Any particular E39 years to avoid?

[Adnan]

Hi,

Considering an E39 wagon fror my wife; are any years in particular to be avoided? There's that old concern about first model year BMWs.

How's the 2.8 engine compared with the earlier and later 2.5? A '95 (E34) wagon may be an option, perhaps a better option?

Thanks,
Adnan

[Adnan]

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[gale]

I looked into e39's last year. 97's had trivial problems such as broken door latches that seemed to go away in 98. They all seem to have pixel dropout problems on the OBC display, don't know if they ever fixed that. Many dealers will cut a deal under the table to provide a new display.

The newer 525/528/530 motors are pretty much bullet proof, both the single & dual vanos. Our local dealer rarely sees one come in for engine problems unless it has overheated. I was leaning toward an e39 540i and there were improvements in power for 99 and mid-2001, don't know if the same is true for the 6-cyl engines. They are very solid cars to drive, remind me more of a pre-Bangle 7.

Here's a site with more info, it's compiled for the V-8 but reading thru it, much of the body/chassis/electrical stuff would apply to a 6 as well:

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

[Mr Project]

My neighbor has a '99 528iT for sale. Nice car, they've had a few minor things like final stage resistors in the HVAC and such, but it's been a solid car for them. e-mail me if you're interested and I'll give you his contact info. (Lincoln, NE)

armenb1_NOSPAM@juno.com (remove _NOSPAM)

[Warren N.CA]

Seriously, E39s are nice cars, but have much more complex electronics and systems than E34. The Bentley book is two volumes. If you want a car you can fix yourself, E34 is better.

Hi,

Considering an E39 wagon fror my wife; are any years in particular to be avoided? There's that old concern about first model year BMWs.

How's the 2.8 engine compared with the earlier and later 2.5? A '95 (E34) wagon may be an option, perhaps a better option?

Thanks,
Adnan

[Adnan]

Hi,

Sounds like a safe bet, either way. I think it'll come down to what's available at the time. Since I'm in CA, I'd like to stay with a local car.

Thanks a bunch,
Adnan