What car to upgrade to from 540i?

[andrewm 236]

I have had my 1999 e39 540i about 7 years now and through 3 promotions so am in a position to substantially upgrade.

Looking to improve in every area except fuel economy and neutral on space which arent priorities.

My e39 has a few mods

-Fortune auto coilovers 11kg/8kg swift springs, radial bearing mounts and camber plates

-Full suspension overhaul of lemforder susupension arms, balljoints, tie rods etc 

-m60 intake with velocity stacks and all engine gaskets replaced

-80kg of weight reduction including scuba tank delete

 

Looking for something faster, handles better, sounds better, more comfortable, not 4 cylinder, not hatch but still 4 doors upto $50k thoughts? Have I missed anything off my list?

May add kw v3 coilovers to whatever I buy.

c63 amg

c6 rs6 - may handle poorly due to weight

f30 335i

f10 550i

c7 s6

e60 m5

e90 m3

e55 amg -probably mediocre handling.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2018 by andrewm
change c7 and c8 to c6 and c7

[Eagle 1662]

Not saying its not possible but your probably going to have to sacrifice reliability somewhere along the line to improve on others. That list makes the E39's look like a corolla in costs and reliability stakes.

Good example and mechanical warranty help greatly im sure

[aja540i 1906]

I went from a 1999 e39 540i touring to my E61 M5 touring,

Faster-yes

better handling- yes

sounds better - up for debate, hard to beat a v8 with a good exhaust (be wary of the newer BMW v8s though)

more comfortable - marginally, the e39 is a nice place to be, i do like the newer steering wheel a lot though

fuel economy - hahahahahahahahahahahaha

running costs - don't spend your whole budget up front, keep at least $5k in your back pocket to fix the first thing that breaks

Good luck, there are some serious cars on the market for that sort of money.

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

I went from 8 years of e39 540i ownership to one of these. 

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1725782897.htm?rsqid=2884b66464604e1e9dd678f094e4ffa7

[GorGasm 563]

Don't go with the E60 M5, or E55.  Both are very old now for a car in the 40k range and wouldn't feel special enough for the $$$.  I have owned both, both are very fast though.

I would look at:

c8 s6

Jaguar XFR

W212 E63

f10 550i

Possibly in that order.. The 550i can be had for cheap while the others are closer to the 50k mark.

 

Or if you are a total wildcard, go with a Maserati Quattroporte.  I'm counting down the time til I can grab a Maserati GT.

 

Edited August 16, 2018 by GorGasm

[Jacko 2157]

You could probably import a Alpina D3 for that sorta cash? 

[balancerider 758]

54 minutes ago, Jacko said:

You could probably import a Alpina D3 for that sorta cash? 

or a B3 biturbo? (more of the diesel floating round in the UK though). Diesel will be fast and reliable, not so much street cred c.f an M3 but the touring is amazing.

[Jacko 2157]

Id give my left nut for a D3 touring

[balancerider 758]

21 minutes ago, Jacko said:

Id give my left nut for a D3 touring

I have the next best thing (335d touring) but would be even better with alpina kit and no 4wd. because everybody needs a wagon that can do 280kph and 4.6s 0-100 as well as 6L/100k

[hugo_nz 166]

My 5c worth...

The 212 Merc E is boring as...if considering at least get a facelift model

Maserati Quattroporte is typically Italian...goregous to look at but functionally flawed

F10 BMW...solid choice with loads of potential for customisation

Why not look at a Merc CLS or BMW 6 Gran Coupe?

There's always a late model F01 7er to consider too ;-)

[andrewm 236]

Thanks guys, hadnt thought of the Alpina stuff, will also look at the 6 gran coupe and the XFR.

I knew someone would post an e39 m5 haha.

I counted out the quattroporte as its no real upgrade in speed, the f01 7 for worse handling due to weight and size, and anything diesel as I enjoy the noise of a good petrol engine and have no fuel economy concerns. 

The non facelift w212 looks like a high end hyundai to me im afraid. 

A friend at a mercedes dealership told me they sold a 2012 f10 m5 with 91,000 for 54k... Maybe I should hold off till next year and bag one of these.

[GorGasm 563]

Don't write off the large BMs handling.  I reckon they could comfortably take an E39 in the handling dept, I know my F11 can.

M5 F10 is a super capable all round car.

Diesel is for those that can't afford pleasure.

Edited August 17, 2018 by GorGasm

[M3AN 4016]

On 8/16/2018 at 9:06 PM, Eagle said:

Not saying its not possible but your probably going to have to sacrifice reliability somewhere along the line to improve on others. That list makes the E39's look like a corolla in costs and reliability stakes.

So much this.

Really, if you love the E39 then do as @BreakMyWindow suggests and take a serious look at the M5. A good friend of mine had a lovely 540 manual years ago and used to drive a fair bit, he tried an M5 and blew his load, it ruined his 540 for him. Many years on he now owns an E39 M5.

Of course, with a cool 50 your options are endless. Buy Tom's E46 M3, save and invest 20k, drive it like you stole it and get something more responsible in a couple of years?

 

[lidistick 70]

$59k https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/bmw/auction-1722762664.htm 

I’d stay away from the F10 550i - too many engine issues. 

[andrewm 236]

21 hours ago, M3AN said:

So much this.

Really, if you love the E39 then do as @BreakMyWindow suggests and take a serious look at the M5. A good friend of mine had a lovely 540 manual years ago and used to drive a fair bit, he tried an M5 and blew his load, it ruined his 540 for him. Many years on he now owns an E39 M5.

Of course, with a cool 50 your options are endless. Buy Tom's E46 M3, save and invest 20k, drive it like you stole it and get something more responsible in a couple of years?

  

I had thought about this a few times but they just dont look to be value for money anymore, im thinking a 2001-2003 in le mans blue or carbon black with around 100,000km would be 40k ish.

I watched a 2009 black 80,000km e60 m5 with supersprint exhaust go for 24k on trademe....

Manual isnt a necessity for me.

[Eagle 1662]

I wouldn't say they are value for money either but on the plus side they aren't going loose any either. As above E60's need to be cheap because you need the rest of your change in case something major fails.

[dirtydoogle 383]

I would personally go to an e55, cheap and not a bad car. Huge power, easy to get more power. No big engine or box worries. 

Bit of a fancy Bogan car, but I'm in to that. 

I think I'll buy one as my next toy 

[KwS 2425]

2 hours ago, dirtydoogle said:

I would personally go to an e55, cheap and not a bad car. Huge power, easy to get more power. No big engine or box worries. 

Bit of a fancy Bogan car, but I'm in to that. 

I think I'll buy one as my next toy 

He wants something that handles better, so i'd say the E55 is out  as they are a bit like an old muscle car. Great in a straight line, but just arent fun in the corners. Plus, once again itll make the E39 look like a corolla for reliability.

[GorGasm 563]

3 hours ago, dirtydoogle said:

I would personally go to an e55, cheap and not a bad car. Huge power, easy to get more power. No big engine or box worries. 

Bit of a fancy Bogan car, but I'm in to that. 

I think I'll buy one as my next toy 

Been there done that.  The E55 is probably the fastest car you can buy for the money.  I upgraded mine with headers, pulley and tune and it was properly crazy.  

Unfortunately, the handling is so bad that it compromises the whole driving experience, especially in NZ where the enjoyable roads are bumpy & twisty.  It's worse than "not fun in the corners" it's totally disappointing. I now have an E60 M5, the handling of which is light years ahead.   As a daily the E55 is better than the E60 M5, but then all the other cars on the list are better anyway.

Petrol and servicing are still expensive too.

 

 

Edited August 19, 2018 by GorGasm

[Driftit 2080]

1 hour ago, GorGasm said:

Been there done that.  The E55 is probably the fastest car you can buy for the money.  I upgraded mine with headers, pulley and tune and it was properly crazy.  

Unfortunately, the handling is so bad that it compromises the whole driving experience, especially in NZ where the enjoyable roads are bumpy & twisty.  It's worse than "not fun in the corners" it's totally disappointing. I now have an E60 M5, the handling of which is light years ahead.   As a daily the E55 is better than the E60 M5, but then all the other cars on the list are better anyway.

Petrol and servicing are still expensive too.

 

 

Driven the Jag?  It should not even be on your list.

[Jacko 2157]

E28 with an S65. Done. 

[dirtydoogle 383]

The e55 has the whole wagging tail habit that I do love so much. Not hugely crazy about the handling of a large sedan, balance is important (which is lovely with the e39, I miss mine) but I don't care for the crap ride quality most heavy sedans have when they're sporty. 

 

I'm just making excuses for a penis extending sledgehammer car honestly. 

On the other hand my x5 is significantly faster in the wet than my e39 540 was

[Herbmiester 928]

An F30 335i would be worth a look its nealy as big as a 540. For 50k you could get a low milage car and the torque will surprise you. Plus the n55 is tuneable and the 335i probaly handles better than most on the list, likely cheaper to maintainas well, but not as exciting as some of the other choices.

[qube 3570]

its almost impossible to find F30 335i in the NZ market except for those hybrid ones which are no good.

if you could find a 335d that would be the way to go.

[Herbmiester 928]

There were 3 or 4 non hybrids on TM