BMW 530i Sport - 3 years on

[[TW]Fox]

On the 24th September 2006 I collected my 530i Sport from Berkshire. As that was 3 years ago I thought some of you guys might be interested in my thoughts/experiences. And given I get constant grief on this forum for pimping my car I thought I might as well actually do it for a change.

I bought the car after 6 months of searching - I was particularly fussy. My original shortlist included the Mondeo ST220, BMW 330i Sport, BMW 530i Sport, Mercedes W220 and Subaru Impreza. Quite a random selection but all have one thing in common - I'm quite a fan of saloons. I guess deep down I always knew what I'd pick in the end given that for absolutely years I've always wanted an E39 M5 and the 530i Sport is as close as I could get.

It also fitted my needs pretty well - I was starting a Uni placement which at the start was 40 miles a day and by the end was 100 miles a day so I needed something that was suited to that. I also needed something cheap to run, easy to park, economical and suited to parking on the street when I went back to Uni, which it absolutely wasn't suited to, but you cant win everything

I was hugely fussy with condition - I wanted a 530i or a 528i Sport *but* I wanted a 1 owner car with FBMWSH in exceptional condition. At the time this was easier said than done with a sub £10k budget, whereas today this sort of car is free with selected packs of Kelloggs Cornflakes

So, after a long search I ended up with an immaculate 1 owner 4.5 year old 530i Sport Saloon in Titanium Silver with 6 months BMW warranty remaining. Managed to claim a few things on the warranty - the return spring went in the gearbox so BMW paid for... an entire new gearbox. The propshaft centre bearing went so BMW.. replaced the entire propshaft. Nice.

I've done about 30k miles and the costs have been pretty reasonable:

£1400 on tyres
£2500 on insurance
£600 on road tax
£1000 on servicing and consumables
£1500 on repairs

It's been reasonably reliable - I've replaced the entire cooling system, a heater blower motor, suspension dampers, rocker cover gasket and a wheel bearing.

I manage about 20mpg around town, 35+mpg on Motorway trips and 28-33mpg on mixed trips depending on how much of a hurry I'm in.

Whats next? Not sure. I still enjoy the car so much I'm keeping it for the near future - my mileage has changed recently and I'm up and down between Plymouth and the Midlands on a regular basis so it's really well suited to that. Can't beleive its now more than 7 and a half years old - doesn't feel it, time flies! I planned to change it at 3 years because I didnt want an old car but..

Some pics..

 

[[TW]Fox]

Rude to ask but how much did you pay for this badboy?

Just under £8k

Today you can buy an M5 for that. Or an absolutely mint utterly loaded 540i Sport.

Its in good condition, how oftern do you give it a good polish?

About twice a year.

 

[[TW]Fox]

It has to be said it looks fantastic. I'm not too keen on the list of repairs and running costs though! How the hell did you afford a ~£10k car and those running costs whilst still at Uni?!

It wasn't £10k! I had savings and I also worked full time for a year in a placement, as well as part time at Uni. I went to my local Uni so had no accomodation costs etc.

 

[[TW]Fox]

And if some posts here and there are to be believed you used a student loan to part finance it.

No, the only car related things student loan went on were insurance and petrol.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Is an e39 M5 still a viable option when ya chop it in?

I really want one but it's a lot more complicated picking my next car - I'm no longer at the stage in life where I can just spend all my earnings on a shiney car. I have to give consideration to boring stuff as well

This is made more manageable by the fact I'm in no hurry to change it

 

[[TW]Fox]

Not an awful lot value wise - the mileage is the wrong side of 160k and at this end of the market it can be as mint as a brand new one and people still won't be interested.

 

[[TW]Fox]

although you don't do high mileages in it. you keep it garaged?

It's not garaged, no. My mileage is a bit random - for the last 2 years I've done very low annual mileage in it but when I first got it at one stage I had a 100 mile a day commute. I am also spending increasing amounts of time driving up and down the M5 - for example I'll cover 1000 miles next week going to Yorkshire.

 

[[TW]Fox]

I am very, very tempted to retrofit the BMW Navigation system and keep it for at least another year or two. Certainly until I've sorted out a place with the GF rather than the constant driving up and down the M5 anyway. Can't think of a better car for that journey - every time I step out of it after a long trip I half want to get back in and drive even further. Plymouth to Southampton after dark is a particular favourite

 

[[TW]Fox]

Sure..

That reminds me - I must get rid of the steering wheel. I actually sourced an M-Tech 2 wheel (Which became standard 2 weeks after mine was built, grrr) in perfect condition from a 6000 mile 330Ci in January. Got it all fitted but the airbag was faulty and the seller wouldnt split

 

[[TW]Fox]

Do you Fox, or anyone have any experince of the auto box in the e39?

I test drove a few autos before I got mine (Autos outnumber manuals 5 to 1). Olly on these forums has a 530i Sport which is utterly identical to mine (Mine is a month newer I think?) but is automatic instead of manual.

What did you want to know?

 

[[TW]Fox]

It's 5 speed, yes. It's generally reliable (The petrol models have a ZF 5 Speed box which is commonly found in most Audi's as well, the diesels have a GM unit) but there are reports of failiures around 80-140k miles. Half the internet things this is because the 'Sealed for life' gearbox oil is nothing of the sort and should be changed. The other half thinks it isn't - so really, be aware of the potential. Some of the 5 speed ZF boxes can lose reverse. Can't remember why.

I went for a manual because it was less reliability hassle (And then I got an entire new transmission fitted anyway, lol), slightly more economical (Not a major factor in the decision) but mostly because... I like manuals and enjoy driving them more. The Sport model is great in that despite the cars size its still good fun to chuck around a nice A road (It's a bit big to properly cane down a narrow B road).

 

[[TW]Fox]

Bmw's to me always look as though theyre missing something without the idrive screen, sometimes you get so used to seeing it in ads for cars then when its not there the upper dash looks a bit strange sometimes.

I completely agree which is why I'm going to retrofit this (Inc wheel) end of this year/early next:

 

[[TW]Fox]

Will you be fitting it yourself?

Yes. It's a pretty big job but should be fine. Only snag is that I'll need to retrofit the high OBC instrument clocks as well if I want to keep date/time feature in the car.

Jobs like this will keep me interested

I very VERY much prefer a manual, but my upcoming surgery may knacker my clutch leg (Again). I currently drive a e36 328i sport and love it. but the need for more doors and autoness are creeping up. budget would be about £6k.

£6k should get you a really nice example these days, and coming from an E36 you know what to expect in terms of random things breaking and no one year being free from bills

 

[[TW]Fox]

Tis a nice car. I'm quite tempted to get one myself. Can I ask, the servicing and tyre costs, are they main dealer and Goodyear F1's? (how long do tyres last?, I suppose rears more specifically, if driven with 'gusto'..).

Yes - I've maintained the BMW main dealer servicing. To be honest it's pretty reasonably priced, I pay about £100 for an Oil Service, £200 for an Inspection 1. My next service however is an Inspection II at £350

Tyres are Eagle F1 - first two sets were GS-D3's but now my rears are Assymetrics. Rear tyres last approx 13k.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Still looking fresh, only thing I would add is some M5 mirrors just to modernise the exterior abit those square mirrors are the only thing that spoil it IMO.

I agree there as well - problem is they are £300 for a proper genuine set. If they ever get done they'll be very much the 'last' thing to do as there are numerous other things I'd rather spend £300 on. Exhuast needs sorting as well.

I'm actually quite looking forward to fiddling with this one and not changing the car. And I wont get dumped that way

 

[[TW]Fox]

It's a shame I suck at photography or I'd have got some pics at dusk with the LED rear lights and Xenon Angel eyes

 

[[TW]Fox]

Once you decided on which car to buy, how long did it take you to find the car you have now?

About 5-6 months. And don't OcUK know it. Half the forum was sick of the word 'E39' by the time I found it and the other half didnt think I'd ever buy one Luckily I didnt need a new car, I only wanted one - the Monedo was fine so I took my time.

I ask because I am thinking somewhat similar in regards to a 2006 320d and am just curious to hear your experience.

You'll find that a lot easier because there are many more of them about. When the E39 was current the Sport models were a lot rarer than they are today. Today, BMW sells 5 M Sport's for every 1 SE. In the early part of this decade the reverse was the case, partially because the Sport models were only offered on the big engined models (There was no 520d at all and the 525d/520i Sport only came out at the end of production).

Today, there are many, many 320d M Sport's to chose from so finding a good example won't be difficult.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Didnt realise that you had looked at buying a W220 in the past? You made the wrong choice mister

It never got beyond the 'I really like those.... I could get one of those. Some are in budget... Hmmm, all automatic' stage

 

[[TW]Fox]

If you keep your seats and interior that clean, does it not annyo you when drunk friends pile in with kebabs and the like?

New rule with the 530 was no kebabs Nobody ever threw up in the car though which was handy.

One thing that still suprises me is how many 'normal' people think its a really expensive car.

 

[[TW]Fox]

It was a combination of the mileage and the fact the guy wanted a quick sale - his replacement car was due the day after I collected it.

Amusingly his replacement car was.... a silver BMW 530i Sport with black leather and a manual box. Brand new again. I paid trade book price for the car.