who has the highest mileage e39?

[gizwiz]

My '97 528i is at 273,000 miles now. I rebuilt the engine after the head gasket went at 260k, so it's running like new and good for another quarter million.

[computiNATEor]

And "delivery driving" is MUCH worse than normal city driving. I get 16-17 mpg on deliveries. Good thing I deliver in a nice neighborhood, at least $5 per delivery average tip

Agreed; delivery driving is aggressive. I also work at a pizza shop; average about 7 deliveries each time I work as a delivery driver. I cook as well, which cuts down on the mileage somewhat. Nice neighborhoods + expensive shop prices to begin with ($40+ orders are not uncommon), and my tips are pretty substantial, too.

Although you do get a few strange looks delivering pizza in a clean E39...

[amancuso]

Not as many miles as most of you here. Our '99 528iA has 138,000 miles on it. Bought with 118K last April.

[Onetwobit]

And "delivery driving" is MUCH worse than normal city driving. I get 16-17 mpg on deliveries. Good thing I deliver in a nice neighborhood, at least $5 per delivery average tip

And are you paid a wage or fully paid in gratuity?

[computiNATEor]

And are you paid a wage or fully paid in gratuity?

At least here in California, we make minimum wage ($10.50/hr) + gratuity.

[Gunslinger42]

And are you paid a wage or fully paid in gratuity?

Computer dispatch system tracks our time. When in the store, minimum wage, when on the road on a delivery, half that.

[Gunslinger42]

Agreed; delivery driving is aggressive. I also work at a pizza shop; average about 7 deliveries each time I work as a delivery driver. I cook as well, which cuts down on the mileage somewhat. Nice neighborhoods + expensive shop prices to begin with ($40+ orders are not uncommon), and my tips are pretty substantial, too.

Although you do get a few strange looks delivering pizza in a clean E39...

Yeah, I get that all the time. Just tonight: "Only in Dallas would I get my pizza delivered by a BMW"
(He had 2 sitting behind him in the garage)

[computiNATEor]

Computer dispatch system tracks our time. When in the store, minimum wage, when on the road on a delivery, half that.

That's some BS, not even making minimum...

[cnsorial]

Yeah, I get that all the time. Just tonight: "Only in Dallas would I get my pizza delivered by a BMW"
(He had 2 sitting behind him in the garage)

My first car was a 1996 Mercedes E320. In 2011, I worked at Publix and drove my mint 20 year old Mercedes to work and got all kinds of judgment. One night a gentleman forgot a bag of his groceries and called my manager. She asked me if I could deliver the bag to him since it was on my way home and she'd keep me on the clock until I got home. When I got to the guys house he goes "you deliver meat in a Mercedes? You must be getting paid too much for your position"

That always grinded my gears. As if it's not possible to be young and hard working at the same time.


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[dannyzabolotny]

My first car was a 1996 Mercedes E320. In 2011, I worked at Publix and drove my mint 20 year old Mercedes to work and got all kinds of judgment. One night a gentleman forgot a bag of his groceries and called my manager. She asked me if I could deliver the bag to him since it was on my way home and she'd keep me on the clock until I got home. When I got to the guys house he goes "you deliver meat in a Mercedes? You must be getting paid too much for your position"

That always grinded my gears. As if it's not possible to be young and hard working at the same time.

I got all sorts of comments like that when I had my 2003 Mercedes S500 and my 2004 Range Rover. If you want to seem rich to most people then those are the cars to get haha

[computiNATEor]

I got all sorts of comments like that when I had my 2003 Mercedes S500 and my 2004 Range Rover. If you want to seem rich to most people then those are the cars to get haha

We're thinking about picking up a used Lexus LS for my sister; those things from the early 2000s still look amazingly expensive if they're in good shape. Told my coworkers about it, and they're thinking, are you guys loaded? (No, not even close, unfortunately ) Non-car people don't seem to understand the concept of depreciation for luxury automobiles.

[Gunslinger42]

That's some BS, not even making minimum...

Yeah...wasn't that way at the beginning, they just keep coming up with new plans and policies, each of which chips away at my income a bit more

[dannyzabolotny]

We're thinking about picking up a used Lexus LS for my sister; those things from the early 2000s still look amazingly expensive if they're in good shape. Told my coworkers about it, and they're thinking, are you guys loaded? (No, not even close, unfortunately ) Non-car people don't seem to understand the concept of depreciation for luxury automobiles.

Yeah, depreciation is awesome, especially when you know how to fix these cars. For the price of a base model Camry I've owned a 750il, an S500, a Range Rover, an X5 4.6, an M5, and a whole bunch of 540i's. So do you want a Camry for $25k or a V12 luxobarge for $1.5k? The choice is pretty easy for me, even if I have to do some extra work.

[Gunslinger42]

We're thinking about picking up a used Lexus LS for my sister; those things from the early 2000s still look amazingly expensive if they're in good shape. Told my coworkers about it, and they're thinking, are you guys loaded? (No, not even close, unfortunately ) Non-car people don't seem to understand the concept of depreciation for luxury automobiles.

EXACTLY!
I still would't be able to afford to drive this car like this if it wasn't for the fact that my Dad started teaching me to fix cars as soon as I could hold a wrench, combined with internet parts pricing (FCPEURO) and especially this board helping with problem diagnosis!
BTW-consider this a huge THANK-YOU to everyone who has posted a how-to or replies about diagnosis. A quick search has turned up results to help with almost every problem I have had with the car. I don't even have to post a question (note my 4 years and low post count) with the E39 seems like every problem has already been addressed, and answers are available to find with a search!

[mosaidulhuq]

My 98 528i just crossed 497,000km (~308,000 miles) today. I bought the car 3.5 years ago at 350,000km. Still running with original engine. Original GM 4 speed transmission replaced Feb this year at ~474,000km with same kind, used around 125,000km. Has a few rust issues and I'll be replacing the driveshaft very soon as centre support bearing is pretty much gone.

[Rw530i]

My 2003 530i sport turned 305,000k today... still doing great- First clutch job at around 299,000 and it was the throw out bearing that was going bad not the clutch. Maybe I have the record now?

[freethrowdunk]

I'm up to, like, 52k, now. Do I win?

[dannyzabolotny]

I'm up to, like, 52k, now. Do I win?

Drive your car more, dammit! How do you live in LA and drive so little? Whenever I visit LA, I rack up the miles pretty quickly around town there.

I'm at 214k miles now, but closer to 215k.

[scottieducati]

Buddy of mine in NH had a 540i sedan with 640,000 miles on it but sold it years ago. Pretty sure OG engine and 2 chain jobs.


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[freethrowdunk]

Drive your car more, dammit! How do you live in LA and drive so little? Whenever I visit LA, I rack up the miles pretty quickly around town there.

I'm at 214k miles now, but closer to 215k.

lol there are like three other cars to choose from at home. Hence why. But lately it's been all about the e39. None of the others compare, even if two of them are considerably faster.

[Aubergine]

Game won! All of my E39s have had original clutches last around 200K but they have lived in mountainous areas. I am guessing the flat landscape has helped yours last forever!

My 2003 530i sport turned 305,000k today... still doing great- First clutch job at around 299,000 and it was the throw out bearing that was going bad not the clutch. Maybe I have the record now?

[Asbradley21]

I'm doing my clutch now at 215k on my 98 528i and it was the throwout bearing that failed first too.

[Jozin]

2001 BMW 530i 630,000 km or 391,464 mi - original engine and transmission.

[Gr4nt]

Just hit 315,000 😹🤝

[easymoney]

Just hit 431,117. Original motor, used tranny at 315,035