I think I need some V8 in my life

[Ben 0]

So Ive been looking around for another car to replace my 325i

and even though I told myself I dont want another BMW right now ,

after going through everything I want in a car it seems as though a BMW

is what I need haha

What I want to know is what are E39 540i like performance wise?

I dont expect it to blow the doors off an evo but what are they like

compared to similar vintage holdens and fords?

Edited January 24, 2011 by Ben

[oscar90 0]

My e39 540i beat a manual legnum vr4 from a stop 3 times in a row. Approx 1 car length ahead, just to give u an idea. Passing on the open road is amazing haha. Best to drive one, if u drive nicely theyre not too bad to run. I spend and extra 20-30 tops on petrol than I used to in my e39 528.

only ford/holden ive played with is a new xr6 turbo and i didnt stand a chance lol he started pulling away rapidly

[Apex 693]

0-100 in mid 6 second bracket.. so more than adequate IMHO, do you need to accelerate faster than that on the road?

They are no performance car, more a capable touring car.

The M5 is the fast one.

[Creaver 55]

My auto e34 540i ran a 15.0 flat down the quarter. The evo 5/6 in the lane next to me ran a 14.6 if that's any indication. I started pulling on him and if I had a manual box at the time i'd say it would have been pretty close. From a roll i've beaten an evo 4 before...don't think the guy knew wtf happened haha.

An e39 540i is faster.

[Gaz 1059]

Do it and won't regret it.

I had an e34 540i for about 6months and it was a great car as a daily. A little thirsty but it's worth it on the open road.

I don't know what your s13 is like but my 180sx had the same power as the 540i but the 540i had more useable power.

[Michael. 2313]

I am buying a 540i once I've finished my 340i.

Terrific machine.

[Mike 1]

0-100 in mid 6 second bracket.. so more than adequate IMHO, do you need to accelerate faster than that on the road?

They are no performance car, more a capable touring car.

The M5 is the fast one.

agree with all of that

[BM WORLD 1283]

yes great car . e34 540i will be cheaper to own in the long run ,

but either car is pretty good .

4.4L has more torque ,

but e34 parts are way cheaper and they dont break as often .

i am enjoying driving my e34 around with the best oif both cars 4.4L 5spd in a cheaper e34 body .

dont like gas usage but thats life .

its not as quick as my e28 with m5 engine but more usable torque down low where you use it all the time .

and great sound track

[Ben 0]

yes great car . e34 540i will be cheaper to own in the long run ,

but either car is pretty good .

4.4L has more torque ,

but e34 parts are way cheaper and they dont break as often .

Are E39's prone to breaking?

I do like the E34's but they are starting to look a little dated IMO

and if I was to get a car with older styling I think Id pefer a VK/VL holden.

What are the 5 series like in the twisties? I realise they wont be as nimbe

as my 325i but are they stable. ie. not boatish

Has anyone here modified there 540i? Ive seen on usa forums they can get

a bit more out of the engine with usual intake, exhaust, chip etc.

What are you v8 guys power figures?

Edited January 25, 2011 by Ben

[Michael. 2313]

As far as I know, they E39s just have slightly less build quality than some of the earlier cars, so you may have to spend a bit at times replacing broken bits, electronics etc, but really I think its a small trade off for what is a very good car that cost in excess of 140K back when new.

I've thought the same thing about E34s, I want a 540i, a E34 would be nice, but I feel they are too dated and not especially safe when compared to the more recently developed E39. Plus after owning a E34 540i, I feel it was good, little dated being so related to the E32, but Ive been there and done that so time to try an E39.

Apparently the E39 chassis is one of the strong points, considerably more rigid than the E34 and I would expect E36 too, so with motorsport suspension, or a decent branded shock, spring, sway bar and wheel/tire setup they would handle pretty well for a car over the 1.5 tonne mark. They respond well in crashes so the chassis is pretty well engineered. I don't think many 10k-15k cars would be any better, especially dating back to the mid-late 90s.

I've done some researching recently as later this year I'm looking for a 540i E39, seems most manual ones are putting out around 180rwkw-200rwkw with a few slight modifications. Easily a 200+ rwkw car with the right upgrades, tuned of course.

A stock automatic one I would expect would be at least 160-175rwkw or where abouts, but who knows all these results can vary a lot.

Personally I want to go for the non vanos 1996-1998/8 models as from what I gather they are better to modify and are ideal to rev higher having a higher peak power output, the Vanos version are more suited to crusing at the lower end of the rev range. Chances are though I will find a perfect 1999-2000 example and end up going for that despite my preference at the moment.... we shall see!

Edited January 25, 2011 by E36V8

[BM WORLD 1283]

just make sure the coolant system is all newish and upto date .

and some electrics will fail , winodw regs , air bag sensors , abs brains and sensors , heater fan resistors , plastic trims on the seats break , generally all the plastic trims/buttons are pretty weak and often break

all the suspension and steering bushes crap out pretty quickly.

shocks ,dull headlight lenses, thin easy to crack plastics on the bumpers

other than that not a bad car

generally parts will cost you abit more

and yes the later vanos ones probably a little harder to modify and a few more electrical problems etc

and the coolant system runs at a higher temp/pressure so more prone to fail

e34 probably a little dated now and plenty of rough sub $1k 525i's driving around .

but got voted most reliable bmw ever made ,

last model of bmw made before the accountants came in and said you building too much quality in your cars and not enough profit

they dont really rust (mostly galvanised bodies)

they do pretty well in crashes ,

but also have pretty good handling and brakes to keep you out of crashes etc

[kiwi535 538]

just make sure the coolant system is all newish and upto date .

and some electrics will fail , winodw regs , air bag sensors , abs brains and sensors , heater fan resistors , plastic trims on the seats break , generally all the plastic trims/buttons are pretty weak and often break

all the suspension and steering bushes crap out pretty quickly.

shocks ,dull headlight lenses, thin easy to crack plastics on the bumpers

other than that not a bad car

generally parts will cost you abit more

and yes the later vanos ones probably a little harder to modify and a few more electrical problems etc

and the coolant system runs at a higher temp/pressure so more prone to fail

e34 probably a little dated now and plenty of rough sub $1k 525i's driving around .

but got voted most reliable bmw ever made ,

last model of bmw made before the accountants came in and said you building too much quality in your cars and not enough profit

they dont really rust (mostly galvanised bodies)

they do pretty well in crashes ,

but also have pretty good handling and brakes to keep you out of crashes etc

and a nice e34 is still a nice car today..

[Creaver 55]

Come to AKL for the anniversary meet...i'd take you for a spin

[hybrid 1043]

My e39 540i beat a manual legnum vr4 from a stop 3 times in a row. Approx 1 car length ahead, just to give u an idea.

My old 330i use to be able to pull away from those (my brother owned one). The e39 540 is more powerful.

If you want something that has no f__k around grunt and comfort then the 540 is for you.

fuel bills for stand in traffic from the shore to town and some weekend driving with 98 in the tank is 120 to140(tops) per week. Lots of people will lie to you and say they get 700ks per tank .. which is BS expect 350-420 per tank for auckland motorway driving.

The car is heavier so expect stop start motoring to suffer more than other BMWs. However if you do medium to open road they are actually very economical.

[mlracing 0]

I just got my first BMW, 540i E39 and I'm loving it, torque any time when you need it and they aren't slow either.. and of course so lush

[twisted 45]

Weakest point about the V8's Is the recirc ball steering setup they have (imo). They lack a lot of feel and response in comparison to a lot of well set up cars running a rack.

Grow some nuts though and they are a surprisingly capable car even on tight back roads.

[Wom 0]

v8 the e36?

that's my dream

[Mavrick 0]

Buy mine, click.

Am negotiable on price.

Worth a try.

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

Both in auto, the e46 330i and post 11/98 e39 540i are evenly matched for acceleration up until 4th gear where the 540i starts pulling away. That was my experience any way.

Be careful buying a higher milage 540i the timing chain guides and deflection plate wear and break..not a cheap job to fix as both front timing cases come off, along with a heap of other bits and pieces.

My experience with it here : http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....c=27552&hl=