Any E39 ('96-'03 5 Series BMW) owners out there?? Looking for your opinion.

[june82000]

Looking at options when buying a sporty sedan with a decent amount of room. Reliability is important, as is an automatic transmission. Decent gas mileage is a bonus as well. I welcome hearing about your experience dealing with this 5 series model which goes through 2003. If you have anything good or bad to say about it, please reply. Thank you!

[95avblm3]

My dad had an '01 530i from 2003 to 2010. Probably the most reliable BMW any of us have owned (around 10 between 5 family members), although the E39s are now another 4 years older since he traded his. I would stick to the inline-6 engines for reliability. The M62 V8 is a great engine but comes with an added level of complexity that arguably isn't necessary. My dad got great economy from his and it had plenty of power. His was a sport/premium car with the sport seats. Great bolstering. The interiors didn't seem to fall apart as bad as E36 interiors but watch out for bolster wear in the leather, especially on sport seats and be prepared to replace window regulators.

If I were to by an older, used BMW, an E39 would probably top my list.

PS... his had the 5-spd steptronic automatic. Very smooth shifting and never had any issue with it.

[HardDrive]

All my friends that own BMWs seem like they are in a bad relationship that they can't quite break off. The sex is great, but they are constantly sinking in more money to keep things going.

[cairns]

The best car I ever owned was a 1998 528i with the manual and the sport option. Very reliable, fun to drive, lots of room and very comfortable.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

All my friends that own BMWs seem like they are in a bad relationship that they can't quite break off. The sex is great, but they are constantly sinking in more money to keep things going.

That's why I'll not be buying another.

Common stuff that goes wrong on most every BMW, typically in the 100k range:

Cooling system failure. Plastic water pump impellers break off, plastic radiator fittings break off, in some cases the cooling fan blades break off and impale stuff. Budget for an overhaul if not already done.

Suspension bushings and shocks. This will manifest itself in vibrations and a generally loose feel. Again, budget for an overhaul if not already done.

Interior bits. Granted the E39 seems far better than the E36 (not saying much), but expect brittle plastic panels to crack, rattles, LCD display failure, leather wear, falling headliner, window regulators, seat motor/cable, accessories, etc. If you take anything apart, expect to replace every cheap plastic fastener.

Granted you get some degree of this on any European car. But BMWs seem particularly bad.

[asphaltgambler]

I love mine! but...................................I was a BMW tech for years and one thing I can tell you is a V-8 E38/39 vehicle that was poorly maintained will break you. I have witnessed grown men cry from a repair estimate. If you find the rare gem that someone has cared for and had the repairs and upkeep done in timely manner it can be a great vehicle.

I searched the entire continental US for 7 months for a nice, well maintained 540 sport / 6 speed. Narrowed that down to about 5 cars. All failed a reasonable PPI. I spent in excess of $1000K collectively. I then found what I was looking for 2 blocks away! As a buyer you'll need to be discriminating and patient to find a nice one.

[june82000]

As usual - great responses, so I thank you for that.

Another question - some of you have seen my thread from yesterday concerning Mecedes-Benz as well.

Compared to the BMW 5 series (96-03; E39) is there any appreciable difference in your opinion between this BMW and say a similar model Mercedes E-Class (W210/211) from the 2000-2005 model years? Build quality, reliability, etc.?

Feelings on the C-class (and for that matter the E class as well as 3-series (E46 ~ 99-06) are welcomed also.

[asphaltgambler]

My experience is the comparable class of MB's of that era have less issues engine related, but have transmission and electrical / network and 'active' suspension failures.

[5String43]

We had ours from new in 2003 until last year. Put 140,000 miles on it. That proved to be too many, as in spite of careful maintenance and upkeep, it began deteriorating under us. It was a magnificent car until then, however, very comfortable and a joy to drive. Handling and feel were both brilliant. So was the quality of both exterior and interior finish. Stereo was terrible. The damned thing thought it was a sports car, as it had the M-sport option - along with wide tires, which became very noisy as they wore. But it was very expensive to maintain. At 60,000 miles the front suspension bushings needed to be replaced, and from that point, the hits just kept on happening. Idler on the serpentine belt system went south, doing collateral damage. Couple of thou to fix all that. Brakes were about 1,200 a hit, just for the fronts, and that happened every 30,000 miles or so. Mind you, we had this car serviced at the dealer, having had a belly full of dishonest independent wrenches. I suppose an independent might have been somewhat less expensive. Still, overall, wifey and I both think it was the best car we've ever owned. Traded it for a new 3-series sedan she calls "the magic carpet." But given what we spent over the years on the E39, this one we're leasing. We shall see whether that was a wise move.

[greglepore]

Similar experiences here with a E39 M5. Great driving cars, but the build quality is not what it once was. Little stuff is expensive and frequent. Interior build quality not to M/B or Audi standards.

[VincentVega]

They are getting old, if you get the wrong one you'll never own another bmw. Get a good one and it'll be a great car. You really need to do your homework. If you arent doing your own basic maintenance they you should expect to pay $$ for service. Do it yourself and most items are simple and affordable.

[june82000]

Thanks everyone,

I forgot to mention that I would be doing virtually all of the maintenance on the vehicle. I have an E36 328i that I am familiar with - did the serpentine belts and replaced the plastic water pump and performed the aluminum thermostat housing upgrade along with a few other things (intake manifold gasket, cvv, etc). The cracked head is where I drew the line on that car - not that I can't do the work, just don't feel like sinking another 5 or 6 hundred plus my time into a car not even worth 2 grand. More cost effective to just buy another engine and put it in.

Anyway, I digress. Just meant to point out that I do all the maintenance on my vehicles; and if I can't for some reason then it becomes a question of how much do I figure some stealership will want, and is the car worth it.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by june82000

Thanks everyone,

I forgot to mention that I would be doing virtually all of the maintenance on the vehicle. I have an E36 328i that I am familiar with - did the serpentine belts and replaced the plastic water pump and performed the aluminum thermostat housing upgrade along with a few other things (intake manifold gasket, cvv, etc). The cracked head is where I drew the line on that car - not that I can't do the work, just don't feel like sinking another 5 or 6 hundred plus my time into a car not even worth 2 grand. More cost effective to just buy another engine and put it in.

Anyway, I digress. Just meant to point out that I do all the maintenance on my vehicles; and if I can't for some reason then it becomes a question of how much do I figure some stealership will want, and is the car worth it.

If you can deal with an E36 you will be just fine.. E36 is worse quality compared to E39

I have owned a 02 530I sport drove to 100K, and my present 03 540I Msport has 150K, just did complete suspension refresh, cooling system- and it just had intake manifold done, and car is SOLID.

Just don't buy a neglected POS.

rjp

[june82000]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

If you can deal with an E36 you will be just fine.. E36 is worse quality compared to E39

I have owned a 02 530I sport drove to 100K, and my present 03 540I Msport has 150K, just did complete suspension refresh, cooling system- and it just had intake manifold done, and car is SOLID.

Just don't buy a neglected POS.

rjp

Thanks for the input - BTW, I found your blinker fluid and the 710 cap. Still looking for the metric battery bolt. There's a guy I know that sells jet wash; he might have one.

[onewhippedpuppy]

In my opinion the W210 E-class and W202 C-class are the last of the true Mercedes-Benz. They were designed before the Daimler-Chrysler merger and as such didn't have nearly the cost cutting of later models. They are built like tanks, the quality inside and out blows the BMWs away. I owned a W202 C36 AMG (fantastic car) and have driven a bunch of W210s, particularly the E55 AMG. I think the C36, C43, and E55 are some of the best deals going in a performance sedan. All can be easily found for under $10k, and the C36 is closer to $5k. I went from an E36 to my C36, the Mercedes made the BMW look like a Cavalier. The only downside, and the reason why I sold my C36, is the lack of a manual transmission option.

[glewis80SC]

My wife's DD is a 2001 530i has about 90,000 on it now....I love the look and the way it drives...but yes the maintenance can be high. Ours is a 1 owner very well maintained one, previous owner was very OCD about taking care of it. However the water pump did go out a couple months ago that was not cheap to fix, slight wobble when I drove it the other day so bushing soon I bet.
A lot of the work is DIY, at least the regular maintenance but still not cheap, I do like knowing the wife and kids are in a safer car though. I do think the design/look of the car is one of the best ever from BMW.

[june82000]

Originally Posted by glewis80SC

My wife's DD is a 2001 530i has about 90,000 on it now....I love the look and the way it drives...I do think the design/look of the car is one of the best ever from BMW.

Thanks, me too. Is low to mid-20s what I could expect for MPG?

[glewis80SC]

Yes. She had gotten 30mpg highway but 23-25 around town is the norm.

[glewis80SC]

Here it is.

[june82000]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I owned a W202 C36 AMG (fantastic car) and have driven a bunch of W210s, particularly the E55 AMG. I think the C36, C43, and E55 are some of the best deals going in a performance sedan. All can be easily found for under $10k, and the C36 is closer to $5k.

A nice looking and dependable performance sedan is just what I'm looking for - will definitely check out the AMG option in addition to the base models. I agree, some of the BMWs I've seen - esp the E36 - seem a little cheap on the materials, especially the plastics. Thanks!