I am coming to the end of a bangernomics phase (18 months ago I gave up full time work in order to build an extension on my house which is almost finished, so I should be earning again soon) and fancy a change (I think) from my customary Legacy estates.
Last year I bought an immaculate Mazda 626 2.0 petrol with FSH and all the toys from someone on the BR but now I wish to take advantage of the falling market, and MichaelR's constant praise of his 530 has got me thinking...
My annual mileage is quite low, circa 5/7k,and I wondered what the advantage of a manual box over an auto was....apart from extra mpg. I do very little urban driving, living on the NYorks/Cumbria border. Presumably not having an auto box restricts the number of potential buyers when I come to sell.
Reliability and handling are my primary concerns...the Subarus delivered in spades on those two counts, but their interior trim let them down.
Opinions please
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The manuals, Which are unfortunately rarer than newts teeth, are at least 10% more fuel efficient than autos and driven sensibly are amazingly frugal.
My son regrettably sold his manual 2002 E39 530i Sport last year and despite being heavy on the right boot, that car never dropped below a 30 mpg average and on an 80 mph motorway cruise regularly returned 34 mpg. I can fully believe MichaelR`s recent claim, that with a more sympathetic driving style, he regularly attains 38 mpg on an extended run.
IMHO this model is still is the finest BMW built to date and I would heartily recommend seeking out a decent manual with FSH and enjoy.
Incidentally he replaced this car with a 2006 manual E 90 series 325Ci and has since regretted it many times over, as this car is far heavier on fuel, to the tune of 6 mpg over the 530i.
He questioned the economy with BMW and because of another inherent problem with earlier versions of this model, had a whole new cylinder head fitted under warranty by BMW. Unfortunately this cured the engine rattle on start up but had no impact whatsoever on fuel consumption.
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I currently have a 528i se auto. Bought by me, new in August 1998. It's now done 126k and feels like new, and apart from "the careless ones" in Tescos, almost looks new. Due to a careless wife in 2003 driving without water resulting i na £5k bill and new engine, it has had one service per year, and costs virtually nothing. petrol is 28.5 per gallon and it looks set for another 10 years.
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Presumably not having an auto box restricts the number of potential buyers when I come to sell.
I should think that by the time you come to sell the E39, it will be in the bangernomics category where buyers will not be looking for auto boxes. It may in fact be an advantage at that time. [ Assuming you buy a 02 or 03 car and keep it for 5 years or more as you are doing such low mileages, that means it will be year 2013 or later, ie. over 10 years old, when you sell it. Fuel will cost £5 a litre by then. ]
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They are brilliant cars but I'm not going to pretend its an effortlessly reliable choice becuase it isn't. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with them and it'll almost certainly never leave you stranded but niggly things here and there with a £100 here and £300 here soon add up. If you've got the budget to sort things like that fixing the odd niggle on a 530i is a far more enjoyable ownership experience than paying the depreciation fairies for an Astra.
Cooling system is the cars weak spot, most 6 year old cars have just had or will need soon replacement cooling system components. The radiator can split at the end tanks and the header tank can crack. Generally most people replace the lot, rad, tank, thermostat, waterpump and both top and bottom hoses. This costs about £400 and should see no further trouble from that area during your ownership.
It's important to get one thats been looked after. I deliberately seeked out a 1 owner from new car and think this has paid off in terms of the cars condition and history, although as they age this becomes more difficult. Do try and ignore the 500 owner blinged up ones with M5 mirrors fitted and suchlike becuase they will be trouble.
As long as you remember they were once a £35k car and still attract running costs you'd expect from such a car you should thoroughly enjoy owning one.
A full set of tyres cost me £530 last year but as I only do 5k a year even the rears have yet to wear noticeably.
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Michael is absolutely right. Another word of caution, though don't be put off! I ran an E39 525i auto for 3 years and it never gave anything other than delight. However, the auto box is 'sealed for life'. BMW dealers will not touch it and, by 100k miles and 7 years old upwards, many independents reckon it is a very good idea to get the box oil changed. It is not an easy job though as fluid is a longlife special brand and much is retained in the torque converter meaning 2 or 3 changes in quick succession to ensure the old stuff is sufficiently flushed through. A good precaution. If the box goes bang ( usually won't engage reverse - first sign of trouble..) then replacements from BMW could easily cost more than the car is worth. BAg yourself a good one, manual or auto and all will be fine.
Avoid the 2.0 150bhp as they are slightly underpowered. 2.2 upwards fine - bigger enginges give surprisingly good MPG as they are less stressed.
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E39 never came in a 2.0 version.
You only got them in sx cylinders - the engines had capacities of 2.2, 2.5, 2.8 and 3.0.
2.2 was a bit underpowered, especially if you had driven the bigger variants. All of them give very similar consumption, so if possible, buy the biggest engine.
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No that's not true. In the early years the 520i was a 2.0 straight six with 150BHP, before becoming the 2.2 with 170BHP.
Would still avoid though and seek a larger engined model for the proper 5 series experience.
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source : HJ's car by car, www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/index.htm?md=41
E39 never came in a 2.0 version.
Never say never.
520i M52 6 cylinder 150 HP 220 km/h 1996 - 2000 [ this has the 2 litre engine]
2.2 was a bit underpowered, especially if you had driven the bigger variants
2.2 had just a whisker less top speed than the 2.5 litre engine in the 523i.
520i M54 6 cylinder 170 HP 226 km/h 2000 - 2003 [ this has the 2.2litre engine ]
523i M52 6 cylinder 170 HP 228 km/h 1995 - 2000 [ this has the original 2.5litre engine ]
525i M54 6 cylinder 192 HP 238 km/h 2000 - 2003 [ this has the later 2.5 litre engine ]
All of them give very similar consumption, so if possible, buy the biggest engine.
True. Avoid the 528i and choose the 530i instead.
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>> All of them give very similar consumption so if possible buy the biggest engine. True. Avoid the 528i and choose the 530i instead.
Well that can be a bit difficult as the 530i replaced the 528i and as such all examples are newer and thus more expensive. Generally budget dictates whether its a 528i or a 530i.
But agreed, ignore the rest. There is no advantage to them.
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Generally budget dictates whether its a 528i or a 530i.
Rather than 528i [M52 6 cylinder 193 HP 236 km/h 1995 - 2000] I would personally choose the facelift September 2000 model 525i [M54 6 cylinder 192 HP 238 km/h 2000 - 2003 ] or even the 523i [M52 6 cylinder 170 HP 228 km/h 1995 - 2000].
As you say, the best choice, if you can afford it, is generally accepted to be facelifted Sept 2003 model 530i [M52 EU3 530 six with 231bhp 2000 - 2003 ].
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As you say the best choice if you can afford it is generally accepted to be facelifted Sept 2003 model 530i [M52 EU3 530 six with 231bhp 2000 - 2003
You say a September 2003 facelift - but was that not when the E60 came out, replacing the E39?
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>> Generally budget dictates whether its a 528i or a 530i. Rather than 528i [M52 6 cylinder 193 HP 236 km/h 1995 - 2000] I would personally choose the facelift September 2000 model 525i [M54 6 cylinder 192 HP 238 km/h 2000 - 2003 ] or even the 523i [M52 6 cylinder 170 HP 228 km/h 1995 - 2000].
Why would you chose a 523i over a 528i? The 528i was the pick of the prefacelift engine range, the 523i offers all the running costs of a 528i without the performance. It is a poor choice.
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In my opinion, the manual 530i (E39) is a candidate for 'best car in the world'. Superb choice!
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