mtk540

Hope you had it insured Dave

1999 Audi A4 quattro Avant 2.4 previous 12 years was a NZ new 1988 E30 320i doesn't like driving the 540 - says it's to big

Check out the US E39 site at http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/There's truckloads of useful technical stuff there and all the members seem quite helpful. Good luck Mike

I went and had a look but the yard was closed and all vehicles were behind iron gates so couldn't get up close. Couldn't see the dash so cannot visually confirm some specs or lack thereof. Specs sheet on window shows: 1999 import, 51,000 unverified km's, 4.4l V8 (trademe advt said 4.0), CD player so am assuming single disc unit as Nick021 alludes to, no TV unit (otherwise would have been listed as this is a feature) - sorry Jochen , heated seats, E/W, F/S (whats that???) Also no sunroof, has 17" rims with Dunlop 235/40 rubber, paintwork looks OK, couldn't see how many airbags backwards man - keep looking and be patient Mike

To stop all the speculation I'll go and have a look as there's no decent pic of the cabin and dash. I'll see what size rims and the tyres as well for you Ron. Looks a nice colour. Having one myself I am always looking out for others and have only seen several in black or silver, one red MSport, an awful green one and a couple of the Avus Blue M5s in Chch. They are dropping in price probably due to the NZD being so strong. Some dealers who have had them on the yard for a while when the $ was low will be hurting so there may be some bargains to be had. As Ron (RvT) says, its a great entry to the bigger members of the BMW family. Rated by some magazines as the one of the best performance saloons of its era.. Mike

Don't bother repowering - just upgrade your car!

I seriously thought of that if I couldn't get it sorted. Now that I have (sorted it) I'll never go back to a 3 series (owned a NZ new E30 320i for 12 years) unless its a E46 M3. There's so much more power and comfort in the 540.Mike

Also a classic E39 problem @ 70-80ks Check: 1. front balance & alignment 2. front thrust arm bushes - may need replacing 3. front rotors warped? 4. bent rim? 5. all of the above Process of elimination. Mine was 1, 2 & 3 Best to replace both rotors + pads, not just one side Good luck Mike

Yeah I got caught out on that one. Bought one off Trademe that was advertised as an M3 / M5 rear lip spoiler with a sample pic of one fitted to a E39. The mistake I made was that I didnt check to see if it fitted after it arrived.... just took it straight to the paint shop still in the packaging. When I got it back already fitted I found it was about 1" short at each end. A bit p**d off but it looks OK. Seller was quite apologetic and thought it fitted both models. So if you do get one off TMe from tommy021 expressly tell him which model you want it for. Buyer beware.

Great to see another E39 owner on board Agree with chops re the roadfly forum at http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e39/ for great tips There are some very knowledgable guys there Enjoy Mike

doesnt for me either

E39 540 BP Ultimate 98 Town driving (Christchurch) about 16-18 litres / 100km Usually do 400-420k per fill

We have owned the following since about 1980.. we are in our mid 40's 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 1.3 (him - first car) 1979 Mitsi Lancer (her) 1980 Mitsi Mirage GLS (him) 1979 Mazda RX7 Mk1 (him) 1984 Mazda 323 Ltd (her) 1985 Fiat X1/9 (her) - sold to put deposit on house 1984 Toyota Corolla (her) 1985 Honda Integra GSi (her) 1989 Subaru Legacy GX 2.0 (him) 1988 Subaru Leone GT2 Turbo Wagon (him) 1995 Subaru Impreza WRX (him) - w/off by someone who T-boned us when they went thru a STOP 1995 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon (him) - great ski wagon 1988 BMW E30 320i (her) - owned for 12 years *1999 Audi A4 quattro Avant 2.4 V6 (her) *1999 BMW E39 540i (him) - AWESOME * current cars I've never actually listed like that before - I'd hate to tally up the $ cost ....

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.as...&key=146983 This is my clients car. Absolutely spotless and a great buy. If I didnt need a wagon for my wife then I would buy this for her. Ring the seller, Steve on 03 3666 094 or 021 713 050

Welcome to the forum. Plenty of 5 series owners here and also some very knowledgeable (sp ???) guys/girls eg Jochen for real techo stuff. Mike

I'm quite keen on replacing the chrome grill with the matt black. I see there are some on trademe for $140 advertised by carspot. Did I read somewhere that they sponsors here and if so is there any member discount??

As an aside, do all you other 540 owners use standard 91 or premium unleaded 95 or 98 (eg BP Ultimate)? I use 98 when I can as I am led to believe it is cleaner burning and thus gives better fuel economy. The extra $ gives extra kms for the same litres used. Your thoughts appreciated Mike

I relate better to the old mpg measurement (showing my age)E39 540, just about all town running (Chch) my last fill was after 402km, 62.4 litres of BP Ultimate or $98, which is about 17.7mpg or 15.3 litres /100 km I usually get between 17 - 18mpg per fill, 13mpg if a little naughty or a fellow director has borrowed it for a day .... I must get him to top it up on his account.

Thanks guys. Will post some pics once I take some nice ones. Here's a taste

Hi, have found this site via the eurosport and vask forums (my wife drives an A4 quattro Avant V6) after defending the honour of BMW owners... whew, some people can be so stereotypical! Recognise a few handles here - golfboy666, 007BMW, stew, f4llen - in the threads and member list. I have a 1999 E39 540 in Highline trim which I picked up in August 2006. Cosmos black, black leather, 18" rims staggered with 235/45 P7000's at the front. The rear 265/35 Bridgestone G3's didn't pass muster at WOF time so changed them for some Fulda Exceleros (cheaper and not as soft). The P7000's will go when worn. No engine mods - it's already too fast. Have only added an M5 rear lip spoiler. Just had new front Brembo rotors and Mintex pads installed to finally cure a front end "shimmy" that annoyed the hell out of me. Now it's AWESOME. Previous to the A4 we had a mint 1988 E30 320i (pre facelift) for 12 years - NZ new, champagne gold, 5spd man, sunroof, front & rear spoilers, 1/2 cloth trim and we added a Blaupunkt CD head unit. Absolutely no problems during that time and 160ks of driving apart from new front brakes, new radiator, replace cambelt, rear wheel bearings and 2 broken gear shift handles (snapped right off !!!). Sold to a good home - a work colleague - as too small for our lads car seat, stroller and stuff. Keen to meet some other Chch / mainland E39 owners.