Potential 530i owner with a few questions. Help Please!!!

[XclusiveTN]

Hello, I am new to the forums. Been doing a lot of reading and finally found a 2003 530i with 91k for $7,500 which I thought was in great shape. I took it to a BMW mechanic and below is what I was told needs to be done:

Power Steering Repairs $380
**power steering suction and return lines are leaking and require replacement with new P/S reservoir cape and seal**

Oil Filter Stand Gasket Replacement $475.00
**Oil filter stand gasket is leaking oil and requires replacement**

Full Rear Brake Replacement $535.00 (says the front brakes have about 50% life left
**rear brakes are worn and require full replacement**

Oil Separator Replacement $670.00
**Oil separator shows signs of age and the associated breather hoses are oil soaked and cracked, recommend replacement**

Power steering rack replacement $1,525.00
**Power steering rack is seeping fluid**

Oil pan gasket replacement $825.00
**Engine oil pan gasket is seeping oil**

Driver/Passengers seat adjustment $525.00
**Front driver and passenger seats are out of adjustment

Misc - stereo pixels missing and wiper blades require replacement

Vehicle was scanned to check for faults, no faults were found at this time.


My great find is starting to seem like not such a great find now. After being hit by sticker shock I wanted to see how much of this can be done diy and how much needs to be actually done at a shop. How much would I spending on these repairs if I did them myself and just got the parts. I have helped swapped an engine before in my Acura so I don't mind diy if these are feasible. I will have to admit this was the first time I have ever been told the car is in great shape you just need to spend about $5k in repairs. I'm almost wondering if the car is worth it or am I better off finding a car that has over 100k miles and making sure that receipts are present to show that this work has already been done. I 'm guessing this is the reason the seller is really selling the car. No sense in putting this type of money in a car if you aren't going to keep it.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Chris

[RVAE34]

Price seems a little high regardless IMO. I would think that only the rear brakes would be essential to replace for safety reasons. The rest sounds like the typical stuff which could be done over time. I would keep looking.

[RuskiE39]

If you can talk down the seller off the price then maybe it might be worth it, those are all stealership prices so it might help to take the car to an indie mechanic... you can work on the car little by little making fixes to the more severe items on the list.

[GSA1]

Those prices are outrageous. And the car price is too high considering the problems cited. And what about the cooling system? At that mileage it should have been overhauled already.

[RVAE34]

You know the dealer would have listed that too if that were the case. It probably was overhauled.

[XclusiveTN]

Thanks for all of the responses so far. The thing is this was a European garage that works on BMW and not the actual dealer. So what I'm gathering is that the only thing vital would be the brakes and I could work on the rest of things as I go forward. What would be the typical price(estimate) for this car with the maintenance that needs to be done? Its my dream car black on black but at the same time I'm not afraid to walk away from it either if its to much and keep looking. Ive want black on black or the burgundy which is impossible to find if its not an M5. decisions decisions decisions

[E5CAP3]

Depends, You could certainly do some of the work yourself, and save some dough. However, the shop may also be inventing repairs to generate revenue. My perspective is skewed because you have to fix everything to pass safety inspection in Maryland. Seriously, they fail you for a busted foglight.

The price is definitely high for what it needs, by a fair amount, and I would always rather get a higher mileage example that has had all the necessary previous maintenance done.

On the other hand, no matter how nice the car, you will have to spend money on it out of the gate. I just bought a really nice 540i, and have still put a couple grand into it to get it through inspection, doing a lot of work myself (New tires, new rear brakes, new sway end links, new rear ball joints, etc.)

[RVAE34]

Without seeing any photos, I would be inclined to say $5500 for the car with the repairs needed. Maybe a little more if the interior/exterior are mint.

[coolvegase34]

You can do the brakes yourself as well. Brakes all around should cost $400-500 if you diy. All the stuff you mentioned can be done by you. The price on the car is high but talk the seller down and get to work on the car.

[E5CAP3]

One that shocks me most. $825 for an oil pan gasket? Seriously?

[RJLupin]

Did you get a ppi and then ask the mechanic what he would charge to fix the things on the list? or this is the list the mechanic came up on his own? The prices are way too high and you should post/check in your local BMW groups to identify a reliable, reasonable priced indie. See if you can 'bring your own parts' to the indie so he can't pass on the mark up to you.

As others have suggested, some of the stuff can be DIY. Depends on what your comfort level is.

And first time I'm hearing about this seat adjustment thing? What is up with that .. :dunno

[E5CAP3]

Didn't even notice that one. $525 seems a bit steep to adjust your seat to a comfortable position. You can definitely do that for a lot cheaper. I'll adjust your seat to whatever position you want for under $300

[auaq]

I would say find another 530i or any other 5 series that is in much better condition with lesser things to do after the purchase. Make sure to get a broad record of service history where some of the most common repairs/failures have been addressed already. Only then should you decide to purchase the vehicle. That car with a price tag of more than $7k and then top it off with all those costs of repair you're most likely looking at $13k or more. A lot of those stuff are DIY already. Just look out for another car that now needs much lesser maintenance but for a good reasonable price.

- - - Updated - - -


One that shocks me most. $825 for an oil pan gasket? Seriously?

Remember that this is a 530i with a long oil pan and oil pan gasket. This isn't like the V8's where you can easily access to the oil pan, drop it, replace the old gasket with the new one, put everything back together, and drive on. The inline-6 powered E39 is labor intensive when it comes to oil pan gasket where you have to drop the lower subframe. Not easy job, hence the price.

[RJLupin]

Correct me, but some of the things mentioned like leak in power steering hoses and such is a feature of e39 .. don't all of our hoses sweat? :lol3 :lol3

[XclusiveTN]

Ok just sent the seller email asking for bottom line price now that they know what is wrong with the car. The shop that did the inspection was actually recommended by the seller. Since the car is out of town I did call a local indie shop here to inquire on prices for the same repairs and they were cheaper on everything so seems like they are just an expensive shop to begin with. If I was to get the car I think most of the repairs I and a friend could do as long as they weren't urgent and needed to be done tomorrow. I think $500+ for a rear brake job is just ridiculous. Well I'll wait to hear back from the seller. If they are willing to neg more (care was $8,900 to begin with) we may can talk, if not I will continue looking.

[larrym3711]

Oil pan gasket replacement should be more like $200. My local European car service center wants $250 for parts and labor for the oil pan gasket replacement on a 540. And, the truth is that is an easy job for the DIY.

larrym3711
2001 540iA Sport

[E5CAP3]

Oil pan gasket replacement should be more like $200. My local European car service center wants $250 for parts and labor for the oil pan gasket replacement on a 540. And, the truth is that is an easy job for the DIY.

larrym3711
2001 540iA Sport

This was answered earlier. I was under the same assumption. Apparently doing it on an inline 6 is a beast. I don't think my buddy had that much labor into that job on his ZHP though.

[XclusiveTN]

Ok just sent the seller email asking for bottom line price now that they know what is wrong with the car. The shop that did the inspection was actually recommended by the seller. Since the car is out of town I did call a local indie shop here to inquire on prices for the same repairs and they were cheaper on everything so seems like they are just an expensive shop to begin with. If I was to get the car I think most of the repairs I and a friend could do as long as they weren't urgent and needed to be done tomorrow. I think $500+ for a rear brake job is just ridiculous. Well I'll wait to hear back from the seller. If they are willing to neg more (care was $8,900 to begin with) we may can talk, if not I will continue looking.

....update

Ok I just called the garage and spoke to them again. His response this time was that it didn't all need to be done at once. Not sure if he thought I would just fix it all because I was out of town. After going thru it line by line he told me the things that need to be addressed now are:

rear brakes (I can do these)
p/s repairs
oil separator replacement

are these three things listed above hard to do and expensive?

He stated the power steering rack had seepage but that didn't have to be done now. He stated he thought it might be two or three more years before it needs to be replaced. He also stated that if the oil pan gasket is going to be replaced(said it was not leaking now) that they should be replaced at the same time.

So I'm just waiting to hear back from the seller now!

[RJLupin]

Let me look into this palantír and see if you might do an engine swap in the future as well :stickoutt

DIY for CCV: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1337480-Replacement-of-the-CCV-on-M54&highlight=oil+separator - check for the part list and try a site (eeuroparts, FCP, RMEuropean) to see how much it comes to.

Check in the DIY subforum for others and estimate prices. Others who have done the job recently may be able to give you a good estimate.

Appreciate you looking into all the possibilities, but you may give this one up and look for other good cars out there too :)

[MrTeeThyme]

I recently got a quote for my 528i oil pan gasket and it was $600. I checked the online resources and that seems about right. They quote about 5 hours. The other items should be diy.

[Mark185]

Hello, I am new to the forums. Been doing a lot of reading and finally found a 2003 530i with 91k for $7,500 which I thought was in great shape. I took it to a BMW mechanic and below is what I was told needs to be done:

Power Steering Repairs $380
**power steering suction and return lines are leaking and require replacement with new P/S reservoir cape and seal**

Oil Filter Stand Gasket Replacement $475.00
**Oil filter stand gasket is leaking oil and requires replacement**

Oil Separator Replacement $670.00
**Oil separator shows signs of age and the associated breather hoses are oil soaked and cracked, recommend replacement**

Oil pan gasket replacement $825.00
**Engine oil pan gasket is seeping oil**

Driver/Passengers seat adjustment $525.00
**Front driver and passenger seats are out of adjustment

All of the above with exception of oil pan gasket are fairly easy DIY jobs if you are already a decent home mechanic. The oil separator and oil filter housing (stand) gasket should be done at the same time because removing the oil filter housing makes the oil separator job much easier. It is very possible that the oil pan gasket is not leaking. The leak from the oil filter housing can make it look like the pan gasket is shot. It did on my 530i and the pan gasket was OK. Seat adjustment is not that difficult if you remove the seats. There are good DIY threads on Bimmerfest E39 and there may be some here also but I have not found them. Power Steering reservoir and hoses are also pretty easy to replace.

As others have said, the asking price is way too high. I would not offer more than $4500 unless it is a Sport model with manual transmission and exceptionally good paint and interior. The list of needed repairs does not make this a bad E39 but it does indicate previous owners just drove it and did minimum possible maintenance. It is very likely that the suspension is worn out as well given the lack of maintenance. I bought my 530i in Oct 2012 for $7000 and it needed all that work but it has the Sport option package and manual transmission and has great paint and interior.

[Dave Sal]

The mechanic is telling you the rear brakes are shot. Is the brake wear indicator on the dash lit up? If not, then hold off until it comes on but plan to do the brakes yourself whenever it does. Shouldn't cost you much more than $150 or so.

[XclusiveTN]

Well I'm still waiting to hear back from the seller. The brake wear indicator is lit up on the dash. I did check with a mechanic local to me and he stated the same thing that the oil pan gasket may not actually need changing once the other things are changed. I have been checking the diy's and the other maintenance things don't seem to bad to do so I shall know tomorrow what I am going to do.

Thanks!

[caryalon]

My comments, in blue, below:


Hello, I am new to the forums. Been doing a lot of reading and finally found a 2003 530i with 91k for $7,500 which I thought was in great shape. I took it to a BMW mechanic and below is what I was told needs to be done:

Power Steering Repairs $380
**power steering suction and return lines are leaking and require replacement with new P/S reservoir cape and seal**
Parts (reservoir and 2 hoses) are about $65-$75, depending on where you buy them. Usually, you can just trim the 2 hoses 1/2" and use new hose clamps. An easy DIY.

Oil Filter Stand Gasket Replacement $475.00
**Oil filter stand gasket is leaking oil and requires replacement**
The gasket costs $5. There are a lot of things to remove to get to it, so it's time intensive, but pretty easy to do if you have the time and inclination. This leak causes oil to blow all over the lower part of the engine bay, often leading to incorrect diagnosis of leaking oil pan gaskets and steering racks. I would fix this, clean up engine, transmission and engine bay, then reevaluate oil pan gasket and steering rack fixes.

Full Rear Brake Replacement $535.00 (says the front brakes have about 50% life left
**rear brakes are worn and require full replacement**
All parts for rear brakes (rotors, pads, sensor, parking brake rebuild kit, parking brake shoes (I bet his estimate does not include parking brake)) can be had for ~$250 or less. The labor is pretty easy.

Oil Separator Replacement $670.00
**Oil separator shows signs of age and the associated breather hoses are oil soaked and cracked, recommend replacement**
Parts are around $200 - $250. This job is not too easy, but could be combined with the oil filter housing gasket replacement, and labor could be shared. Same for power steering hose and filter and the oil filter housing gasket jobs.

Power steering rack replacement $1,525.00
**Power steering rack is seeping fluid**
You can get a rebuilt rack with lifetime warranty from Rack Doctor for $225. Labor is about 6 hours. Fix oil filter gasket housing first, clean engine bay, then reevaluate need for this. Not common. If needed, this job should be combined with oil pan gasket job (also only if actually needed).

Oil pan gasket replacement $825.00
**Engine oil pan gasket is seeping oil**
See comments for oil filter housing gasket and steering rack.

Driver/Passengers seat adjustment $525.00
**Front driver and passenger seats are out of adjustment
I bet this is a seat rack issue (cable has backed out of adjusting motor). Do any of the seat adjustment functions (seatback up and down, for instance) only work on one side of the seat? If so, this is a DIY fix involving shortening the cable sheath about 1/2". Alternatively, you can buy all new cables for about $60/seat (they are called driveshafts in BMW parlance).

Misc - stereo pixels missing and wiper blades require replacement
There are many sources for repair of the ribbon cable that causes missing pixels. Anywhere from $35 (DIY) to $100 - $250 pro (you send out to repair facility).

Vehicle was scanned to check for faults, no faults were found at this time.


My great find is starting to seem like not such a great find now. After being hit by sticker shock I wanted to see how much of this can be done diy and how much needs to be actually done at a shop. How much would I spending on these repairs if I did them myself and just got the parts. I have helped swapped an engine before in my Acura so I don't mind diy if these are feasible. I will have to admit this was the first time I have ever been told the car is in great shape you just need to spend about $5k in repairs. I'm almost wondering if the car is worth it or am I better off finding a car that has over 100k miles and making sure that receipts are present to show that this work has already been done. I 'm guessing this is the reason the seller is really selling the car. No sense in putting this type of money in a car if you aren't going to keep it.

To me, the prices that the indy quoted you are exhorbitant, especially taking grouping of jobs into consideration. I do mostly DIY, and get a great deal of satisfaction around the accomplishment and cost savings. If you can DIY, I strongly recommend it. If not, find another mechanic - they are ripping you off. Good luck whichever way you go.

Cary

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Chris

[XclusiveTN]

My comments, in blue, below:

Thank you very much for the post and everyone else as well who have commented. I feel much better price-wise as far as the repairs are concerned and I can see clearly know that this car isn't for you at this stage if you aren't able to turn a wrench. Hopefully everything works out and either with this car or another I can't wait til I'm in the BMW family.

[dblsprt68]

Hey Buddy, I bought my 2002 530 with 156 k on it about 6 months ago. I paid about $6500 for it, which might be a little much for some. BUT, it's black on black with the sport package and a 5 speed. The only thing that needs attention is the rear brakes and parking brake. I sent the cluster off and had the pixels redone. This was THE car I wanted, and it was just a short drive from home. I'm VERY HAPPY with it! :)

[Doru]

Even with a reputable shop, there a few things they might have pulled your leg.

Carylan gave you a pretty good idea of the work you could yourself and save lots of $$$.
I had 2 issues that pointed to the oil pan gasket leak and to the shot power steering rack.
I jacked the car on stands and did the work myself. Conclusion: The bad "oil pan gasket leak" was actually the oil filter housing gasket which was shot, and the way the oil was leaking, it looked 100% like the oil pan gasket was shot. Bone dry after 2 years since I did the rapir myself. Cost: 5$ for a new OFH gasket.
The power steering rack looked like it was leaking badly at the outer end - driver side. I also hade leaking/sweating power steering hoses, which were "fixed" by cutting the first 1/2" and replacing the Oetiker clamp with screw-on clamp. the issue is that after so many years the hoses will start sweating through. I changed the hoses and miraculously the steering rack didn't leak anymore - the ATF found it's way down and was also leaking around a joint of the steering rack. Again, bone dry after 3 years.
All the other repairs are also very doable and relative easy.

If you buy a i6, the first thing to do is assess your cooling system and related (pulleys, belts), change them, then check the DISA valve and change the flapper with aftermarket one from GAS. Headaches removed. Car golden.

[XclusiveTN]

Aside from the other 530i I spoke of earlier which I will refer to as car #1, I have found two more in my area

2. http://www.bmwofnashville.com/bargain/BMW/2002-BMW-530i-Nashville-bc79e0430a0a00de0a7b6e9ee33b817d.htm
(http://www.bmwofnashville.com/bargain/BMW/2002-BMW-530i-Nashville-bc79e0430a0a00de0a7b6e9ee33b817d.htm)
3. http://www.jimkennedyautos.com/detail.aspx?id=4006411&PrefID=3541&.aspx
(http://www.jimkennedyautos.com/detail.aspx?id=4006411&PrefID=3541&.aspx)
Car #2 is at the bmw dealership but they dont have records on it. All they can tell me is that it appears to be very well taken care and they did change the oil filter housing gasket. Car does have the sports package. It does have tan leather which I really wanted black on black but I may can sacrafice. It does have a 2in spot of pain peeled off (missing on the bumper) and pickles are missing from the dash. Test drove it and it drove very well. $7,997 & right under 90k

Car #3 has no service recrods at all. Car is black on black which is a plus. Car fax on website showed it has been in an accident before. Pixels are missing from the dash and it has normal dings for car its age Test drove it and it drove great as well. $7,997 and right under 97k on clock.
Car #1 is for sale from personal owner. It has 89k and had ppi done. I know for sure it needs oil pan filter gasket, oil separator and power steering hoses changed. Price is $7,500

My first choice was a 530i in royal red but that seems to be nearly impossible to find. I have never seen one in person and havent even come across any for sale in 530i. With that being the case, black on black is my 2nd choice which I would be happy with. I'm honestly getting tired of looking but I don't want to just settle on a car wishing I would have waited. It is hard to find cars that were maintained by enthusiast with my budget of $7,500 to $8,000 and wanting low miles as well. I know some have said I would be overpaying for car #1 but for the color combo I want I may be willing to do that. Maintenance wise it seems like the work that was suggested on car#1 would need to be done to all of these car since they really don't have any records. I wanted to see which car, if any out of the three would you recommend or should I just keep looking. I WANT a car right now but I don't have to buy one right now which I guess is a good thing.

[XclusiveTN]

http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/4354925935.html

car#4 thats actual local to me. Owner states it was purchased new and has been in the family but he doesnt have any books or records on it.

[XclusiveTN]

Ok my other post is held for review I'm assuming because it has hyperlinks in it. Basically I was just trying to get some input from a total of 4 cars I’m looking at.

Car #1 is the car in the previous post from this thread. It’s a 2003 530i w/89k. It is black on black and a ppi was done. It needs pretty much all of the common maintenance for 100k car (oil separator, oil filter housing gasket, power steering lines & it needs rear brakes). $7,500.00

A few more cars that I found local are:

Car #2 2002 530i black on tan and has sports package. It is located at the bmw dealership and doesn’t have any service records. Spoke with the mechanic who looked at the car and he stated he changed the oil filter housing gasket but that it was in good shape. When I asked the service manager about other service done on the car, all they did was point me towards the car fax and said the car was in good shape. It is $7,997 and it does have the sport package. On the bumper there is a 2x2 spot of black paint missing and some pixels are missing on radio.

Car#3 2002 530i black on black and has 96k. It doesn’t have any service records at all and looks like it was purchased from auction because dealer couldn’t provide any info and just told me it was in good shape and would last forever. $7,997 (lowered from $8,997)

Car #4 is a 2002 530ia on the local CL. It has 114k and is black on tan. Owner doesnt have any records but said the car has been the family its whole life and has been taken care. It's black on tan has DVD, navigation, steering wheel heater with m-parallel rims. Owner does state it has had an oil change, break pad & rotors changed.

I wanted to get opinions on which car I should choose. I don’t have to have a car today and can still look but honestly I am tired of looking :) My 1st choice for a e39 in royal red but I have given up on that color combo and since it’s virtually impossible to find. My next choice is black on black which I would be happy with. At the range of miles (pre 100k) it seems like all the cars are priced about the same and will need to have some preventive maintenance done. I would of course love to find one that was maintained by a bmw enthusiast but I think my budget $7,500 to $8,000 and wants for low mileage make it even harder to find. Any help given would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris

[RJLupin]

I for one think that all the cars are priced too high :dunno For $7.5 K and above, I would like to car ready to hit the ground with all maintenance done. Worry free.

If I am looking for any one around 100k miles, I am hoping that the cooling system, ball joints/shocks/struts, thrust arm bushings, and a ton of other preventive maintenance has been done. You wouldn't have to worry about these if the car has 40k miles but e39s are getting older and you wouldn't want to buy something in the 100k mile range without knowing the maintenance history. If you do, hope you are planning to do all of them to make sure you have a good car in your hands but pay around $6K for them.

And as much as you can find by looking and listening, please get a ppi from a reputed shop/dealer and go from there. Good luck in your search :)

[Mannyf540]

I like #4, price is decent and seems to have all options one could want. It does seem taken care of, but of course at least you can verify that on person.

[sleuth255]

I have a 2003 530i with 137K on it and everything below is familiar to me. My comments are in red

Power Steering Repairs $380
**power steering suction and return lines are leaking and require replacement with new P/S reservoir cape and seal**

yep. Its the crummy clamps they use. I replaced the clamps and the seal myself for a few bucks. Its an easy job. I've never heard of the cap going bad

Oil Filter Stand Gasket Replacement $475.00
**Oil filter stand gasket is leaking oil and requires replacement**

Common issue. This one needs doing, is a bit of a difficult DIY and costs about $350 from an indie

Full Rear Brake Replacement $535.00 (says the front brakes have about 50% life left
**rear brakes are worn and require full replacement**

Wow! $535 for the rears only??? My indie did all four with new rotors for about that

Oil Separator Replacement $670.00
**Oil separator shows signs of age and the associated breather hoses are oil soaked and cracked, recommend replacement**

This one needs to be done or it'll blow out your cover gasket too. $670 is about $200 higher than my indie charged. This is a difficult but not impossible DIY. If you do it, you will learn a lot of good skills not the least of which is removing that pesky airbox...

Power steering rack replacement $1,525.00
**Power steering rack is seeping fluid**

Mine seeped a little too back at 97K ish. It's still going strong and doesn't appear to be seeping additional fluid. I wouldn't be too concerned if this is the only symptom. Also, re-built rack is about $500-600 so a grand for labor seems way high. Granted, they do need to lift the engine up a few inches to provide clearance but 1K worth? I'm guessing they quoted a new rack

Oil pan gasket replacement $825.00
**Engine oil pan gasket is seeping oil**

Mine isn't leaking but a cover gasket leak caused symptoms that were dramatically similar. Also, your oil filter stand leak may be causing this. This issue can't be diagnosed without first cleaning off all oil then driving for a day or two to pinpoint the source. There is also a "split the pan gasket" technique that makes this repair much simpler. It is a point of debate but those who have done it swear that the fix is just as effective. The standard technique requires dropping the sub-frame which is why the labor charge is so high.

Driver/Passengers seat adjustment $525.00
**Front driver and passenger seats are out of adjustment

This could be the classic "twisted seat" issue caused by bad cables. Do the seats go back and forth without binding? There's lots of DIY info on this fix if they don't, otherwise I have no idea what they mean by this. I've not had this problem (knock on wood) on my 530i.

Misc - stereo pixels missing and wiper blades require replacement

pixels are a common symptom and wiper replacement is a five minute job. Go with wipers that can take the high performance inserts that are still available.

Hope this helps! The 2003 530i is a great car!

[BimmerBreaker]

Its like Kanye west said... Run away as fast as you can...

My concern is even if those issues are fixed, you are paying "maintained impeccably" money for an "obviously neglected" model.

[auaq]

Sorry to say but I think you need to find a better one out there. None of those cars listed sound good to me unless if you can provide the car fax history on #2. You say you've got time, so surely there's got to be more and better 530i you're looking for. Look for the one that's got the most essential stuff taken care off so that you don't have to spend another two grand on repairs/replacements. Have a look in the DIY section and you'll see the common items we look out for and repair it in the end. The whole cooling systems has to be updated, notorious vacuum leaks either from ccv or intake boots between the MAF, ICV and Throttle body, in addition many vacuum lines that become brittle, cooked and break down with age and heat, oil leaks from vcg and oil filter housing gasket at least should be taken care of, oil pan gasket is not easy on m54 engines or any inline-6 engines but that can be looked at a later time if it isn't seirous, basic items such as brakes, tires, suspension joints should be checked thoroughly by test driving them over and over again. I consider these mentioned items as very important when considering buying a used E39. Other small stuff such as electrical gremlins/stuff, interior comforts or whatever can be looked at a later time.