[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Enjoy!

I have to agree with the writer!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/top-...00-bmw-banger/

[martin mustang]

Always fancied driving the M5 E39, I need to get down to this! I nearly went for one, now I am thinking maybe it was a big mistakes not to jump and buy it.

Originally Posted by Paul-Bracq-BMW

Enjoy!

I have to agree with the writer!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/top-...00-bmw-banger/

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by martin mustang

Always fancied driving the M5 E39, I need to get down to this! I nearly went for one, now I am thinking maybe it was a big mistakes not to jump and buy it.

I can tell for fact that these, especially the m5 are to become future classics!!

[Dackelone]

As a e39 owner(540i 6MT) I can attest that the e39 is some of BMW's best work.

[Pinewood]

agreed!!!

had a very nice 525i SE, and it was a lovely car. elegant lines, great build quality. The E60 (530d) was good,but wasn't as pretty

[martin mustang]

You have a unique setup! well from this side of the world a 540 with manual gear boxes is impossible to find! in fact I believe the manual box was not available for the right hand drive 540's

Originally Posted by Dackelone

As a e39 owner(540i 6MT)I can attest that the e39 is some of BMW's best work.

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

As a e39 owner(540i 6MT)I can attest that the e39 is some of BMW's best work.

Couldn't agree more, of course with the 6MT M5 hahaha!

[W///]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

As a e39 owner(540i 6MT)I can attest that the e39 is some of BMW's best work.

I actually want a 525iT with a 5MT. I've always had a thing for the Tourings

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by W///

I actually want a 525iT with a 5MT. I've always had a thing for the Tourings

EVERYONE had a touring over here... that's why I got a sedan.

I was actually looking for a BMW 5er with an auto.... but I came across a good deal on this 2001, 540i 6MT and couldn't pass it up. Besides... my old 535iA (3.5l V8) threw a rod at 440K kms(!) so I needed another car pronto.

My 540i 6MT...

[BEM-S4]

Was also Herr Roy's vehicle of choice for his record setting run - that's a real world endurance test if I have ever encountered one.

[W///]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

EVERYONE had a touring over here... that's why I got a sedan.

I was actually looking for a BMW 5er with an auto.... but I came across a good deal on this 2001, 540i 6MT and couldn't pass it up. Besides... my old 535iA (3.5l V8) threw a rod at 440K kms(!) so I needed another car pronto.

My 540i 6MT...
Attachment 1432655

Very nice! The car is so timeless.
The Tourings are a little rarer here, and the MT's don't pop up in every corner. I know the 6 cylinders inside out so it's an engine I'd be very comfortable owning.

Ideally though, I'd prefer a 530dT

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

As a e39 owner(540i 6MT)I can attest that the e39 is some of BMW's best work.

Thats probably one of the most reliable and best one.
The m62 dyno's often far above spec, even after 20 years and 200dkm+ so thats a very good engine.
The dutch autoweek magazin (dutch equivalent of autobild) dyno'd a stock 540i (mt) with 250dkm at 313hp... (they did dozens of video's of various cars on that dyno, so you can get a good picture on how accurate it is)

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

EVERYONE had a touring over here... that's why I got a sedan.

I was actually looking for a BMW 5er with an auto.... but I came across a good deal on this 2001, 540i 6MT and couldn't pass it up. Besides... my old 535iA (3.5l V8) threw a rod at 440K kms(!) so I needed another car pronto.

My 540i 6MT...
Attachment 1432655

Beautiful sleeper of a car: a wolf in sheep's clothing

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

Thats probably one of the most reliable and best one.
The m62 dyno's often far above spec, even after 20 years and 200dkm+ so thats a very good engine.
The dutch autoweek magazin (dutch equivalent of autobild) dyno'd a stock 540i (mt) with 250dkm at 313hp... (they did dozens of video's of various cars on that dyno, so you can get a good picture on how accurate it is)

That's interesting. You know my 535i(3.5 liter V8) was rated at 245 PS, this 540i is rated at 286 PS(although Wiki says 295 PS for lci models?). Both were M62 engines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)

But from my seat of the pants - it feels more like a 100 PS difference between the 535i and 540i.

Btw... a bit of a thread jack... anyone know where I can get a DME chip from? I need to remove the V-Max limiter. Right now it stops at a real 250 kph(GPS verified!). I need to go a bit faster! I've found a few places here in DE that offer chip tuning... but they want over 1K euros to do so. I was hoping for a cheaper solution.

Dack

[Paul-Bracq-BMW]

Originally Posted by Dackelone

That's interesting. You know my 535i(3.5 liter V8) was rated at 245 PS, this 540i is rated at 286 PS(although Wiki says 295 PS for lci models?). Both were M62 engines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_5_Series_(E39)

But from my seat of the pants - it feels more like a 100 PS difference between the 535i and 540i.

Btw... a bit of a thread jack... anyone know where I can get a DME chip from? I need to remove the V-Max limiter. Right now it stops at a real 250 kph(GPS verified!). I need to go a bit faster! I've found a few places here in DE that offer chip tuning... but they want over 1K euros to do so. I was hoping for a cheaper solution.

Dack

Are you looking for this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-M5-E39-B...dTXXdg&vxp=mtr

[BEM-S4]

The M5 is stalking me. Found a clean one on cars.com yesterday, dismissed the idea. Then I pull into my dealer today to pick up GFs car and the EXACT same color combo M5 was first in line for service. Hmmmmm...

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by Paul-Bracq-BMW

I can tell for fact that these, especially the m5 are to become future classics!!

Well-kept, low-mileage E39 M5s have already dramatically appreciated (at least here in the USA) in the past 4-5 years.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

Well-kept, low-mileage E39 M5s have already dramatically appreciated (at least here in the USA) in the past 4-5 years.

Am actually seriously considering looking for one. Have wanted one since I read the Driver when it first came out. Anything other than the obvious to look out for? See you have some first hand experience. Maintenance crazy?

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Am actually seriously considering looking for one. Have wanted one since I read the Driver when it first came out. Anything other than the obvious to look out for? See you have some first hand experience. Maintenance crazy?

I'm on year 13 of ownership of the M5 now. It's been garaged 24/7 since new except when on trips, almost never been in rain, etc, and up to 65k miles now. There are many typical issues with the car, so finding properly maintained, enthusiast owned one is by far the best course to follow. Depending on mileage, storage conditions, and pro-active maintenance, the quality of any given E39 M5 varies dramatically these days - hence the reason for the wide disparity in values.

The E39 section of the M5board is where you can find tons of information. Perhaps start with the FAQ thread, and also the DIY thread.

Regards,
Chuck

P.S. If you register on the M5board, you can set it to display in "Classic mode" which is much less cartoonish appearing.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by CSBM5

I'm on year 13 of ownership of the M5 now. It's been garaged 24/7 since new except when on trips, almost never been in rain, etc, and up to 65k miles now. There are many typical issues with the car, so finding properly maintained, enthusiast owned one is by far the best course to follow. Depending on mileage, storage conditions, and pro-active maintenance, the quality of any given E39 M5 varies dramatically these days - hence the reason for the wide disparity in values.

The E39 section of the M5board is where you can find tons of information. Perhaps start with the FAQ thread, and also the DIY thread.

Regards,
Chuck

P.S. If you register on the M5board, you can set it to display in "Classic mode" which is much less cartoonish appearing.

Thanks for the info, I was poking around over there but there's so much info to try and absorb when looking at a car seriously for the first time. Life would have been much easier if dad had just gotten the M5 instead of the Benz way back when and kept it in the family.

[F30lolz]

I'll never forget the first time I saw an E39 5 series, back in July 1996 in Lima, Peru. Then I went with my grandparents the following month to Prestige BMW in Ramsey, NJ to pick up a then new 97 528i. I've owned three e39's, from the lowly 525i/5-speed which I loved revving the crap out of it all the way to the mighty M5. +1 on the M5board as it has great information and members are willing to help, however, don't ever ask questions such as:

What oil do I use?
Where can I get carbon fiber tires?

Seriously, the E39 may be the best all around BMW ever created IMHO.

[CSBM5]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Thanks for the info, I was poking around over there but there's so much info to try and absorb when looking at a car seriously for the first time. Life would have been much easier if dad had just gotten the M5 instead of the Benz way back when and kept it in the family.

It sure would have been. I would guess that only a very small percentage of even well cared for M5s would present with essentially zero problems if you buy one given their age. If you're reasonably apt with DIY and order parts online, it's a rather easy car to maintain.