My brother wants to pick up a wagon, and the asking price on 123 Mercedes wagons is borderline absurd. He spied E39 wagons, which seem to be priced really well. He was originally focused on the 6 cylinder models, but a 540 caught his eye.
This car is listed on bimmerforums and craigslist in Seattle.
2001 BMW 540iT Wagon
I told my brother it would probably need a suspension refurbish. I've also heard about bad window regulators. Anything else that stands out on the E39? I have an E36 M3 and am familiar with BMW's weaknessess in the cooling system.
Is fuel consumption the only drawback to the V8?
FWIW, my brother did some research and found this Touring was purchased for $19k 3 years ago. I'm thinking at $9500-10000, this car has hit the bottom of the depreciation curve.
What say the elders?
jurgen