HUGE dilemma E30 vs E39

[poopin04]

Okay so I have a huge problem n my hands right now. I love my E30 death, but there is this amazing deal for an E39 540i. I pretty much can't have both of them, as I don't even get to drive my E30 must anymore bc of work. And I know the E39 is in great condition bc my buddy is the second owner and he's a mechanic that's been working on it since the first owner has been bringing it to his shop since purchased. I'm not sure if I should sell my E30 and pick this up or if I should pass on it. :-( I'm fucking stuck!

Pics below.

[walktheboard]

I feel like any car that you know the history of THAT well, that is for the right price, will be worth it

[Texas Toast]

My brother has a 540 that is falling apart. Its alright, it doesn't even touch the e30 though. Might be the fact that its falling apart and an automatic.

If your not able to drive the e30 much because of work what's going to change to let you drive the e39?

[mikeedler]

PASS on it.

it is gong to nickel and dime you to death, plus it doesn't even look good. An older BMW V8 is the last thing you should want to get!

[DrMcDave]

my dad's 540i sport has gotten expensive to maintain once it went over 110k. We just went through the whole cooling system rebuild. It eats tires and parts are way expensive compared to an e30. For my dad with deep pockets it's not a big deal and he loves his but even on a decent income I'd rather not have to worry about future repair costs. That being said I love e39's. His sport is just an awesome car and it looks good too even bone stock.

[reelizmpro]

$150 PP M5 rep front bumper (+mirrors/rear bumper) completely transforms the car as far as looks are concerned so that's not an issue but if you plan on owning one, especially one with a V8...you better be a mechanic or at least prepared to drop some cash on it every now and then for stuff like secondary air pump/window regulators, ASC module, dead pixels in the cluster and MID, the 4 oxygen sensors, or any of the hundred things that can throw a check engine light. My point is, it's a more complicated car compared to the E30. Just be prepared.

[poopin04]

I've made my mind up. Fuck that shyte!

The feedback I've been getting from E30 members and other E39 members is, if you're prepared to drop some monies when need be you'll be fine. Also, being a mechanic or more of a grease monkey would be very helpful, b/c it's a huge jump in mechanic level from an E30. I'm still a damn noob, even though I've owned the car for two years.

So moral of the story is it's a pass and I'll just look for a winter beater that the gf can drive. Even though I keep telling her that Snookie can drive stick, she refuses to learn.

[nrubenstein]

M60/62 engines require a lot of care and feeding. The S62 is actually more reliable. Personally, I couldn't imagine getting a V8 E39 that wasn't the M5. I'd rather give up a little power and have a 530i than I would the slop box steering (it's terrible, even in the M5). Plus, the V8 power just sucks with an open diff.

So no, I can't say that I'd be especially enthusiastic about that car. The only reason to buy it is if all you do is highway cruising. It's a great car to snooze in while driving.

[MonkeyMadness]

E30...

Dude park them both in a Shopping store parking lot..

Then stand back and pick out the stand out..

[mr2peak]

E39's aren't old enough to be cool yet, they're just old enough to be expensive.

[CrusherCurtis]

ill its not even the undated version