What is it with E39 prices at the moment?

Rilot · 6 May 2009 at 12:22

Been looking at a few after Jez suggested that they were in my budget.
Prices are all over the place and seem to bear no relationship to age, mileage, or condition.

For £4k I've seen:
Tidy 528iSEs
Tidy 530iSEs
Tatty 530iSEs with no SH
Tatty 540i-6 speeds
Tidy 540i-6 speeds
Absolutely awful 520is with no SH, engine warning lights on and dented bodywork.
Millions of poverty spec 520is

What's the deal? Does no one know how to price these at all?
The major annoyance though is everyone who is selling one insists that the car is "abolutely mint" on the phone and then when I drive bloody miles to view it I find out it's completely shagged.

Jez · 6 May 2009 at 12:31

Yeah its strange mate, a lot of "prestige" cars like this are the same and tbh the reason is that most people do not check paperwork for cars they buy, and are not generally fussy with condition. As a result all types of conditions are generally worth the same on the used market.

You WILL get a very tidy E39 for your budget, but it will be a matter of finding that good example within a heap of rubbish. Everyone will tell you that their car is mint for the year as for them its better to get you there, as generally people dont like not buying a car once they have made the effort to view it.

Bloody annoying i agree

Spamalot · 6 May 2009 at 12:42

Is it possable to get a 5XXd sport for £4K. Not to bothered about milage, but condition is important.

shifty_uk · 6 May 2009 at 12:49

Much apologies, this is completely off topic but as someone with little knowledge of the car ranges I find the BMW numbering/naming system completely baffling! So many numbers! What on earth do they all mean and how do you distinguish between them? I gather the 3/5/7 etc at the beginning stands for the 'series' but what about the rest? And then E34/39 comes into it. Baffling, imo.

Jez · 6 May 2009 at 12:54

BMW has about the easiest naming scheme of any car company :confused:

1-series = small (golf size)
3-series = mid (mondeo size)
5-series = exec (slightly larger than 3)
7-series = luxury (full size saloon)

The second bit denotes the engine size (to all intents and purposes, some engines are technically slightly smaller or larger, but it gives the general size and position in the range). Ie, 528i = 5-series with a 2.8 engine. 730i = 7-series with 3.0 engine, etc. I means injection, ie, petrol. D means Diesel.

Ignore the E39/E34/E60 part, thats the body shape.

[TW]Fox · 6 May 2009 at 12:56

Spamalot said:
Is it possable to get a 5XXd sport for £4K. Not to bothered about milage, but condition is important.

I wouldnt touch a cheap 5xxd Sport with a barge pole, quite frankly.

The problem with these cars is that once they dip below about £4k they get bought by morons who don't look after them and spiral into a pikeybanger abyss before eventually dying. Therefore most of the sub £4k stuff is dross, so you get this rather curious situation whereby a good one is worth £xk irrespective of what it is.

Then you find that a 'good one' is now very, very rare indeed. Certainly the chance of a 6 figure 'minter' popping up now most are what, 6+ years old, is very slim. Most of the overpriced low mileage ones are hardly mint.

Thomas. PLease. · 6 May 2009 at 12:57

shifty_uk said:
Much apologies, this is completely off topic but as someone with little knowledge of the car ranges I find the BMW numbering/naming system completely baffling! So many numbers! What on earth do they all mean and how do you distinguish between them? I gather the 3/5/7 etc at the beginning stands for the 'series' but what about the rest? And then E34/39 comes into it. Baffling, imo.

the number following the series usually denotes the engine size.

520, and 320 - 2 litre engine.
525 - 2.5 litre engine

etc, there are however many small exceptions like the 323, and the 523, which are 2.5 litre engines, but slightly detuned from the 525, if you follow.

Then you have base models which are just 520i, then SE models (more equipment), and sport models, more equipment again, sport suspension, sport body kit and sport interior.

thats my grasp of it anyway.

Tom.

[TW]Fox · 6 May 2009 at 13:01

Thomas. PLease. said:
520, and 320 - 2 litre engine.

But the E46 and facelift E39 x20i's are 2.2 litre M54's.

etc, there are however many small exceptions like the 323, and the 523, which are 2.5 litre engines, but slightly detuned from the 525, if you follow.

The 523i has an M52, it is a different and older engine and not a detuned 525 at all.

Then you have base models which are just 520i, then SE models (more equipment), and sport models, more equipment again, sport suspension, sport body kit and sport interior.

Base models got binned with the facelift and are pretty rare in prefacelift form anyway, mostly because they suck.

Thomas. PLease. · 6 May 2009 at 13:02

yeh thanks, i'm sure thats just what he wanted to know.

shifty_uk · 6 May 2009 at 13:07

Jez said:
The second bit denotes the engine size (to all intents and purposes, some engines are technically slightly smaller or larger, but it gives the general size and position in the range). Ie, 528i = 5-series with a 2.8 engine. 730i = 7-series with 3.0 engine, etc. I means injection, ie, petrol. D means Diesel.

I thought exactly this until I read wikipedia a while back. It listed some model numbers along with completely different engine sizes which got me really confused.

Anyway, thanks for clearing that up.

sampo · 6 May 2009 at 13:10

Jez said:
BMW has about the easiest naming scheme of any car company

1-series = small (golf size)
3-series = mid (mondeo size)
5-series = exec (slightly larger than 3)
7-series = luxury (full size saloon)

The second bit denotes the engine size (to all intents and purposes, some engines are technically slightly smaller or larger, but it gives the general size and position in the range). Ie, 528i = 5-series with a 2.8 engine. 730i = 7-series with 3.0 engine, etc. I means injection, ie, petrol. D means Diesel.

Ignore the E39/E34/E60 part, thats the body shape.

+1

For older cars the 'Exx' code stands for the generation of a particular model, covering all body shapes. I believe it is only the current generation that uses a different 'Exx' for each body shape. As an example:

E30 3 series: 1983-1994
E36 3 series: 1991-2000
E46 3 series: 1998-2005

E90/E91/E92/E93 3 series: 2005- (Saloon/Estate/Coupe/Convertible respectively)

Rilot · 6 May 2009 at 13:55

Well, I shall keep looking but I'll probably end up with a MK3 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia X. Plenty of those around and some are in very nice condition.
The last thing I need is a dog of an E39.

Wierdly, it seems that there are more tidy 540i examples than 528i or 530i. Maybe because low life can't afford to insure or put petrol in them.
Maybe I'll end up with a 540i in the end. Well, at least I know what to look for with them considering I ran one for 3 years.

Jez · 6 May 2009 at 13:58

540i is a wonderful car compared with a Mondeo mate. Yes the mondeo's are amazing value but its not the same thing AT ALL - but then you know that

On a similar note, what about an E38 740i instead of an E39 540i? Better ride quality and the same kind of mechanical liability. They offer better value for money IMO.

Rilot · 6 May 2009 at 14:45

Well, I would like a 740i but I really fancy a manual box for a change. If I can find a decent 540i 6-speed, that would be ideal.

Jez · 6 May 2009 at 14:55

Rare as hell ime

I'd also be a bit concerned that the novelty of the manual gearbox would wear off within a few days, then i'd be stuck with a car which is hassle to drive. But then, i dont know what your usage is going to be...

mjt · 6 May 2009 at 16:21

was the 740i ever available with a manual box in rhd?
there weren't all that uncommon in lhd

anyway, why have a 740i when you can get a 750i?!
http://pistonheads.com/sales/837398.htm

Scania · 6 May 2009 at 16:50

Rilot said:
Wierdly, it seems that there are more tidy 540i examples than 528i or 530i. Maybe because low life can't afford to insure or put petrol in them.
Maybe I'll end up with a 540i in the end. Well, at least I know what to look for with them considering I ran one for 3 years.

I think that observation is bang on the money.

mjt said:
was the 740i ever available with a manual box in rhd?
there weren't all that uncommon in lhd

anyway, why have a 740i when you can get a 750i?!
http://pistonheads.com/sales/837398.htm

As far as I'm aware, BMW built less than 10 manual e38's in RHD. - 5 of them were for the first "Transporter" film!

You'd get a 740i over a 750i as they offer near identical real world performance without the added complexity of the V12 engine, not to mention HGV matching fuel economy!

If money was no object, I must admit I'd like the V12 though.

mjt · 6 May 2009 at 16:57

R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
As far as I'm aware, BMW built less than 10 manual e38's in RHD. - 5 of them were for the first "Transporter" film!

oh really? i didn't know that. i guess that's just on of the few things that would have been uneconomical to do with the RHD E38..

R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
You'd get a 740i over a 750i as they offer near identical real world performance without the added complexity of the V12 engine, not to mention HGV matching fuel economy!

If money was no object, I must admit I'd like the V12 though.

yes, i was being silly, did you even see that 750? :eek:

Scania · 6 May 2009 at 17:00

mjt said:
yes, i was being silly, did you even see that 750?

1995 n reg with over £11000 spent including

complete body repaint in house of color black and red fleck
20" chrome rims
full schnitzer kit/sports exhausts/badged
privacy glass double glazed protection.
new pirrellis
dvd/satnav/cd/ipod/phone connection
previously owned by mr olympia dorian yates.
this car has been maintained and restored at a great cost and looks superb you wont find a better example anywhere.
full mot and srvice history! taxed so ready to go.
PRIVATE PLATE NOT INCLUDED!!!

Still laughing at it now mate!

Scania · 6 May 2009 at 17:02

mjt said:
yes, i was being silly, did you even see that 750?

1995 n reg with over £11000 spent including

complete body repaint in house of color black and red fleck
20" chrome rims
full schnitzer kit/sports exhausts/badged
privacy glass double glazed protection.
new pirrellis
dvd/satnav/cd/ipod/phone connection
previously owned by mr olympia dorian yates.
this car has been maintained and restored at a great cost and looks superb you wont find a better example anywhere.
full mot and srvice history! taxed so ready to go.
PRIVATE PLATE NOT INCLUDED!!!

Still laughing at it now mate!

Edit, I don't think they built any RHD manual e38's - the one in the film was LHD

Opps! Bit of a double post going on there!