tecolote
11-13-2004, 08:02 PM
My '90 E34 535i with 222.3K miles met an untimely end Thursday night at the hooves of a 10 point buck in SW Colorado. Airbag deployed, front end smashed pretty good taking out everything to the front of the fan clutch. My wife and I walked away w/o a scratch, the most important thing. Amazingly, it still runs. However, I am sure that it will be totalled by the insurance companies.
So, I'm in the market for a new car and am looking at E39's, specifically 528i's of 97-99 vintage. I think I know what I want: sport package, 5 speed, other options are essentially inconsequential: I'm looking at retrofitting heated seats if the new car doesn't have them, and will put in various performance enhancements (software, CAI, etc) if they're not already installed. I did a lot of my own work on the 535i, so am comfortable tackling most non-major work.
If you have experience in a 535i and a 528i, I'd like to hear what you think of the two cars compared. My 535i was sharked, and pretty fast. The 528i, stock, has about 18 less HP. But the gas mileage is much better. The 535i had camber plates, H&R/Bilstein Sports, front strut brace. How does the handling of the two cars compare?
I am probably looking at a car that has 50-75K miles on it. What problems am I likely to encounter in the next 50K miles, which, for me, is 2 years. Radiator? Bushings (control, thrust)? Water pump? Anything else in the drivetrain? Electronics issues? HVAC issues?
If you have any suggestions as to what a pre-purchase inspection should specifically look for, please convey them to me.
Thanks very much in advance!
Bob
So, I'm in the market for a new car and am looking at E39's, specifically 528i's of 97-99 vintage. I think I know what I want: sport package, 5 speed, other options are essentially inconsequential: I'm looking at retrofitting heated seats if the new car doesn't have them, and will put in various performance enhancements (software, CAI, etc) if they're not already installed. I did a lot of my own work on the 535i, so am comfortable tackling most non-major work.
If you have experience in a 535i and a 528i, I'd like to hear what you think of the two cars compared. My 535i was sharked, and pretty fast. The 528i, stock, has about 18 less HP. But the gas mileage is much better. The 535i had camber plates, H&R/Bilstein Sports, front strut brace. How does the handling of the two cars compare?
I am probably looking at a car that has 50-75K miles on it. What problems am I likely to encounter in the next 50K miles, which, for me, is 2 years. Radiator? Bushings (control, thrust)? Water pump? Anything else in the drivetrain? Electronics issues? HVAC issues?
If you have any suggestions as to what a pre-purchase inspection should specifically look for, please convey them to me.
Thanks very much in advance!
Bob