First car shopping time
I really like the 98-03 5 series, and I'm leaning towards the 540i M Sport version because I want to put a nice growly exhaust on it, and have it be a nice stealthy cruiser car. Angel halo headlights, repaint it black, or wrap it glossy black or maybe satin white, and just some nice maybe deep dish rims and lower it, but not stance it or anything like that.
I will be driving it maybe 1 hour per day, 3-4 times a week just to university and back, and I won't be pushing it or anything often unless I'm at a car meet or something like that.
Can you guys tell me your experiences with them? I don't mind paying for maintenance, and my budget is around $10,000 - $2,000 for tax and licensing, so like $8,000 Canadian
Are they good daily drivers, what about winter driving? I'll put some bridgestone Blizzaks or the Nokien Hakkapelittas on it for sure, I know cars have maintenance fees and I'm prepared to pay for them. If I keep everything working properly, take it in for 3-4 month checkups with the mechanic, and keep all service up to date, what are the major problems it could give me? The ones I'm looking at are in good shape, not much rust, and around 200,000 kilometers, or like 125,000 miles. There are some that are only 160,000 kilometers, but they're around $2,000 more, and is it worth paying the extra $2,000 for them, or are they all basically high mileage and will give similar problems from now on? There are some that are selling with 400,000 kilometers as well, so it leads me to believe these things are bulletproof if maintained well.
Good car, maintenance will cost around $1500 a year at that mileage, and fuel will be not cheap, but since you're driving mostly highway I assume you won't be that hurt, also very fun car, good luck, get the lowest mileage one possible, and take care of it, it'll be worth a lot someday!
Look for one that's already had the cooling system redone. Check for rust around the jack points. Ask if the VANOS has been rebuilt yet- it's not gonna stop the car from running but you gain a lot of power if the seals are in good shape. Use it as bargaining power if it hasn't been done and do it first thing when you get it. If you can do basic shit yourself, you'll save a lot of money on maintenance. Most of the things that will need to be done on it are simple and take 1-2 hours. Even if you have somebody else do your work i don't think the maintenance would ever get to $1500 unless you're going to a dealership for everything.
>$2000 for tax and licensing
fug
I paid USD $25 tax and $150 to license my 530i
>>14008829
530i's are nice too, you know. Classic inline 6 smoothness, and probably less maintenance on the enigne.
>>14008858
>maintenance will cost around $1500 a year at that mileage,
lol no
>>14009029
I mean, if you consider maintenance swapping in a new engine every 2 years then it will.
>>14008829
Ok so your gonna pay about 3-4 thousand dollars fixing the thing when you get it, painting it black will cost more than the car, the 540i gets worse millage than other models for not much more power.
I own a 530i m sport, its a great daily driver, but if your commute gets really tiring the m sport may not be best for you because the m sport suspension is harder than a pornstars dick. Also since this is your DD why the exhaust mod? (The box said +5 hp)
>>14010131
>Ok so your gonna pay about 3-4 thousand dollars fixing the thing when you get it
what the fuck is this meme
maybe if literally everything is wrong with the car and you go to the most jewish of dealerships you might get to $3k. Otherwise maintenance wouldn't ever get over a few hundred dollars every few months, or less if you're not retarded and know how to operate a wrench.
>>14010195
EVERYTHING IN E39S BREAK
E V E R Y T H I N G
>>14010131
I meant over time he was going to invest 3-4k
>>14010229
Like anon said its going to get to the point where your having to replace half of the car
>>14008829
OP, don't come to /o/ for bmw advice. It's filled with irrational bmw hating manchildren that know fuck all.
Just go to bimmerforums / pelican parts / bmwcca / bimmerpost / etc / etc
>>14010257
>It's filled with irrational bmw hating manchildren that know fuck all.
Truer words have never been spoken
Only car to buy is one with full maintenance records. Otherwise you will spend thousands just getting it back to normal.
>>14011716
>>14010257
actually there's plenty of bmw love here, just the occasional shitposter
Would a 1997 BMW 320i with 100,000k be a good first car?
>>14008829
I owned an E46 330Ci, so just assume your experience is going to be a more expensive version of mine (particularly because VANOS).
It was a beautiful car, I bought it at 90,000 miles and I put 60,000 miles on it over 5 years before I sold it, but I put in as much as I purchased it for originally in keeping it running. When I first got it, I had a bunch of naive ideas of all these cool mods I was going to do, but now I get why people are struggling to keep them stock. It taught me a lot about cars owning it and it is the car that made me love cars. I still lust over getting one again, or an E39, actually, but then I remember the cost of ownership.
The straight six never failed me, but almost every other system on the car did, eventually, and many are expensive to fix. If you can't do basic things yourself, forget about it, because you will send some mechanic's kids through college if you depend on them for everything. I watched a youtube video about a guy who has a beautiful E39 M5 and he bought it for $12.5k and put more than $30k into it in the first three years of owning it. That's the reality of it. The Germans made the powertrain, but all the electronics were made by American idiots and in every nook and cranny and system on the car, they fail. Spectacularly and unbelievably and expensively.
>>14008829
>>14012753
This is the video I referenced:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-VhvOi8Dm0
>>14012775
Shit, wrong video. 27mins into this one is up to date:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvOAyVeGeV4
>>14008996
I own a 540i Msport and this pretty much covers every thing you need to know. Just find one with a manual, you'll regret getting the auto.
When you do start replacing coolant components (and you will) do not put OEM spec shit back on, I made that mistake and had to replace a new $150+ radiator within a month as the plastic radiators and cooling components are a piece of shit, I opted for a pricey Zionsville and have had no problems since $700 is worth my peace of mind.
Personally would not DD it during the winter given how finicky the car as is with shit like salt assaulting it every time you go out.
So if its your only vehicle look for something else.
>>14010131
The exhaust sounds a whole lot better with just even a basic performance muffler that alone is good enough reason.
>>14010240
No, no you wont.
>>14012753
M models always have a premium attached to their parts, so when you could easily put 5-6k into a regular 540i parts wise over several years of ownership, 30k is expected.
That being said you could easily put a Supercharger and upgraded parts in a 540i for less than 10k and it will outperform a stock M5
>14012903
>Personally would not DD it during the winter given how finicky the car as is with shit like salt assaulting it every time you go out.
mine is winter prepped with fluid film as a salt-protectant on the undercarriage and blizzaks ws80 snow tires on 16 inch borbet wheels. still need to get a pair of adhesive oil pan heater pads though
Mine's an 03 M sport. Previous owner did the coolant rebuild and replaced a bunch of the stuff up top including the CCV valve. He spent over $5000 having this kinds of things done at an Indy. I still feel bad for the poor sap.
List of things that go wrong.
VANOS.
Infamous coolant failure.
CCV - causing crank case pressure, blowing out valve cover gaskets, and drenching plugs in oil.
Coils and plugs - from the above CCV failure.
Catalytic converters - and they're EXPENSIVE. Aftermarket replacements sometimes are not efficient enough to keep the CEL light off. I have a welder, so I welded in large high performance replacements.
Suspension linkages.....
Misc interior things breaking. That's really it. Everything else works really well and is built to last. I would advise to stay away from the seven series because of all the motorized electronics that fail, but the E39 really doesn't have any of those problems.
The turn signal stalk sometimes needs to be rebuilt, same for headlight switch. Small shit you can do on your kitchen table on a weekend.
Best car I've ever owned. I have a newer six series which has more bling factor to it, but its not the German tank that's in the garage.
Don't let anyone talk you out of it. I plan to keep mine until I die.
>>14013575
Wait, do you prefer to deal with dealerships in some cases? When I had my E46, I went to a reputable shop (from e46fanatics) that was up front and reasonable about my expectations and pricing. I always thought I was getting a better deal than a dealership.
>>14013642
No, I do all my own work. Expect to pay 70% of what the dealership wants using an Independent shop. Doing it yourself, expect to pay 5%.
With that said. The engine is not beginner level easy to maintenance, but it's not hard either.
>>14013575
>I plan to keep mine until I die.
not sure what it is about the e39 but they're easy to get hooked on
you can retrofit an NBT infotainment system from the newest bmws into it now too, there's a $700 IBUS adapter harness. That way you get the latest tech without having to step into a newer bmw.
>>14013642
If you want an e39 or e46 and plan to regularly take it to a shop, you should buy something else.
That being said, do it OP. The 540 is fucking godly. Don't be too fooled by the msport. While you obviously want it, it's ONLY the last year of the 540. Finding an actual m sport is taxing.
Like the other anon said, the 540 is the BMW I love. The one in the garage worth 6X as much that can hit 60 in almost half the time is no where near as fun nor loved.
The biggest first problems you're likely to have to deal with for an uncared for e39 are vanos and cooling system. Luckily I haven't dealt with either in the last 6 years with mine. They're also super easy to work on. Styling is starting to become a bit dated, but it's still a good looking car.
>>14013710
if you're having speed envy, keep an eye on this thread
http://www.bimmerboost.com/showthread.php?44507-Eaton-Supercharger-Kit-E39-540i/page13
using an eaton TVS blower from high end jaguars, you can pick them up for rather cheap from junkyards and it's a true twin screw supercharger, really heat efficient and tons of boost potential. way cheaper than that shitty VF blower
OP you want an 2001+ to get all the goodies. I also couldn't imagine my car without the six speed. Wait for a good one. A ragged on car is the last thing you want.
>not sure what it is about the e39 but they're easy to get hooked on
Something about the black interior. It's such a serious car.
>>14013785
I've been in touch with Toolman for a year. I haven't bought his kit because it eliminates the CCV completely, which isn't good for the engine.
>>14013790
>black interior
Had a black on black E36 awhile back. Great car but I ended up getting bored of it. It's hard to explain really, they're such great cars but I got tired of how predictable it was (performance, handling, balance, etc) and ultimately wanted something... worse?
>>14013821
not toolman, mpowered's stuff on the last page
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231772943154?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AI
I'm seriously considering buying this. Kbb rates it at $3k, but I think I'd pay up to 3.5k. Carfax came back clean. Is this a good deal? And why would there be a 540i decal on it?
>>14013692
They also make aftermarket infotainment systems that are plug and play
>>14014105
>And why would there be a 540i decal on it?
Because some one didn't want to look like a poor fag, also don't buy cheap bmws if you know what's good for you
I'm definitely going to buy an E39 as soon as I get into my career job and move into my own house. Drove my friends 530I for a few hours on a road trip and I fell in love with it almost instantly. I've rarely driven any cars that feel that solid at 200 km/h, and it has power in its entire rev range. Also everything in the interior feels really nice to use. Already have a hooptie accord so I'm not worried about winter.
I don't think it's worth getting one as a first car though. You think it's easy/cheap maintaining cars but over the year you'll realise that you spend quite a bit on gas and insurance, at least 2K+. Getting a car that may need expensive repairs and drinks gas like crazy is gonna cost you a pretty penny yearly and that's before insurance and maintenance.
>>14013888
I can't see it anymore because the stupid VBulletin settings, and I'm not signing up.
Was that the Ford M112 without the coolers?
