My e39 Addiction

"///Mvious" (mvious) 12/16/2015 at 14:19 • Filed to: None

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Howdy Oppo! I meant to post this before Thanksgiving, but the holidays have been crazy...

With Mini Mvious joining the party this summer, it was time to get rid of my Danger Ranger and upgrade to something with a back seat that was a little more family friendly.

This was an opportunity to convince Mrs. Mvious to enable my habit. After a few weeks of car hunting, I found the following beauty on Craigslist.

Vital stats:

2001 BMW 540i MSport, Steel Blue over Sand Beige.
76,123 miles on the odo when purchased for $8k after taxes, insurance, etc.
Mechanically sound! It’s in great shape and has been babied. Never driven in the harsh New England winters.
Interior and cosmetics are 8.5/10; there are minor dings, dents, and scratches from 14 years under a single owner. The usual e39 items - cupholders, rear hatch springs & hydraulics, badges, kidney grills, etc are worn and need replacing. All in, I think it’s less than $500 worth in parts and a weekend to fix.

With the Beast away for the winter, this has been a great replacement (except for the gas mileage...Pb foot.) Mrs. Mvious has even admitted that it’s “Really nice. Not what I expected when you said wagon.”

I’ll convert her into a petrolhead yet...

JGrabowMSt > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:21

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Happy Wagon Wednesday!

///Mvious > JGrabowMSt 12/16/2015 at 14:23

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Ha! I didn’t even consider it was #WagonWednesday!

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:23

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Need to find one of these and the stock airboxes for the wagon.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:26

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Awesome car, absolutely beautiful. Seems like a fantastic price too, if that had popped up on my CL about 18 months ago I’d be driving it right now.

JGrabowMSt > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:27

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I didnt know cupholders got old and worn out?

TheHondaBro > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:27

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Ain’t nothing wrong with an E39 addiction.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:34

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BTW third favorite wheel style for BMW

///Mvious > JGrabowMSt 12/16/2015 at 14:35

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I didnt know cupholders got old and worn out?

Then you’ve never owned an e39. The stock cupholders are essentially a disposable item. They break *constantly*.

There are a lot of aftermarket solutions; my favorite are the “ultimate cupholders” which slide underneath the trim along the transmission tunnel.

///Mvious > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 12/16/2015 at 14:35

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Believe me, the upgrade / fix / mod list is already running through my head.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:36

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is it a row-your-own adventure book?

phenotyp > JGrabowMSt 12/16/2015 at 14:41

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BMW’s cupholder’s are pretty much a fuck-you part. Clearly made by designers and engineers with a grudge against the marketers who insist on their necessity.

(pictured: e39, E60)

///Mvious > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 12/16/2015 at 14:42

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Style 65, 37, then Alpina 20 spokes for me. But this is probably #4.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:50

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e60 550 m-sport 20” wheels are my actual favorite, followed by 65’s, followed by these

///Mvious > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 12/16/2015 at 14:51

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Unfortunately, no. BMW only made the 540i wagon with an automatic. A six speed swap is relatively common with these, but I think the auto-box is way better for a daily driver/family car.

I’ve still got the M5!

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 14:52

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You are probably right, especially considering where you live

Noah - Now with more boost. > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 15:14

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Those style 32s look MINT. Nice.

AM3R shamefully returns > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 15:34

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I need more pics of that M5!

Matt Nichelson > phenotyp 12/16/2015 at 15:48

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I agree completely. Mine closest to the center console is borked. I think that one is always the first to go since it is used more. I just leave it out so I can still use it until I get around to fixing/replacing it.

Matt Nichelson > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 15:50

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Very much jealous right now. Makes me miss my 03 540i even more.

functionoverfashion > phenotyp 12/16/2015 at 15:56

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At least in my E46 wagon, the cupholders are “normal” as in, they are next to the handbrake and they are rugged and you can very easily remove the whole assembly (just lift), pretty much the same as my ‘96 Accord.

[not my image but the same as my car]

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 15:57

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Nice! Did you see the E39 Touring that had been M5-ed that was posted here recently? So much want.

phenotyp > functionoverfashion 12/16/2015 at 16:30

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They put them right between the center stack and shifter in the F10 (side-by-side) and it makes the console so damn wide that it feels way more cramped than my E60.

JR1 > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 17:04

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What makes the E39 so outstanding?

///Mvious > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 12/16/2015 at 17:17

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No, I’ve actually been interested in them for awhile. There was a gent who took an e39 528i, Mojave Brown individual exterior, and dropped an LSx into it. I actually contacted him via email, as I was interested in buying it, but eventually shied away; custom cars are not great DIY daily drivers.

///Mvious > JR1 12/16/2015 at 17:23

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Depends on who you ask. For me, it’s simply personal preference. I’m not a huge fan of Mercedes nor Audi, and would never buy a new BMW (seriously, they slap turbos on TOP of the engine right between the two cylinder banks? Heat sink anyone...).

The first e39 I purchased was a 2002 540i MSport sedan, six speed manual. I absolutely loved the car - daily usable torque, just enough power to get in trouble, and acceptable gas mileage. They’re damn comfortable to drive too.

Then, I bought the M5, and daily drove it for a couple years. It’s absolutely amazing. I cherished the car so much that I chose to walk to the commuter rail station (only 1.5 miles) every day for a couple winters in a row, just so I wouldn’t put the car on Mass’ salty roads.

They aren’t for everyone, but for myself and many other enthusiasts, it’s a dream car.

JR1 > ///Mvious 12/16/2015 at 20:22

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Are cars like the 540i reliable. The balance and power is certainly appealing but I always figured they were difficult to maintain

///Mvious > JR1 12/17/2015 at 09:50

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It really depends how you define reliable. Some people think “reliable” equates to “I don’t have to maintain it”. Those people lease hondas and turn them in every year because the car is a POS.

Ask just about anybody in this community, and they’ll tell you that cars need maintenance. I enjoy all the little DIY projects, and have never had trouble keeping up with maintenance on my vehicles. That being said, I have the following budgets:

$2,500/yr + into the M5
$1,500/yr + into the 540i

If I don’t spend that money on regular maintenance items that break, I’ll use it on something proactively - Maybe the steering is getting a little loose, or the tires can’t make it one more winter. What’s that slop in the rear end when I blast through an onramp? Probably need to replace control arms & bushings. If I come across a project that is too difficult, or I simply don’t want to do (like replacing my differential seals...yuk), I go to a reliable independent mechanic. Finding one is sometimes tough, but they’re everywhere.

I think the engines on these cars are bulletproof. There are common complaints about VANOS, but I’ve *never* had an issue.

If you’re interested in these cars (or really, any car) start reading up on the enthusiast forums. bimmerfest has an absolutely amazing community, detailed DIY instructions, and generally helpful folks. Same with M5board. I’ve had mixed experience with bimmerforums.

TL;DR: Cars need maintenance. Plan on spending a good chunk on them every year fixing things as they wear out. If you aren’t comfortable doing the work yourself, find a skilled and trustworthy independent mechanic who specializes in your vehicle.

functionoverfashion > phenotyp 12/17/2015 at 09:52

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In front of the shifter is almost always awkward; it either blocks the controls in some way, or greatly increases the chances of spilling liquid on the controls, or - as you said - widens the console... or all of the above.