WTB: E39 touring 5 spd
 

just putting it here (as well) for more exposure.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/bmw-cars-sale/710891-wtb-e39-touring-5-spd.html

Good luck. Finding a manual transmission touring is not easy.

Oh man. I have an E39 Sport with 5 spd, I thought that was hard to find. Good luck. Post pics if you find one!

Does that exist?

Dont you mean 6 speed ie manual.

The autobox is a 5 speed.

I've got a 325it sport w/manual, it took 3 years to find a nice one. I absolutely love it, but now that I have it, I'd rather have a 5 series. The 5 would be bigger thats all.

Check the wagon thread, I'm positive a 5 series wagon w/sport package and manual was recently posted.

Dean

yeah, they are out there. I can fly, but can't drive back 2k miles. At least not for another month. then we'll see.

So...I guess I'm looking for one in the SE, and I would like a 8-9-10 out of 10, if you know what I mean.

If any of ya'll could reach out to someone you may know, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

~Chris

I've seen 'em, they're actually not as rare as some are suggesting. You're talking about a 528i or 525i wagon, right?

correct. I believe a few are availible out there. Speeder, do you know of any?

No. But I'm not looking. Do a multiple CL search using the terms manual, then 5-speed, etc., for a 528it and a 525it.

Try Bimmerfroums

Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum - Powered by vBulletin

i've been looking, using CL, autotrader, ebay, and the forums as well. Thought I'd just throw it out here, maybe someone knows someone, who might know someone, who maybe tomorrow decides they want out of their wagon.

Automatic in Phoenix - I think it's overpriced, but looks like a nice one.
2003 BMW 525iT WAGON

Did you see this one that closed on Ebay last week?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002-BMW-525iT-Sport-Wagon-5-Spd-Manual-M-PACKAGE-RARE-ONE-KIND-MODEL-/221132801206?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item337c8ac4b6

http://www.adoos.com/post/4313244/2002_bmw_5series_525it_

There you go...silver/black 5-speed and clean. They're out there.

The one on eBay was thrashed and got bid-up to $8300, so the silver one w/ 30k fewer miles and one year newer, (plus doesn't need a complete $5k re-spray), is really priced right.

Would pay KBB retail for this in a heatbeat... books at around $5000. Their price - $8988.

2002 BMW 525IT WAGON 4D,5 SPEED MANUAL,117K,LEATHER,MOON ROOF

decent car
 

I had been calling auto gallery on this one. It's nice but higher resolution pictures show that the seats have wear. Still a nice example.

I'm hoping to have a few cars inspected by the end of the week.

Thanks for all the leads.

~Chris

I've been looking at E39 wagons, too (not manuals). Seems like the seats on these do not age well at all. I've seen 90K mile seats that look like they have 300K miles. I'm afraid that if I find a car I like I'll end up spending another $500 to have the driver's seat renewed... and in the price range I'm looking that's going to be around 10% of the price of the car!

BMW interiors don't tend to wear well, especially the leather. You won't find many at 100k that look as good as a comparable Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, etc. Leatherique has great kits to refurb leather seats that work quite well and are DIY friendly, I did an entire E36 interior with one and it turned out great.

Matt I need to post pics of my 107k mile E39 seats. They look fantastic.

I think if you can find a car that had been well taken care of, conditioned with a quality product on a regular basis, garage kept, etc then they would look good. But the AVERAGE BMW, and I've looked at a lot of them, does not tend to hold up as well as the competitors. By average I really mean neglected, as most people don't like the work that comes with keeping leather nice. I went to look at a local 2001 W210 E55 yesterday just for the hell of it because it was sitting about 1 mile from my workplace at a dealer's lot. The car was a neglected rusty POS, but the leather seats looked great. I briefly considered a 2001 E39 M5 that has been babied since new by CCA owners, at 83k the front seats need a complete refinish. Only two examples I know, but it is consistent with what I've seen.

When I had my wholesale license I was always disappointed in the interiors of BMWs and Porsches I saw at the auctions. Lots of small broken items (ie E39 cupholders) and really worn leather.

Just found a 1999 with 126K for 5200 in Vancouver, Wa. Check out the Portland Craigslist.

It looks pretty killer. I just might buy it!

Larry

Did they sell E39s with cloth interiors in the US? BMW's fabric tends to hold up way better than their leather. My '87 E30's cloth looks nicer now than my '97 E36's leather did when I sold it in '05.

Great cars. I used to own two, both 5-speeds. autotrader.com is your friend.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1351241579.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1351253256.jpg

Being one of the 3 BMW owners who love their e60 cars, have you considered these? I owned a 540i for 2 years and then moved to my 2008 550i. I found the 540 was a fine car but it wasn't aging well for me. To some the simple styling of it just looked dated. In M5 form it was better. The wagon is an aquired taste but I think the e60 version is much sportier. The interior looks to be holding up quite well also.

Post a message in this thread on Bimmerforums to solicit potential sellers: The UNOFFICIAL E39 Touring Thread! - Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum

Also, cruise the For Sale section here: 5 series & 6 series - Bimmerforums - The Ultimate BMW Forum

I shopped for a little over 3 months. They are around, but the good ones go quickly, particularly the manuals. I never thought I would say this, but I love my wagon. For the price, it offers great value, luxury, and practicality. Doesn't look half bad either. Good luck with your search.

540i's are 6-speed manuals
525i/535i's are 5-speed manuals

The 540i wasn't available as a manual in touring form, only in the sedan.

Yes, technically you are correct. They were not available in the US, unfortunately, but 540iT 6-speeds are available in Europe. Very rare. I was simply elaborating that there are also 5-speed manuals, not just 6-speeds.

Chris - here's one a little closer to you. Automagic, but I'm likin' the M5 bumper.
BMW : 5-Series 528iT | eBay

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1351286875.jpg

update
 

I just wanted to give a quick update, and a quick shout-out to Techweenie: thanks for your help in checking the car out in LA;I greatly appreciate your time. I was really dissappointed when I didn't act quickly enough, and missed out on getting it. However, it seems to have worked out in the end. I found this one in NH, just outside of boston. Tubwreck, before I changed the wheels & trim, it looked very similar to yours. Did yours have a black interior by any chance?

Anyway, flew up there to Boston, picked up the car from a BimmerForums member, then drove about 15 minutes to another BF member's house and picked up the sweet sport seats that are now in it. Then drove all night back to Chattanooga. The car was pretty dirty on the inside; my wife and I spent 2-3 hours cleaning it, and I couldn't believe what I saw. The car is essentailly brand new on the inside. I am still amazed at the condition the car is in.

I've put on the style 5 wheels, blacked the trim & moulding, replaced the rear subframe bushings, and have done a brake job. The car handles and drives very well for such a heavy vehicle, and it has plenty of power. Next upgrade on the list is a sport/race suspension set up.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1356366850.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1356367035.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1356367114.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1356367124.jpg

Nice car and glad you found one.

I went from Atlanta to Pennsylvania to get mine. It drives me nuts when people refuse to look outside their own zip code for a rare car.

Nope -- tan. Nice looking car -- have fun with it!