Eagle

You could buy another early 540i for 3.5k. Id never buy vanos M62 540i again, its the problem child . A pre facelift M62 with facelift kit etc on it would be the ideal.

To be fair it would probably do that regardless of what tyres are on it.

Quality tools last forever.

Its a cost cutting era built BMW so cheaper to put traction control in. As much as i like putting down a smoke screen without any real effort it desperately wants one.

I ordered some thru Capital Tyres here in Hamilton. Had to come from Auckland tho.

The 540i to me is a good deal if everything else checks out, the timing guides have been done which is the major weak point on 4.4L V8's. Its also non vanos which is always a good thing. 530i V8 is waste of time imo, not enough power for the complexity of engine, id take a E34 535i over one anyday.

Not sure where you got that info and what a "glued" oil pan if suppose to mean but if issues are found it you can use that to decrease the price even further if need be. Hard to really judge the car without checking it out and driving it.

For people who dont care its a very good value for money M5. If everything has been done properly and its good working order then i wouldnt have a problem with it. Probably easier to sell than most M5's due to the price.

Guess i dont come across it much myself as always filter to lowest postage cost\price.

In my experience it comes down to the seller, ive seen some very high prices for goods and some that have even seemed too cheap. I got a pair of 540i brake rotors and pads from US and shipping was only $50NZD.

If by fun you mean revving the sh*t out of it because it has no torque then yes.

My old 535i was the highest ive seen at about 530,000km when i sold it. One of best examples an E34 ive seen and was most likely the original engine which looked to have the head rebuild at some point.

Ive got the kit i removed from a red illuminated knob around somewhere if anyone wants it

Ego tuggers haha, isnt that what a X5 is Auckland is. 540i's are cheap and you get alot of features for your money, i love having heaps of low down torque which 528i and 530i lack compared that the V8 and it sounds far better. As you said you buy the car you want to drive, some people like cheap power and the V8 wins that.

The vanos M62 is the one that usually has all the problems in my experience and has more things to break\replace.

Had no reason to believe it wasn't

One of my old ones is for sale too at a bit of a markup. http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-779739795.htm

Does depend on the conditions and the owner but anywhere from 50,000km-100,000km is what ive seen Just did my "lifetime" fluid and an adaption reset at 222,000km, quite brown but no filings. Shifting may have slightly improved but has elimated the slight torque convertor shudder i had.

$32 per L from local dealer here when i bought it 3-4 yrs ago.

Assuming it has the old hydraulic system? Maybe someone has used ATF instead of Pentosin

Better if you driving around town and in traffic that's about it. Auto's get boring fast.

E38\E39's are more complex and have more issues than E32\E34 which are generally pretty basic. I do like the E38 looks over the E32 but the E38 quality is a bit of a let down. Headgaskets are really the only main problem ive had with 6 cyl E34\E32's but they easy and cheap to replace. Andy: Does depend on what you are doing but being a big motor its mainly more time consuming having to take off twice as much or more for better access. One of the reasons i like the M30, very easy to work on with everything exposed and plenty of room in E34\E32 engine bay.

More popular because the E34 looks better than E32 to most and its a lighter\smaller so improved performance as well as alot more manual transmission models etc. E32 735i are worth nothing these days, seen quite a few good examples around 3-4k, wouldn't pay more than that myself unless maybe it was a mint manual one. You can find good M60 and M62 740i's in 5-6k region, if the hard works been done on them then its not a problem and they get decent highway economy.

Wow someone actually bought it

The E32 feels like a bigger\heavier E34, you do notice it but it isnt a huge difference. The E32 is has a good amount of rear leg room where is the E34 is a bit cramped, only matters if you sitting in the back though. 735i's are usually sell for less than 535i and not many E32 V8's around compared to E34 and E38 V8's. The 8 cyl is better until you have to work on it. For highway driving id pick either, whatever example comes up first that is the best condition\price.