.535i.sport]

Are you changing your e34 for the e39? Your's looks so much nicer in my opinion - don't do it!!!!

[BMWDriver]

My 2.5 on my e34 is a bit weak on low revs. It shows on start. I imagine the same can be expected of the 2.5 on the e39 although I wonder how much horsepower it boasts, and if it's heavier than the e34.

So, depending on how you like to drive and what difference a 3.0 liter engine with 5 speed automatic is to a 2.5 manual...

Expect a more comfortable drive, and not as sporty. It looks really well maintained and that's a great sign.

The wheels are hot on that e39. Looks nice.

[Qube]

540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. you won't regret it! I don't... though my e34 now secretly hates me!

[Qube]

540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. 540 .. you won't regret it! I don't... though my e34 now secretly hates me!

http://www.540i6.com/probsfixes.html

[repenttokyo]

http://www.540i6.com/probsfixes.html


from the page you linked to:


BMW recommends lightly applying the parking brake while driving slowly now and then to clean the faces of the shoes and drums.

Good thing I do that on a regular basis - especially on corners ;)


oh wait - it said slowly. damn.

[Rick L]

Yeah, this doesn't have sport package. Looks like he upgraded just the wheels. Like you mentioned; it should have sport seats, M-Tech steering wheel, lowered sport suspension. But still nice. For me, after driving E39 540 and E39 M5, I could never get another 525 as I have no power! :(


This car does not have the sports package as add says. Steering wheel seats and suspension are changed with this along with 17 inch wheels. Looks like the wheels is all it has. I have an 03 525 with sport package. I would look for 530 model if I had to do over again. 25 more horses and almost the same gas mileage.

[Paul in NZ]

an e39 m5 would make most cars feel low on power!

[we_call_him_doher]

I drove a friends automatic e39 530iA, and coming from an e34 535iM I was pretty impressed by the car. I loved the steering feel, the automatic transmission was surprisingly sporty, and the engine was far from sluggish. I know the car you are talking about is a 525iA, but I'm just saying if you are driving a e34 530iA now you might be satisfied with a 530i instead of a 540i. Might be worth it to look around a little bit more. Just my 2 cents.

[Qube]

I drove a friends automatic e39 530iA, and coming from an e34 535iM I was pretty impressed by the car. I loved the steering feel, the automatic transmission was surprisingly sporty, and the engine was far from sluggish. I know the car you are talking about is a 525iA, but I'm just saying if you are driving a e34 530iA now you might be satisfied with a 530i instead of a 540i. Might be worth it to look around a little bit more. Just my 2 cents.

I'm in an e39 540iA now and it makes the e34 feel so inadequate... except the e34 has one thing the e39 will never have... MANUAL TRANSMISSION!

[Russell]

Not sure the 2001 525i sport package had anything but the wheels and the m-tech sport suspension. My 2001 5 series brochure does not mentioned anything else. The 530i and 540i sport package include a lot more.

[e34musician]

Thanks guys! Actually I've been looking for a while. The main reason is I wanted a stick bimmer - I want to really "drive" a BMW. Another thing is MPG. A friend of mine has a 525i manual, his mpg is surprisingly good (~24mpg ave from OBC). My M60 V8 is only ~17mpg (local). I guess it also has a lot to do on how you drive - with manual you have more control in driving to save more gas.

Anyway, I think the price is not bad. It's also a 1 owner with all records. Would be nice, if it had a "full" sport package. I will go see it and let you guys know.

[e34musician]

http://www.540i6.com/probsfixes.html

Wait a minute, your long list of E39 problems really scare me. I have fixed all of my e34 issues so far. I know the car well now. And it's been problem free for at least half a year so far (just fill in gas and oil change). Maybe I should stick with it for now ;)

[Russell]

apparently the 2001 525i only had a limited sport package.