BMW E39 - Help please

Pinter75 · 17 Apr 2008 at 17:50

Early high mileage 540i's can go for as low as £1500-2000. He had added the cosmetics to make it look up to date

True, it was totally stock when I got it, a few quid later and it got a face lift. Makes the car look loads different!

DannyW · 17 Apr 2008 at 17:51

yup 200k on a big v8 wouldn't put me off either can't believe all that car for £2500 even better value then mondeos lol

Jez · 17 Apr 2008 at 17:53

Indeed, older though

Jez · 17 Apr 2008 at 18:02

Pinter - where did you get your new lights from, and did you have to do any additional wiring or fiddling to get the angel eyes to work on your '97?

Pinter75 · 17 Apr 2008 at 18:10

Jez said:
Pinter - where did you get your new lights from, and did you have to do any additional wiring or fiddling to get the angel eyes to work on your '97?

Got the hella OEM lights from http://www.motormec.co.uk/

No wires needed modding, it is plug and play :-)

I have fitted new rears, which are not OEM, they were plug and play too.

Jez · 17 Apr 2008 at 18:17

Was all your stuff from there?

[TW]Fox · 17 Apr 2008 at 18:38

Non oem rear lights look horrid. Genuine ones are hardly expensive.

Kappa · 17 Apr 2008 at 18:47

dhill said:
Im currently looking around at the 535i and the 540i

Not sure you should be to be honest mate...you dont wanna look like a failed exec or a fraud? Get a newish Passat if you can, base level preferable

On Topic - unless you know what youre doing it sounds as if you shouldnt skimp on cost when buying one of these :eek:

Slightly OT, but may be in the interest of OP, if you own a BMW which is 4-6 years old, do you still get it serviced at a BMW dealer for the stamps? or just a specialist? Is there a HUGE price difference?

OllyM · 17 Apr 2008 at 18:49

Kappa said:
Slightly OT, but may be in the interest of OP, if you own a BMW which is 4-6 years old, do you still get it serviced at a BMW dealer for the stamps? or just a specialist? Is there a HUGE price difference?

I still get mine serviced at North Oxford BMW, the price difference between them and all the local independent garages is very small, so it's just not worth it.

commited · 17 Apr 2008 at 18:54

I love my e39. The best car I've ever owned by a mile

jamoor · 17 Apr 2008 at 19:07

Pinter75 said:
I have a 540i (1997) and it is a super sweet car!

I am 33 (As of the 11th Apr) with 7yrs protected NCB and with no excess, I pay £550 FC. It is parked on the road tho'.

Common faults on the V8's - Crap cooling system. Before I got it the expansion tank was replaced. Since I have had it, the rad plastic coupling broke, then the top hose split! Nothing too heinous. Rad was £100 odd and the hose £18.

Over the near 2 years I have had it, I have had to replace the camshaft sensor, £80 5 min DIY job. Also it blew a fuel line (the rubber coupling), again a quick DIY job. Most of the things that are failing are made of rubber, simply due to age.

I think I do need my prop shaft donut doing, but this does not really affect the day to day use.

I got it for £2500 and it has now 197,000 miles on it. Today it still drives great, and is very very very fast. I do not drive it everyday, and when I do it probably only does <10 miles a week. If I wanted a daily driver, I would not have the 540i

MPG is horrible. Best I have had in town is 21mpg that is with free moving traffic and most lights on green.

I did add a sport front bumper OEM, new alloys and angel eyes OEM.

Overall, it is simply the best car I have ever travelled in. Sport mode makes all the right noises and when you need it to move quickly, it does!

Kickdown in sport is nothing short of brutal!

Before this I have a poverty spec 316i e36, which for 5 years nothing ever went wrong!

2.5k for that is a steal.
Dash toy? I have a dash toy in my mazda, but the BMW is too manly for that