tsamb

Hey guys, this car's going to be gone soon, so if anyone here is interested let me know ASAP.

Look deep into her eyes and tell me you're not attracted.

Hi guys. I've listed my e39 530i Motorsport on Trade Me. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=450660506

$17,000 ONO

- Japanese import grade 5A

- Bought in 2008 at 38,000km

- Serviced at Team McMillan since then

- Sitting at just over 81,000km

- Mostly open road miles

- Garaged at home

- 5-star Mongoose alarm and immobiliser

- Aftermarket Arqray stainless steel exhaust with twin 70mm pipes

- Looks and drives like new

I haven't done any of the preventative cooling system maintenance that is usually due about 100,000km.

Front rotors and all pads replaced last year. Near-new direzzas on the rear and a few thousand kilometeres left on the Goodyear F1s on the front.

I have kept records of every fill-up and accompanying journey since I bought it.

No crashes, no major mechanical faults, no finance owing.

Even though it's 12 years old, it drives like a car that's a third its age.

More photos are on the Trade Me link and on this post: http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....showtopic=38844

PM or call/text 021 245 2646.

Any questions or requests for further photos, please post below.

I'll probably chuck it on trademe for $17k/$18k ONO and see how much interest there is.

I'll get the detailing kit out this weekend and take some Saturday sunset photos.

Until then, here are a few interior shots from tonight...

It has the business radio up front and I swapped it out for an OEM BMW Business slot load CD head unit. I also put the 6 disc stacker in the boot. Also has the speakers on the rear parcel tray (I have seen ones without) which makes up 10 speakers total. No cruise control or steering wheel controls, but it has all the standard 5 series Motorsport trimmings. Alcantara seats, black headliner, aluminium trim.

It came with a performance exhaust when I bought it.

Any other spec details you're interested in?

Yeah I have been keeping an eye out on trademe and see the same as you. I was hoping for $16+ with the condition and service history but that may be a bit steep in line with the market.

I'm biting the bullet and selling my baby. My girlfriend and I live on a bus route 20 minutes from the CBD and we don't need two cars.

It's a facelift 530i Motorsport built in September 2000 and first sold in Japan. I bought it in 2008 with 38,000 km on the clock. It's now sitting at 81,000 km. Here's the carjam record

It has an aftermarket Arqray muffler and exhaust with a nice tone. Here's the Arqray website

I fitted it with a Mongoose alarm and swapped out the front tape deck for a slot load OEM business CD head unit.

It's in mint condition for its age, inside and out.

I've maintained it meticulously with OEM parts since I have owned it. It's been garaged 80% of the time. I've never been in any accidents or had any mechanical issues. I have full service history from 38,000 clicks and kept a log book of trips and fill-ups since then.

I have been looking on trademe and seeing prices between $10,000 and $18,000 for 530 motorsports.

What is a reasonable asking price at which I'll actually be able to sell it?

Fire any questions if you'd like... I may move this into the Sale section once I know where to set the price.

Thanks for your replies. My e39 has done 80,000km and feels in better nick than the 7. If it's gonna be $6k a year that'll chew through what I'll get for the 5 pretty quickly.

Glenn, if I brought the car in for a check up would you be able to give me a without prejudice opinion on what the upkeep might cost? Or is it all at the whim of the car gods?

I have the option of "inheriting" a 2001 740i this year. I'm thinking of selling my e39 to free up some cash and taking over the e38.

Anyone have a rough idea of how much per year in maintenance and parts the e38 will cost? It's a 2001, done about 120,000km and it's been well looked after.

A few suggestions/questions, Bravo:

I know it sounds daft, but have you tried opening/importing the file in Windows Movie Maker? There have been rare occasions where I have closed Premiere Pro and booted up Movie Maker because of some stupid compatibility issues.

Secondly, what sort of container file are the videos currently in? (That is, what is the extension of the file.) This might aid further suggestions.

Thirdly, you could try transcoding the video into an easier-to-work-with format like MPEG-2, with a program like Handbrake:

http://handbrake.fr/

Finally, you could bring or send the files to me and I can try to mess with them.

Hope one of the above works!

I bought a Kershaw Chive in the States last year. It's a small spring assisted pocket knife and it's the best little pocket knife I've ever owned!

Only problem is, the safety mechanism which locks the blade closed when it is retracted is about to snap off on my knife. I left a message with Kershaw through their website and the warranty people got back to me in six hours saying they would send out the part to New Zealand, free of charge. I didn't even have to rummage around for the receipt!

How's that for service?

Here are a few links on the knife if you're interested:

http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetail...p;brand=kershaw

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Sports/Hunting-sh...n-221594646.htm

Nice bodywork in some of those shots...

There is no such thing as a 06 545i.

Had you actually driven and spent some time with the E60 you wouldn’t need to ask.

Well whatever the last year of the 545 was, before it became the 550. '05? And I have spent plenty of time in it and driving it. Would you like photographic evidence? Or perhaps video?

It is a very nice car. But I'm still more attached to the E39.

As for the new 5 GT, I'm sure it will be awesome to drive. That doesn't excuse the fact that it is butt ugly.

I’d have one of these regardless of its different look, the E60 is still an absolutely awesome car that needs to be driven to be appreciated and is head and shoulders better than the old E39 so I can only assume this is going to be that much better again.

I have driven my uncle's '06 545 and I'd take an '03 E39 540 MSport over it. What particularly do you like about the E60?

Break into BMW storage and find the M8!

That. Is. Awesome.

Wheels I want and will never find:

17x9 Style 14's off an E34.

18x9 Style 5's off an E39 M5.

17x9 Style 19's of an E39 / E34.

19" Style 225's of an E90

Style 313's would be a dream to keep clean though!

M Parallel 37s are a sweet deal to clean. Quick and easy. Wishing I had a set of those for my E39.

My 530 is on 12 month old F1s at the moment. I've done 15000km in them and I can't complain. Before I bought them I read that they were a bit noisier than competitors, but I haven't noticed it -- it's waaaaaay better than the run down tyres that were on there before I got the Goodyears.

They look like they are wearing very well for 15000km, too.

I had originally wanted Dunlops, but couldn't find any anywhere in the staggered M Parallel sizes. (255/40, 235/45 R17)

Yuck, nah sorry BMW. I don't like the grill, or the headlights or the backside. Kinda reminds me of an E46 Ti meets an X6.

Very nice. May have considered something like this if it was around when I was looking last year. Very happy with the E39, though.

Did you take it for a spin?

This is just around the corner from my apartment, so I might go have a nosey, too. These guys had a really nice looking E39 M5 a couple months ago. Upon closer inspection it was ex Singapore and I could see a bit of evidence that it had been in the sun over there for a while. Cracking rubber, pretty bad UV fade on the rear parcel tray.

How about Bodrum in Newmarket? Just off the bottom of Khyber Pass on Osborne Street. Nice relaxed atmosphere and good food. <EDIT> (Oh, and it's pretty easy to find a free street park in the evenings around there, too!)

Cheers man

The OBC functions in the E46 come up on the little led screen below the gauges

And to control what your seeing theres a little button built onto the end of the indicator stalk

So i dont have that problem

And im not sure how you'd go about it soz

Oh nice. My OBC stuff comes up on that screen below the gauges as well, but I don't have any control/ability to reset on the stalk. I have to use the radio to do that stuff. The stalk only allows me to cycle through the display of the functions.

I used to be able to do that in my old headunit too tsamb, but they were barely audible

Yeah, same with me, except unlike CB scanners the radio doesn't cut out the static, so I can turn it up really loud and it's audible, but as soon as they go off the air, the static is deafening.

I've been able to get police frequencies in Auckland on my Jap head unit between 76.1 and 76.4 FM. I usually tune into it when I'm bored and sitting in my car waiting for someone that I'll scan between them and try to pick something up.

Nice man, I like the look.

What do you do about on board computer functions with your Alpine head unit? I have a fairly nice Pioneer unit that I had in my E34 (which had separate OBC functions to the side) but in the E39 it's built into the dash.

I would love to get a nice aftermarket head unit or put in my old one, but I don't wanna lose the ability to reset the clock/fuel consumption/distance etc.

what's wrong with the rotors & calipers on it at the moment?

Nothing's wrong with the rotors and calipers at the moment. As I say, I'm very happy with the car as is.

I have yet to put on full force braking in an emergency situation in this car (knock on wood.) In my E34, in the wet, on the way up to Paihia for New Year's Eve about four years ago, I was two cars behind a head on collision and I was very proud of the 540's stopping ability -- especially with three others in the car. My mate was in front of me in a near-new Commodore and he wasn't so lucky; the compact Jap in the collision on our side of the road spun back into his car and totalled it. The front airbags went off, but the only injury was a broken toe.

I've always had a thing for the aesthetics of aftermarket rotors and calipers. This might be a car that could them justice. And to add to that, the shorter your stopping distance the better.

Man oh man... plans. (If only I had the money!) Actually, my real plans are to save up for an '03 E39 M5.

But putting that aside...

No big plans at this stage. I gripe about the stereo (still jap specs), but I'm going to go see Brent tomorrow -- he may have an OEM pro system that will fit.

To be honest I am very happy with how the car is and performs as is.

I originally had never liked the E39 M Parallels and have always lusted after some genuine M5 shadow chrome parallels (preferably on an M5!) or some double spoke composites. The M Parallels are actually growing on me now, so I'll leave the wheels as is for a while.

The suspension and handling is great, not making any changes there any time soon.

I wouldn't mind getting some aftermarket rotors and calipers. That may be next on my list.

But first things first, I think my headliner needs to be made of sexy alcantara... heh. Lend a hand?