advice when looking at a 2002 530i

True but even a tidy one costs cash to run - cash that I just don't really understand why people buying cheap cars can be bothered or prepared to shell out. I don't get it. If you are buying a cheap car why would you be happy to then pay big bills when it goes wrong or needs a set of tyres? Surely if you are buying a cheap car you want it to be cheap to run as well.

Who are these people who cant afford more than £3k for a car but can afford to spend thousands on running it?

I'm a massive E39 fanboy, I've cherished my car for years and years and even I am getting to the point where I have to wonder whether its worth the bother paying out on an older car - its my main motivation for changing to something newer in the future. So if you were STARTING from this position... meh, I'm waffling.
 
I actually went to have a look at a 530i the other day to see what all the fuss was about.

X reg, 90k@, 1 previous private owner from new, wood interior with beige leather, £3800 or something like that.

Drove and felt very nice but just felt a tad dated and I doubt I'd want to plough too much money into what i would precieve as an 'older' car, especially when funds dictate I can get newer.

Was still a lovely ride though and I can see what all the fuss was about 4/5 years ago and when they first came out.
 
[TW]Fox;17478447 said:
Its better than a Fiat Bravo in every possible way.
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Yes it is, but it's going to cost 10x more to run and I found out it really wasn't what I was after dispite appearing to be a lovely car (the e39 that is, I couldn't really tell you how good that example was).

My point wasn't that I have a better car, infact I loved the 530i but felt it was a tad dated for me and I wouldn't pay for fixing it all like you because I'd never love it.

I meant I could afford an e92 so after driving those the e39 just felt a tad dated for my MTV generation eyes and ears.
 
It does a somewhat random thing to do, go and test drive a 10 year old car thats 5 times cheaper than the budget you've said you have for your next car :confused:

If you just wanted to get a taste for the E39 you should have gone and viewed a minter instead not a cheapy. Or had a look round mine at the Soton meet :p
 
[TW]Fox;17478462 said:
It does a somewhat random thing to do, go and test drive a 10 year old car thats 5 times cheaper than the budget you've said you have for your next car :confused:

If you just wanted to get a taste for the E39 you should have gone and viewed a minter instead not a cheapy. Or had a look round mine at the Soton meet :p
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I was at the garage for another reason and saw it there. Considering I'd never really looked around one let alone driven one I thought it was a good way to waste half an hour.

It has never been a serious contender for a new car, simply an exercise in seeing what all the fuss was about and experiencing that type of car.

For what it was I loved it, I can totally see why it dominated for so long and is held in such high reguard. Clearly I wasn't up for travelling 40 miles to see a potential mint e39 for the luls!

I wasn't going anywhere near yours, it had a small 15mm dent on one of the side skirts - I wouldn't be seen dead in a car with dents :p
 
Thing is when they get to this age, you find a decent independent and start to use pattern parts.

They aren't difficult cars to work on and there are plenty of resources online to help with potential problems - good if you're handy with a spanner.
 
I ran my 540i on next to no money for 18 months, but eventually it got to a point where I was going to have to spend £3k on it to get it tip top again. No way was I going to do that with a car that's worth less than that.
The E39 is a great car but it's time has passed. Only minters are with taking a punt on these days and they are few and far between.
 
Rilot said:
I ran my 540i on next to no money for 18 months, but eventually it got to a point where I was going to have to spend £3k on it to get it tip top again. No way was I going to do that with a car that's worth less than that.
The E39 is a great car but it's time has passed. Only minters are with taking a punt on these days and they are few and far between.
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It's a real shame because most of them eventually reach the point that with £3k of spending on a complete overhaul of various key parts and a full suspension refresh (It tends to get baggy with age) they would once again be fantastic cars that would run well for some time but people prepared to invest that in what are now cheap cars are few and far between.

So they sell them instead. At attractive prices.
 
Just don't buy one like mine :p ...they are fantastic cars though ...at least they are when they are working properly. I'm glad I owned one as it's something I always wanted to do ...but it wasn't good enough to warrant putting up with it's crap for much longer than I did.

Mine was a temperamental 540i though, not a 530i. And mine was a bit of a money pit really. If you get one that hasn't got anything major about to fail then it should be fine.
 
Maz said:
Too much scare mongering going on here, go and look at the car, drive it, look at its bills and history and take a punt.

Who the hell buys a £3k car expecting it to last forever?

Just because the seller is asking £3k for it, when others are asking for £5k for the same model doesn't necessarily mean that the car is a duffer - I find a lot of private sellers are clouded by how good they think their car is and price them out the market!
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The scare mongering is for a bloody good reason. as Fox said, most people who pay £3k don't want £1 - £2k p/a in running costs. These cars can and do generate such bills.

On the other hand though, there are a few people here who have taken punts on e39's for example - anybody remember when Pinter75 bought a cheap moon miles 540i? AFAIK, he still has it and I don't recall him posting about any major issues with it.

Probably the exception rather than the rule, but proof ,perhaps, that some people are lucky.

[TW]Fox;17478731 said:
It's a real shame because most of them eventually reach the point that with £3k of spending on a complete overhaul of various key parts and a full suspension refresh (It tends to get baggy with age) they would once again be fantastic cars that would run well for some time but people prepared to invest that in what are now cheap cars are few and far between.
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My old mans had met this point a few times now, he's just paid £900+ on some engine problem (mis-fire and erattic idle) don't know the reason.

The car is still superb at circa 260k miles !

VERY much the exception, he's driven / owned (i.e. previously his company car, kept it on retirement) it since new.
 
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You can't, but then I wasn't suggesting that he could tell with any degree of certainty, but if he does get one that's had the usual suspects already addressed and there is some evidence of this and when it was done, it would certainly improve his odds I think. Combine that with your own advice about tyres, fluids, history etc, I think he can take the gamble with a reasonble chance of doing alright out of it. If you buy one like I did, then it's far less likely it will be ok.

Still, the statement holds, if the car hasn't got any major bills on the horizon then it should be a pleasure to own and drive ...and shouldn't cost too much for a while. Whether or not he gets one like this though ...well, who can say. Short of having the car virtually taken apart and inspected ...there really isn't any way to be certain.

I'm not going to bash my 540i though, the problems I had with mine were no reflection on the car really, more the care and attention to maintenance by the previous owner, who had, had the car for 7 years iirc. Clearly he wasn't cut from the same cloth as Fox. Sure my car had problems, quite a few actually but it never actually stranded me, although it did very nearly manage it once ...had I not known I could pull the maff to get it running I'd have been calling the RAC.

I still think the E39 is a fantastic car, the 540i especially, but you must get a good one or it's going to cause you pain.
 
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Well you might think so, but I think he has the idea now, aslong as he understands what he 'might' be letting himself in for then I see no reason to scare the crap out of him. Because fundamentally, all things considered they are excellent cars ...just don't expect it to cost regular £4k car money to run, but Fox made that quite clear I think. Depending on how you look at it they can be rather good value for money or terrible value, I think it entirely depends on what you are looking for and expecting in a car.

Ok so I got a bit of a dog, but I 'could' have had a nice one had I been more careful and more patient, my troubles were by and large my own damn fault really. Also, it's much easier to find a nice 530i than a 540i ...there is just so much more choice. And going back to the Jag now with rack and pinion steering does make me realise how ...heavy and dead it was on the 540i ...the 530i of course is not like that since it uses rack and pinion rather than recirculating ball. I fixated too much on the V8 really, but then I know that had I not, I would still be hankering after it now.
 
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Fair enough mate, its all about ticking the engine boxes.....

I just know I'll have a similar experience if & when I manage to tick the V8, V12 & (hopefully!) V10 boxes some time...... :o :)
 
[TW]Fox;17477434 said:
I have exactly this car. If you are comparing the cost of tax with the cost of your Focus, do not buy one. Seriously. Mine is immaculate and was purchased at 4 years old and it still probably costs several thousand quid a year to run.

And a sub £3k one is going to be properly ropey with multiple things wrong with it.

It's a good £5k car, but its a very bad £3k car!
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Your car costs the same to run as Jez's S Class? Actually it costs a hell of a lot more per mile to run than Jez's S Class based on that comment :confused:
 
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