E39 528i
Moderator: martauto
It's about time I stopped taxiing my kids around in the convertible E30 (NCAP rating, zero) and put it on historic plates. So I've purchased a nice modern E39 528i - one owner from new, great condition, 130,000 km / 80,000 miles on the clock, ~$96,000 less than the original purchase price.
This is an older one from 1996. It cost just over A$100,000 new, which is around 50,000 quid at today's exchange rates (no idea what it was at the time). I bought this for just under A$4,000, which is around 2,000 quid.
It's an astonishingly nice car for its age. The step up in quality from a 1989 E30 to a 1996 E39 is huge (the E30 is still more fun to drive though).
It's an astonishingly nice car for its age. The step up in quality from a 1989 E30 to a 1996 E39 is huge (the E30 is still more fun to drive though).
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Cloggy Saint
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I'm sure they're very capable cars but they just look so dull.
E30 zone - promoting adult illiteracy since 2004
I think they look pretty good from the right angle. Not as good as an E24/E30/E34, but not bad. It's meant to be a bit dull - in a daily driver sense.
The E39 is seen as the last mechanical BMW - the last model that the average Joe can maintain without specialist tools and a deep knowledge of electronics.
The E39 is seen as the last mechanical BMW - the last model that the average Joe can maintain without specialist tools and a deep knowledge of electronics.
I got my lowly 523i to 220,000 miles before I had to sell it because of ULEZ. That was a fantastic car.
Chris Harris was waxing lyrical about the E39 on the latest (collecting cars) podcastcoopman wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 2:47 amI think they look pretty good from the right angle. Not as good as an E24/E30/E34, but not bad. It's meant to be a bit dull - in a daily driver sense.
The E39 is seen as the last mechanical BMW - the last model that the average Joe can maintain without specialist tools and a deep knowledge of electronics.
Chris Harris is a wise man.
As with every BMW, I've encountered a few issues so far:
Three of the four electric windows are f**cked
Lots of dead pixels on the dash
One tyre has a slow puncture. Spare wheel is covered in grease - wtf?!?
Very slow off the mark - VANOS issue?
Windscreen seal is in terrible shape
Fluids were all very low - which is surprising given the car has been serviced by BMW every six months.
As with every BMW, I've encountered a few issues so far:
Three of the four electric windows are f**cked
Lots of dead pixels on the dash
One tyre has a slow puncture. Spare wheel is covered in grease - wtf?!?
Very slow off the mark - VANOS issue?
Windscreen seal is in terrible shape
Fluids were all very low - which is surprising given the car has been serviced by BMW every six months.
coopman wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 1:13 pmChris Harris is a wise man.
As with every BMW, I've encountered a few issues so far:
Three of the four electric windows are f**cked
Lots of dead pixels on the dash
One tyre has a slow puncture. Spare wheel is covered in grease - wtf?!?
Very slow off the mark - VANOS issue?
Windscreen seal is in terrible shape
Fluids were all very low - which is surprising given the car has been serviced by BMW every six months.
My experience of M52's is that they're pretty slow. Once you build up speed they're good.. but they certainly don't pull off well.
Re. cluster issues.. We have companies in the UK like Cartronix who repair the display strip on clusters. Might be worth seeing if there's a company in your neck of the woods.
Once it gets going it pulls really well. It seems to get bogged down in low gears - it's a big heavy lump, but it doesn't feel quite right.Mitchen wrote: ↑Thu Jul 27, 2023 8:16 amcoopman wrote: ↑Wed Jul 26, 2023 1:13 pmChris Harris is a wise man.
As with every BMW, I've encountered a few issues so far:
Three of the four electric windows are f**cked
Lots of dead pixels on the dash
One tyre has a slow puncture. Spare wheel is covered in grease - wtf?!?
Very slow off the mark - VANOS issue?
Windscreen seal is in terrible shape
Fluids were all very low - which is surprising given the car has been serviced by BMW every six months.
My experience of M52's is that they're pretty slow. Once you build up speed they're good.. but they certainly don't pull off well.
Re. cluster issues.. We have companies in the UK like Cartronix who repair the display strip on clusters. Might be worth seeing if there's a company in your neck of the woods.
There are companies over here that can fix the cluster display / ribbon issue. I was thinking of doing it myself, but it looks like a bit of a pain.