E39 Wagon U.S. Sales Statistics

[Abacus540iT]

Searched, but didn't find any compilations of sales statistics for the E39. I was curious how many 540 wagons were sold in the U.S., figuring they were not that common.

So, I found the following sources for 1999 through 2003 BMW U.S. sales figures. I recall reading somewhere that 1999 was the first year the E39 wagon was sold in the U.S. [edit: Thanks to Qsilver7 this has been confirmed.]

1999 - 2000
BMW Delivers Strongest Sales Success Ever in 2000.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/prin...px?id=68677785

2000 - 2001
BMW Sales Jump 12.5 Percent in Record-Setting 2001; Strong December Marks First Time BMW's Sales Cross 200,000-Unit Threshold.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/prin...px?id=81246995

2001 - 2002
BMW Group Ends Best Year Ever With Record Month; December Sales Up 43 Percent; Year-to-date Sales Up 20 Percent.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/prin...px?id=96074416

2002 - 2003
BMW Group Sales for 2003 Topple All Previous Records; Year-to-date Sales Up Jump 8 Percent.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/prin...x?id=111859139


Summary of E39 Wagon Sales in U.S.

E39 BMW 540iT
1999: 879
2000: 447
2001: 406
2002: 370
2003: 261
5-year total for 540iT: 2,363

E39 BMW 528iT
1999: 4,068
2000: 1,712
2001: -0-
2002: -0-
2003: -0-
5-year total for 528iT: 5,780

E39 BMW 525iT
1999: -0-
2000: 359
2001: 2,216
2002: 1,696
2003: 1,187
5-year total for 525iT: 5,458

5-year total for all E39 Wagons: 13,601

During the same period, about 181,500 E39 sedans were sold in the U.S., including roughly 10,000 M5's and 26,700 540i's.

I know it's unlikely a wagon will ever become a collector's item. But, it gives me inner peace and a smug feeling to be driving a 540iT when I see all of the Substantially Useless Vehicles wallowing about our roads.

Yes, I did briefly own an X5 that was totaled by a family member. I have a love/hate relationship with BMW's Stay on Asphalt Vehicles and U.S. production thereof.

[Qsilver7]

Yes, those of that were around can verify that the 1999 model year was the debut of the e39 Touring "sport wagon" in the USA market.

Also, here's a chart of the e39 models sold in the USA taken from the 8/2005 issue of BIMMER magazine's E39 Buyers Guide:

BTW...nice info...thanks for posting up your research.

Sadly, BMW NA has decided that the US market would get the fugly (F07) 5GT model instead of the beautiful (F11) 5 series Touring wagons that Europe and other BMW markets are fawning over. Hopefully (fingers crossed) the dismal sales of the 5GT will cause BMW NA to rethink their strategy and import the F11 Touring for the last few years of it's production run. They didn't anticipate the few 5GT sales eating into the 7 series sales (which it has). Unless BMW NA changes their strategy...the e61 Touring may be the last BMW "wagon" that can be purchased this side of the pond. So this means we have to keep these old girls humming along.

[sfgearhead]

Damn, I wish all new members were this useful! Love this info. I had no idea there were only 261 2003 540it's. I saw one here for sale before I bought ours, but the price was beyond my budget.

So only 7% of US e39's are tourings. No wonder finding a manual, sport touring is like a needle in a haystack. Probably only 1% of US e39's were manual with a sport package. I never found a nice one, so I bought the 540it and I'm happy with it.

Thanks!

[KnudsonsM3]

I have a manual in my wagon.

I wonder how many were sold as a manual.

Its weird driving such a big car with a manual.

[charliehustle1]

Great stats!! Mucho Gracias!!

[sfgearhead]

I have a manual in my wagon.

I wonder how many were sold as a manual.

Its great driving such a big car with a manual.

Fixed.

Probably 5-10% were manuals? So they're pretty rare birds.

[badrad]

Cool post, my wagon is less common then my 454SS El Camino.

[IndiansFan]

Abacus:

Thanks for the data. I've been trying to figure out where to source this information for the past few years.

I knew manuals were rare, I just never knew how many were produced.

The only other E39 manual touring I've actually seen is a 2003 525iT body with a 6speed Getrag and S54 powerplant.

Q:

I plan on keeping mine running till she is consumed by rust, which was the demise of my E34. As for the E61, I've been told that you probably do not want to own one that is out of warranty.

Badrad:

I'd venture a guess that there are not very many 454 SS El Camino's still out there. We had several El Camino's over the years, but my favorite was the '69 350.

[badrad]

Badrad:

I'd venture a guess that there are not very many 454 SS El Camino's still out there. We had several El Camino's over the years, but my favorite was the '69 350.

There were less than 2500 Chevelle and El Caminos Super Sports, total, built in '73. They don't get much love but are really cool when done right. It's also the last year for a SS Chevelle.

-Jimmy

[0100]

Am I right that all 540iT's were automatics?

Did the 525iT come in manual? I know the 528iT did. edit nevermind looks like the 525iT also came in manual.

I figured all tourings with manuals would be sport models, but from searching I guess this is not the case.

Could someone tell me how to identify a touring sport?

[Qsilver7]

Could someone tell me how to identify a touring sport?

At this point...it may not be as easy this far removed from the last production...plus the sport pkgs were different for the 3 models we got here in the States. Eight years later after rolling off the assembly line, and having multiple owners...many e39s have been modified to either look as if they have the sport pkg...or just upgraded to take advantage of the look or performance the sport pkg adds.

The 540iT w/sport pkg can always be identified (visually) by having 17" wheels (usually Style 32), shadowline exterior trim, sport seats, & 3 spoke M steering wheel.

BMW Style 32 wheel

The 528iT w/sport pkg can be identified visually by many of the same visual cues above....except I'm not sure if the sport seats were standard or optional...hopefully someone with a 528iT w/sport pkg can chime in..and again the sport pkg offered 17" wheels as standard...so look mostly (but not always) for style 19, style5, or style 42 wheels:

The 525i/iT w/sport pkg are the most mis-identified sport pkg due to it NOT coming with the usual shadowline exterior trim identified with the sport pkg. It came with 17" "daisy" wheels and I believe it also had the sport seats and 3 spoke M steering wheel and Vavona Redwood interior trim.

Style 81 (daisy) wheel

The 2003 models were also slightly different because BMW NA finally offered the aero-M-sport pkgs that came with a few more "bits" from the "M" parts bin:

[0100]

Wow awesome, thanks so much for that info!! Huge help.

[PhillySean]

The 2003 models were also slightly different because BMW NA finally offered the aero-M-sport pkgs that came with a few more "bits" from the "M" parts bin:

From what I've read, there were only 62 or 69 of those brought to the States.
I have one

[Mad Dog 20/20]

cool post. I did not know that our cars were THAT rare.

Sadly, BMW NA has decided that the US market would get the fugly (F07) 5GT model instead of the beautiful (F11) 5 series Touring wagons that Europe and other BMW markets are fawning over. Hopefully (fingers crossed) the dismal sales of the 5GT will cause BMW NA to rethink their strategy and import the F11 Touring for the last few years of it's production run.

In the latest Roundel Magazine, BMW admitted that replacig the Touring w/ the GT was a mistake. The 5er Touring faithful went to Benz/Audi/Caddy for their new wagons instead of rockin' the hideous BMW GT.

I have not seen a single GT on the road, yet, and I live in a very big BMW market. Nobody is buying them.

[EvilWagn]

There's a GT parked around the corner from me at work most days.

It looks... ugly. Huge back end (and i drive a touring!) with horrible visibility and worse storage. Would look better dropped a bit, it's a bit truckish stock.

The cockpit looks nice tho, but nothing distinctive past the super wide screen and 97356329 position seats.

It conjures up images of the Pontiac Aztec...

[adjmcloon]

Do the 2003 tourings have a rear bumper with diffuser like the sedans?

[PhillySean]

Do the 2003 tourings have a rear bumper with diffuser like the sedans?

The M-Tech ones do.

[yersole]

Am I right that all 540iT's were automatics?

Yes. There are no manual 540iT.

[jase007]

Like MadDog, I've only seen a few BMW GTs and they instantly reminded me of the Aztec.

I've been researching the Caddy wagon as a replacement / supplement ... the caddy with big motor is a quick car .. but still a bit pricey.

[KRUZNBY]

I actually had no idea how rare my wagon was before I bought it. After looking on this site and talking with the PO I soon realized that 5spd manual sport model tourings are very rare.

[Qsilver7]

Do the 2003 tourings have a rear bumper with diffuser like the sedans?

Yes (see #3 in th ediagram below)...and it is a unique bumper (different than the sedan's M-tech bumper) due to the dip along the top to accomodate the tailgate...along with the "scuff pad" (#12) along the top edge.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...21&hg=51&fg=15

[NoTempoLimit]

I actually had no idea how rare my wagon was before I bought it. After looking on this site and talking with the PO I soon realized that 5spd manual sport model tourings are very rare.

Those are some sweet looking Tourings KRUNZBY and QSilver7! The E39T has got to be the best looking wagon ever.

Rob Siegel who writes for Roundel just sold his '99 528iT 5M. If an I-6 manual wagon had been available during the time frame that I was looking for a car, I would definitely have bought it. But none ever turned up in my searches.

I started a thread about what percentage of I-6 and V8 E39's came with a manual transmission. Lots of comments but no one so far has had any solid info:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1696907

Abacus, how do you interpret those sales numbers? There are four numbers in a set, and above the data each year is listed twice. Have you figure out what that means?

Thanks for finding that sales info, BTW.

[sfgearhead]

One number if for December sales, the other number is for Year to Date sales.

So they don't actually measure the model year sales, but rather calendar year sales. Close, but not perfect.

[CLKFAN]

E39 BMW 540iT

2001: 406

Nice to know that I have 1 of 406 in the US.

I have a Sport Model so I wonder how many 540 Sport Wagons were sold in 2001?

Thanks for sharing

[EvilWagn]

I have a 2000 528it sport. The sport seats were optional (unfortunately ). I *think* the seats are deeper than stock tho, bigger bolsters. We got (with sport) the M steering wheel and shadowline trim, as well as style 5s. Suspension drop is .8" i believe.

I've also spent time driving a 2002 525i sedan, and the difference between the sport and non is astounding. Granted the 525i engine is a bit smaller, and on 16" rims, but the handling is night/day.

Many of the 2000 528 sport wagons also had the premium package, I've seen quite a few Titansilber wagons with sport, black interior, auto mirrors and wipers. I think BMW loaded a bunch up when they added the steptronic. They changed the package in 2001.