BozzaFC 300 Report post Posted July 7, 2018 Hi all, New member; just discovered this forum and couldn't not make an account! It looks amazing. Looking at buying a 2001 530i. https://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=1680750143 Any advice or thoughts? It looks to be in pretty good condition and with low mileage. Hopefully will be going for a test drive some time next week. Any tips on what to check for and any good places to take it to for a PPI? Thanks in advance! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1514 Report post Posted July 7, 2018 Typical NZ new non msport facelift spec (like mine) which has some good options. Good colour combo too. K's is lower than the average one but service history as more important. May of been used in traffic most of its life, lots of short trips etc and its still an 18 year old car regardless. Id be asking for any service history Around those k's are when the cooling system start to fail - mainly water pump, thermostat, expansion tanks. Transmission has hopefully been serviced otherwise its well overdue. Suspension should be acceptable at those k's but no guarantees, you'd probably feel to the difference in handling you replaced shocks etc. Other little things like belt pulleys and tensioner are usually showing wear and various small leaks from old hoses and o-rings are usual present to a degree. Vanos seals are probably worn which isnt a major but doing them typically improves <3k rpm torque esp with the shorter diff ratio Im sure the Wellington guys will know who to recommend. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
str8_6 268 Report post Posted July 7, 2018 Hi Boston, The vehicle you linked to is my car. Happy to arrange a time to show you. There are no leaks, I’m pedantic. Power steering hoses have been replaced as well as recent thermostat housing and thermostat. This was replaced as the o-ring on the sensor was weeping. There is service history and history of transmission service. Previous owner of 10 years used this as a long distance car and had another car as their shopping trolley. This isn’t a worn out high mileage car. I bought it sight unseen, from a Wellington based owner, drove it home and it instantly reminded me why the e39 was one of the best. The 3 litre is the best pick for daily driving. I’m only selling as I can’t have three cars on the driveway. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted July 7, 2018 (edited) Well that blow that reply out of the water Good on you Aaron good luck with the sale. Edited July 7, 2018 by allan Aarons reply 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SmithyInWelly 212 Report post Posted July 8, 2018 Damn - if someone bought my e91 (see the For Sale topic) this could be a great option... and local too. Bozza: not sure re PPI... have mine booked in at Winger for a WOF this week and am considering a pre-emptive PPI on it too (just not sure I wanna flush $225 down the dunny), if I do it I'll let you know. FWIW I bought an e39 from someone on here and it was almost exactly as described. And you know the person is enthusiastic about their vehicles or they wouldn't be here... and that's especially important for any older Bimmer. Good luck with it! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 607 Report post Posted July 8, 2018 Agree with @SmithyInWelly and @Eagle - a bonus that it is a members car and local ? I've had a couple of E39's - they are such a great balanced car! Approach it as an 18 year old car that will require some maintenance at some point but it is a hell of a lot of car for the asking price. If I was in the market, @str8_6's endorsement would be enough for me to purchase. Good luck! 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1514 Report post Posted July 8, 2018 Yep but i will say PPI would still be a good idea esp if you don't work on your own cars. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 607 Report post Posted July 8, 2018 (edited) Yup agree a PPI from a reputable garage is highly recommended also! Or if it was me I would just pull the trigger ? Man this is so tempting... Edited July 8, 2018 by treone 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SmithyInWelly 212 Report post Posted July 8, 2018 42 minutes ago, treone said: Or if it was me I would just pull the trigger ? I'm pretty sure it is you Greg... you know you want to ? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 607 Report post Posted July 8, 2018 25 minutes ago, SmithyInWelly said: I'm pretty sure it is you Greg... you know you want to ? Haha - you know me too well! Thought this would be in @TermiPeteNZ driveway by now - just to complete the set ? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TermiPeteNZ 1299 Report post Posted July 11, 2018 On 7/8/2018 at 5:22 PM, treone said: Haha - you know me too well! Thought this would be in @TermiPeteNZ driveway by now - just to complete the set ? I did look at this as I don't have a 6 - just waiting for the right Motorsport E39 or E46 with leather to show up in Welly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
