Drove my old E39 again

"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
12/11/2018 at 11:15 • Filed to: Cheap E39

Over a year ago I sold my beater e39 540i when I decided to motorcycle commute full time. Seeing as I didn’t need a daily, and had other cars for “fun driving”, it sat a few months before I decided to put it up for sale. It was one of the most well rounded cars I ever owned. It was great to drive, comfortable, attractive, fast, and relatively cheap to maintain. I chronicled much of my ownership here.

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If I had infinite storage I’d probably have kept it, but it was taking up space in the driveway that I wanted for something else. In October 2017 handed over the keys to a new owner and figured that would be the end of it.

On Saturday I got a random friend request on Facebook. Usually these get ignored, especially when there aren’t any mutual friends, but I noticed we were both in a few of the same groups so accepted. Dude messaged me pretty much right away.

I figured “what the hell?” I was already going to be in the area, and I know how hard Oregon can be with lost titles.

I met up with him later on and we went to the police station to get “my” car. Since, I guess, the release of interest I sent to the DMV didn’t actually mean anything, it was still in their system as my car and I didn’t have any trouble getting it out.

We took a really windy backroad on the way back to his place. Me driving the E39 following him in a 750i. He knew the roads really well and had a pretty good pace. It really made me remember why I liked the 540 so much. It’s a heavy car, sure, but it handles the weight well. You can really chuck it into corners faster than a big old boaty sedan has any right to.

After giving her a pretty thorough run through, we got back to his house and I gave him the keys and signed over a bill of sale.

I need another V8 in my life, I forgot how easy it was to light up the tires with power.

DISCUSSION (20)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 11:25

I should get one as a third car. When I have room for a third car

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 11:34

Stop tempting me.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 11:45

Tell him you’d like to have first right of refusal when he sells it.

404 - User No Longer Available > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 11:53

So E39 is becoming the next official Oppo car, after the GTI?

Chariotoflove > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 12:01

Wild. Good story.

Decay buys too many beaters > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
12/11/2018 at 12:08

Already told him to hit me up if he decides to sell it.

Decay buys too many beaters > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/11/2018 at 12:09

They are such under priced gems right now. You can find clean ones sub $5k. That’s for a RWD, manual, V8, german sedan.

Decay buys too many beaters > 404 - User No Longer Available
12/11/2018 at 12:10

God, I hope so. Everyone should experience the E39 at least once.

404 - User No Longer Available > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 12:11

My only experience was with an 530i and an auto, wasn’t even an M-Sport, had it for a weekend. It was so much better than the E90 325i that almost ruined BMWs for me.

Sometimes I look back maybe I should’ve bought that as my winter car instead of my F30. Friend did offer to sell it to me, and he still actually has it.

Decay buys too many beaters > 404 - User No Longer Available
12/11/2018 at 12:13

It was the car that changed my “heavy cars can’t handle” view. The V8 is 4000lbs, but she can dance.

thejustache > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 12:31

Now you’re making me want another BMW. My second car was an e34 535i (not sure if you ever saw it, I had it at RPI early on but sold it when it ran into some issues I couldn’t afford to fix). It was an auto and ratty as anything, but with a rear LSD it could still light up the rear tires pretty good and handled better than it should have.

I figured BMWs were too expensive after that (and indeed the vintage BMW prices spiked a couple years after) and the gas mileage was too bad, but my Outback XT can eat parts and gets 22mpg too... so I kind of don’t have much in the way of an argument.

Decay buys too many beaters > thejustache
12/11/2018 at 12:43

Nope, never saw that one! And yeah, those 90 through around 2003 cars are BMWs peak. Everything before feels too old to daily and everything after is a bit too soft (for me)

I found that the E39 was no more or less expensive to keep running than anything else I’ve owned, but then I did all the work and used a LOT of china parts. It got similar fuel economy to my Miata as well :/ (22mpg fwiw). Oh... and I’m jealous that the e34s had LSDs. They only offered that on the M5s in the e39 generation. Too bad, because that would have made the 540 perfect.

thejustache > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 13:08

I didn’t actually know it had an LSD at the time (I was still mostly a car newb and just knew I paid $2k for a BMW ) but I know it had the winter package which gave it heated seats and among other things a better diff. Thinking back it makes sense because it could 2 wheel peel and was pretty easy to control while drifting in parking lots, which back then was a thing I enjoyed doing apparently.

Kind of bummed to hear an NA miata gets similar MPGs to my outback, although you’re not the first person to tell me that. I’ve been giving some thought to a hopefully cheap as possible second vehicle for commuting and generally not caring much about, and either a small enduro or a ratty NA Miata seem like decent choices. I commuted 3 or 4 months this year on just my bike, but with our first kid coming my wife has expressed that she’d rather I didn’t spend even more time on one. I honestly never gave much thought to Miatas until recently reading stories on here, but I have been pining for something simple and RWD since my start with BMWs. I haven’t seen any $200 ones yet , but I have found a few for under a grand that look like they could be serviceable. Lousy gas mileage is kind of a knock against the idea, but then again if it saves wear on my Outback maybe it’s still worth doing?

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 13:20

I came close to buying a manual one in this great light blue/green color a few years ago, but it had over 200,000 miles and I was afraid of the maintenance costs

Decay buys too many beaters > thejustache
12/11/2018 at 13:26

Yeah for a 4cyl, it’s pretty bad. Going back to my logs the worst I got was 21, driving mostly like an asshole. And the best I got was 27, driving partially like an asshole. I’m pretty sure a lot of it is down to the short final drive on the 1.6 cars, I’m turning about 4k rpm at highway speed. FWIW the 1.8s do better apparently.

“ Simple and RWD” is 100% the miata’s whee lhouse. They make great little beater commuters, super fun and about as close as a car can realistically get to a motorcycle. You can drive them hard on the road without getting into lose our license type speeds. I mean, I bought mine as a joke expecting to keep it a few months and then send it to a scrapper, but it’s become probably the favorite car I’ ve ever owned even though it has more in common with the cars you’d see in a junkyard than cars you’d see on the road.

Decay buys too many beaters > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/11/2018 at 13:29

That’s fair, 200k is right around the time where they start needing their second timing chain guide replacement and it’s not exactly a procedure for the faint of heart.

Mine at 130k was just starting to show the signs of broken guides. Easy way to tell is listen for an angry rattle on dead cold start after sitting overnight.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 13:32

I think my e90 is going to need them soon. its at 114k

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 13:37

Where are you located? Your car looks familiar - pretty sure I might have seen it listed for sale when I was in the market a couple of months ago? I’m in Portland...wasn’t really looking for a 540i so never rally looked in to it , although I’ve had a bit of an E39 itch.

Decay buys too many beaters > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
12/11/2018 at 13:43

I’m also in Portland. Odds are if it was a 540 manual in TSW Snetterton wheels, it was mine. Unsure of how long it was listed by the guy I sold it to though, last I heard of it was Oct 2017 ( until this weekend) .

LastFirstMI is my name > Decay buys too many beaters
12/11/2018 at 23:16

Proof that OPPOs are good humans. You could’ve easily blown him off; hope something good comes back around for you!