Good Buy? (e39 Content)

[TooTall90]

My Brother is looking to buy this http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/1181596715.html

I dont know much about the e39, nothing at all really so i was hoping that some of you guys can shed some light on whether this is a good buy of not. things we would like to know

-common problems?(i.e. Timing belt for the m20)
-how expensive to maintain?
-is the price reasonable?
-any other helpful info on it.

[silversleeper]

I've heard that a 528iM would def be the way to go for reliability. Make sure to replace the waterpump with one equipped with a metal impeller.

For the 540iA, I would personally skip it only because I refuse to buy an auto trans anything. Aside from that, Zionsville Autosport sells a super duty cooling kit for the e39 540i:


Which is a baller upgrade, but I would be inclined to see it as a necessity.

[reelizmpro]

Sure. E39's have come down a lot and are great cars for the money! The 540 is a V8 with 280HP or so if I remember correctly. However, they are notorious for being high maintenance and expensive. The E39 chassis itself is good but it has it's problem areas. Here are a few: window regulators are flimsy and go out (avoid using the windows and slamming the doors), cupholders are flimsy, dead pixels on the display, broken climate control buttons, smog pump/diverter valve goes bad every 100K or so. The cooling system is definately an achille's heal of all E39's. Radiators blow up, plastic necks break, hoses blow, water pumps go out, fan clutches come apart, etc. Some people change the entire system every 6 years as preventative maintenance. The autos are known to have issues, the manuals are way better. check out bimmerforums.com e39 section for more info. $4K is good, depending on what it needs. You will save a lot of money if you work on it yourself. They have a 2 part Bentley manual for it too.

[Atreus]

get a e34 540i6, imo those are better...

[TooTall90]

get a e34 540i6, imo those are better...

reason being?

[TDE30]

Looks like a blinged out, first year 540iA with average mileage that someone wants to unload for an alarmingly low price. I'd pass, there's no telling what sort of problems (cooling components, suspension components, electronics, etc.) lurk on that thing. If you must go for an E39 540i (I'd recommend an E34 540i/6 personally,) go for one that isn't clearly neglected/misrepresented.

[catchuk]

Sure. E39's have come down a lot and are great cars for the money! The 540 is a V8 with 280HP or so if I remember correctly. However, they are notorious for being high maintenance and expensive. The E39 chassis itself is good but it has it's problem areas. Here are a few: window regulators are flimsy and go out (avoid using the windows and slamming the doors), cupholders are flimsy, dead pixels on the display, broken climate control buttons, smog pump/diverter valve goes bad every 100K or so. The cooling system is definately an achille's heal of all E39's. Radiators blow up, plastic necks break, hoses blow, water pumps go out, fan clutches come apart, etc. Some people change the entire system every 6 years as preventative maintenance. The autos are known to have issues, the manuals are way better. check out bimmerforums.com e39 section for more info. $4K is good, depending on what it needs. You will save a lot of money if you work on it yourself. They have a 2 part Bentley manual for it too.

Pretty much what he said, I've owned mine for 5 years and the last 160k miles, pretty much everything listed has broken on mine, I love the car but make sure you have a little extra money to pay for regular maintenance.

4 grand seems reasonable but if you can find out what kind of maitenance has been done that would definitly help.

[doucy2]

I have a 97 528iA sport, it is a nice ride. Its a super comfortable dd with a lot of space.
it glides on the highway. mileage isn't very good if you do a lot of city driving.
overall i enjoy the car, but manual would be 10000x's better.
things as mentioned that are common e39 problems, are the flimsy cup holders, 2 of my 4 are broken, also bad regulators. there are a lot of electrical gremlins in the 97's from what i've heard, nothing serious thus far for me (knock on wood). another problem many e39s find is a drain on the battery and often if i have lights on + radio + radar anything lit up in the car will flicker a bit. this has happened to many e39. my new battery fixed most of it.
my car is approaching 130k and is still solid as a rock. if you do regular maintenance and don't beat to much on it it should last a long time.

[Dave McLaren]

reason being?

In '90s I had an E34 M5, and aside from the motor (way different) my experience is that the E39 is much better made. The E34 had chintzy door panels which delaminated and a crappy headliner too. Yeah, I know about the early "environmentally friendly" glue story, but the material was cheezy too. The suspension parts didn't seem as robust as my E39 either, and I ran both cars for many years and saw them both past 140k miles. Still have the E39.

I'd go straight to the 540, and make it a sport package 6-speed. Sure it costs more to maintain, but it's such a pleasure to drive, with thick torque and a great sound if you get a Supersprint or similar.

Crap, I'm selling myself on the damned car. I think of ditching it for something newer, maybe a 550i, but this car is fully depreciated and for the cost of maintenance, which isn't that big a deal, I've got a really nice car. And no payments for now, which has helped me throw loads of money at my E30.

[eurohick.]

e39's are pretty nice cars. theyre not too complicated, and def a step ahead of a e34 in terms in comfort and room.

id prob get a 540/6, at least a 99/2000 era car. I dunno why people say theyre cash cows, anything you buy thats ten years old for cheap isnt gonna be a free lunch.

[SamE30e]

My buddy has a E39 540i M pack.. Absolutly gorgeous car, imola red might be the reason.