treone 648 Report post Posted May 23, 2015 http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=891612201 Thinking of purchasing as a daily. Anyone familiar with this particular car? Its a genuine msport and seems in good condtion for age/kms. Drives quite 'tight'. One thing I've noticed is that keys don't seem original - they are not diamond head (there is an invoice for a replacement ignition barrell). Any issues to be aware of like alarm system courtesy open/close etc. Any advice appreciated. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young Thrash Driver 1020 Report post Posted May 23, 2015 Price seems fair and it looks tidy enough. Get a pre purchase check if you aren't confident, otherwise all I'd be really concerned about is the age of the cooling system parts Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 648 Report post Posted May 23, 2015 Had similar thoughts re: cooling system. The expansion tank has movement. Thinking next step is to get my mechanic to check and scan for any faults. Was impressed on the two test drives, only issue was it didn't make it up my driveway due to being too low Cheers! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dkonsta1 109 Report post Posted May 23, 2015 Nice car. I would not worry too much about the cooling system. My biggest concern would be chain tensioner and vanos issues. Good price. not sure of the keys issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
charles28 136 Report post Posted May 23, 2015 I would get it checked over, paying careful attention to oil and coolant leaks. Most can be fixed quite cheap, but a leaky sump gasket for example can be 9-10 Hours labour. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted May 23, 2015 E39 Buyers Guide (PDF) 8/2005 E39 Buyers Guide Market Update (PDF) 5/2009 A quick search, assembled October 2001, first rego Japan april 2002, NZ 11/10/2010 Get a pre purchase done on this even if the owner can supply service and maintenance records. depending on the engine used the e39 was a reasonable car but not bullet proof. Best of luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 648 Report post Posted May 23, 2015 Cheers everyone. Looks like next step is getting it checked out by my mechanic. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 Luv the interior on that one. But dont forget to look around. Theres deals to be had if your looking in the right places. 96 520 It's a repo but at that price you could fix anything that wrong and have a good car at half the price. https://www.turners.co.nz/Cars/Search/BMW/520/14010646/ 96 523 Another cheap one. Current bid $605. https://www.turners.co.nz/Cars/Search/BMW/523IA/13927445/ 96 523 Only done 127000k https://www.turners.co.nz/Cars/Search/BMW/523i/14053434/ 99 528 148k on the clock https://www.turners.co.nz/Cars/Search/BMW/528i/14009642/ Or how about this lovely 2000 525 with 87k on it. Real tidy but a bit more than the trademe one. https://www.turners.co.nz/Cars/Search/BMW/525i/14058852/ If your concerned about them being in towns and you cant view them Turners will get a AA check done on them for you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeff002 23 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 not a bad sample for that 5k bucks.it has M54 engine, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 648 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 (edited) Appreciate the comments. I'm kinda over catching public transport to work and would like a daily that I can enjoy driving on a 50km round trip so this caught my eye as it was local. Was impressed with the condition despite the kms and how it drove. Quick browse through TM and this looks like a well priced msport for the age/kms and specs (this is the cheapest and best combo of the 8 525i msports on TM at the moment - IMO). Q - is a msport worth the 'premium' over standard 525i's of similar age as highlighted above? Edited May 24, 2015 by treone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure on a 525 the M options you'd get would be purely cosmetic. eg. bodykit, M sport steering wheel and such. Maybe sportier suspension. They were options you could put on your car from the M5. The value placed on them would be up to the individual buyer I'd say. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 648 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 I think you're right :-) Now just need to find a S62 and manual box, do a conversion and then have a 'M5' for cheap lol. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 Different beast altogether the e39 M5 from a 525 e39 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 Remember the Jap import prefacelift "525i" is really a 523i is disguise - the facelift M54 525i is a far superior performer. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dkonsta1 109 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 I have a 525i 2003 very tidy we got it for my fiance as a daily. nice car, lack of power and definitely no where near to the v8 sound of my 540i. BUT it is quiet it is economical and you are getting a lot of a car and equipment for the money. go for it.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 Remember the Jap import prefacelift "525i" is really a 523i is disguise - the facelift M54 525i is a far superior performer. Jap 525i badging v Euro 523i is the same engine - either M52 or M52TU - both 2.5 litre Ours is a Jap M52TU, have driven a few M54 2.5's & not noticed any real difference. Not driven a manual though:- Daylight though between ours & the M54 3 litre. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 thats really weird. ive driven a 323 (m52b25) and a 320 (m54b22) and i felt the 2.2L feel "better" and nicer to drive. have also owned both 328ci m52b28 and a 330i m54b30 and of course these are also completely different again. i would say msport is always worth the premium. unless its a huge premium. just the suspension alone makes it all worth while unless u plan to upgrade then it doesnt matter as much Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 As it's an option at the time of purchase is there a way to see what M options a car might have? A Msport might not necessarily have the M suspension. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted May 24, 2015 (edited) My old 523I was gutless as hell. Way underpowered. I wouldnt bother with anything less than a proper 525i like in the original post, or a 528i. To check options, chuck the last 7 digits of chassis into http://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html Edited May 24, 2015 by KwS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted May 25, 2015 should be able to easily tell if its msport suspension or not by just driving it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
treone 648 Report post Posted May 25, 2015 Agree with the above - on the test drive it definetly felt tighter and quite repsonsive - more so that my old e39 535 - I know different car with different engine/suspension setup. Closest that I can compare to is my current 2.5l manual X3 and this really did feel solid and tight on the road. But again not really a like for like comparison. Probably get it checked out this week - will give an update. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted May 26, 2015 should be able to easily tell if its msport suspension or not by just driving it So long as the shocks, bushings and ball joints are in good nick. Looks like it has an individual interior. Quite nice compared to the usual black with silver or wood trims. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young Thrash Driver 1020 Report post Posted May 26, 2015 Msport is worth it for the suspension. Unless you never leave the city, then I'd suggest it's wasted on you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted May 26, 2015 Jap 525i badging v Euro 523i is the same engine - either M52 or M52TU - both 2.5 litre Ours is a Jap M52TU, have driven a few M54 2.5's & not noticed any real difference. Not driven a manual though:- Daylight though between ours & the M54 3 litre. That's true - the TU was a massive improvement too, the M54 gains a better low end torque curve, which blitzes the M52 non TU... which possibly doesn't have a torque curve with a slushbox and E39 strapped on. I don't think the TU was used for long in the E39 was it??? The 3.0 is the 6 cylinder to get, because it doesn't really use more gas than the others anyway. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
francoisv 466 Report post Posted May 26, 2015 Ask the owner for the VIN and enter the last 7 digits here. Should tell you if it was ordered or shipped with Msuspension etchttp://www.bmwarchive.org/vin/bmw-vin-decoder.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
