There is no fault in not getting the check Engine light in these cars, its like that from fabrice, non off my 4 520ds or 3 530ds have had that light coming up on ingition so dw, its supposed to be that way.
cars pre-2001 dont have a check engine light from factory, for some reason. Something to do with european regulations or something. It's really weird . I've a 2000 petrol 6-cylinder, and no engine light appears. I'd rather it would appear tbh
I can assure you that you don’t need another car. I’ve looked many times. Thought I would keep mine for 4 years, but after 24 years I never found anything that can compare.
@dimprabowo both share the same engine m54, so if you fix the common problems, it's pretty realible expect m54 is know for burning oil if you buy car that is not maintained well you can expect oil consumption problem.
I'm sure E39s will start to rise their values in about 5-10 years from now on. I bought an E34 six years ago. It was in great condition, even the leather seats, for only 1000€. Now you can't find any E34 under 2500€ and most of them are a mess and/or have cloth seats. Also I get A LOT of offers, higher being 8000€ but I wont sale it.
I've owned 2002 E39 520D Edition Exclusive for 16 years. Biggest repairs have been blower motor, crank pulley, exhaust flexible joint and rear wheel bearing. And, suspension parts of course. Total costs within the ownership period of 16 years have been ridiculously low. Overall fuel consumption is 6.4 l/100 km (with EGR off). Still on the first turbo, injectors, high pressure pump, clutch etc.
Enjoy it, but remember, Lots of torque + RWD....fun, but needs handling with care and precision! Treat it with a bit of respect especially in the wet! Ask me how I know...
@@alnilam8048 Don't know that much about E90s, mostly e36/39/46 I've had. But they are all great cars to drive with good engines - Provided you keep up with the maintenance on the suspension, and dont fit cheap/crappy tyres or brakes. Cheap tyres will turn the car into a lethal ditch-finder in the wet, cheap disks will give the car terrible wheel judder and vibration. Worn suspension bushes/ball joints will make the car feel loose and unstable. Again, don't fit cheap chinese copy parts, they don't last, and don't always fit properly in the first place either.
i respect your choice, i bought 523i+lpg pre lci in poland for 1000eu, rust is mostly fixed now and in a span of a year with small maintance it didint break and took me to netherlands 2 times, great car
@@market_car consumption is around 10l on gasoline and on LPG it has like 370km range with 45l tank, I still prefer to drive that than some corsa to save fuel 😂
@@market_car I have 523i 1998 and consuption was 7,5 when I follow rules and now is 8,5 when I dont care but is colder too and I drive all year tires. I drive mostly extra urban roads 80-140kmh...
I have a '98 540 V8 4.4L. The 325ft lbs is great grunt and even at 60mph when you tromp it, the car jumps. I love how it drives and how it performs, and looks. I will say that they run very hot and under high pressure. So ensure that your cooling system is in good shape. Mine is non-vanos which makes things simpler.
Had a 535i. Resettled in AZ and started having problems with the engine. Dealership said it was the summer gas mix. Only other problems were cosmetic. The drivers side arm rest wore out. No way to repair so had it rebuilt. Cost $500.00 in 2005. Other problem was the headliner separated and had to replace that. OEM was $2000.00 but got a used one on-line for $300.00. Again, around 2005. Other than that, liked the car. Roomy, comfortable and a great long distance road car. Drove from NC to AZ with no back strain or lumbar strain.
Ive got 525D exclusive edition from the last month of the production of the model 06/2003 in Titanium Grey. What an amazing all around vehicle. Love it ❤❤❤
Bought an enthusiast owned ‘02 530i M sport last August. I’ve put 22k miles on it so far and just completed a 3k mile road trip throughout the southwest. Car lives at 3k+ RPMs and absolutely eats the highway, incredible driving experience and value 🤙
My e39 is the pre facelift and it’s fabulous. 523i manual. . I’ve polybushed the suspension, fitted motorsport anti roll bars,eibach lowering springs, bilstein shocks, rear box delete exhaust, M Sports seats and full leather interior , Bluetooth, upgraded audio, short shift, M Sports e36 steering wheel, custom over mats, custom burgundy colour seat belts, 17” BMW style 71 split rims and just about to fit independent throttle bodies and Schrick cam. On the to do list is a custom six into two exhaust manifold. The bodywork is immaculate other than a couple of stone chips. It’s my back up car to my Jeep so probably only put on 2000 miles a year but I do love driving it. The smaller M Sport steering wheel from the e36 is a worthwhile swap.
We had BMW 528i E39 in aubergine violet color (03/1996) with almost full options. Great built quality and supreme riding quality. 🥇 One of my favorite cars. 🥇
Bought an e39 535i as my first car. Cost me 10k aud and I had to spend another 5 fixing it but now it runs beautifully and drives like a dream, I absolutely love it. Will unfortunately be selling it in a couple years to buy an e36 M3 and I know I'll regret selling it but it is what it is.
I bought an e39 528i (a) 97'few years back still with the original paint(blue)best part is,in my country its classified as classic car and road transport dept gave me 70% discount on the road tax annually which is a great help for me.I really love driving this car.its fantastic.🙏
just bought a late 2003 525i Touring exclusive edition yesterday. good serviced and some downsites i'm gonna fix the next year. just made 200KMs now and hit the 300k kms with it. it rides beautiful , especially on the autobahn! absolute banger
I grew up with this car bcs my father owned one, now we have a BMW 5 series E60 from 2006, but I still prefer this older one because it's more comfortable, powerful and it looks better from the inside and outside as well
I have an E46 320d with M47 (non-TU) engines made on dates pre 09/2001. Three years ago I fixed the MAF, MAP, vaccum lines, pressure converters, thermostat, PCV, fuel filter, oil filter, Intercooler, EGR changed, brake disks, brake fluid, coolant, rod bearings, suspension struts front and rear, wishbones and bushing, ball joints, differential oil... The only thing I suffer three months ago was VP44 pump it was gone with about 261000km. I also noticed the master inyector needle sensor was wrong with diagnosis software ISTAD. I tested that cylinder 4 inyector when I put out from the engine with the polymeter over the two pins that are connected to the coil inside that inyector. It gave around 750 ohms for that coil of the needle movement sensor. Nominal values should be around 90-150ohm. The new bosch I bought on ebay was measured 99ohm. I need to test different ECU these days as I have an EGR problem (negative deviation) as my MAF is measuring too much fresh air cos the EGR is nearly closed. Perhaps the history of changes I have still this error it could be the variable geometry of turbo as it is the one with came with the car. I tested this geometry with service function and you can see it works. Perhaps this problem with egr nearly closed, I mean something like "limp mode" the car runs awesome.
the e39 is the best sedan ever built, period :D timeless design, simple maintenance, no overcomplicated engineering on the engines and very reliable from my experience (had a few, even with issues, but they never ever broke down on me). my current 530d is a 2001 model, manual with m package, at the moment it has 271k km on the clock and it runs almost like new. planning on painting it in the next few months to restore it's fresh look, then ill lower it and put some nice wheels on it to make it complete :) even if the engine dies, i will never sell this car, i will replace the engine before i do anything else in case that happens. enough about me, your video is on point and i agree with everything you said. you earned a new subscriber as well :D pozz iz züricha i slavonskog broda :)
I've had three of them since I started driving in 2003. The ARE great cars, and I would happily have another. But unfortunately in the UK rust just eats them up. Admittedly our wet climate and excessively salty roads in winter are mostly to blame but, if you are going to daily drive these cars all year round, expect to have to get some work done on the sills, jacking points and arches, and budget for that accordingly. Get the undersides waxed every year before winter too, this will help hold back the rust a bit longer. 6 cylinder petrol and auto box in SE spec is super smooth and relaxing drive. Manual box with M Sport spec is most fun, especially 530i and 540i.
Well said. Look up the MOT history of any E39 and so so often it will mention 'corrosion near jacking points', that's one big and expensive fix and this is what sends so many of them to the scrapyard....
Great video. Love my dad’s 520i. Plenty fast even on the German motorways. Vmax 220 km/h even in the pre-facelift model. And silky smooth engine. PS: Pre-facelift 1998, but still love it. A real classic.
I have owned a BMW E39 520i facelift 170 horsepower for 2 years. The car has a gas system, it runs on liquefied gas. It gives me 10 liters per 100 km no matter how I drive it. And even with the smallest of the 6-cylinder gasoline engines, it still manages to create emotion and driving pleasure. It is overtaken well. And the sound of those old BMW 6 cylinders is legendary. Buy my car for 3000 euro! With M package - front bumper and M interior details. Greetings from Bulgaria!
Recently bought a 188k kms ‘98 non vanos 540i/6spd. It’s Oxford green with beige interior. Reminds a lot of my old e36 m3 sedan in Boston green. Pays homage to my old teenage self.
I have a 528I auto M sport with 189000 registered September 1999. 25 years old. Looks brand new and everything works inside and out. Purchased August 2015. Inside all seating et c looks like new. Angel lights so cool. Drives and hold the road over the Pennines in the U.K. Windy long road they this car just eats. My son looks after it for me and the car is wax polished to perfection. Yes it is the best looking car and especially compared to ones today. I get pleasure just looking at it. Oh and auto suits for me as 75 and it is so smooth and I know the car is deciding when to change. No crashing gears!!! And so it should last longer HAHA.So great video and you are spot on with the recommendation. I paid £1250 and have spent very little in the time owned. Champagne for Lemonade money.Have subscribed.
Great tutorial there I've owned my E39 525i Sport 16 years now here in the UK. I'm sure you have already but your right hand side sills dont look too good,take the plastic trims off underneath and look at the jacking points. Mine had totally rusted through but luckily had them repaired.
I'd look more into them if I didn't already have two E34s I'm set on keeping. Old BMWs are great overall cars, the fatigue and general wear from the age and mileage does wear on them, but as long as keep it in mind and do the necessary maintenance it's really solid cars.
If you already have an E39 and are interested in modifying it - You can check it out my 50 mods video here: ua-cam.com/video/Eb7TwH5zKDY/v-deo.html By the way, I’m setting a goal for this channel to reach 5,000 subscribers by the end of this year. You know what to do to help! 😉 Thank you!! 😁
When you talk about overtaking someone you talk about TORQUE not horsepower. Torque is what accelerates the car, not horsepower. Torque is a vector and the rotational analog of Force. Horsepower is not a vector is a measure of how fast work can be done. And of course Diesel engines have more Torque.
I've now owned my 1998 E39 Touring 520i 5 speed manual for 20 years, and my 21 year old son drives it as much as me, and we both love it to bits. BMW really nailed the E39, and I believe the reason this has become the pinnacle of the 'ultimate driving machine' is because it is the last of the 'analogue' cars just before the digital age kicked in (the E60 could have been another great car but simply does not look good enough, especially at the front.) I also have a 2011 F11 523i (can't easily get a manual!) to compare with my E39, and yes it’s true the 'digital' F11 is an outstanding car and I also love it to bits. However, the E39 is measurably quieter and much more 'entertaining' on the roads. The F11 is better in nearly every way and can be threaded though the roads with perfection but don't bother going into a 'slide', it feels like a 'detached' video game experience, so you simple avoid sliding it :0( The E39 can be literally 'chucked' into a corner and you can feel everything that's going on - hence, the pleasure. I have gradually upgraded my E39 into the 'looks' of an LCI car, and you're right still plenty of suppliers on the market and loads of internet help, just choose very carefully. Best tip, keep ALL the rubbers soaked in 3-in-One silicone spray (Halfords sell it) - this stops the doors 'creaking'. Also get an independent BMW specialist to adjust the handbrake properly each year - otherwise it will not work as it should. Also best not to have a sun roof or seal it up as I have done, otherwise hard to stop water getting in. By the way my E30 320i was even more 'fun' on the road and I wish I still had it (lost to rust). My E30 had no power steering and it had primitive rear camber change induced 'over-steer' when 'lifting off' (read 'chickening out'), at this point the car would attempt to spin between 180 degrees and 360 degrees. To 'catch' this takes much 'practice' and all your favorite roundabouts become your very own kart racing experience especially in the wet - this is 'wicked' and the most fun I have ever had on the road. My E21 320 before that was just the same. BMW super-smooth 6 cylinders on rear wheel drive is the magic combination. The E39 sadly does not have that 'fault', however, it does represent an example of driving 'perfection' and that's why I keep it.
Ive had my Bmw E38 728I 6 years its my daily i love it ive spent £3200 in 6 years vanos gearbox engine service tyres odd bitts ,its mint .its on 200,000 miles now still as quiet as an EV .my Auto is also manual i can do it myself if i choose its quick .
Nice to see so much appreciation for one of the best cars ever designed. The E39 is an amazing model. The engineering detail and high quality materials and build quality have never been matched since then. Nevertheless, as owner of two E39 I also have to say that it requires a lot of love, time and money to keep them maintained properly. No one should be mislead by the illusion that a low purchasing price is all they need to pay. If it doesn't get the regular maintenance and repairs it deserves, it won't last long and let you stranded. Regarding the facelift, since everyone has it, the pre-facelift look is actually more rare already and about to become more classy and cool again. That's why I have both 😅
I've owned 4 of these cars. From 98 to my current 2003 530i. First things to do 1-replace the cooling system Entire. Not just the radiator 2- Replace the control arms. They get brittle and if they break, you might get totaled. 3- Gaskets. These cars are infamous for oil leaks. Replace all the gaskets It might cost you $1500 for parts plus labor. However it's easy to work on. Once these repairs are made you are golden. Outside of cracked plastic tanks or hoses which are beyond easy to replace this is, in my humble opinion one of the best cars ever made. The M54 engine is considered one of the best ever made. A naturally aspirated V-6 with some tweaking can bump up the horse power of the less reliable v-8 engine. I only own E39s The upgrades on the 2003 model model make it most desirable, the sports package is next level. I've owned several of those. Let's not talk about the E39 M series. That's a different car for so many reasons. Some advice, it's usually at the 100k mark these cars need the upgrades I mentioned. Just get the work done and be carefree. I've had people offer me 15k at street lights. Mine metallic silver blue. 76k miles. My only car I drive. It's been hard to find models under 100k miles. Sometimes only 15-20 in the entire US for sale. These cars are going to continue to grow in value. Don't buy one. You'll only be in my way
If anyone is looking for one in the UK, I've got a 97' 535i v8 in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition (Basically zero bodywork rust, no lights on the dash, no codes thrown by obd2) for sale.
Great video, I agree with all except the facelift parts :D I'm in no way an expert on these, but since 2014 I've had 15 E39's, 523's, 525's, 530's, a bunch of those actually, 2 540's and 2 M5's, all except one of the 540's have been full M-sport, the pre-facelift cars are better built, have MUCH better paint so they rust way less, and apart from the 16:9 nav screen and the lights have just about the same tech as a facelift has, and the lights can be retrofitted easily. Other than that I agree 100%. Btw, your English is excellent.
Pre-facelift might be better built but the facelift look so much better. When you're talking about an M5 it makes a lot of sense to retrofit a pre-LCI but for a 520d I'd just get a facelift and enjoy it. Thanks very much Mr. Powerslide, yours as well!
I agree. The most important thing to consider with cars of this age is condition. You're much better off with a perfect 520i than a basket case 540i. Angel eye lights can be retrofitted and aren't that great anyway - you'll want to upgrade to HID - you can only drive to the limit of what you can see! All BMW infotainment is pretty terrible by today's standards. Just rip out whatever you have and fit a modern system. Electric seats: you use them for 5 seconds tops each trip and they're much more likely to break than manual ones. Not worth the hassle in my view. Heated seats: nice if they work; they probably won't after 20+ years! Get the fundamentals right first: a solid car, the engine/transmission you want etc. The minor stuff can be retrofitted. Awesome cars. Peak BMW. I own a 530i touring. PS - the "wood" trim is plastic and some of the stuff that looks like leather, e.g. door trims, is also plastic.
In the UK they all rust! And always in the same place - Sills, jack points and arches. It's the salt that does it. Best either not drive them over winter, or get the whole undersides of the car waxed/oiled each year before winter to keep that corrosive crap out! Other than that they are sound and solid cars.
Absolutely agree with you, BMW E39 is best looking BMW ever made and one of best looking sedan. Exterior and interior of this car designed perfectly, and are true crown of elegance. I'm very sad for modern design of German cars.
Owner of 525d 2000 147XXX km. Love the car. Reliable and still feels modern after 24 years. Someone actually offered me to trade it for their F31. Declined ofc
@@wheels808 Auto is great for relaxed driving and if you spend a lot of time stuck in traffic. Not so great for driving hard though. Manual is the exact opposite. Tiresome in traffic and city, but fun and precise control for sporty driving on the open road.
Well, don't get me wrong my congratulations for owning an E39 - but your car needs some love man :) The interior especially. Second thing is that you are completely wrong about maitenance prices - I agree that replacement parts could be cheap but do not mistake it with driving quality. The proper parts which are OEM or OE are not cheap and in most cases they are even mor expensive than for E60 and even F10 (yup that's correct F10). With all the rest you are mostly right so good for you :) best of luck with your car and channel. Peace!
Bro, stop moving from left to right and vice versa all the time. Makes me Disoriented. I own a E63 635D but still in love with the E39 535i facelift. Mean machine and very reliable. I agree with the design. I'm one the those guys who dislikes recent BMW design trend so I'm maintaining my old models. Great video!
only thing I don't agree with you is the manual part. I own 523iA and 540iA, I've driven 2 manual e39's and a couple more e46's the automatic wins in e39 always. it is such a pleasure to drive at highway with the I6 or v8 in overdrive and rpms like just under 2000. then when you floor it the transmission shifts like a thought. Amazing video as always!
Thanks Tuoppi. I think for the more powerful engines the automatic might be better, but for the 520 the manual is what I’d get for most fun. Thanks for sharing!
I am really enjoying the 525i version of this car the sound of the engine, the comfort in this exact color, amazing car to own and I am going to keep it for some time in South Africa.
My biggest car regret is selling my 2000 528i M Sport. It was perfect. Not slow, not super fast, but it ate up motorway miles, was so comfortable and had no knocks or noises. The handling was superb with 255's on the back and 235's on the front. It could drink the fuel when you trashed it but it was reasonably frugal if you took it easy. I'm on the lookout for a clean 525d, 530d, 528i or 530i wagon. Preferably M Sport but it's down to how tidy and well maintained it is...... unless the right E38 730d ,730i or even 728i pops up! Enyoyed your video. You need to try a 525d or 530d.... even a 525 or 530i 😄
My peugot 206 was declared economicly total loss. Always wanted an old bmw E series model.. Been looking for these since my peugot is gone. After watching this video, the things you say is exactly the same as the other reviews i watched and you were very genuine in this video, everyone can tell. Now im just even more convinced to find and buy a beauty e39 model.
@market_car good evening man haha, dutch (goede) and german (abend) mixed hehe why not 🤣 Kinda shame yeah but luckily I got the money of todays market value (more than I could sell the car for) I hope so too man! Its hard to find a well maintained ones with full options and espacially manual. But I am determined to buy one e39 hopefully. Btw: off topic but the serbian highways are smooth as butter. Full gas at midnights whenever you can (when going to turkey for summer holidays haha). Nice video and informative btw thank you
I agree, a good E39, with no rust is a great car, comfortable cruiser, easy to maintain. But the 520d is very slow and underpowered, it really is, and in no way I’m saying that it should drive fast, but the car is very heavy and the it’s not even a CR diesel so power delivery is lacklustre, and if you map the 136 it gets pretty smoky and relies to much on boost so poweband is not great. One easy and cheap thing to do if you do not want to go with the m57 conversion is go to the M47TU from the E46; much better and easy swap and you can map it to 165-170, since it’s basically the same engine as on the early E90’s, it improves the car tremendously.
Gotta agree with you that the 520d is not the fastest. Although there is an easy way to fix it, cheaper than an engine swap too: just get a more powerful one
@@market_car Najveća mana limarija,loš lim tih godina je uvezen radi uštede,ali sve ostalo zaista nemam riječi.Auto je u jakoj opremi naravno,vozio sam i 200CDI prije ovog.Mislim da bih mogao vrlo lagano i na E39 da se naviknem,tih godina su dosta kvalitetno auta radjena.
I sold my mint e39 520iA in 2023 and switched to e61 525dA mostly becaouse the 520i was too slow, and finding a nice 530i/d e39 is almost imposible. But i have to say i liked the e39 more than the e61, and may switch back if i can find a nice example for a reasonable price at some point.
As an owner I can confirm some of the arguments, especialy concerning modding options and reliability. As for maintenance cost, I am affraid you are being very optimistic :) Also, if your are unlucky, some minor issues like leaking sunroof or burned BM54 module can be s huge headache since car shops usually stay away from such jobs.
In my country we got so many E39 and E46s, that driving one of them is really hard, cause most of the time they are in tragic condition. Same with E60. I got 330Ci'04 long time, and this car start to stands out, since many of Coupes were Destroyed...
I have a 525d se apart from age related issues no.real problems and.its amazing , and.i use.it daily. It's been the length and breadth of UK. When I go on holiday now I only go where I can drive my car
As far as Check Engine lights go, if it's not OIL or Coolant, it is not serious. Turbo? Change OIL four times per year. Non Turbo, change OIL two times per year. Brake pads last seven years. I have a 1999 528iT and a 2003 530i . Both garage kept and maintained.
I've had a couple M50 E34s, M51 E34 Touring, E32 7 series optioned out with all sorts of sensors and with the M30 and also had a Audi from the late 90s. At this point I like getting the minimum amount of electrical options. My E32 7 series had more electrical issues pop up in a week than my daily driver E34 base model gave me over 2 years of daily use, add to that that the E34 also had stood for around 10 years before I got it back on the road, so it had more reasons to make problems. If you like using a multimeter and the electronics troubleshooting manual, and you enjoy soddering, then I say sure, go for as much options as you like. However, if you are weird like me and want to keep the car until it gets even twice the age they are now, the less electronics, the better it is.. At least in my opinion, but I'm a bit odd to be fair, I also enjoy manual sunroofs and windows and like not having electronics "interfering" with my driving, even when I do admit that technologies like ABS are extremely valuable additions from a safety standpoint. Either way, glad people are keeping these old bimmers alive, we are not getting more of these sorts of cars.
My unicorn is the e39 M5, like you said it was my poster car, not a Lambo, not a Ferrari, the ultimate driving machine, one day, one day... 😉 i will have my dream car.
I hated the look of the BMW model that replaced the E39 so rather than buy new I found a 2004 530d Sport with the highest spec I could find. It even has a TV ! Kept it for 20 years and it’s newer gone wrong. A car designed by engineers for people to DRIVE not by computer geeks to play with gimmicks. Stunning looks and well placed switches and dials and no distracting iPads and fiddly touch screens. The only fault is some of the LED dots on the screen are out - switch cleaner on the connector fixes but dashoard removal is fiddly
Actually that’s the only reason why to buy this legend in 2025: to make it a project car ! To upgrade it (only with original parts of course) to look mint ! For example here i cannot explain how you cand drive with that loose headliner 😅 but orher than this great video and great machine. This e39 is for bmw enthusiasts only !
So I’ve owned an e39 525i for a year now. It has 112k miles, I did the numbers for how much I’ve spent for general maintenance, was around 3k this year. It’s an ALRIGHT car, Has no rust thankfully, would I recommended for a first car? No. But it’s one of the more reliable bmw’s..
First year of ownership is usually the worst as you have to undo all the mistakes done by the previous owner. With no rust you're probably going to be spending around $100 in maintenance per year in the next 5 years so it averages out.
Some Fl versions had orange turn lights, and damn they certainly do not look horrible. IMO On 668/9 paint they look fantastic, i would never change it for white ;)
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
There is no fault in not getting the check Engine light in these cars, its like that from fabrice, non off my 4 520ds or 3 530ds have had that light coming up on ingition so dw, its supposed to be that way.
My 530i lights it up on start. But you can easily check it with the Dashboard Test. Found in the hiddenmenu
Diesel versions don't throw it for some reason, but gasoline engines do. I think it should use the glow plugs icon for errors.
@@Adrian-re9fh So thats the Secret. Diesel/Gasoline
Always something new to learn with the E39
Also the burnt oil smell - it's not a bug it's a feature
cars pre-2001 dont have a check engine light from factory, for some reason. Something to do with european regulations or something. It's really weird . I've a 2000 petrol 6-cylinder, and no engine light appears. I'd rather it would appear tbh
I just convinced myself I didn’t need another car but this is basically a sign from God
Mr. President I assure you it's all God's plan
Благо теби Тео како лепо причаш@@market_car
I can assure you that you don’t need another car. I’ve looked many times. Thought I would keep mine for 4 years, but after 24 years I never found anything that can compare.
Agreed agreed agreed
i will literally actually buy this in the future,i dont know what fascinated me so much about it,i could get a new car,but this is different
I had e46 face and switched to e39 face, and I'm blown away from the comfort this car offers.
Which is more reliable? E46 or e39?
@dimprabowo both share the same engine m54, so if you fix the common problems, it's pretty realible expect m54 is know for burning oil if you buy car that is not maintained well you can expect oil consumption problem.
@@3ManFunnyamazing knowledge
I'm sure E39s will start to rise their values in about 5-10 years from now on. I bought an E34 six years ago. It was in great condition, even the leather seats, for only 1000€. Now you can't find any E34 under 2500€ and most of them are a mess and/or have cloth seats.
Also I get A LOT of offers, higher being 8000€ but I wont sale it.
Inflation
dont sell it bro
U cant find an ok e34 under 4-6k in croatia
I've owned 2002 E39 520D Edition Exclusive for 16 years. Biggest repairs have been blower motor, crank pulley, exhaust flexible joint and rear wheel bearing. And, suspension parts of course. Total costs within the ownership period of 16 years have been ridiculously low. Overall fuel consumption is 6.4 l/100 km (with EGR off). Still on the first turbo, injectors, high pressure pump, clutch etc.
Amazing, glad to see someone has had a similar experience to mine!
I am turning 18 in 6 months an my grandpa will give me his 2002 E39 530D 193hp 3.0 😍😍 I cant wait to drive that beast...
I'm excited for you. You're going to enjoy it!
Enjoy it, but remember, Lots of torque + RWD....fun, but needs handling with care and precision! Treat it with a bit of respect especially in the wet! Ask me how I know...
@@soundseeker63I am 24 and my first car is a e90 325i 2006. Your thoughts about it? I find it very agile and love the way it handle
@@alnilam8048 Don't know that much about E90s, mostly e36/39/46 I've had. But they are all great cars to drive with good engines - Provided you keep up with the maintenance on the suspension, and dont fit cheap/crappy tyres or brakes. Cheap tyres will turn the car into a lethal ditch-finder in the wet, cheap disks will give the car terrible wheel judder and vibration. Worn suspension bushes/ball joints will make the car feel loose and unstable. Again, don't fit cheap chinese copy parts, they don't last, and don't always fit properly in the first place either.
@@soundseeker63 Wow thanks for this helpful comment bro. I sure will take your advice.
Got a 528i (2.8 i6) in the U.S.
These cars are solid and very good looking.
Best looking sedan ever made, hands down.
Amazing car. Completely agree. Enjoy it!
The M5 (s62 engine supercharged) also the fastest sedan in the world, Tesla doesn't count, not a car.
Yes, wasn’t the E60 5- series design such a let down !
W124 e320 best
Bought an 530i M sport manual back in september 2023. Handles very beautifly and gets a decent amount of compliments for just a sedan! Best car ever
E39. One of the most beautiful cars ever. A timeless masterpiece.
i respect your choice, i bought 523i+lpg pre lci in poland for 1000eu, rust is mostly fixed now and in a span of a year with small maintance it didint break and took me to netherlands 2 times, great car
Amazing, the fuel consumption is probably negative on that car
@@market_car consumption is around 10l on gasoline and on LPG it has like 370km range with 45l tank, I still prefer to drive that than some corsa to save fuel 😂
@@market_car I have 523i 1998 and consuption was 7,5 when I follow rules and now is 8,5 when I dont care but is colder too and I drive all year tires. I drive mostly extra urban roads 80-140kmh...
Just got a 2003 E39 MSport 6 months ago with BBS factory wheels. Best car I’ve ever owned.
I am so jealous right now!
@@market_car thanks man but it’s a lot of work had to fix the oil pan leak, rear main, sunroof frame etc but worth every penny.
Just bought 2003 530d last week. I living a moment of my life! I consider it a great choice.
congratulations bro! bought my 520i one year ago, it was the best decision of my life :D
congrats! you bought yourself a missile 🚀🚀
Just got a 540i 4.4 for jr. He will learn what a timing chain is real quick.
One of the funniest comments I’ve read
E39 M5 and an E39 530i each with no headaches! Best BMW of all time.
E39 528 was my first cat in high school back in 2016 2024 now I own a e39 540 and 2 e38s and working on a e46 lol the handling is addictive
I have a '98 540 V8 4.4L. The 325ft lbs is great grunt and even at 60mph when you tromp it, the car jumps. I love how it drives and how it performs, and looks. I will say that they run very hot and under high pressure. So ensure that your cooling system is in good shape. Mine is non-vanos which makes things simpler.
Had a 535i. Resettled in AZ and started having problems with the engine. Dealership said it was the summer gas mix. Only other problems were cosmetic. The drivers side arm rest wore out. No way to repair so had it rebuilt. Cost $500.00 in 2005. Other problem was the headliner separated and had to replace that. OEM was $2000.00 but got a used one on-line for $300.00. Again, around 2005. Other than that, liked the car. Roomy, comfortable and a great long distance road car. Drove from NC to AZ with no back strain or lumbar strain.
Just picked up a 530i Manual on a steal in so cal such sweet cars 👍🏼
Amazing, that’s one hell of a car!
Ive got 525D exclusive edition from the last month of the production of the model 06/2003 in Titanium Grey. What an amazing all around vehicle. Love it ❤❤❤
Production is insane,
Editing top tier.
Thank you very much Gvido!
Bought an enthusiast owned ‘02 530i M sport last August. I’ve put 22k miles on it so far and just completed a 3k mile road trip throughout the southwest. Car lives at 3k+ RPMs and absolutely eats the highway, incredible driving experience and value 🤙
My e39 is the pre facelift and it’s fabulous. 523i manual. . I’ve polybushed the suspension, fitted motorsport anti roll bars,eibach lowering springs, bilstein shocks, rear box delete exhaust, M Sports seats and full leather interior , Bluetooth, upgraded audio, short shift, M Sports e36 steering wheel, custom over mats, custom burgundy colour seat belts, 17” BMW style 71 split rims and just about to fit independent throttle bodies and Schrick cam. On the to do list is a custom six into two exhaust manifold. The bodywork is immaculate other than a couple of stone chips. It’s my back up car to my Jeep so probably only put on 2000 miles a year but I do love driving it. The smaller M Sport steering wheel from the e36 is a worthwhile swap.
You just made my Saturday chill session more chill dude ❤
Very glad to hear that Tamás
Just bought my 03 530dA Touring, fully equipped with everything you can think of, love this car so much
Congrats, great buy
We had BMW 528i E39 in aubergine violet color (03/1996) with almost full options. Great built quality and supreme riding quality. 🥇 One of my favorite cars. 🥇
Dude , I love your enthusiasm. So refreshing . Cool machine !
Appreciate that!
Bought an e39 535i as my first car. Cost me 10k aud and I had to spend another 5 fixing it but now it runs beautifully and drives like a dream, I absolutely love it. Will unfortunately be selling it in a couple years to buy an e36 M3 and I know I'll regret selling it but it is what it is.
I just bought myself an e39 520d from 2002 and your chanel is just a bless!
Congratulations Mr. Wojtek and thank you!
I agree i owned e39 wagon 525i for 3 years until i crashed it. best car ever
You could probably fit 2 elephants in that thing with how big the trunk is. Glad you had the opportunity to experience it!
As a E39 M5 owner, i can confirm, it is hella fun to drive that car
Got a 530iA sport Touring. Absolutely love it.
I bought an e39 528i (a) 97'few years back still with the original paint(blue)best part is,in my country its classified as classic car and road transport dept gave me 70% discount on the road tax annually which is a great help for me.I really love driving this car.its fantastic.🙏
Great combination, triple amaizng for the tax benefit. Glad you are enjoying it!
Wtf bro, your video came up when I was looking at this car and now I am 100% convinced to buy one.
Thank you!
I owned a 2001 540i M Spec and a M5 back in 2008
Still in love with this cars
Pozdrav
Amazing, I'm looking to get an E39 M5 myself with how great of a car it is
Got one 2023 Nov, the handling and performance is just crazy, 528 gives plenty of power, can’t believe it is a 24 years old car.
just bought a late 2003 525i Touring exclusive edition yesterday. good serviced and some downsites i'm gonna fix the next year. just made 200KMs now and hit the 300k kms with it. it rides beautiful , especially on the autobahn! absolute banger
Just like you said, absolute banger. Love that car and I'm sure you'll have many good memories with it. Cheers!
@@market_car i forgot to say thanks for your videos! keep on the good work!
I have an e39 530d and an e39 525i, best cars that i've ever owned.
I grew up with this car bcs my father owned one, now we have a BMW 5 series E60 from 2006, but I still prefer this older one because it's more comfortable, powerful and it looks better from the inside and outside as well
I have an E46 320d with M47 (non-TU) engines made on dates pre 09/2001. Three years ago I fixed the MAF, MAP, vaccum lines, pressure converters, thermostat, PCV, fuel filter, oil filter, Intercooler, EGR changed, brake disks, brake fluid, coolant, rod bearings, suspension struts front and rear, wishbones and bushing, ball joints, differential oil... The only thing I suffer three months ago was VP44 pump it was gone with about 261000km. I also noticed the master inyector needle sensor was wrong with diagnosis software ISTAD. I tested that cylinder 4 inyector when I put out from the engine with the polymeter over the two pins that are connected to the coil inside that inyector. It gave around 750 ohms for that coil of the needle movement sensor. Nominal values should be around 90-150ohm. The new bosch I bought on ebay was measured 99ohm.
I need to test different ECU these days as I have an EGR problem (negative deviation) as my MAF is measuring too much fresh air cos the EGR is nearly closed. Perhaps the history of changes I have still this error it could be the variable geometry of turbo as it is the one with came with the car. I tested this geometry with service function and you can see it works. Perhaps this problem with egr nearly closed, I mean something like "limp mode" the car runs awesome.
the e39 is the best sedan ever built, period :D timeless design, simple maintenance, no overcomplicated engineering on the engines and very reliable from my experience (had a few, even with issues, but they never ever broke down on me). my current 530d is a 2001 model, manual with m package, at the moment it has 271k km on the clock and it runs almost like new. planning on painting it in the next few months to restore it's fresh look, then ill lower it and put some nice wheels on it to make it complete :) even if the engine dies, i will never sell this car, i will replace the engine before i do anything else in case that happens.
enough about me, your video is on point and i agree with everything you said. you earned a new subscriber as well :D pozz iz züricha i slavonskog broda :)
This is Doug's distant European cousin.
I've had three of them since I started driving in 2003. The ARE great cars, and I would happily have another. But unfortunately in the UK rust just eats them up. Admittedly our wet climate and excessively salty roads in winter are mostly to blame but, if you are going to daily drive these cars all year round, expect to have to get some work done on the sills, jacking points and arches, and budget for that accordingly. Get the undersides waxed every year before winter too, this will help hold back the rust a bit longer.
6 cylinder petrol and auto box in SE spec is super smooth and relaxing drive. Manual box with M Sport spec is most fun, especially 530i and 540i.
Well said. Look up the MOT history of any E39 and so so often it will mention 'corrosion near jacking points', that's one big and expensive fix and this is what sends so many of them to the scrapyard....
Same in Sweden, rust kills e46 and e39
I have owned a BMW E-39 2001 530i touring for almost 14 years now and am very pleased with it.
I have my dad's one owner 03 530i sport premium package silver black interior. 44k miles. It's brand new basically.
Great video. Love my dad’s 520i. Plenty fast even on the German motorways. Vmax 220 km/h even in the pre-facelift model. And silky smooth engine.
PS: Pre-facelift 1998, but still love it. A real classic.
I'm thinking of buying one 1997 520i 5 speed manual,what's the fuel consumption.please answer
I have owned a BMW E39 520i facelift 170 horsepower for 2 years. The car has a gas system, it runs on liquefied gas. It gives me 10 liters per 100 km no matter how I drive it. And even with the smallest of the 6-cylinder gasoline engines, it still manages to create emotion and driving pleasure. It is overtaken well. And the sound of those old BMW 6 cylinders is legendary. Buy my car for 3000 euro! With M package - front bumper and M interior details.
Greetings from Bulgaria!
Amazing car. Greetings from Serbia!
Recently bought a 188k kms ‘98 non vanos 540i/6spd. It’s Oxford green with beige interior. Reminds a lot of my old e36 m3 sedan in Boston green. Pays homage to my old teenage self.
So cool. Great car and story!
I have a 528I auto M sport with 189000 registered September 1999. 25 years old. Looks brand new and everything works inside and out. Purchased August 2015. Inside all seating et c looks like new. Angel lights so cool. Drives and hold the road over the Pennines in the U.K. Windy long road they this car just eats. My son looks after it for me and the car is wax polished to perfection. Yes it is the best looking car and especially compared to ones today. I get pleasure just looking at it. Oh and auto suits for me as 75 and it is so smooth and I know the car is deciding when to change. No crashing gears!!! And so it should last longer HAHA.So great video and you are spot on with the recommendation. I paid £1250 and have spent very little in the time owned. Champagne for Lemonade money.Have subscribed.
Champagne for Lemonade money has got to be one of the best descriptions of the E39. Glad to see you're enjoying yours!
Ah thank you.
plan on snagging one today, used, 178k on it, 530i, minus some bottom kit road wear and a little inside wear/tear, it looks great
e39 i got one already , and im looking for one for my love!
so comfortable, big and silent inside!
Well said! It's an amazing car.
Great tutorial there I've owned my E39 525i Sport 16 years now here in the UK. I'm sure you have already but your right hand side sills dont look too good,take the plastic trims off underneath and look at the jacking points. Mine had totally rusted through but luckily had them repaired.
Amazing car Martin, and thanks for the heads up!
I'd look more into them if I didn't already have two E34s I'm set on keeping.
Old BMWs are great overall cars, the fatigue and general wear from the age and mileage does wear on them, but as long as keep it in mind and do the necessary maintenance it's really solid cars.
If you already have an E39 and are interested in modifying it - You can check it out my 50 mods video here: ua-cam.com/video/Eb7TwH5zKDY/v-deo.html
By the way, I’m setting a goal for this channel to reach 5,000 subscribers by the end of this year. You know what to do to help! 😉 Thank you!! 😁
When you talk about overtaking someone you talk about TORQUE not horsepower. Torque is what accelerates the car, not horsepower. Torque is a vector and the rotational analog of Force. Horsepower is not a vector is a measure of how fast work can be done. And of course Diesel engines have more Torque.
I've now owned my 1998 E39 Touring 520i 5 speed manual for 20 years, and my 21 year old son drives it as much as me, and we both love it to bits.
BMW really nailed the E39, and I believe the reason this has become the pinnacle of the 'ultimate driving machine' is because it is the last of the 'analogue' cars just before the digital age kicked in (the E60 could have been another great car but simply does not look good enough, especially at the front.)
I also have a 2011 F11 523i (can't easily get a manual!) to compare with my E39, and yes it’s true the 'digital' F11 is an outstanding car and I also love it to bits. However, the E39 is measurably quieter and much more 'entertaining' on the roads. The F11 is better in nearly every way and can be threaded though the roads with perfection but don't bother going into a 'slide', it feels like a 'detached' video game experience, so you simple avoid sliding it :0( The E39 can be literally 'chucked' into a corner and you can feel everything that's going on - hence, the pleasure.
I have gradually upgraded my E39 into the 'looks' of an LCI car, and you're right still plenty of suppliers on the market and loads of internet help, just choose very carefully.
Best tip, keep ALL the rubbers soaked in 3-in-One silicone spray (Halfords sell it) - this stops the doors 'creaking'.
Also get an independent BMW specialist to adjust the handbrake properly each year - otherwise it will not work as it should.
Also best not to have a sun roof or seal it up as I have done, otherwise hard to stop water getting in.
By the way my E30 320i was even more 'fun' on the road and I wish I still had it (lost to rust). My E30 had no power steering and it had primitive rear camber change induced 'over-steer' when 'lifting off' (read 'chickening out'), at this point the car would attempt to spin between 180 degrees and 360 degrees. To 'catch' this takes much 'practice' and all your favorite roundabouts become your very own kart racing experience especially in the wet - this is 'wicked' and the most fun I have ever had on the road. My E21 320 before that was just the same. BMW super-smooth 6 cylinders on rear wheel drive is the magic combination. The E39 sadly does not have that 'fault', however, it does represent an example of driving 'perfection' and that's why I keep it.
Ive had my Bmw E38 728I 6 years its my daily i love it ive spent £3200 in 6 years vanos gearbox engine service tyres odd bitts ,its mint .its on 200,000 miles now still as quiet as an EV .my Auto is also manual i can do it myself if i choose its quick .
Bought a 2001 520i touring 3 days ago. Amazing car
Congratulations my man, enjoy that thing!
Nice to see so much appreciation for one of the best cars ever designed. The E39 is an amazing model. The engineering detail and high quality materials and build quality have never been matched since then. Nevertheless, as owner of two E39 I also have to say that it requires a lot of love, time and money to keep them maintained properly. No one should be mislead by the illusion that a low purchasing price is all they need to pay. If it doesn't get the regular maintenance and repairs it deserves, it won't last long and let you stranded. Regarding the facelift, since everyone has it, the pre-facelift look is actually more rare already and about to become more classy and cool again. That's why I have both 😅
You put it really nicely. Very glad to see there are other E39 enthusiasts out there. Thanks!
You can't imagine how much i enjoyed watching this bro
i hope i can buy it one day
Thanks so much Amir! Hoping for you as well
I've owned 4 of these cars. From 98 to my current 2003 530i. First things to do
1-replace the cooling system
Entire. Not just the radiator
2- Replace the control arms. They get brittle and if they break, you might get totaled.
3- Gaskets. These cars are infamous for oil leaks. Replace all the gaskets
It might cost you $1500 for parts plus labor. However it's easy to work on. Once these repairs are made you are golden. Outside of cracked plastic tanks or hoses which are beyond easy to replace this is, in my humble opinion one of the best cars ever made. The M54 engine is considered one of the best ever made. A naturally aspirated V-6 with some tweaking can bump up the horse power of the less reliable v-8 engine.
I only own E39s
The upgrades on the 2003 model model make it most desirable, the sports package is next level. I've owned several of those. Let's not talk about the E39 M series. That's a different car for so many reasons.
Some advice, it's usually at the 100k mark these cars need the upgrades I mentioned. Just get the work done and be carefree. I've had people offer me 15k at street lights. Mine metallic silver blue. 76k miles. My only car I drive. It's been hard to find models under 100k miles. Sometimes only 15-20 in the entire US for sale.
These cars are going to continue to grow in value.
Don't buy one. You'll only be in my way
If anyone is looking for one in the UK, I've got a 97' 535i v8 in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition (Basically zero bodywork rust, no lights on the dash, no codes thrown by obd2) for sale.
Honestly considering it if you're within an hour's drive of Manchester
@@RomanTheNotARoman I'm located in Derby, so about an hour to 1h 15. I'll send you the link for the listing.
thank you for the part about vapor barrier leaks! I was wondering where the water behind the door came from, but you helped me what to check for!
Very glad I could help. Good luck!
Great video, I agree with all except the facelift parts :D I'm in no way an expert on these, but since 2014 I've had 15 E39's, 523's, 525's, 530's, a bunch of those actually, 2 540's and 2 M5's, all except one of the 540's have been full M-sport, the pre-facelift cars are better built, have MUCH better paint so they rust way less, and apart from the 16:9 nav screen and the lights have just about the same tech as a facelift has, and the lights can be retrofitted easily. Other than that I agree 100%. Btw, your English is excellent.
Pre-facelift might be better built but the facelift look so much better. When you're talking about an M5 it makes a lot of sense to retrofit a pre-LCI but for a 520d I'd just get a facelift and enjoy it. Thanks very much Mr. Powerslide, yours as well!
I agree. The most important thing to consider with cars of this age is condition. You're much better off with a perfect 520i than a basket case 540i.
Angel eye lights can be retrofitted and aren't that great anyway - you'll want to upgrade to HID - you can only drive to the limit of what you can see!
All BMW infotainment is pretty terrible by today's standards. Just rip out whatever you have and fit a modern system.
Electric seats: you use them for 5 seconds tops each trip and they're much more likely to break than manual ones. Not worth the hassle in my view.
Heated seats: nice if they work; they probably won't after 20+ years!
Get the fundamentals right first: a solid car, the engine/transmission you want etc. The minor stuff can be retrofitted.
Awesome cars. Peak BMW. I own a 530i touring.
PS - the "wood" trim is plastic and some of the stuff that looks like leather, e.g. door trims, is also plastic.
In the UK they all rust! And always in the same place - Sills, jack points and arches. It's the salt that does it. Best either not drive them over winter, or get the whole undersides of the car waxed/oiled each year before winter to keep that corrosive crap out! Other than that they are sound and solid cars.
Absolutely agree with you, BMW E39 is best looking BMW ever made and one of best looking sedan. Exterior and interior of this car designed perfectly, and are true crown of elegance. I'm very sad for modern design of German cars.
Owner of 525d 2000 147XXX km. Love the car. Reliable and still feels modern after 24 years. Someone actually offered me to trade it for their F31. Declined ofc
Love the ofc
I love your passion dude !
Thank you very much Mr. Stormy!
Just bought a e39 530i wagon auto.
Totally changed my perspective on auto gearbox tbh
Good or bad? Congrats!
In a good way
Howd it change your perspective on auto gearbox? What did you notice? Looking to get one soon, not sure if to get auto or manual
@@wheels808 Auto is great for relaxed driving and if you spend a lot of time stuck in traffic. Not so great for driving hard though. Manual is the exact opposite. Tiresome in traffic and city, but fun and precise control for sporty driving on the open road.
i have brushed aluminum trim in the interior
It's the best!
Well, don't get me wrong my congratulations for owning an E39 - but your car needs some love man :) The interior especially. Second thing is that you are completely wrong about maitenance prices - I agree that replacement parts could be cheap but do not mistake it with driving quality. The proper parts which are OEM or OE are not cheap and in most cases they are even mor expensive than for E60 and even F10 (yup that's correct F10). With all the rest you are mostly right so good for you :) best of luck with your car and channel. Peace!
Thank you!
Bro, stop moving from left to right and vice versa all the time. Makes me Disoriented.
I own a E63 635D but still in love with the E39 535i facelift. Mean machine and very reliable. I agree with the design. I'm one the those guys who dislikes recent BMW design trend so I'm maintaining my old models.
Great video!
Thanks for check engine lamp hint and useful infos. Your's sounds great comparing to mine, by the way.
Thank YOU for the comment! Exhaust sound is something that can always be (easily) improved
Dude, awesome work.
No bullshit, just facts without any clickbaiting. 👌
Appreciate it!
only thing I don't agree with you is the manual part. I own 523iA and 540iA, I've driven 2 manual e39's and a couple more e46's the automatic wins in e39 always. it is such a pleasure to drive at highway with the I6 or v8 in overdrive and rpms like just under 2000. then when you floor it the transmission shifts like a thought. Amazing video as always!
Thanks Tuoppi. I think for the more powerful engines the automatic might be better, but for the 520 the manual is what I’d get for most fun. Thanks for sharing!
I agree so much with this video I bought one a month before the video came out
I am really enjoying the 525i version of this car the sound of the engine, the comfort in this exact color, amazing car to own and I am going to keep it for some time in South Africa.
Great car, enjoy it!
Auto or manual?
@@sushiboy8289 It is an auto.
My biggest car regret is selling my 2000 528i M Sport. It was perfect. Not slow, not super fast, but it ate up motorway miles, was so comfortable and had no knocks or noises. The handling was superb with 255's on the back and 235's on the front. It could drink the fuel when you trashed it but it was reasonably frugal if you took it easy. I'm on the lookout for a clean 525d, 530d, 528i or 530i wagon. Preferably M Sport but it's down to how tidy and well maintained it is...... unless the right E38 730d ,730i or even 728i pops up! Enyoyed your video. You need to try a 525d or 530d.... even a 525 or 530i 😄
I already have one…for 10 years in this year…540i touring manual 6 ❤❤❤
Amazing
My peugot 206 was declared economicly total loss. Always wanted an old bmw E series model.. Been looking for these since my peugot is gone. After watching this video, the things you say is exactly the same as the other reviews i watched and you were very genuine in this video, everyone can tell. Now im just even more convinced to find and buy a beauty e39 model.
Goede abend, shame about your 206, hope you can find a nice replacement!
@market_car good evening man haha, dutch (goede) and german (abend) mixed hehe why not 🤣 Kinda shame yeah but luckily I got the money of todays market value (more than I could sell the car for) I hope so too man! Its hard to find a well maintained ones with full options and espacially manual. But I am determined to buy one e39 hopefully. Btw: off topic but the serbian highways are smooth as butter. Full gas at midnights whenever you can (when going to turkey for summer holidays haha). Nice video and informative btw thank you
@@kerlowkey Great to hear! Be careful and don't speed through Serbia, there are average speed cameras on the highways. Goede luck!
Question is where to buy it because its out of production line since 2001
Are you sure about that? Pretty certain they still have these brand new at dealerships, especially the 520d model
I agree, a good E39, with no rust is a great car, comfortable cruiser, easy to maintain.
But the 520d is very slow and underpowered, it really is, and in no way I’m saying that it should drive fast, but the car is very heavy and the it’s not even a CR diesel so power delivery is lacklustre, and if you map the 136 it gets pretty smoky and relies to much on boost so poweband is not great.
One easy and cheap thing to do if you do not want to go with the m57 conversion is go to the M47TU from the E46; much better and easy swap and you can map it to 165-170, since it’s basically the same engine as on the early E90’s, it improves the car tremendously.
Gotta agree with you that the 520d is not the fastest. Although there is an easy way to fix it, cheaper than an engine swap too: just get a more powerful one
Great review Bro! Looking at purchasing 2000 540i this weekend, wish me luck
Great luck with that! Great car. Cheers
It's funny that UA-cam recommended this video to me because I brought a E39 540i last month :D
Silicon valley knows everything...😉
Imam w210 320 cdi direktnog konkurenta tig godina,i doslovno sve što si rekao važi i za ovaj auto.Bmw je top pozdrav.
Neverovatan auto takođe, vrlo solidno napravljen. Taj sam vozio pre ovog (E220).
@@market_car Najveća mana limarija,loš lim tih godina je uvezen radi uštede,ali sve ostalo zaista nemam riječi.Auto je u jakoj opremi naravno,vozio sam i 200CDI prije ovog.Mislim da bih mogao vrlo lagano i na E39 da se naviknem,tih godina su dosta kvalitetno auta radjena.
@@kiticcjovo Vredi barem probati, život je prekratak da se ne vozimo u najboljim automobilima.
I sold my mint e39 520iA in 2023 and switched to e61 525dA mostly becaouse the 520i was too slow, and finding a nice 530i/d e39 is almost imposible. But i have to say i liked the e39 more than the e61, and may switch back if i can find a nice example for a reasonable price at some point.
I hope you get even a 540i sometime in the near future!
As an owner I can confirm some of the arguments, especialy concerning modding options and reliability. As for maintenance cost, I am affraid you are being very optimistic :) Also, if your are unlucky, some minor issues like leaking sunroof or burned BM54 module can be s huge headache since car shops usually stay away from such jobs.
In my country we got so many E39 and E46s, that driving one of them is really hard, cause most of the time they are in tragic condition. Same with E60. I got 330Ci'04 long time, and this car start to stands out, since many of Coupes were Destroyed...
I have a 525d se apart from age related issues no.real problems and.its amazing , and.i use.it daily. It's been the length and breadth of UK. When I go on holiday now I only go where I can drive my car
Was literally thinking of getting an E39 for a daily yesterday and this vid popped up
I'm not saying it's a sign but sometimes you gotta read into these things
As far as Check Engine lights go, if it's not OIL or Coolant, it is not serious. Turbo? Change OIL four times per year. Non Turbo, change OIL two times per year. Brake pads last seven years. I have a 1999 528iT and a 2003 530i . Both garage kept and maintained.
I've had a couple M50 E34s, M51 E34 Touring, E32 7 series optioned out with all sorts of sensors and with the M30 and also had a Audi from the late 90s.
At this point I like getting the minimum amount of electrical options. My E32 7 series had more electrical issues pop up in a week than my daily driver E34 base model gave me over 2 years of daily use, add to that that the E34 also had stood for around 10 years before I got it back on the road, so it had more reasons to make problems.
If you like using a multimeter and the electronics troubleshooting manual, and you enjoy soddering, then I say sure, go for as much options as you like.
However, if you are weird like me and want to keep the car until it gets even twice the age they are now, the less electronics, the better it is.. At least in my opinion, but I'm a bit odd to be fair, I also enjoy manual sunroofs and windows and like not having electronics "interfering" with my driving, even when I do admit that technologies like ABS are extremely valuable additions from a safety standpoint.
Either way, glad people are keeping these old bimmers alive, we are not getting more of these sorts of cars.
I just bought one as my first car!
Congratulations Mr. Ant!
You've made up my mind I'm buying one .👍
Let's go!!
My unicorn is the e39 M5, like you said it was my poster car, not a Lambo, not a Ferrari, the ultimate driving machine, one day, one day... 😉 i will have my dream car.
I hated the look of the BMW model that replaced the E39 so rather than buy new I found a 2004 530d Sport with the highest spec I could find. It even has a TV !
Kept it for 20 years and it’s newer gone wrong.
A car designed by engineers for people to DRIVE not by computer geeks to play with gimmicks.
Stunning looks and well placed switches and dials and no distracting iPads and fiddly touch screens.
The only fault is some of the LED dots on the screen are out - switch cleaner on the connector fixes but dashoard removal is fiddly
Actually that’s the only reason why to buy this legend in 2025: to make it a project car ! To upgrade it (only with original parts of course) to look mint ! For example here i cannot explain how you cand drive with that loose headliner 😅 but orher than this great video and great machine. This e39 is for bmw enthusiasts only !
So I’ve owned an e39 525i for a year now. It has 112k miles, I did the numbers for how much I’ve spent for general maintenance, was around 3k this year. It’s an ALRIGHT car, Has no rust thankfully, would I recommended for a first car? No. But it’s one of the more reliable bmw’s..
First year of ownership is usually the worst as you have to undo all the mistakes done by the previous owner. With no rust you're probably going to be spending around $100 in maintenance per year in the next 5 years so it averages out.
Great info! Another reason to get an E39 is the 540i
Agree. Completely unbiased opinions btw.
My 540i is a monster .. cannot recommend too highly!
Subscribed because of BMW E39 it's a legend
Amazing car, cheers!
2002 530i sport pack 200k miles worth it for $2.5K USD?
Omiljeni auto.. vec par meseci skupljam pare da ga kupim,jedva cekam.
It’s going to be great! Happy for you.
Some Fl versions had orange turn lights, and damn they certainly do not look horrible. IMO On 668/9 paint they look fantastic, i would never change it for white ;)
As long as the tail lights are LED I don't care about the color