Buying a E39 5 series BMW 528i

[kiwi535 538]

Mate leathers for limos, you slip off it too easily when going round corners etc.

bullshit,sports seats hold your ass pretty well,you must be going insanely fast to have this problem on the road

[Markq 0]

beauty is in the eye of the beholder 3 pedals....there is more to car ownership..i am sure that there are many e 24 and e 28 owners who look on the e34 with disdain.It too received popular acclaim in its time.

An M kitted E34 look fantastic as far as I am concerend as does an M kitted e39.Cars are purey SUBJECTIVE in a lot of areas

Well said. I too love E34 & E39, both are awesome. But there is something about the look of the E34 that makes it a bit more classic. Similar to the E30 & E36. They've only become better with age.

[allan 295]

Paul, Ultimate Guide E39 seems to have all the info good and bad. Have seen it on the forum some were as a sticky I think just a thought.

Allan

[Greg111 13]

bullshit,sports seats hold your ass pretty well,you must be going insanely fast to have this problem on the road

Hey hey, easy there tiger, don't have this prob, my seats arnt leather, have heard this from others, that is all.

[Yuen 16]

...I know the mechanic who services the car and has been the only mechanic to service the car since Neville the owner imported it from Japan. Everything that has been serviced has been replace by OEM parts and the mechanic is very reputable in the area. The motor is tight no rattles, no leaks at all bar the p/s reservoir which is commone on BMWs so I have been told?

Yes I have also heard it's common for the power steering to weep. So what happened with the car? I can understand how you feel about the service history and knowing the mechanic - at the end of the day a car is only worth how much you think it is, if you feel service history is key and you like the look of the car and think the price is reasonable then by all means go for it.

Yip, agree with the others. Buy my car instad...

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=135520297

Mark, selling so soon? It's a beauty.

[kiwi535 538]

Hey hey, easy there tiger, don't have this prob, my seats arnt leather, have heard this from others, that is all.

ok ,i will turn off the heat seekers now!

[Guest Simon*]

Serious lack of objectivity in this comment by "simon"

All the test reviews of the E39 raved how much Better it was than the E34 - having driven both lots - the E39 wins hands down.

And they look much better as well particularly when kitted with the motorsport bits.

Wow! My comment was very tongue-in-cheek and VERY subjective!

It's often hard to convey sarcasm via forum!

I'm not taking myself seriously and I suggest you don't either. Because Paul and I have E34's I'm giving him a bit of stick about "downgrading" to an E39.

I've driven both too and can appreciate the differences.

Cheers!

Edited January 12, 2008 by Simon*

[kiwi535 538]

actually i beleive i can make a couple of objective criticisms of the e39.I went for a drive in a nice 540 6 speed,and i must say it was NOT a quantum leap over my 535...ok the engine was absolutely fantastic and it looks like it would use LESS petrol than my 535...but the rest of the car was nothing special at all.It looked smart because it had the facelift lights and mtech body kit and 18 in bbs wheels.My car felt much more responsive and tighter and less rattly on the way home.BUT the engine......did i say anything about the engine.?

[Yuen 16]

Might as well jump on the E34 vs E39 bandwagon. I have driven a 1994 E34 525i and 2001 E39 523i, both are close in power/weight. My impressions were that the E34 was more raw and felt more connected to the road. The E39 feels more refined and more of a luxury car. Which is to be expected I suppose

[kiwi535 538]

Might as well jump on the E34 vs E39 bandwagon. I have driven a 1994 E34 525i and 2001 E39 523i, both are close in power/weight. My impressions were that the E34 was more raw and felt more connected to the road. The E39 feels more refined and more of a luxury car. Which is to be expected I suppose

thats pretty much how i felt too.Good short description!

[RvT 9]

There is a 2000 528i in Japan for sale which has full leather, TV etc and only 75kms on the clock. Landed price on road in NZ is $12,000 if you import it yourself.

http://www.tau-sales.com/defaultMall/sitem...?GoodsNo=187313

I know which car I would be buying ...

[318Touring 40]

Or this NZ New, 528 '99

It is cheaper than when I sold my E39, and I sold mine to a dealer! Mine was a '98 with higher mileage too!

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

I thought i was buying a lemon considering the mileage, but i've had mine for almost a year now, and is sitting on 220,000kms. The motor does not leak fluids at all, and the transmission still shifts like a new one. I think the key is to buy an example that has a FSH, the majority of my one's life was in the hands of an old farmer down the line, and there is not one service interval missed in the booklet. These ones form Japan/Singapore with low kms sound like rubbish, whats to say they havnt spent most of their lives idling in traffic hence having low kms.

[Andrew 30]

The ultimate E39 would be 528 with S50 M3 engine in it

My dream daily. Pref. wagon even.

[tonylauno1 7]

In my opinion when buying one of these cars you got to have leather, there is nothing deluxe about cloth...

No leather, no deal

[greenday-rulz21 6]

In my opinion when buying one of these cars you got to have leather, there is nothing deluxe about cloth...

No leather, no deal

+1. Luxury car needs leather

[kiwi535 538]

NICER is not necessarily better

[Boost Junky 1]

Nothing deluxe about sun cracked, cold in the winter, hot in summer leather either... Thats right some things maybe nicer than others but can also be less practical or require more attentuion/servicing etc..

e.g A luxury 728i with 12 computers, more to go wrong...

Leather, it cracks over time...

Big luxury car, takes up more room, more fuel consumption

[martyyn 2]

Nothing deluxe about sun cracked, cold in the winter, hot in summer leather either... Thats right some things maybe nicer than others but can also be less practical or require more attentuion/servicing etc..

e.g A luxury 728i with 12 computers, more to go wrong...

Leather, it cracks over time...

Big luxury car, takes up more room, more fuel consumption

Since when have you ever heard of an e38 having cracked leather ?

My 740's fuel consumption was only slightly worse than the touring around town and better on a drive. The leather was ALOT more luxurious (never hot in the summer and never cold the winter) and when looked after (like any car) it was no more unreliable than anything else.

[entscheidend 0]

Or you could buy this one - this one has everything OEM and all work usually needed on early E39's all done (radiator, expansion tank, clips/screws - all the britle stuff)

I will service this with a new oil sensor before the new owner with a new WOF.

$19,900 for anyone here:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=136660664

[Nic325i 0]

Nothing deluxe about sun cracked, cold in the winter, hot in summer leather either... Thats right some things maybe nicer than others but can also be less practical or require more attentuion/servicing etc..

e.g A luxury 728i with 12 computers, more to go wrong...

Leather, it cracks over time...

Big luxury car, takes up more room, more fuel consumption

If leather does crack/dry out, it is an easy afternoons work to recondition it back to goodness.

If (when) cloth tears, it is time to spend dollars.