Looking for a cheap daily driver to go along with my new move... did anybody own or have any experience with e39 525i?

Found this one for sale for less than $14k with 57k miles... I've always loved how they look. Wondering about reliability, any issues I should look for?





seems like a decent deal to me... any input appreciated...

thanks

 

First off, it is an E39 5-series.

Great cars. I had a 540 6-speed (got totaled by a 77yr old lady in a big Mercedes that rear ended me at 35-40 mph). That said, a very safe, comfortable and luxurious car (luxury compared to my 2 E36 M3s).

I think the 525 would be underpowered for my tastes, but it is a good car for what it is.

One thing to look out for is 'cooling system' issues....like most other BMW's. It isn't expensive repairs, just see when the radiator and pumps have been done. All in all, it is a solid car.

SoCal

 

E39's were great cars, they feel like they were carved out of a piece of granite when you close the door. Like the OP mentioned, the 525i was a bit on the sluggish side however that's a very nice example and great color combo. Also it has the sport seats which are nice.

I would drive it to make sure it's your cup of tea and it doesn't hurt to have a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) if you don't know BMW's well.

 

haha... I meant e39... my bad, my roomate and I were talking about how much we love this e36 M3 sedan that parks in our building while I was typing the post so it was in my head.

I don't need this car to be anything amazing performance wise... I figured it would be slow but for commuting in LA where everybody has me terrified of the traffic I figured it would get the job done, look good, get decent gas mileage and be comfortable. Plus, I can always put some M logos and side vents on to make it perform a little better right?

Thanks for the feedback... any feelings on the price point?

 

I haven't blue booked it or anything, but 14k with those miles sounds good.

The car looks good, and appears to be in good shape.

Tint the windows, lower it a bit, some new wheels, and a 'de-badge' , and you will have a pretty cool commuter mobile for about 15k!

I have a friend with a 528 that I have been driving for him while he is gone for 7 months. The power isn't really that bad for freeway and commuting.

I really enjoyed my 540. It was an amazing car. A lot of BMW purists say the E39 5-series is one of the best cars BMW ever made. Hence the long run with very few changes.

SoCal

 

My parents have a 540i. I would echo what socal97m3 said about the radiator. My parents had some issues with a cracked/broken radiator. They also had the auto transmission replaced post-warranty as a courtesy from BMW. The car feels more solid than the E60 and $14k sounds like a great price.

 

I replaced the radiators on my first E36 M3 and my 540/6 pro actively at about 65-70k. On my current M3, I had just done a bunch of work on the car so I did not change the radiator as it looked fine. The following week, the neck snapped and I was calling a tow-truck.

It isn't that expensive, and it is worth the piece of mind to replace the radiator and other cooling system parts pro actively.

SoCal