Should I sell my 325is to get a E39?

[e30Nicko]

e34>e39

[RondoAcapriccio]

go with an e34 or e28 instead.

[priapism]

I've owned both...completely different animals. A small, light, nimble car vs. a big 'bahn burner. Totally different beasts.

[iX-treame]

My personal experience with e39's is no matter how much maintenance you put into them they are still gonna leave you stranded. e39's are "new" cars, "new" cars are disposable. Buy an e34 they are a quality piece of work, even better a 525i 5spd m50 ftw!

my .02

[mach schnell]

I've had an E34 also, and have been disappointed by them. The front end is a pain in the ass with the thrust arm bushings wearing out and the brake rotors warping. But... get 'em refreshed up front and they're generally Ok. Under-braked though, from the factory, in my opinion.

I also find the interiors to be flimsy. Door panels, door pulls, under-dash stuff, etc. Just don't like 'em. Look for rust along the bottoms of the doors. Door panels delaminating.

Meanwhile, the Mercedes W124 from the same era is a frickin' tank. W124 all the way.

If you want a 5, get an E28. Basically a big E30. I have often wanted a clean E28.

[graveshaker]

I would ONLY suggest an e39 if it was an ///M5 or like mine, a 540i/6 (6 speed manual)
Amazing power and really good handling.





and exhaust note video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEYW4nd6ZYc

[mbonanni]

buddy has a 525i e34 5 speed. really nice car.

Or save up more and buy an e30 touring. haha

[bubbajan21]

Buy an E34 wagon and do a 5-speed swap.

[Butler]

No.

I'd hold on to the is !

[100sFakeSupreme]

ive owned an e39 528i sports package up to 300K and it ran STRONG still. never rebuilt.

an e39 is a great car maintain, its VERY reliable like any other car if you take care of it.
(ITS REALLY ON THE OWNER)

usually u spend around 1,200 a year to keep it tip top shape i have reciepts maybe less depends on what you overhaul.

oil changes/suspension parts/rubbers/gaskets/cooling system. the usual. to keep it healthy.

what can be VERY expensive is labor. but very argued, so is any car.

but the e39 if your trying to keep a VALUE. stick to an M5 ONLY.

ive seen plenty of 540's tryna clone dinan mod. dont matter still barely sells for 4-7k now. and were talking 7k better be modded & CLEAN for 7k. round 90-110k miles odo.

and the lower 5ers like 525's/528's/530's etc. arent worth jack just know one UNDER 90k sells for around 6-10k clean title. but as soon as you hit OVER the 100k mark?

YOUR PRICE VALUE JUST DROPPED MAJOR. ive searched & even sold my e39 to know this. took 3yrs to finally sell for my e30 now.

i can get a clean 5er for less than 5k with around 110k miles even some 80k are being sold for $5k or less.

but it all depends on what your shooting 4?

value worth after your done with the toy and mods? = your not going to get close to what you paid in the end.
the value of driving a 50grand car feel when its maintained but for fraction of price? = very nice smooth reliable SAFE family car.
or found a cheap deal fixer upper? = i dont really see a negative here lol.

who knows? but all these options changes of course with your direction or motive.

in conclusion, KEEP the e30 if you want FUN.

the e39 is strictly a hwy family kid car. it HANDLES GREAT 4 a sedan and cabin is SUPER silent w/ solid doors & structure.
but your just paying 4 new look. all the electronics(generally speaking) in an e39 btw, the e30 i find out ALREADY had and thats a 10 year gap.

so if you want a reliable old dog. get an e39 family car. BUT EXPECT TO SPEND QUITE A BIT ON UPKEEP.

if you want fun & edge with a car you feel that you have complete control and throttle power obviousally keep the e30 because an e39 holds NONE of these qualities only an m5 does. 540's are nice but eh. u wasted ur money on a wannabe m5.

with an e39 your buying a look. just looks newer thats all. i didnt care 4 it reason why i baught an e30. i have power now i feel like i drive a much more respectable car & out handles the e39 for sure. but then again i just had the 528i sports package.

[p nut]

Meh. I wouldn't.

[cramer]

I've owned my E39 for about 6 years and is sitting at just over 80k on the clock. To respond to some of the topics brought up:

-I haven't seen any electrical gremlins, but there are electrical things that will need to be replaced the E30 doesn't have, like the common problem of the final stage unit (HVAC fan controller). It's a $90 part and takes 15min to do.

- They have the common problems of the plastic cooling system parts that later BMWs have.

-wear items will be a bit more then an E30 like suspension bushings, brakes ,etc.

-The M5 only left me stranded once (luckily close to home) when the fuel pump went. Other then that, the E39 had been prefectly reliable.

The E30 and E39 are very different cars, if you are looking for something more comfortable, more room, better cruiser, then the E39 is your car. For a straight up fun car, it's hard to beat a 325is.

I'd also recommend going with a 540 (or m5 for that matter) as the inline 6 is a bit gutless with the heavy 5 series. Yes, the 6 is dead on reliable and is cheaper to maintain then the the V8, but it's just underpowered.

[RagtopE30]

Thanks for the input! I have shifted my dd search towards the E34 530i or 540i and I know where there is a 540i Sport that has been sitting for over a year due to a bad water pump. I may try and get that!

[Wh33lhop]

The E34 has the similar-to-e30 look, but the E39 is the superior car--stiffer chassis, better handling, more power and same weight. Since it's also newer they are more likely to be in better shape, and you can find plenty of E39 540i 6 speeds around as opposed to the E34s which were only made for one year.

Won't replace an E30 though.

[freeride53]

I say yeah. Comfy cruiser paired up with a nice e30 vert would be a nice combo...