buying e39 in 2022

[Georgem1]

hello everyone i always wanted an e39
after 12 year with audi a3 with big turbo , im looking for e39 as second car not main one.
i decided the 530 facelift best model to go for ( 540 4.4 engine with only 285 hp weird )/
any suggestion before buying?

[NolimitE39]

Don't knock the M62TU till you've driven a vehicle with one. They are wonderful engines to sit behind, a PITA to work on but wonderful when they are running well. Like with any BMW of the vintage (and pretty much any BMW period) all of the rubber suspension bits and subframe bits front and rear require replacement every 100,000 - 250,000km depending on how hard of a life the car has had. IF you are getting a car that's been in the desert its entire life then rust shouldn't be an issue. If the car is coming from Eastern Europe be weary of rust in all the normal places where salt can get trapped. The M54 is a great and very dependable engine but has its flaws, check this website for the common faults. https://bmwtuning.co/m54-common-engine-problems/ Other issues e39 issues include:
1. Horrible cup holders
2. Twisting Seats
3. Aux Fan wiring fires
4. Guibo deterioration (its rubber so. . .)
5. Cooling system deterioration (its all plastic)
6. Broken/Cracked foglights and lower air dams

[Georgem1]

Well im goin for 530 becuase its 6inline 😊😊 , and easy to work on , i saw some cars with wood steering wheel trying to find one woth most option avaible , until i see heated seat and phone in the arm rest

[Georgem1]

Well 6 inline easier to work on , im looking for most option one not fastest , as i can heated seat wood steering phone in armrest , 2 din radio .
Is the steptronic is same like tiptronic on audi?
Its regular trans with - /+ ? Or like dsg?

[GZilla]

540i owners will tell you to get a 540i, while 530i owners will tell you to get a 530i. 530i is a lot slower but slightly lighter and has the rack and pinion which makes up for it in my opinion if you're interested in the handling department. I don't think the recirculating ball steering does the E39 justice, again my opinion. I've driven them both and preferred the 530i. Go out and drive them both!

[BMW540san]

I've owned 528 for 17 years, 540 for 14 years and M5 for 2 years. About year ago I have created my own version of best E39 for me:
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...swap-on-my-528
Since I have experienced them all, here is my 2 cents:
540 and M5 have undeniable advantage in HP and torque but 528/530 have considerably better handling because of steering rack advantage.
Also, the weight difference plays a factor too. Depending on model and equipment we are talking between 250-500 lbs less in I6 vs V8 cars.
It is also worth mentioning that I6 have aluminum subframe vs steel on V8 which gets you even closer to 50/50 weight distribution.
My gripe with M54 and one of the reasons I went with my "532 M" vs finding clean 530 with MT is the fact that M54 sort of looses steam after 4k rpm which is fine for my X5 where mid range torque is needed for heavy beast, but not so much for E39 with MT.
That is why I'm so impressed with S52 engine. It's simply amazing how smoothly it pulls from 2-5.5k rpm which is plenty of rpm range for some fun runs.

[ross1]

The I6 would be my choice, hands down. If I want a V-8 BMW I'll LS swap it and even that usually begins with an I6 car.

[SW530]

[QUOTE=BMW540san;but 528/530 have considerably better handling because of steering rack advantage.
[/QUOTE]

I've seen this statement bandied about this forum several times and it's incomplete at best. There are many things that contribute to a car going around a track which would be the most complete measure of handling. Almost any contributing factor (tires, ball joints, rack, gear, struts, springs, bushings, etc, etc) has the ability all by itself to make a car handle worse than another and it when you take in the "anecdotal" factor of how a single person interprets handling it becomes easy to see how people could be making this claim.

I have a bit of experience making a car go a round a track and while any single factor can have a huge impact on a cars handling, its typically a combination of all the cars handling components that set its level of performance. Especially if all the components are healthy and set up properly. I've run both racks and gears in my early Mustangs and had both in superbly handling cars. A good gear is very nearly as competent as a rack. Weight does matter but it's not all about weight either or you'd see a direct correlation between weight and the worlds best handling cars and carts would have all the top spots and they don't. Spun weight, the ability of the springs/struts/shocks to keep the rubber in contact with the road, tires, bushings, weight distribution and height, wheelbase, adjustment, braking, power and much more contribute to how fast a car goes around the track.

I've driven a variety of E30's, E34's, E38's and E39's and when dealing with 20-30yo cars there is a multitude of variables between them the least of which not being the driver. They are all fine cars, typically better than their American and Japanese counterparts. But don't underestimate cars like the heavy GT500, what driver is the Stig? He put both a new GT500 and Porsche GT3 around I think Willow Springs with less than 1/100th of a second difference between them.

[TiesTorN]

I too don't understand this "steering rack is better" nonsense...

steering rack or ball steering, doesn't matter. they are just a piece amongst all the contributing components. you turn the steering wheel, and the wheels turn, simple as that. if both systems are mechanically healthy, then there will be no meaningful difference.

[BMW540san]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but besides me driving between 540 and 528 for 14 years and clearly feeling the difference, the technical proof is in rack and pinion being ligther and more direct (less connecting components).
I really don't understand people almost getting offended with this issue.
My final question would be why is recirc. ball pretty much extinct and it has been for many years now.
The science is clear here.

[BimmrMeUpSnotty]

I too don't understand this "steering rack is better" nonsense…..

steering rack or ball steering, doesn't matter. they are just a piece amongst all the contributing components. you turn the steering wheel, and the wheels turns, simple as that. if both systems are mechanically healthy, then there will be no meaningful difference.

Ok, this is where I now know, you don’t know squat, lol…..

[TiesTorN]

Ok, this is where I now know, you don’t know squat, lol…..

lel.. and I've known that about you for a long time...

[GZilla]

I've seen this statement bandied about this forum several times and it's incomplete at best. There are many things that contribute to a car going around a track which would be the most complete measure of handling. Almost any contributing factor (tires, ball joints, rack, gear, struts, springs, bushings, etc, etc) has the ability all by itself to make a car handle worse than another and it when you take in the "anecdotal" factor of how a single person interprets handling it becomes easy to see how people could be making this claim.

I have a bit of experience making a car go a round a track and while any single factor can have a huge impact on a cars handling, its typically a combination of all the cars handling components that set its level of performance. Especially if all the components are healthy and set up properly. I've run both racks and gears in my early Mustangs and had both in superbly handling cars. A good gear is very nearly as competent as a rack. Weight does matter but it's not all about weight either or you'd see a direct correlation between weight and the worlds best handling cars and carts would have all the top spots and they don't. Spun weight, the ability of the springs/struts/shocks to keep the rubber in contact with the road, tires, bushings, weight distribution and height, wheelbase, adjustment, braking, power and much more contribute to how fast a car goes around the track.

I've driven a variety of E30's, E34's, E38's and E39's and when dealing with 20-30yo cars there is a multitude of variables between them the least of which not being the driver. They are all fine cars, typically better than their American and Japanese counterparts. But don't underestimate cars like the heavy GT500, what driver is the Stig? He put both a new GT500 and Porsche GT3 around I think Willow Springs with less than 1/100th of a second difference between them.

But, a real man prefers nice racks>balls
Just kidding, I had to put in my funny joke.

People who can't feel cars or don't really care will not feel a difference in both versions. Or just offended owners, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. I personally feel a difference with the rack and pinion vs the recirculating ball steering when I was test driving multiple 530is and 540is. The rack and pinions feel more direct, centered, tighter, and more road feeling. That doesn't make the 540i a bad car by any means, as the handling is still good but just not AS GOOD as the I6 models (especially with sport suspension) and definitely a whole lot faster. Agreed with you on everything has to be in good condition to really feel it as even a complete suspension overhaul on my E38 made a huge difference (tighter, firmer, etc.) I can't wait to do the same for my 530i so I can get a feel of new vs new.

Who built the rack and pinion makes a huge difference (ie. BMW vs Toyota). I raced in Ferraris with rack and pinions on a race track, and when I would sit back into my Infiniti G37 with a rack and pinion it would feel like a lousy Nissan Altima. The E39s (both recirculating ball and rack and pinion) and E38 are still really high up in my personal list of the best handling cars I have driven, but the I6 model edges one spot above due to the advantages I mentioned. Now if we talk about new cars, they all feel like crap due to the electric power steering. I've driven even the ones that are considered "the best electric power steering" cars by reviewers and they still could not touch old BMWs (E38/E39/E46). Reason why new BMWs handle a lot like a Toyota Avalon now.

[StephenVA]

Children, play nice now....

To the OP:
Buy the cleanest, best maintained one you can afford. PERIOD
Best performance: 540, all around nice driver: 530
Best year 2003
Slow but handles like all the others: 525/528

At 100K + and 20 years everything will need extensive preventative maintenance: Brakes, suspension, cooling system, oil seals Top/sides/bottoms If it can leak, it will. Normal maintenance is to replace and reseal the engine, P/S systems. All the models regardless of engine all share in the same family of commonly failed parts: Window regulators, electronics Radio/nav/climate controls, sunroof slides, etc. Check out every component and every system and have a PPI performed with hard codes and stored codes pulled. This PPI should only be done by a competent BMW tech who is familiar with E39 not your local tech or dealership.

These cars are well engineered, well built, and will give a ton of smiles per miles if maintained properly. Unfortunately, most owner push off any preventative maintenance to the next and final owner. That my friend is way too often will be you!
To bring a clean e39 to base line runs approx $8-12K worth of parts and YOUR labor. Includes tires etc.

[Jason5driver]

Children, play nice now....

To the OP:
Buy the cleanest, best maintained one you can afford. PERIOD
Best performance: 540, all around nice driver: 530
Best year 2003
Slow but handles like all the others: 525/528

At 100K + and 20 years everything will need extensive preventative maintenance: Brakes, suspension, cooling system, oil seals Top/sides/bottoms If it can leak, it will. Normal maintenance is to replace and reseal the engine, P/S systems. All the models regardless of engine all share in the same family of commonly failed parts: Window regulators, electronics Radio/nav/climate controls, sunroof slides, etc. Check out every component and every system and have a PPI performed with hard codes and stored codes pulled. This PPI should only be done by a competent BMW tech who is familiar with E39 not your local tech or dealership.

These cars are well engineered, well built, and will give a ton of smiles per miles if maintained properly. Unfortunately, most owner push off any preventative maintenance to the next and final owner. That my friend is way too often will be you!
To bring a clean e39 to base line runs approx $8-12K worth of parts and YOUR labor. Includes tires etc.

Freakin amazing info here !!!

[Georgem1]

Wow thanks alot ppl, im looking at 530 i dont care about power after a3 with nearly 500hp with less than 1200 kilos , so i think 530 is most balanced ill update

[StephenVA]

Hope it all helps. The spreadsheet is a work in progress as the struts and shocks are sitting in their boxes waiting for the X5 to get done but it is 18 degrees in VA this AM with snow turning into ice then rain which makes working outside not an option. I will clean and organize something else in the garage and then clean a few more parts on the M5 to get ready for the spring Concourse events.

[Georgem1]

So i found 2002 model with all options... electric heated seats... from 65 old man that bought it from the company the car look so good stock condition ? But its 525i auto 😏 it drive ok not fast but i never tried 530 to compare

[SW530]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but besides me driving between 540 and 528 for 14 years and clearly feeling the difference, the technical proof is in rack and pinion being ligther and more direct (less connecting components).
I really don't understand people almost getting offended with this issue.
My final question would be why is recirc. ball pretty much extinct and it has been for many years now.
The science is clear here.

I suspect racks fit more easily into newer car designs, especially the safety side of the design.

[SW530]

Who built the rack and pinion makes a huge difference.

This is true for the saginaw assemblies as well. Rack's leak, they get replaced, They break, they get replaced. Balls seem to never get replaced because they'll keep working forever. I suspect if you replaced balls as often as racks that difference would be a lot less. I rebuild them for Mustangs, manual and power, and have compared them directly to rack conversions on the same cars. Properly done each is very good, but I keep going to the balls because when both are properly done there just isn't enough difference to justify the cost of conversion. After 170k the ball on my 540i is nice and tight and I love it, but I'll probably rebuild or replace it at some point because I've never had the pleasure of knowing what a new properly done ball is like on these cars.

-

[SW530]

To bring a clean e39 to base line runs approx $8-12K worth of parts and YOUR labor. Includes tires etc.

Ain't that the truth.. We're up to 7k and all that's left is the brakes and engine/tranny mounts and VCG's, maybe the fuel pumps (need to pull and check the dates) and injectors rebuild.

But the hard stuff, the timing chain guides, exhaust, knock sensors, and I suspect a lot more had been done by previous owners. The previous owners were just poor at keeping records. Or maybe the last owner didn't care to find them when asked. Knew the price was right regardless and just didn't care. The first hint was when overhauling the cooling system. I had already bought all the new parts, radiator, clutch, fan, pump, seals, sensors, etc.. and during disassembly noticed the parts I was removing were all tagged with dates only 2-3 years previous. But no record. There's an expensive exhaust system (super sprint), no record. Not a single record. Everything so far has been verified via a bore scope. The person we bought it from had four other BMW's within sight and seemed unconcerned about records or price.. Anyway, we're at 7k and probably another 2k to go before I'd call the car sorted.

[Georgem1]

Thanks alot everyone , bought 530 2001.

[SW530]

You do realize this thread took on a life all of it's own separate from your OP?

[Georgem1]

🤣🤣
Its ok i see l6 better than v8 😉

[seagreen323i]

530i steering feels better then 540i because the steering rack has a much tighter lock to lock ratio. Plain and simple.

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