e39 540iT M-sport: How rare?

[mach schnell]

This is the only E39 M Sport 540 Touring I could find on Ebay right now... and it has an automatic transmission:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2003-...item2ec302ac51

[tfritz]

^yes, sorry missed the manual part..

[CleanAzzE30z]

540 touring is only auto. The 540 sedans with the six speed are super hard to find. As far as I know only about 1200 or so were brought to the US.

Wow cool. I have one. And the e39 V8 wagons did not, in fact, come to the U.S. with stick. In Europe yes.

[kingkogo]

Yes its rare.

Hello i just happened to see this thread so i registred. Im from Sweden.
There was only 51 M-sport six speed e39 540 touring built. One guy on a swedish forum has done the research.

The first one was built 2001-04-17 the last one 2003-12-16.
Im pasting a list from that forum on the different colors they were made in. Its abit in swedish but you will understand i think.

Cosmosschwarz metallic; 3st (01)
Topasblau metallic; 6st (två av varje årsmodell; 01, 02, 03)
Titansilber metallic; 10st (tre 01, fyra 02 och tre 03)
Oxfordgrün II metallic; 2st (01)
Sterlinggrau metallic; 1st (03)
Saphirschwarz metallic; 19st (nio 02, nio 03 och en 04)
Imolarot II; 1st (03)
Schwarz II; 1st (03)

Individual color

Carbonschwarz metallic; 2st (en 01 och en 04)
Sepia metallic; 1st (01)
Stahlgrau metallic; 1st (02)
Messing metallic; 1st (02)
Nachtblau metallic; 1st (03)
Orientblau metallic; 1st (03)
Oxfordgrün II metallic; 1st (02:a beställd efter färgen ströks)

CleanAzz whats the last seven digits on your serialnumber?

[e30lov]

I have a six speed transmission from a e34 540 laying around in my garage.

Just throwing that out there. I want it gone

[e30trooper]

540i's everywhere in Socal. No way a rare car

[quickervicar]

I have a six speed transmission from a e34 540 laying around in my garage.

Just throwing that out there. I want it gone

We need to talk

[kingkogo]

e30Trooper I do think its rare.

540i/6T 51 cars produced with M Aerodynamics package
540i/AT 239 cars produced with M Aerodynamics package

I dont know how many made it to US.

540i's everywhere in Socal. No way a rare car

[SmokeE30]

540/6 would be a awesome daily driver but the manuals are more difficult to find yet around here there are few for sale

[Beej '86 325es]

540i/6 are a dime a dozen. Not at all hard to find. The M-sport (really just a 2003 540/6, they only made them in 2003 and all 540/6s made in 2003 are m-sports) are tough to find though, and typically pretty pricey.

Neither E34 nor E39 tourings ever came in stick OR M sport from the factory in the US.

I used to have an '03 M-Sport. Silver on Black w/ 6-speed...The hardest to find combo. I sold it two years ago and haven't seen one for sale online that was comparable since. I miss the hell out of that car, but the damn thing cost me an arm and a leg to keep it looking and running pristine.

1600 of them in the '03 M-Sports in the US had a 6-speed. But people hoard them.

The 540iT would be a cool car, but do your research on them. Here are some random notes from my experience with them:
-I think those were built beyond the whole nikasil/alusil block issues.
-Find out if the valley pan gasket has been replaced. It's a common and expensive issue and I believe the new BMW gaskets fix the issue.
-The cooling system on the car is crap, so find out when those components have been replaced.
-Pixels burn out on E39s, but there's a place that repairs the clusters for $300, but your S.O.L. on the radio and climate control.
-If you want to fit wider wheels on it like an '03 M-Sport or M5, you have to replace the inner wheel liners.
-A CAI sounds awesome on this engine, but to my knowledge, there's not much available in the way of tunes.
-With an auto you won't have to worry about the expensive clutch that goes out every 70,000 miles.

[metrohick]

Just bought a e39 touring Sport(99) 540iT
I have some wrenching to do replacing timing guide chains.
Definitely a different feel from any other older BMW I owned.

Apparently, the touring is my new mid life crisis on blast...

Hope it rolls boss for a while... been off the Bavarians for a minute and I'm glad to be back in one again.