Michael. 2313 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 From my own experiences I was thinking about what pros and cons BMW models have. Sometimes these are things you can only pick up on after owning them. Without getting super wordy, make a list of the pros and cons you've personally with your BMW experience! E36 Coupe, Pros Body shape, longer hood etc Weight, not too heavy Fun to drive from factory, more so with M3 suspension parts Easy to work on E36 Coupe, Cons Water getting under the carpets Rear subframe cracks Interior door panels failed Roof lining needs fixing Your turn! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirtydoogle 383 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 E36 coupe pros: Look nice Drive nice Can make them handle unbelievably well for little money Manual goodness Cons: Plastic cooling system Window regulators and motors The whole interior will destroy itself in front of your eyes window regulators and motors Wheel bearings window regulators and motors E36 316 sedan: (my favorite) Pros: Manual. Economical Reliable Hilariously floppy and slow Manual windows don't break Cons Hilariously floppy and slow Drum brakes No rear anti roll bar Interior has exploded E53 X5 pros: Manual. Diesel Everything is awesome Sportpac Cons: None. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Karter16 407 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 E46 318i (my first car) Pros Economical. Great handling. Cons 0 - 100: yes. Sadly not worth spending money on to maintain. E46 M3 Pros Everything the 318i is and everything the 318i is lacking. Many fast. Much performance. Best car ever. Cons Subframe needs much love. Vanos needs much love. Rod bearings need much love. It would be more economical to buy petrol and set fire to it in a pit. Much performance = much maintenance costs. Will suck all of your money because you love it so much. (this is also a "pro"). Basically the E46 on the face of it has a whole bunch of cons, but that's what makes you love it so much. It's the most E46 an E46 can be. Handling is amazing. Driving experience is amazing. If it was just a standard performance car it would be boring. It's right on the edge of engineering and design and that's what makes it fun. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 E39 Cons low beam headlights A/c ancillary fan Final stage unit heater Cooling system Belt pulleys /tensioners Oil leaks Crank case vent system Seat upholstery bolsters etc Pixels in cluster and other instruments Thrust arms control arms Rotas and pads Rear boot wiring loom Tail light /body configuration leading to water leaks Poor rear visibilty reliant on to many electronic gadgets Pros Nice to sit in great driving highway cruising E46 Compact Cons The history of the ones with the N42,N46 engines is well documented so many faults As mine has the M54 series motor the faults mentioned in the e39 also apply lower suspension arms and bush's Rear axle/hub bearings rear window wiper motor rubber seals around rear screen reliant on to many electronic items to make it appear up market Pros Handles well very nibble can be economical on a trip and even in town if sensible 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 ^ lol E39 list.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 Allan I am bemused by your E39 evaluation faults/cons. In 14 yrs & 160kms (now at 180km) from your list we have only had a few of those fails. Namely CCV/hoses, water pump, seat shroud, pixel failure & rear wheel bearings & rear control arms. None of the others have been an issue. That said, all the cooling system bar the radiator has been replaced as preventative maintainance. Brakes as required but no more than any other vehicle. Both headlight beams are great - if the lenses are clear Final stage resistors are a potential issue on all BMW's E36 on, & dare i say on most Jap cars too- more so than BMW Have not seen any with leaking tail lights, nor have i repaired any boot wiring in one - as i have with many other cars. Belts, tensioners & oil leaks, again not prone to & no more than any other vehicle. Pixel issue is a VDO problem & is common to most Euro cars. Rear visibility -not a problem with a bordmonitor & integrated reverse camera I agree, they do have weak links as you mention. That said, as a car they take some beating. I'm certainly in no hurry to replace it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 I wouldn't put my life on an E39 taking a beating, id consider it with an E28 or E34. Some of the maybe lesser known things for the E34 Pro's Cheap, durable and easy to fix in nearly all areas Plug and play retrofits eg cruise control, obc etc Good performance - complexity ratio iS models weren't common as muck and you actually got you an LSD diff Con's M30 in the E34 would probably be in the top 3 worst BMW engines for mpg Every M30 ive owned has blown a head gasket but they are so cheap as easy to do (all 300,000-500-000km cars that still ran strong) Dead on center steering feel from new but awesome feel when not in middle Wiper arms have always seem to have rubbed on the hood at some point 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 Can only relay to the forum my experience with the 2002 530 i had for 51/2 years owner ship purchased at 52,000k sold 128,k. As it was the first bmw i had owned expectations were high and the so called prestige that it has as a brand boy did that disappear fast. That said the e39 would have to be one of the better model range available then. The faults listed are what i have encountered with mine maybe another e39 would be totally different because it was built on a Wednesday not Monday or Friday Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ00Z3 187 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) Z3 - E36/7 Pro's - Tops off driving - Lovely curved lines - Suspension can be made very nimble cheaply - Quickest steering rack ratio in any BMW - No room for the kids when out for a cruise - Easy to work on - Parts are easy to get new or used off E30 and E36 - Plug and play cruise control retrofit for M52TU and M54 models Con's - The plastic cooling Y connector at the back of the M44 block (1.9L models only) - All the M54 issues for the 6 cylinder models - Scuttle shake if you push it really really hard in the corners - Boot floor cross member/diff mount failure in high powered hard driven models (2.8L, 3.0L and M's) - Peeling leather on the dash if its an extended leather model. Edited November 28, 2017 by NZ00Z3 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Allanw 1071 Report post Posted November 28, 2017 E39 HALOGEN low beams are complete crap! My '72 Beetle is better - the Xenons are OK: I have had both brand new in the same car. I replaced the original water pump preventively at about 130K... and the replacement only lasted about 40K... then the GMB I got from REPCO in an emergency only last about 3 weeks and is noisy now! It's had a suspension rebuild at about 120K, new ABS(DSC) module, all brakes at 165K, clutch very nearly due at 175K, pixels all done at 120K, rocker cover has a small crack now too. And I had to replace the 13+ year old battery, too! Shocking! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted November 29, 2017 E39 M5 Pro's - Torque - LSD -The V8 rumble - Manual - Easy to work on E39 M5 Con's - The petrol and tyre bills - The tendency to sledge and the re-circulating ball on-centre steering feel 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hqstu 780 Report post Posted November 30, 2017 I think when any car gets old and has been owned by a "normal" person, they need a lot of love to get them back to "enthusiast" standard and I don't think the e39 is any exception. Pro's: it's an e39. Con's: owning two of them and indecision on which one to drive on any particular day.... 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted November 30, 2017 12 hours ago, hqstu said: I think when any car gets old and has been owned by a "normal" person, they need a lot of love to get them back to "enthusiast" standard and I don't think the e39 is any exception. Pro's: it's an e39. Con's: owning two of them and indecision on which one to drive on any particular day.... Yeah I miss those days.... 4 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hqstu 780 Report post Posted December 1, 2017 4 hours ago, BreakMyWindow said: Yeah I miss those days.... Eight exhaust pipes - now that is just plain greedy... 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kiwi_BMW 89 Report post Posted December 1, 2017 (edited) E39 540is based on 100,000kms of driving. Pros Manual V8 sound. V8 torque Easy to work on Add a few M5 bits and they are as agile as a E39 M5 Awesome fun car to drive Awesome cruising car Comfortable Reliable (except for the fuel pump failure) Cons None when the required maintenace is done Some have mentioned the low beams, pre fl were excellent, fl were almost as good when the lenses are polished and the reflectors are good, Hids are better. I've got a couple of dim pixels but all work Parts replaced due to failure over the last 100,000km Fuel pump One rear suspension arm Window regulator Radiator before I bought it overflow bottle just after I bought it...........should've been replaced when the rad was done. Parts replaced due to maint & normal wear oil filters Brakes (once @ 130km approx) still look excellent at 200,000km Preventative maint at 198000km all suspension arms bushes, subframe bushes, shocks complete with top mounts and spring seat etc, steering joints, swaybar link, swaybar bushes Edited December 2, 2017 by Kiwi_BMW 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hotwire 352 Report post Posted December 1, 2017 Good to see someone else agreeing on low beam lights being good. Admittedly mine is a pre & with good clear lenses & they would be as good, if not better than any other car i have owned. Have upgraded to the HB3 HB4 +120 bulbs which also makes a big improvement. I am the first to criticise a car with crap lights. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacko 2157 Report post Posted December 11, 2017 Toyota BZ touring Pros - Quad throttle bodies howling at 7800 rpm (also happens to be peak oil consumption) Cons - Peak oil consumption. Sounds like trying to beat the nurburg laptime when just trying to have enough torque to back down driveway. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted December 13, 2017 On 12/12/2017 at 9:58 AM, Jacko said: Toyota BZ touring Pros - Quad throttle bodies howling at 7800 rpm (also happens to be peak oil consumption) Cons - Peak oil consumption. Sounds like trying to beat the nurburg laptime when just trying to have enough torque to back down driveway. Worth the oil consumption though, any high revving unit is usually going to do that. black top 4age? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
