Which is the best BMW E39 to buy? | EvoMalaysia.com
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- Опубліковано 7 тра 2024
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He has excellent control of the English language.
Thank you!
Excellent control of the English language??
Uhm....that ain't even English!
@@dkrawk8309 it's Manglish
@@KonWaiLuen😅
@@KonWaiLuen well done, love the E39 ... kind of wished I never let my E90 go a few years ago
Good Work! You nailed it about the 39. I owned my 530 since 2005 and can confirm every word. Still a great car to drive every day. The understated design and build quality is two of many fantastic earnings of this era.
Lovely, 530i is the absolute sweet spot of the range
Is it a good car as an only car?
The best e39 variant is manual transmission
02 530i owner here 😊 really easy to work on and not expensive to own.
Just got one but having stiff steering and squeaky issue
Ex E39 528i - reliable engine in 8 years only cam sensor and MAF goes bad. E39was little heavy for M52 but still fun to drive. Now i slowly restoring 540i with manual gearbox and i love it.
owned my 525i e39 msport since 2003 its only at 127k miles have never had a problem
Salute to you… impressive knowledge.
Great review of the BMW E39.
Kon, I wish you keep buying more E39 5 series.
Excellent presentation; concise and all encompasing.
Thank youA
Cool review kon...of your favourite BMW 5 series e39....
Mr. Luen, I very much enjoyed your review of the e39 BMW. I am writing from the US and own a 1997 e39 540i. It has 160,000 miles, looks great, but needs most of the typical repairs which are expensive. A year ago I purchased a 2016 740i M Sport with the Executive package. As you likely know, these US G12 models have the long wheelbase. I hope to restore my classic e39 one day to a level where everything works as when new. Your presentation was excellent!
i do love those classic e46 e39 but lazy to maintain leh 20year car😢
Safety first Kon..good review!
im a ex owner of M54 3.0i .. lovely engine by bmw , easy to maintain and superb linear power .. i miss the engine very much . #Z4 E85
I’m a huge fan of the e39. I’ve owned two of them, a 528i and 540i. Iv’e also worked on them quite a bit, and I really thought i knew a lot about this model… but your review just blew me away. Never seen a review so detailed and comprehensive. Thank you, excellent!
We learn new things everyday. I still discover hidden shit in this car even after 5 years of ownership!
@marcoafzelius9641 You loved 528i more or 540i? Tnx in advance
You understand and very knowledgeable about the bmw five series keep up the great work
Owned it for five years, and lusted it for even longer. Had all that time to do my homework. Haha.
97 4.4 6speed manual the best e39❤
Mr. Luen, I would like to thank you for the extraordinarily comprehensive and detailed analysis.
I will also watch your other videos on the subject of the BMW E39 and I am very excited.
Greetings from the north of Germany and have a happy new year 2014
Thank you for watching! And happy new year to you too!
Top drawer video this thank you, your English is excellent by the way. Wish i could find an e39 without rotten, rusted sills here in the uk. So many have suffered and it's a big and costly job. 🇬🇧🙂
We get a lot of imported used cars from the UK here, and yeah, they tend to have more undercarriage rust in general.
Best e39 advice summed up in one sentence. Do NOT buy one unless you have plenty of $ or are a mechanic. Not a cheap car to own.
Mine has been super cheap to own 😂
Had mine 5 years , service once a year and a set of coilovers , never missed a beat , 530i m sport
Great job on making this video and information. I own a 2001 530i, and a 2001 530is. One of the failure points of a E39 540 V8 engine is the timing chain guides on BMW's with 100,000 miles or more.
Your review is spot on and very informative. I am looking for a E39 right now. It's very helpful. Keep it up
Good hunting!
Thank you for very good video. I applaud your knowledge. Hello from Finland!!
Hello back from Malaysia. Thanks for watching!
Great info good vid
I remember that car was used by Claude speed from the Grand Theft Auto 2 promotional film.
Wow boleh brother 😊u are extremely helpful 💪🏽😎
Glad you think so!
Very helpful,thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Good content 👏🏻👍🏻. Thank you
Thank you too!!
Kon, Excellent video! You speak with authority. I own a 2003 530I and you nailed your commentary of it. Here in the USA, many folks will prefer the 540M cars. I intentionally stayed with the 6 cylinder M54 and I do not regret it.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
What do you think of the 535i and 540i models of this E39 version ?
I own a 2002 530i sports package model myself......luv it to bits .... in a mth time will redo the whole car .... Driving it is always an everyday adventure......
Nice. All the best in your rebuilding journey
@@KonWaiLuen tq ...cheers
Great video and feel like he's describing my e39 528i only difference is it's a manual drive I suggest a diy weight reduction and diy staggered wheel set up you'll thank me later.
The 528i MT would be a pretty fun drive, I reckon
BMW E60 525 M-Sports 2010.
What are your thoughts on the Vanos system. Heard that they are prone to failure and repair cost is high
My horn is going off on its own when I drive and hit a month but is not the horn in the steering wheel
My man has a PhD. in E-thirtynineology
A true petrolhead, what a review Mr.Kon.
Thank you for watching!
As a e39 owner i agree what he said i am jus 17 my first car is a 520i e39 i work hard and safe enough money for this and i can tell you is worth it i hope i can join your journey and learn more
Congratulations!! Enjoy your journey!!
Hi Kon..whats your advice on transmissions?..are the manuals better or auto? Also were there official manual offerings by BMW malaysia for the E39? (Apart from the M5) Thanks :)
The gearing is pretty bad on the autos, even though steptronic was pretty good at the time! The manuals don't have as much drivetrain loss either.
How reliable are these in general? I know they're older cars and they need some up keep and all that but what do you reckon? I heard they're super reliable but that could be just hype.
The maintenance will give one a heart attack 😄
Normally this kind of comment coming from someone who don't even own a BMW before. All they heard is from friends or from random people.If you own one and feel the pain on maintenance you should change your mechanic. My experience with BMW cars and Japanese cars are not much different thought. You'll be surprise some of the japanese parts are more expensive than BMW. Owning a BMW you must get a good mechanic who know the cars in and out. If you go to those half+6 mechanic, never ending ask you to change parts cause they don't even knows which parts is faulty. Same goes to japanese cars if you go to wrong mechanics.
@@departurexx1520 Correct, I don't think the maintenance is any bad for E39, or even E60 in this matter, just need to know where to fix it.
@@departurexx1520original parts for E39 are expensive. I cant deny that coz already own E39 528i TU 👌🏾.. parts need to order either SG/direct german. So its way way way expensive than those japanese. The normal maintenance can say +- same with japanese 👌🏾.
@@awangemas9505 Bro, I doubt will the price are much different from Japanese car. Apple to apple comparison ya. Dont take HONDA CITY or VIOS to compare. But the exchanged rate are not helping also.
@@departurexx1520bro camry/accord of that year are not that expensive on parts “original” yah. Yep apple to apple comp, there are non japanese parts come close to the germany marque. Put aside oem/taiwan parts bro bcoz hard to measure like that. On ori parts, e39 are expensive 👌🏾.. absolute truth in it
Informative video! One thing it misses out on is the M52s 528 delivers much better torque compared to the M54s 525, the driving experience is different. I drove both variants and easily settled on the 528 7 years ago. Robust engine, minimal headaches unlike thr M54 is the verdict 7 years on.
It's similar to how the 170hp 523i M52 2.5 just feels torque-ier in comparison to the 170hp M54 2.2.
On the same token, I do believe the M52 2.8 will definitely have stronger low to mid-range on account of its 300cc advantage over the M54 2.5.
The M54 engine is pretty robust too in my experience, but in Malaysia, they are the preferred choice because our road tax is displacement based. The 2.8 M52 pays double the road tax of the 2.5 M54.
530d 142kW of course!😊
Thanks
Thank you too!!
The M52B25 and M52B28 easy to modified become 3.0 liter with 225hp~228hp and 283Nm~292Nm with RON95 ( CR 10.2:1 and CR 10 : 1 )
I have the 525 I would like to modify with more horses is there a kit to do that
@@gmack357 most of the kit are from M54B30 intake camshaft , crankshaft, rod , piston and M50B25 non vanos intake manifold and it ntake camshaft.
@@mikehalimchanabdullah2204the m52b28 and m54b30 pistons are exactly similar
@@zoltantakacs807 M52B28 piston bore 84mm , piston compression high 31.82mm .
While M54B30 piston bore is 84mm but the piston compression high is 28.32mm
Menu to upgrade your E39 523i and 528i :
89.6mm stroke crankshaft from M54B30.
135mm conrod with 84mm X 28.32mm piston from M54B30.
Big intake manifold from M50B25 .
240°deg intake camshaft from M54B30.
240°deg intake camshaft from M50 non vanos engine no matter is from 2.0 or 2.5 non vanos is the same and use as exhaust camshaft.
M52B28 pink 🩷 colour fuel injector.
Buy NGK Iridium spark plug ( NGK BKR6EQUP or BKR6EIX gapping 0.5mm~0.55mm) .
Get the differential ratio from 3.91 or 4.10 and replace your stock differential if your E39 is automatic 5 speed transmission.
Tire size don't over size than 245/40ZR18 .
For 5 speed manual transmission is better get the 3.15 differential ratio.
Now here you go the Ultimate Driving Machine really fun to drive .
Does the tamper dot next to the ODO reading, appear on all other BMW models as well ?
Many BMWs of that generation have it
My dad gifted me 528i e39, it stood in the backyard for more than half a year, at first it was horrible cuz something broke down every week, after a while i xhecked fail codes, and repaired everything (there was not much broken) after that, it runs great, not a single issue, i already have 400k miles on that car, the thing is its unreliable if you dont repair it (obviously) but when you do your maintenance on time, and keep it in good condition, its almost unkillable car, most reliable car ive ever driven.
Thanks for sharing. Wishing you ever more miles with your lovely car!
Great video with in depth information. Thank you!
how's the oil consumption of these engines? would it warrant an engine down to replace the piston and the piston rings?
The M52 is better in this regard so in reality there are 2 good choices. The M52B28 (including the TU version) or the M54B30. The V8s are considerably faster but handling is quite diminished thanks to different steering system and higher weight on the front axle, theyre also considerably more unreliable :DD
Hey, regarding the rear headlights - the gasket between light and chassis (which is the culprit of water leakage into the boot) can be bought separately and replaced. I am not sure if that's exactly what you meant or not (or if you mean water going directly into the light?)
To my knowledge, it's not sold separately, but you can generic automotive light gaskets and cur them to shape
Hi Kon is hosing the engine safe for elec connections? Any precautions?
Safe if use targeted low pressure spray method. Sensitive parts like ECU and fuse box, we usually plastic wrap.
Kon pls make one F10 series
Okay, will find a car to film
Reliable Engine Platform Done A Few Mods On 52TU😊
Nice. Share your stories!
@@KonWaiLuen M50 Intake Upgrade Manual Conversion There's More Small Minor Upgrade Can't Remember It's Been A While Boss😅
@@SkoalBan8 I thought M50 intake upgrades were only applicable for the Single Vanos engine? With M50 intake, you deleted the DISA? How did it impact the engine's performance?
@@KonWaiLuen I'm Not So Sure About The Disa Valve,The Perfomance From The Bottom To Mid Very Sluggish As The Car Is Suffocating With Air If We Want To Start To Accelerate Gently Step On The Gas To Gain Speed,As The Car Moves The Top End Just Works Fine That Is What I Recall From 11 Plus Years Ago I Think
Ive had e39 540i & e38 740i, now i have 525 instead and its an excellent example of a great e39.
Good mpg, enough power for dynamic and fast driving, i would say its effortless, maybe mostly because its a manual.
My gf has a 530i automatic and she also appreciate the old school quality and driving experience that new cars just dont have.
Simple cars to take care of, good design and quality.
Best cars simply put. Only car i want is e39.
Couldn't agree more! I always consider the E39 as my soulmate car
My dad had an E39 530i and now a F10 528i. I prefer the E39 any day. The 4 cyl engine is boring. I have an Alfa Stelvio, and prefer the Alfa’s 2.0T to BMW’s 2.0T. But the E39 530i is really a solid and handsome car. The shape is just classic BMW. My dad barely drives his F10, it doesn’t have the sound and feel of the E39. With the E39 he was tearing up the NS highway.
Try b48😜
I have a 98' 528i with the 5 speed manual.
Honestly, it's a great car to own, and it has plenty of torque. You said that you should only look at the 530i, but realistically, the 528i in a manual is a solid choice
You are correct. But we didn't have many E39 manuals in our market. Most that are here are converts.
@KonWaiLuen ah, gotcha.
In America, they are pretty rare as well, but they can be found
IMO the best one to buy is 6 cylinder, 5 speed and sport package. The best car I have ever had.
TOTALLY!
PHD in e39
Kon, since you have an E39 and have had the chance to drive an e60, was wondering how these 2 cars compare in terms of quality and the drive for the 6 cyclinder variants?
I owned both E60 and E39 and now F10.
There is some fun in driving the older version, but as you get used to it, the newer the better.
When I first switch to E60 (525i LCI), I feel E39 (528i) is better, then when I switch to F10 (528i LCI), I feel E60 is better.
But after a while, when I have a chance to drive a E39, I don't like it anymore 🙂
@@seanswnAhh thats interesting thanks for your input
Very interesting!@@seanswn
I naturally gravitate to the E39 more, but the E60's chassis feels more reactive. Steering quicker and sharper. The E60 is still a pretty analogue feeling car and pretty fun to drive in its own right
@@KonWaiLuen Thanks for your input!
Hii.. what is the best 525i Automatic or 525i Manual?
Manual for sure, but not many where I am here in Malaysia. Most manual E39s in this country are converts.
I'm looking at a 2004 525i these days and it has clear signal lights in the front but at the back, they are amber. Any idea why that may be?
In Malaysia, I've seen some cases of amber and clear lights mix-match. Some of them, could be owners interchange lights.
Why does no one speak of the 528i
What about the oil burning in M54B30?
oil burning can happen across any of the M54 engines, but with the B30, their oil pumps are known to be susceptible to failure under track driving.
@@KonWaiLuen that’s the main point: ‘across any of M54 engines’ but M52TU engines are less prone to oil burning.
1997 528i 5 speed is best for reliability vs drive quality IMO
US spec had Iron Block which is bullet proof, and it is single vanos. Also 97 pre September is the best year for the manual transmissions as the clutch is not the self adjusting one they switched to, that has a more spongy feel. Kind of like the comparison of the steering feel it’s more responsive. I had 2 of the 97 540is and a 98 and I experienced this first hand. The 97 pre Sept 540i 6 speed in my opinion is the ultimate but you have more maintenance like the timing chain guides.
The more power in post 98 is a trade off on more reliability on a 97 528 -so people need to make that judgement. I think a DINAN Stage 1 can get the 528 closer to the 530…..With an iron block and single vanos to boot ….YMMV.
I believe an iron block will give the engine a completely different feel. I remember driving many cars with aluminium engine block and there's a tinny feeling whenever the engine is revved.
Just bought a m sport 528i 1999 for $800 starts and runs but it has major coolant leaks with 240k miles what are your thoughts?
I wouldn't agree with You 100% on the 1997 part.
But 1999 528i with GM auto in my opinion the most indescribable vehicle I've ever had a chance to own and work on
@@dkrawk8309 indescribable in a good or bad way?
@KonWaiLuen uhm in my opinion incredible in good way. They were built like no other vehicle ever
How good is the 530D? I'm considering one as I need a comfy motorway cruiser but I'm not sure how good the fuel economy actually is
We didn't have the 530d in Malaysia, but among the diesel variants, I understand that's the best.
It's very good engine, especially for motorway, as you wrote.
Given all other things being equal, would you prefer a 525i manual or a 530i auto?
Interesting question. As a daily, probably the 530i AT, but 525i MT as a fun car.
@@KonWaiLuen I ask because I'm just about to get a totally original 2001 525i manual (European version) with the full M Sport pack in really great condition. Silver with black leather interior. I would perhaps have preferred a 530i (for the reasons you suggest in your video), but manuals (in any condition) are really hard to find, and the performance difference between the two (525i manual and 530i auto) is surprisingly little, so I'm happy. I personally prefer manuals generally as they are so much more fun and involving to drive, but I could certainly see the appeal of the 530i in automatic in a non M Sport car for wafting around effortlessly. Thanks for the video!
Nice car but I wating for E90 review 🙃
Coming soon!
I only drive around 14 or so miles a day on hilly country roads. Should I get the 530i or 530d?
530i 100%
My favourite is the 530i with the M Sport package. That's the one I bought back in 2006 (2001 model). For lots of reasons. The straight six motor is just perfect in this car. Good balance of power and fuel economy. Top speed is still 155mph so, more than lots of modern day cars even. Certainly more than enough. Mine had aluminium dashboard and door inserts. Wood wouldn't suit it I don't think. My all time favourite car. Wish I could buy it again. I have a brand new Audi now (2023 A4) which is great but it's not the same. Great overview video thanks.
Yes, the 530i really is the sweet spot of the E39 range
Perhaps it is time to publish academic papers and let future authors cite your work lol
Which E60 to buy?
M57D30
Mana kedai awak
530i’s are cheap here in canada
Lucky you!
@@KonWaiLuen yeah i know right
E39 rear tail lights prone to leaking???
Man oh man, I have seen alot of things, but not once leaking tail light in e39
I see them happen all the time. Can I ask which country are you from?
@@KonWaiLuen me is from canada.
where I'm from in Malaysia, we deal with a lot of torrential rain, and believe me when I say, I've seen these things leak
@KonWaiLuen Malaysia, Canada. Canada, Malaysia.....
Brother, here in Canada cars get slaughtered by everything. Salt, terrible roads, heat, cold, humidity and many other factors
Its the e39 lci or life cycle impulse
That's right
E39 is the most handsome 5 series of all times
Amen
@@KonWaiLuen how do you compare it's reliability with newer 5 series?
You're like a flowerpot #DougdeMuro 😅
Good job, regards!
Thank youA
it may be an unconventional question but how does the NVH of a year 2004 BMW e39 compared to a 2018 VW Passat B8?
Cannot compare. Passat is quieter, but E39 is not to say a noisy car also la
If anyone is in Australia, I have an update e39 530i and a 528i for sale as I'm moving overseas. Selling cheap 👍
Looking at one E39, 535i V8. Tempting. 🤔
Go for it!
What u will chose between e39 e46 e90 and e60?
E39 all day long, but E90 appeals to me too.
is e90 better to drive than e39?@@KonWaiLuenI assume e60 is very large and heavy.
@@AndrewTate-nf2idmine E90 325i MSport LCI, E46 328i MSport, E39 528i TU.. e39 drive very comfort and the handling dynamics are great. E90 msport are very stiff bro trust me but on highway for spirited driving its on top 😈.. e46 is the lowest rating btw those 90 & 39.. bcoz e46 steering so light bro xbest lansung
@@awangemas9505 i heard that e46 is more light and sporty than e39
@@AndrewTate-nf2id light & sporty yep definitely, but handling are not that great for that type of ‘sporty’ as for me. E90 325i msport better in that ‘sporty’ handling.
E39 528i ?
528i is good too, but not as compelling as the 530i.
In Malaysia, our displacement-based road tax puts the 528i at a disadvantage.
- 523i/525i - RM800+
- 528i - RM1600+
- 530i - RM2100
It would be funny if at the end of the video, the car fails to start and had to be towed away
Nahh... this car quite well cared for. Mechanically very sound.
"This car has power tilt and telescopic steering column" I'm sorry but has anyone ever seen an e39 without power adjustable steering column???
I have had two without
@@KonWaiLuen no!!
@@dkrawk8309 FYI e39 520i, 523i and 525i doesn't have electric tilt & telescopic steering, it has manual tilt & telescopic steering.
@@oldradiotransmission oh God save us from mekniks like You
I own 2 525i e39 and they ALL have power tilt and telescopic steering.
Like why run your mouth when you gave zero clue what You is yapping about
in subject to 22:02 classic car roadtax. I'm aware there are CKD and CBU model. Are both eligible for classic car roadtax ?
Ckd or cbu doesn't matter as original. What they are really strict about are mods and accessories fitted to the car
unfortunately 3 liter roadtax is too expensive for many..
Classic car road tax is an option once these cars reaches 25 years old. Thus a very significant reduction in road tax price.
The video already mentioned it on the 21/22 minute mark.
Precisely. And that is exactly when I expect 530i prices to swing back up.
@@germaineliew2012 yes but to wait 2 to 3 years a bit too long to me..😅😅
Road tax structure needs a long overdue revamp
Transplanted a m54b30 japan spec to my 520i. Power is sweet.
530D😅
we don't have that in Malaysia, unfortunately
Never take advise from someone that cant even say the word....
I'm sorry, but I am not able to wrap around my head that people come to You for any kind of advice on vehicles......
75% of things that you have said simply do not reflect the reality in any way
I welcome you to correct me.
@@KonWaiLuen I'll be happy to anytime
The best BMW is the one that you don’t buy. 😂 just buy a Honda or a VW Golf and you‘ll be good.
Only if you're gay
what is the most reliable/best 6cyl engine for this car?
The 530i
@@KonWaiLuen Shall i buy a 530i automatic non-m or pay a few thousand extra for a manual m package version?
@@mrbigcock69 a manual with M Sport package will definitely have better value retention, but much depends on the driving experience you prefer.
@@KonWaiLuen A daily driver and sometimes b roads