Back again!!buying advice

For that money you would get an E39, how clean/straight/true/unchavved it would be for that money is the question.

Being a relatively recent surfer to the Pistonheads web site, £1,000 could get you something quite interesting.

Nice to see you back on here.

30 mile trip, fair bit in the morning spent in queues, trundling along A and B roads plus some town driving, no real overtaking opportunities so 520 would fit the bill, maybe a Ford but seems an ideal time to maybe satisfy a hankering for an E34.

Seen a 525 with FSH,125k on the clock and MOT for circa £700.

An old auto is another risk though.

If you can get a decent E34 525 and you're prepared to take the risk then go for it...

Nice E34, bit over your budget but it looks clean and unchavved.

Get an old E34 before it's too late!  But beware, get a good one and be prepared to spend money on it.  My 540 was lovely but high miles, and it cost me nearly twice the purchase price in bits during the three years I ran it.

You know you want a V8!!!!

£5k should be enough to get you into a E39 540i......

Andrew Rolland wrote: You know you want a V8!!!! £5k should be enough to get you into a E39 540i......

If I'm prepared to take a risk £2.5k will get me into an early E39 540 and the old touring was superb.

Peter Fenwick wrote: My big concern with a car like a 540 is where petrol is going to end up. It's expensive now but if the situation in Saudi deteriorates then it has the potential to get a lot worse. Hell of a motor though If it was me i'd be after a 530i

Is mpg on a 530 that much better?

I know what you mean about fuel though ....reasoning I'm using is that with unleaded being cheaper than diesel and the minimal difference in consumption between the L200 and the 540 it should work out about the same.........especially when factoring in the 4.5k servicing on the L200.


Anyone know what the tax implications are on a 540 from 1 reg prior to 01/03/2001 to 1 reg between 01/03/01 and 01/03/06?

Edited by Stone-IslandV8

I think a 530i will get 20-25% better economy than a 540i

If that doesn't mean much then  go for the 540.

That touring looks ok. Not much description though and no interior pics

The difference in performance between the 530i and the 540i isn't massive and from what I can gather the straight 6s are a less trouble some ownership proposition.

Mind you, they still have their fair share of issues...

The M54 engine has a crank case vent valve that takes gasses from the top of the engine and returns them to the inlet manifold. Any oil that goes over head is returned to the sump via a connection into the dipstick.
These get fouled up and stick or crack which results in them not allowing gasses to escape including water vapour which then messes up the oil and gives you mayo under the oil cap. It can also result in them sucking up oil and burning it which is IMHO one of the reasons these engines are known to use oil. 1 litre in 1000 miles is not uncommon and can work out quite expensive if you do a few miles.
This valve failing is very common and the part itself is cheap but it's a pig to replace.

Cam position sensors and lambda sensors fail which result in loss of power and poor economy.

Mass flow meters and coil packs can also fail.

The cooling system is a common weak point. Radiators bow out at the bottom and if not replaced will eventually fail. Thermostats can break open and the housing is a common spot for leaks.  Expansion tanks are known to crack, as are hoses and it's no unheard of for the water pump to fall over.
Many owners replace these bits before they fail as the M54 is scrap if it's allowed to overheat. The cylinder head warps/crack and replacement is often more than the engine is worth. For this reason avoid any car that has had it's head gasket replaced due to a failure.

Vanos system can and do fail which is very espensive to fix if you buy the bits from BMW but Dr Vanos can sort you out for hundreds rather than thousands. You can tell if it's failed because it will be noisy especially at around 2000 rpm and the power will be down. It sounds like someone shaking nuts in a tin can.

Other things to look out for are a sticky gear lever on the manual cars.  When the car is cold the gear level will stay over to the right once you've used 5th and will not return until the box has warmed through. This can make gear changes with a cold car fun until you get practiced in knowing where 3rd is.
Fixing this is a gear box out job although the parts are no expensive.

Other than that you just need to look out for the usual 5 series issues.

My 330i has just been condemed after a crash and my current financial situation coupled to a list of issues like that above means I won't be replacing it with another e46/e39. I found that even well maintained cars could rack up the bills fixing the multitude of comon problems.

Good luck with your search