5 series for 2 grand or less.

Thanks vox,

The auto sticks just pull off upwards but takes some force. Strap a cushion to your face so you don't give yourself a black eye ;).

Yeah all the wood is going so I have to do something with the gear stick. E46 has an all black leather one which would do the trick, but I'm tempted to have the wood insert trimmed in caramel leather. The gaiter I'm not sure whether to dye caramel or leave black. They are almost always black even though the handbrake gaiter is almost always in the centre console leather colour which is a bit odd. Sometimes you see the gearstick gaiter in leather colour which I quite like so might go for it, e.g. this one...
URU4c2z.jpg
 
It can be done.

I managed to find a 51 plate 530i Sport manual and got it for £1,800. The car was absolutely filthy when I bought it but spending a day on a good clean inside and out really made it look like new again. Mileage was on the fairly high side at 142,000 but the service history looked in order with all intervals up until 120,000 completed by BMW main dealer and the remaining ones done by a very good local specialist.

In the 11 months I've owned it, the car hasn't missed a beat and I've had no mechanical problems whatsoever. I've replaced one seized brake caliper, had new pads and disks all round and had the fluids changed as preventative maintenance, but that's it.

As others have said, there really is absolutely nothing to touch them at this money. They are incredible cars. I think I'd be looking at spending upwards of £15k for an appreciable step up and it just isn't worth it.
 
I meant more like mechanical engine issues, but you already knew that. :p

Okay, I'll concede there were a couple of rust spots, mainly on the boot lid but really very minor and it's more on the underside around the handle where it can't be seen unless you're having a good look. Cheap fix to sort out but the point remains that it's an excellent car for truly bargain basement money.
 
The 530 is a great car but it's by no means cheap to maintain.

I've owned a 530i auto since last November. Yes its SE trim so less desirable than the Sport, but suspension aside the differences between the two are cosmetic. And anyway, I decided that a properly maintained 1 owner SE was a much better long term prospect than a Sport that's passed through numerous dubious hands.

So far it's been an absolute pleasure to own and drive. I've put 15000 miles on it in 13 months and its not bankrupted me but its not been cheap either. I reckon it's had the best part of 2 grand off me so far :p

Had a few issues: replaced a sticking caliper, new battery, control arms.
Also added a set of newly refurbed 17" style 71's, new tyres all round (tyres and alloys have been my biggest expense).

MOT'd it last month and it flew through. No advisories.

Main issues still to attend are a rust spot on one of the skirts and a spot out of sight near the boot lid handle. Been quoted £250 for this work.

The air con has packed in. Been quoted £330 from a local shyster but that can wait as part of a cooling system overhaul after Xmas:(

I'd like to do a Sport bumper conversion but that's in no way a priority.

MPGzzz? It's a 6 cylinder petrol so you know what you're getting into. ;)

Would I buy one again? Absolutely. Only important caveat is having a decent contingency fund.
 
Not cheap to run, niggly and will bite you in the arse to the tune of a grand or more at some point.

They are still very special cars though and fantastic to drive. The auto obviously has the added potential expense of the autobox (£1k) and the transmission cooler (£700).
 
And this is the thing really. You need to be an enthusiast to justify an E39 now. Because it doesnt make sense 'as a car' because you could drive something much newer for the sort of money it costs to keep an E39 nice.
 
mike gunnz said:
The 530 is a great car but it's by no means cheap to maintain

So far it's been an absolute pleasure to own and drive. I've put 15000 miles on it in 13 months and its not bankrupted me but its not been cheap either. I reckon it's had the best part of 2 grand off me so far :p

Also added a set of newly refurbed 17" style 71's, new tyres all round (tyres and alloys have been my biggest expense).
Click to expand...

So of the 2 grand its had off you how much of that was wheels and tyres ?
 
[TW]Fox;25453122 said:
And this is the thing really. You need to be an enthusiast to justify an E39 now. Because it doesnt make sense 'as a car' because you could drive something much newer for the sort of money it costs to keep an E39 nice.
Click to expand...

This is a very interesting point.
If I wanted to drive something as good but newer and less prone to raking money off me I suspect I would be looking at 20 grand plus ?
Now I dont have 20k burning a whole to drop on a car so it would mean finance.
Im sure the amount I would spend monthly on this sort of finance would be more than enough for e39 upkeep

Fox, what are the main suspension components to renew on these for that nice new and tight feeling snd what sort of cost ?
Im thinking if I spend 2 -2.5k on a car then up to 2k doing suspension , brakes and tyres if needed and full service I could be sitting in something really nice.... no ?
Now I just need to find the right car , the right distance from me.
Contingency for unforseens isnt a big issue
 
Last edited:
£2k is plenty so long as you can do the work yourself. If you're going to get someone else to do the work for you then gut feel is it'll be fine for a full suspension refresh (and i mean full) but will leave you little for engine work/bodywork.

You'd have to be really, really sure you liked the car too as that's £2k you will never see again and won't guarantee you trouble free motoring by any stretch of the imagination.

You will however be driving a fantastic car day in day out - a good e39 really is something you just need to experience as for me it's the perfect balance of comfort, handling and overall quality (for a large-ish car anyway).
 
Im not too bad with the spanners even tho it is a while since I used them but obviously I wouldnt be doing all the bushes myself if any are pressed in ????
Not sure im too keen on dropping a full 2k on suspension only tho.
Will have to research exactly whats best to rrplace when I find the right car.
 
rodenal said:
£2k is plenty so long as you can do the work yourself. If you're going to get someone else to do the work for you then gut feel is it'll be fine for a full suspension refresh (and i mean full) but will leave you little for engine work/bodywork.

You'd have to be really, really sure you liked the car too as that's £2k you will never see again and won't guarantee you trouble free motoring by any stretch of the imagination.

You will however be driving a fantastic car day in day out - a good e39 really is something you just need to experience as for me it's the perfect balance of comfort, handling and overall quality (for a large-ish car anyway).
Click to expand...


Lets not be too dramatic here. :p

E39's throw up big bills but you'd have to be pretty unlucky for it to throw up 2k worth of bills straight off the bat.

Just take it to a good indie specialist for a pre purchase check. That should give a decent indication of whether any big bills are pending. If so avoid or negotiate with the seller. Simple.

If the car needs a full suspension refresh then surely you just don't buy it in the first place?
 
mike gunnz said:
Lets not be too dramatic here. :p

E39's throw up big bills but you'd have to be pretty unlucky for it to throw up 2k worth of bills straight off the bat.

Just take it to a good indie specialist for a pre purchase check. That should give a decent indication of whether any big bills are pending. If so avoid or negotiate with the seller. Simple.

If the car needs a full suspension refresh then surely you just don't buy it in the first place?
Click to expand...

Agree with this.
And any car that NEEDS 2 grand of work I will not be buying.
A suspension refresh is something I definitely will be doing tho if it hasnt already been done but that may just involve bushes as after 100, 000 miles they will definitely be feeling slack.
 
Oh i'm not suggesting the car will throw up 2k bills at all, but if you want to fully refresh the suspension and can't do it yourself the bill will be a good portion of that.

Unless your lucky enough to find one someone has completely refreshed relatively recently it would make quite a difference to any car - if you did find someone who had just done it all then decided to sell the car you would have to wonder why.. Most cars wont desperately need it ( i.e withouy swapping everything youd never really know)but that didn't seem to be what the op was getting at.
 
widdyst said:
Fox, what are the main suspension components to renew on these for that nice new and tight feeling snd what sort of cost ?
Click to expand...

Front control arms at £330 for parts, rear arms, similar money. Dampers are 100 quid a corner if you have not got a Sport. If you've got a Sport they are a pain to find, I think mine were £200 each.

Do not cheap out with crap parts from Ebay - use Lemforder arms and the OE shock supplier is Sachs.
 
That's pretty fabulous that one!! Looks in good nick with the right low owners/mileage and full history you want to see. Unusually high spec too - electric seats and steering column, xenons, nav, rear and side blinds, high OBC (with no dead pixels!)... even looks like it has high gloss shadowline wow! Almost unheard of on 6-cyl models. It's exactly what I meant about there being not much reason to get a less desirable model/spec when you can get that for not too much more money. It's just a shame it's grey inside and grey outside! (imho :))
 
Last edited:
Thought it looked nice but like I say I am an e39 novice .
High gloss shadowline ? Is that the window trim ?
Yes grey in and out wouldnt be my first choice either but I suppose at this age and condition you have to make compromises
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom