What car to upgrade to from 540i?

[Michael. 2313]

Sounds like a fun oportunity to upgrade. 

E39 540is are lovely cars, but showing their age.

I'd suggest a Lexus IS-F, quite nice styling, a bit too much for some maybe, but at least they don't have the hideous styling cues like most of the new Lexus models have.

5L V8 is a master piece, sounds and goes so well, reminds me of the S62 V8 actually. 

8 speed direct shift automatic is very nice, sporty and fast when you wish and relaxing at other times, I've heard some people say they 'shift slow' but that's just typical wank from those that demand F1 levels of performance in everything. A manual gearbox would be better but such is rare now. 

Handling is very nice, constantly firm suspension but it's good enough in standard spec.

I'd recommend test driving one if you're open to Japanese cars like that, finding a good example is always the key, they are getting old enough for some to have been stupidly modified or neglected. 

 

[GorGasm 563]

I was keen on an isf for a while and then I sat in one.  I didn't need to drive it, blergh.

[Navin 180]

Yeah i'm considering an IS-f as a next car. Have to agree the interior is a let down but the driving experience does make up for it a bit.

[balancerider 752]

21 hours ago, Herbmiester said:

An F30 335i would be worth a look its nealy as big as a 540.

This. I was astounded how much bigger an F31 felt than an E46 touring sitting in them back to back (and to park!)

[Herbmiester 922]

3 hours ago, GorGasm said:

I was keen on an isf for a while and then I sat in one.  I didn't need to drive it, blergh.

Yep, interior is a mess but at least its not as ugly as the new Lexus models with that pinched in grill, the designer should be fired.

[Michael. 2313]

Interior of the IS-F is rather on par with the earlier C63 models, just low rent sub 3 series cars in many ways, saved by cool engines.  

Big step down from an E39 interior 

I think you just need an E39 M5. 

[andrewm 236]

Thanks guys, have added a few things to my list, im in no hurry so will wait for the right car or the right price to come along.

Will post in the showroom once i pick something up. 

[andrewm 236]

Have bought a c63 - from user liyi_92 and drove it back from Christchurch to Auckland on the long weekend.

 

As a daily driver the c63 isn't great, the suspension is hard, the clutched auto gearbox is finicky, the bucket seats are hard to get into and the cold start noise is obscene.

And yet it is exactly what I wanted.

After you clamber into the very supportive bucket seats trying not to wreck the bolsters you immediately get over the increased difficulty as you realise how supportive they are. You turn the key and then engine barks at you, at very short sharp exotic sound before quickly settling down - you almost feel it winking at you, nudging you to stab the noise pedal at some point in your journey. Pulling the T handle handbrake release in the lower dash you cant help feeling that its very in keeping with the theme of this pseudo luxury car, an unholy cross between fiendish race car and mid level sedan of yesteryear. As you bump along at 50kmh on your coilover hard suspension avoiding potholes and speed bumps or anything else that might clean your bumper right off, you start to wonder what you have gotten yourself into. Deciding there is nothing to lose and with the 100kmh target approaching you punch it in auto mode and a wait a fraction of a second while it drops 4 gears before the car shoots out from under you.

Thunder roars behind you, four hundred and fifty odd maniacal german horses loose from their stables and you grab the steering wheel for dear life- but you needn't have done so, a perfect smooth straight acceleration occurs, warpspeed but under control, no tire noise, no torque steer no fighting the steering wheel on road imperfections, just glorious throaty vocals and a blurred pointless digital speedo. 4 or so seconds later you're well into lost license territory and back off and slow to the limit, the car rewards you by smoothing out the ride considerably and its low speed faults fall away. No longer an unhappy racecar idling around the pits but balanced mile muncher, perfectly in its element doing the Christchurch to Picton run in the dead of the night.

You hit the first 65 corner at 85, not ready yet to push it and the car just eats it for breakfast leaving you wondering if you actually went round a corner or just through it, giving you confidence for the next corner, then the next... Before long you have the paddles going and are smashing the fun pedal upto the corner before jumping hard onto the picks with no sign of fade or complaint from the giant 6 piston stoppers, you wonder how you could ever muck it up enough that you couldn't stop in time or couldn't make the corner.

The 70 target appears and you coast through a sleepy village at 70, the car still completely content, almost relieved that it isn't executing a 3 point turn in a Ponsonby car park but merely gathering its breath for the next blast. Now you pass the 50 target which excites you because you know there's triple digits coming up and you aren't going a hair above 50 till its in sight, another few seconds of symphony to soothe any fears you had pottering around town.

100 approaches and you put $1 of 98 into the German jukebox again looking for that brilliant but over all too soon track, bumps are present but don't transmit to the chassis, somehow the stiff suspension transfers it away without upsetting the balance letting you know the harsh ride isn't the result of a cheap coilover setup.

Too soon you reach Picton, your stomach growls because you forgot to stop for dinner with your high octane shenanigans, doesn't look like anything is open in Picton either, must remember to eat tomorrow..

 

[coop 261]

Nice! I can remember seeing that for sale and thought it was a good deal. 

 

If you haven’t done already, google m156 head studs, cam shaft & lifters, and sort out some mechanical insurance.