5 series for 2 grand or less.

widdyst

widdyst

widdyst

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After reading the bang for 1500 thread it got me looking through ads for under 2 grand.
Loads of 5 series crop up in that search and to my untrained eyes they look like really nice examples with FSH etc.
So it got me thinking can you really bag a nice 5 series for under 2 grand ?
Obviously bills could crop up any time with a car of that age but thats not a worry
Whats your opinions in this ?
 
Depends what you want tbh. Can you find a decent car that will have been looked after reasonably well? Absolutely but it will take some looking and depend almost entirely on your desired engine and trim level.

Anything you buy will need work though, niggly little issues are commonplace
 
rodenal said:
Depends what you want tbh. Can you find a decent car that will have been looked after reasonably well? Absolutely but it will take some looking and depend almost entirely on your desired engine and trim level.

Anything you buy will need work though, niggly little issues are commonplace
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I think at that price point trim level should take a back seat to condition really.
Obviously I would want se or sport with leather and at least a 528 but would consider any model and engine choice if condition and history was good.
Genuinely going to look for one so wonder what are the most important things to look for ?
 
Personally I'd take a 525 ( and obviously 530) over a 528. The auto boxes generally need a rebuild approaching 100k, engine ancilliaries tend to give annoying but ultimately easy to sort issues, cooling system, rust and suspension really.

The e39 is a quality product, moreso than the e46 ( which is still good just not quite the same) it should still feel and drive like one. If it doesn't then walk away
 
The E39 5 Series first appeared in the UK almost 18 years ago so there are numerous cars for sub £2k which are sub £2k for no other reason than the fact they are just old now. This means its perfectly possible to get a good one for under £2k provided you are realistic with your expectations, go hunting for high end Sport models full of toys and you'll find the cars that are cheap because they are junk. Go looking for a nice tidy SE and you'll find the cars that are cheap because, well, nobody wants them.

Of course the big question is, would you want to buy one if your budget is sub £2k? For me the answer is a resounding 'no'. Whats the point? They are going to continually require money spending on routine costs, preventative maintenance and mechanical failures which, if you are buying sub 2k cars, is probably something you really don't want to have keep wasting your money on.

I love mine, I've had it for years and years, but if I'd bought it with a £2k budget I'd be very very annoyed at the money I've had to spend on it to keep it running like a 5 Series should. And if you don't want it to drive like a 5 Series should, why buy one?

If you insist, then I'd buy a 528i for sub £2k. Yes, the facelift looks nicer, but a tidy prefacelift 528i is a smarter sub £2k buy. Almost every 528i is under £2k now, perhaps even a Sport, because they are all old. The facelift models, unless in poor specification, tend only to sink under £2k when they get shonky and crap.
 
Thanks fox
I knew you would pop in here.
To be honest it doesnt have to be under 2 grand.
And to be honest it doesnt have to be a sport or a facelift.
I understand how old they are now and will require money for maintanence upkeep repairs etc but so will most old cars.
This isnt something that fazes me.
I just figure its a nicer proposition to drive than a mondeo or vectra :-).
Ive had many new and nearly new cars over the tears and most are super reliable and uninspiring.
A nice tidy 528se will do me fine.
Obviously I will be looking for FSH and will buy on condition and feel rather than spec and toys. And pre or post facelift doesnt bother me and neither does servicing or maintanence upkeep.
As i am uneducated on these Just want to know what if any major things to look for as everyday ancillaries and maintanence is fully expected
If increasing the budget is a must thats fine but how far do you go with that ?
 
You don't neccesarily need to increase the budget, what i was getting it is if you have saved up £2k and thats now all your money for a car then a 5 Series will end in tears.

If you'd be happy with a nice 528i there is no need to spend more than £2k on it, just be aware that by the end of the first few years of ownership you will have spent more than £2k on it :D

Infact arguably I'd rather spend £2k or less on a nice 528i and then have enough change to refresh the suspension etc etc than spend more and have nothing left to do that, because you'll end up with a better car out of it.

Main thing to look for is rust. They don't suffer nearly as badly as other BMW's and most of the problem areas (rear tailgate, etc) are cosmetic not structural but DO check the sills under the plastic covers for the jacking points. If they are rusting here it's terminal if it's been left too long.

The cooling system is notoriously weak, so you'll end up having to replace bits of that, but make sure if you are looking for a 528i it's not had a repaired head gasket failure as a result of cooling system problems. It is almost impossible to correctly repair an M52 engine after HGF, so its easier to just walk away and find another one.
 
Ok thats good sound advice.
2 grand isnt all I have to spend and to be honest I could be looking for a nearly new rep mobile but how boring is that.
I am fully prepared to do some spending on the right car and expect and look forward to doing things such as refreshing suspension / bushes brakes tyres etc to get one feeling just as it should.
I know it doesnt probably make financial sense but hey ho :-)
You must admit this looks nice
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../make/BMW/model/5 SERIES/price-to/2000/page/1
 
Yes - get yourself in an E39 and don't look back! :) Best car ever.

Good advice from Fox and the others. 2k can get you a nice earlier SE no problem. But, imho, since all E39s are so cheap it's worth considering the whole spectrum of the market and seeing where you want to be if you are not necessarily limited to 2k.

For example, only 1k more is in the region of tidy late model facelift sports. E.g. this one...
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/89576-2002-bmw-e39-530i-msport-auto-grey-18-m-parallel-staggered-fk-auto-coilovers-leathers-sat-nav-updated-add/

Slightly high mileage but tidy looking and a great spec. You may not fancy the modifications, but it's just an example.

Then around 4k plus, you are looking at truly special Individual models, amazing spec, low miles, low owners etc...
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/89276-2003-e39-530i-m-sport-individual-60000-miles/

And that's pretty much the price range of the entire market of good examples (not including M5) - about 2-2.5 k from top to bottom. So as I said worth considering what you really want. If you would be happy with an earlier SE then absolutely fine - there's a certain appeal to an untouched immaculate original pre-facelift SE. If you'd really prefer a facelift sport with higher spec and/or you think you'd spend money upgrading/retrofitting if you started with an older car, then you may as well start with what you really want in the first place.

I'm a sucker for high/rare spec so mid-2012 I went in at 4k which got me a 2001 facelift sport with crazy spec (even double glazing!), and only 2 owners, 55,000 miles, FSH etc etc. That hasn't stopped me becoming hopelessly addicted to upgrading and retrofitting even more options (and stuff that wasn't an option). My latest ebay purchases should have me certified :). But I'm loving it - it's such a great car.

Get yourself on BMW5.co.uk too.
 
Liampope said:
For example, only 1k more is in the region of tidy late model facelift sports. E.g. this one...
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Not sure I would want one with Coilovers and replica wheels IMHO, an original car is a better bet.

That Techno Violet one on the other hand looks wonderful.

I remain jealous of your Ebay purchases, btw :p
 
Forgot to say - 535s are a bit meh for me. Don't go much better than a 530 but really like a drink. If you want a V8, do it properly and get a 540 - same economy but a decent power hike on the 530. I was looking for V8s originally, but the right car when it came along just happened to be a 530. I love it but sometimes do wish I had that V8 noise.
 
Liampope said:
Forgot to say - 535s are a bit meh for me. Don't go much better than a 530 but really like a drink. If you want a V8, do it properly and get a 540 - same economy but a decent power hike on the 530. I was looking for V8s originally, but the right car when it came along just happened to be a 530. I love it but sometimes do wish I had that V8 noise.
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I nearly posted that and have posted that in the past but the pricepoint changes things really.

For facelift cars when these were all quite expensive the 535i was very pointless, 530i performance, 540i costs. But for a sub £2k prefacelift car the 535i was a useful amount quicker than a 528i - 40bhp up - but usefully cheaper than a 540i. A 540i of the same condition and spec probably wouldnt be a sub £2k car.
 
[TW]Fox;25447720 said:
Not sure I would want one with Coilovers and replica wheels IMHO, an original car is a better bet.

That Techno Violet one on the other hand looks wonderful.

I remain jealous of your Ebay purchases, btw :p
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Yeah it's a bit fettled for my taste that one. But some people will want to do all that stuff anyway. My point, which I'm sure you understood, was just that all E39s are so cheap you may as well get the one you really want.

Those pics really don't do Techno Violet justice. It's loads more awesome.

Heh heh - the leather bits maybe. I decided the leather-versions-of-the-wood-trims would be caramel to match the rest instead of black...
rtcoDki.jpg

APMUtvx.jpg


...but my latest bits, maybe pity rather than jealousy. I'm now the proud owner of a full parts kit for the E38 hydraulic boot opener. It's not even close to a bolt on retrofit. When the wiring and coding is the easy part, that's a challenging retrofit. Gonna be awesome though.
 
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Liampope - Any plans to change the gear stick gaiter? I have a new one ready to go on just cannot figure out how to get the stick off :(

Rest of the leather looks beautiful btw, really not helping my E39 want.
 
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