BMW E39 540i

https://www.panjo.com/buy/2003-bmw-540i-m-sport-314533

 

If you're getting a lower mileage car be sure to use all aftermarket parts to replace suspension and radiator. Suspension goes every 70k. Radiator goes every 60k. Be sure to spend the extra money and get the zionsville auto aluminum radiator and you'll never have to change it again.

 

Uh, I'm not sure this is true.

Like others, around 60K the water pump went (I may have replaced the radiator too- I know I did replace the expansion tank at some point)- maybe the cooling system is what Brad is referring to if his went at 80K?)...I don't notice any leaks now at 120K- could be an upgraded part was used (I got it done at the dealership at the tail end of my CPO warranty). My car had the clutch delay valve in it, which I removed as soon as I purchased the car with ~21K miles. I think between that and the first owner perhaps not being as good as a shifter, I did replace the clutch at 60K. The newer clutch now has 60K on it and grabs very well- I think the early replacement was an unusual occurance on my car.

I've replaced various window regulators over the years (not a big thing). I have my mechanics check the suspension every year when it goes in for oil change/servicing- when a part or bushing is bad they replace it. I once had a recall on the car back around 2006 or so and the dealer said some suspension part was bad and gave me a $1,100 quote. I drove straight from the dealer to my mechanics (I had the day off and was getting the oil changed) and asked them to check it. Something like a $40-50 bushing installed, vs the $1,100 dealer quote (like I said, I have great mechanics).

Maybe a mass airflow sensor or two, and I did at one point get a battery draw that was somehow connected to the sunroof motor- option was to replace motor or unplug it- I opted to have it unplugged (I didn't use the sunroof anyway).

My car has never been garaged in the 14 years I've owned it, so the interior (beige) is a little faded, and now a small seam seperation on the driver's side seat. The paint has held up nicely though.

The v8s sometimes leak some oil- mine is and I'm just leaving it alone- it mark's it's spot

All in, the car is torquey (flat torque curve so deceptively quick) and the seats/suspension are very comfortable. Based on comfort and my confidence in my car's reliability (knoock on wood ), I'd drive it across country without worry. Most of my trips are local with some highway, but occasionally I'll use the car for a longer drive for a meeting or whatnot, and the car is really an excellent highway cruiser- effortless on the highway, nice and steady. Just keep the suspension maintained, and it's great.

Overall, looking back between the $42K I paid for the car in 2002 as a certified pre-owned car (sticker in 2000 was ~$57K if I recall) and maintence through the years, has even been relatively economical to own.

I've always had a sports car plus daily driver- I went through a few used STS caddy's over about 6 years because I had to drive more for work back then, and finally gave in and sprung for the 540 after tiring of reading year after year of how these cars won 10 best car awards The inline 6 is likely a more reliable/economical motor, but I had to go for the 8 and glad that I did.

My interior is looking a little faded, so I've been toying with the idea of the M5, which I think would be different enough for me to make it an interesting "new" car, and then I could drive that for another 10-15 years- ha!

The only other thing is, I bought a used OEM set of standard (narrower) 540i rims which are a pretty ugly design, and I put on M&S tires- now the car goes well in the snow. Kind of a pain to have to switch over, but worth it for me because I like my stick and rear wheel drive outside of the winter months. I like the deep dish sport rims on my vintage 540i sport (all sticks in 2000 and probably later models too had the sport package- rims/tires, etc)- those will go back on in a few months. The front sport tires do wear realitively quick, although at the miles I drive I get 3-4 years out of them.

 

Which mechanic do you go to? Sounds like I'll be using him too

 

Europecar Service in Morristown, NJ. 95% of what they do is BMW

 

Spot on. I've dealt with most of the above over the last 10 years as well, I'm currently at ~130K. One thing I would add is that somewhere around 100K I ended up replacing the valley pan as it was leaking coolant. It's a pretty common failure on these cars. I've also had to replace the PCV valve, the alternator, and various door lock actuators too.

You're right that navigation is not common on E39s. My car has it, and the one advantage of nav equipped cars is that you can do a plug and play upgrade to the Mark IV nav system (and wide screen if the car is prior to 2001). It's still primitive compared to modern navigation but with the Mark IV you can add a Sirius module and have a fully-integrated system.

 

I've had my 2002 540i since 2013, have about 250k kms on it now. Swapped it to manual in spring of 2015, did the timing guides and an interior refurb at the same time. Biggest issue with the engines is the guides, if oil changes weren't done properly they tend to break apart. Cooling system is pretty hit- or-miss in my view, the only issue I've had with mine has been the expansion tank springing a small leak.

Alternator is expensive (water-cooled) as are batteries. Headlight adjusters break (lights end up pointing low). The M62 likes to leak oil a lot. Power steering soft hoses weep as well. Thrust arm bushings go every 50k.

Window regulators and cluster/MID pixels are the biggest interior issues. No problems with my windows, I did the pixel fix myself for about $50 total.

I strongly suggest getting a Dynavin N6 unit for nav/phone/car apps, much better and cheaper than OEM nav. Also, an M5 LSD diff transforms the car, especially if it's a non-MSport with the lower gears.

 

It was a pretty modern car- not only the power/performance (it was a fast sedan in the day, before getting into the M5 which was even faster), but has station ID (I don't know if many cars had that in 2000), Zenon headlights, 6 speed tranny, etc.

Tom reminded me, I think I've done valve cover gaskets, and the alternator, but the alternator was only because someone ran a stop sign and the impact burst a coolant hose and I needed a new hood..somehow the alternator was damaged from that. During the accident (which was probably 6-7 years ago now) one of the headlights was damaged- I had the insurance company of the guy that hit me replace both- the old ones were pitted- looked like sandblasting from the highway. The new ones have held up cosmetically much better (the replacements were OEM, but maybe they improved the plastic to be harder?), however one of the lights sometimes gets some condensation in there for a few days which does not affect the performance of the light.

As usual, we all get carried away with this forum- I forgot we are in the classified section for someone looking to purchase a 540i vs. talk about all the nuances

 

Over ten years I replaced the radiator at least twice.

That was a serious weak point and worth upgrading.

Matt

 

One more thing...I had some small rust spots fixed by the rear wheel wells, by the bottom of the fender. Over 14 years I guess I don't remember everything right away, but I have a file that has every receipt since I've owned her...

 

Thank you. Much appreciated.

Car 2 sounds great. Best of luck. I think it's so cool to be giving your dad a car. Especially one he can work on and enjoy.

 

I thought all sticks (at least from my 2000 model year on) were sport package? Car 1 may be a sport and he doesn't realize it or listed wrong?

 

If 1 is a sport and is a garaged maybe 2nd or 3rd for the owner thus the low mileage, I'd vote car 1 and car 2.

 

I believe Andrew is correct - I think all manuals came with the sport package. Easiest way to tell is to look at the trim around the door windows - if it's chrome, no sport package. If it's black (shadowline) then it is sport package.

 

Personally, I wouldn't even consider a non-sport package car. To me, the pinnacle of the 540i is the 2003 M-sport which is a sport package car with M Parallel wheels, the bumpers from the M5 factory installed along with a few other improvements over the standard sport package car.

 

There was a 2003 M-sport in Virginia for sale on eBay recently for about $9k with less than 100k miles but it was an auto.

 

This one is the only M Sport manual I could find with a quick search. 94K miles, $18K

Cars for Sale: Used 2003 BMW 540i in , Lake Forest CA: 92630 Details - Sedan - Autotrader