I'm about to get back into e39 ownership..

[commited]

For the last month or so, I've been looking to replace my current beater of a Falcon for something nicer. I was pretty sure that I wanted a manual, ideally a convertible or an Australian car. Well I appear to have ticked none of those boxes. After nearly 4 years of not having an e39 in my life today I made an impulse decision to view a 2001 530i Sport auto with 130k miles and my low offer got accepted after a little debate. Cosmetically, it is exactly the same as my previous e39 530d Sport, possibly even in better condition externally.

The pro's:
Good spec - Business radio, Xenons, sunroof, black leather, electric seats & steering wheel, upgraded speakers, 6CD changer.
Mint condition outside - minimal stone chipping, no dents, few small scratches.
Full service history (quite a lot of it BMW) including cooling system fully replaced 3 years ago and water pump replaced again last month due to tiny leak. Radiator and hoses all look in excellent condition. Brakes also done recently. $1500 service completed last week.
Gearbox seems smooth
Everything seems to work and no warning lights on etc.

The con's:
Needs 2 new rear tyres (they looked like they were wearing slightly more on the inside)
Missing switch from electric passenger seat but all still works

 

[Gaygle]

Sounds good. As long as you realise how much everything CAN cost, you won't go far wrong.

eBay should be able to help you sort out most of the con's quite easily.

The most worrying thing is the engine - and the most expensive. My M54 was quiet. It obviously still had ticking noises etc of a mechnical engine, but there were no big rattles or anything to make me suspect it was broken. If you've heard something that makes you suspicious, i would start asking questions.

 

[commited]

Sounds good. As long as you realise how much everything CAN cost, you won't go far wrong.

eBay should be able to help you sort out most of the con's quite easily.

The most worrying thing is the engine - and the most expensive. My M54 was quiet. It obviously still had ticking noises etc of a mechnical engine, but there were no big rattles or anything to make me suspect it was broken. If you've heard something that makes you suspicious, i would start asking questions.

Yeah, I understand how much these can cost, I owned a 4 year old 530d sport 4 1/2 years ago and put nearly 20k on it. The engine is my concern but honestly, I couldn't tell there was any issue apart from when I popped the bonnet. I have seen mention of CCV problems online but I'm honestly not sure. I suppose I should have added that the owner was selling as he has just bought a $50k Range Rover, so I don't think it's a fire sale because the car is about to explode.

 

[ince]

why do people call these e39, e60 etc.

use the proper name

 

[Gaygle]

Hmmm... yeh as far as i know, the CCV thing shouldn't cause any strange rattles or anything. The CCV is often changed to try and reduce the amount of oil consumed.

What kind of noise is the noise? Is it a knocking? Rattling? Squeaking?

 

[Lashout_UK]

why do people call these e39, e60 etc.

use the proper name

Because it tells us accurately which generation of 5 Series he is talking about.

Just saying "5 Series" could mean any of the models produced from 1972 up until today. Wouldn't help us much

 

[SilverTongue]

why do people call these e39, e60 etc.

use the proper name

as it's easier to tell the difference between each generation. If some was just talking about their 530i one of the first questions would be e39 or e60?

 

[Liampope]

why do people call these e39, e60 etc.

use the proper name

Because that gives more information than just 5-series?

 

[commited]

Hmmm... yeh as far as i know, the CCV thing shouldn't cause any strange rattles or anything. The CCV is often changed to try and reduce the amount of oil consumed.

What kind of noise is the noise? Is it a knocking? Rattling? Squeaking?

It was a rattle I guess. It disappeared when not idling and saying that it idled perfectly smooth. To be honest, I only realised at the end that I hadn't popped the bonnet and then I noticed the noise.
I had forgotten how good the e39 was.....

 

[Scania]

I'd be a little suspicious of a steering wheel showing signs of wear on a 130k e39, do you mean its a bit shiny or is it splitting etc?

My old e39 (276k miles when I sold it) showed little sign of wear at all, a little bit shiny but that was it, my 248k mile trucks steering wheel looks pretty much the same as the 80k mile example I had for a day last week..

Whilst my e39 was a 528, so plainly a different engine, it was very quiet, no rattles etc despite its miles.

Fox's e39 has done circa 195k iirc, I doubt his drivers seat is showing signs of wear.....

Just makes me wonder if yours had done more - much more - than 130k miles....?

 

[[TW]Fox]

The M54 is not a quiet engine at idle sadly. It does not effortless purr like a Lexus V6. It's certainly not a diesel but it can make you think 'errrrr'' from time to time.

Drivers seat weat is to be expected on an 11 year old car.

Nothing that particularly concerns me there. I'd love to know the price, I bet its eyewatering being out there in Oz!

 

[ince]

Ah ok the e.. Shows the age I get it

 

[Jez]

Knowing the price of these in Aus is not the pennies which they now are over here, i find the idea of actually buying one in AUD$ rather bizarre

What was the deal out of interest? Perhaps there are better deals out there than we seem to see on the net

 

[commited]

I'd be a little suspicious of a steering wheel showing signs of wear on a 130k e39, do you mean its a bit shiny or is it splitting etc?

Just makes me wonder if yours had done more - much more - than 130k miles....?

I would imagine that the majority of the 130k has been a commute to the city from the north shores - the history showed a pretty regular 12k/year for the first 10 years - so a bit more action on the steering wheel than motorway driving! Having looked at the car, I have no reason to question the mileage, the exterior is immaculate - better than my 4 year old e39 was.

The M54 is not a quiet engine at idle sadly. It does not effortless purr like a Lexus V6. It's certainly not a diesel but it can make you think 'errrrr'' from time to time.

Drivers seat weat is to be expected on an 11 year old car.

Nothing that particularly concerns me there. I'd love to know the price, I bet its eyewatering being out there in Oz!

Thanks for the reassurance! It certainly wasn't a bottom end rumble, more like a bit of valve train noise.

No problem sharing the price. $9900 (GBP6500) with a fresh RWC (same as MOT) which is the cheapest I've seen one of these go for. I'm sure this will bring out gasps from people who don't know the market (most are advertised 15-20k) and suspicions that it's a wrecker from people who do know the market but I feel I got a good deal for an honest car, and I have quite a bit in the kitty for when stuff goes wrong. My immediate costs will be stamp duty @ $300, rego (tax) @ $1120 and fully comp insurance at approx $750, so certainly not the cheapest state to run a car in. Then I'll have to fit 2 new tyres and try and pick up a few different bits and pieces.

Anything I should look for that I may have missed when I take it on the extended test drive on Sunday?

Knowing the price of these in Aus is not the pennies which they now are over here, i find the idea of actually buying one in AUD$ rather bizarre

What was the deal out of interest? Perhaps there are better deals out there than we seem to see on the net

Deal is as above.
To be honest, I find the idea of buying one of these out here bizarre too but I've been searching for something for a couple of months now and everything under 10k here is in awful condition. The e39 looks like an absolute bargain in comparison and I've been resisting looking that hard as I wanted an Aussie V8 or some crazy jap turbo car. I've always lamented the sale of my old e39 so it was inevitable that I'd end up in another. I imagine I'll step up to a mental Aussie V8 next year, but only if I find something that's better than the e39!

 

[Rilot]

but only if I find something that's better than the e39!

No car is better than an E39

 

[Berger]

That is very cheap! I'll keep my fingers crossed it runs well for you. Have only seen one 530i locally myself, not a very common car the E39. Ouch at the cost of rego, most people won't buy a used car with low or expired rego as they won't want to pay a pile of cash ontop.

My next car will probably be a 4x4 with an ARB Bull Bar fitted! Country living!

My only worry would be running a BMW in Australia, any garage bill is LOL $$$ because the labour rate will be huge.

Limited supply of used parts due to people keeping cars forever too meaning sometimes the dealer is the only option.

When I needed an interior Fiesta rear view mirror I was quoted $150 locally. Bought on ebay UK for $20 & P&P.

 

[Scania]

The M54 is not a quiet engine at idle sadly. It does not effortless purr like a Lexus V6. It's certainly not a diesel but it can make you think 'errrrr'' from time to time.

Drivers seat weat is to be expected on an 11 year old car.

Nothing that particularly concerns me there. I'd love to know the price, I bet its eyewatering being out there in Oz!

Fair enough mate, but post a pic of your drivers seat, I imagine it still looks visibly unworn.....

 

[Jez]

Deal is as above.
To be honest, I find the idea of buying one of these out here bizarre too but I've been searching for something for a couple of months now and everything under 10k here is in awful condition. The e39 looks like an absolute bargain in comparison and I've been resisting looking that hard as I wanted an Aussie V8 or some crazy jap turbo car. I've always lamented the sale of my old e39 so it was inevitable that I'd end up in another. I imagine I'll step up to a mental Aussie V8 next year, but only if I find something that's better than the e39!

Oh, loads cheaper than i had imagined. Makes much more sense

 

[Liampope]

Sounds good - congrats. Got some nice options - wish I had a sunroof. Sounds almost as bad as Norway prices! Are they inflated by some uber >100% new car tax which keeps all car prices high like we have here in Norway or, say, Singapore in your neck of the woods, or are BMWs in Aus just expensive?

Would like to see some pics of an Aus E39

 

[commited]

Sounds good - congrats. Got some nice options - wish I had a sunroof. Sounds almost as bad as Norway prices! Are they inflated by some uber >100% new car tax which keeps all car prices high like we have here in Norway or, say, Singapore in your neck of the woods, or are BMWs in Aus just expensive?

Would like to see some pics of an Aus E39

It would have been a $100k+ car as they have a luxury car tax over here. Couple that with a crappy exchange rate when new and the sheer distance from anything else, and it would have been a very expensive and luxurious car when new. Bizarrely, the standard spec on them was pretty woeful, not even parking sensors as standard. Hopefully have pics later on.