I've been contemplating moving out of my 98 M3 into a E39 540i. I realize the 6 spd is a little more desireable and would probably be easier to resale but I drove an auto yesterday and was actually very impressed. I've included the links below to two vehicles...the first is at a BMW dealership right down the road and is in fantastic shape...it's the one I drove yesterday. They have full records from the previous owners and all the good stuff like that. It's a 2000 w/sport pkg 67000 miles and they're asking 19,980. Has the pixel issue with the odometer display but they said it will be repaired. The second car is just one that caught my eye on ebay but looks shady to me. What do you guys think about the underhood shots??...does that look like coolant to you too and = busted radiator?? Any and all feedback is appreciated as well as any tips for looking at E39's. I've already read all the "what to look for" lists that you post for everyone on here. I'm not in any hurry so I'll be able to find exactly what I'm looking for. Really want the black w/tan interior. Links...

2000 540i @ Century BMW
http://www.ebizautos.com/centurybmw/detail.aspx?iid=736525&anchor=/2000/BMW/5-Series/540i-Sedan/

2001 540i on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4575136121&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT

Thanks,
Chris

go 6 speed! YOu wont regret it.



BTW, I cant really tell if thats coolant fluid or not, but if it is Id look at that as a good thing. You are going to replace pretty much the entire cooling system anyways so better that the previous owner do some of the replacements. My engine is covered in white coolant fluid too that I havent cleaned yet leftover from an "explosion" before I purchased the car.

Is this anyone on here? What do you guys think about higher mileage 540/6's...are they something to stay away from?? What would be a fair price for this car?? Thanks again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-5-Series-540i-BMW-540i-e39-m540i-6-speed-private-owner-NO-RESERVE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6008QQitemZ4575 521198QQrdZ1

From another thread (and having looked at quite a few of these myself), the 540i 6spd is quite a bit quicker in 0-60 and 1/4 mile - almost a full second.

I have noticed that locally the 540iA's are about $6-9k (CDN mind you) cheaper than the 6spd's. While I haven't driven a 540 yet, I can only assume without driving a 6spd I'd be pretty impressed by the automatic as well.

Is this anyone on here? What do you guys think about higher mileage 540/6's...are they something to stay away from?? What would be a fair price for this car?? Thanks again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-5-Series-540i-BMW-540i-e39-m540i-6-speed-private-owner-NO-RESERVE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6008QQitemZ4575 521198QQrdZ1
I dont know. It looks pretty nice but I personally would rather have a lower mileage just for the piece of mind. I would imagine that car is worth about 17-18 thousand. I picked up my 99 540i/6 several months ago for $20,500 and it had only 50k miles.

PM'd you.

Jeff

if you go with the 2001 above, the A/C proabaly wont work. the outsite temperature sensor is either open or not there at all.

yeah, i saw that after i posted it...that car looks shady anyway

Is the "i" upside down on the rear of the car?

My 540/6 is for sale if you're interested.

beautiful car but won't fit in my 20k budget...good luck with your sale though

From another thread (and having looked at quite a few of these myself), the 540i 6spd is quite a bit quicker in 0-60 and 1/4 mile - almost a full second.

I have noticed that locally the 540iA's are about $6-9k (CDN mind you) cheaper than the 6spd's. While I haven't driven a 540 yet, I can only assume without driving a 6spd I'd be pretty impressed by the automatic as well.
:lol wow, that couldn't be further from the truth. My 540iA is .1 second slower in 0-60, and probably dead even in the 1/4. The auto is a nice car, and what is the real reason to have the 6spd besides bragging rights? I know I don't auto-X my 5 series. As a matter of fact I only know a few who do race their 5's....So car control is a mot point to me. I am guaranteed not to miss a shift in my auto, but the 6 spds, you can't guarantee that you can hit 100% of the shifts, so the trade-off is the selling point of hte auto to me.
Jeff
see sig for details.

There is a black/black 540/6 in Atlanta at the bimmer store. 92K miles, xenon headlights, comfort seats.

Look at several cars. I personally don't mind a high mileage BMW, because I can do most maintenance myself. I also know independent folks who do work locally for $45-$50 / hour (for actual time, not book).

Go with the one that "looks" and feels like it has been cared for. You can tell by examining the engine bay, wheels, undercarriage, window trim, paint condition, etc etc which one has had some love over the years. I paid just over $20K a year ago for my 540, it's a 1998. I think I paid a couple grand more than a lot I read about on the boards. Having said that, I haven't had any problems and EVERY single time someone gets in the car they ask what year the car is and then comment on its condition.

The internet and car ads won't tell you what seeing a car in person can.

:lol wow, that couldn't be further from the truth. My 540iA is .1 second slower in 0-60, and probably dead even in the 1/4. The auto is a nice car, and what is the real reason to have the 6spd besides bragging rights? I know I don't auto-X my 5 series. As a matter of fact I only know a few who do race their 5's....So car control is a mot point to me. I am guaranteed not to miss a shift in my auto, but the 6 spds, you can't guarantee that you can hit 100% of the shifts, so the trade-off is the selling point of hte auto to me.
Jeff
see sig for details.
in the hands of someone that actually knows how to drive then the manual is actually quite a bit quicker than the automatic. You have less drivetrain loss and quicker shifts it really is common sense. Whether you are willing to give up the "luxuries" of an automatic for the quicker shifting, extra power and added control and feel of the car is up to you.

SEWELLM3, I'm in the same boat. I have a 1995 supercharged Dinan M3. My commute has gone from 20 miles to 40 miles so I got a 1998 540iA with 98k miles from a family member ;-). It's a much smoother ride and is alot better in stop and go traffic.

Go buy the Aug. 2005 Bimmer magazine. They have a 1997-03 buyers guide which is quite good. I've been going to the same independent BMW mechanic for years and when I took in the 540 it needed $4,800 in repairs. All the repairs were discussed in the Bimmer magazine as issues the car has, except for the catalytic converters which are problematic and expensive on the earlier 540s(before 2001 I belive, but you'll have to check). The cats are quick expensive, on the order of $1000 each + install.

The list of items I needed to replace were as follows: water pump, rear ball joints, belts, right and left cat. converter, inspection II, front brakes, thermostat.

Luckily the family member serviced the transmission which ZF recommends is serviced every 50k miles, although BMW insists that it is lifetime(i.e. never needs service).

This is my 3rd BMW. If properly maintained they seem to last forever. If you don't know what problems you'll have ahead of time, they can be expensive.

Good luck on your buy I'm sure you'll be happy.

This may help if you are interested in the car that is located in houston I can go and check it out for you. I live in houston.

Thanks for the offer but since I'm not 100% ready to go with a new purchase I wouldn't want you wasting your time to check that car out. I have noticed though that Houston seems to have a ton of nice cars (been there myself and see them advertised online all the time) so I'll keep you in mind in case I find one out there when I'm ready to act. Thanks

in the hands of someone that actually knows how to drive then the manual is actually quite a bit quicker than the automatic. You have less drivetrain loss and quicker shifts it really is common sense. Whether you are willing to give up the "luxuries" of an automatic for the quicker shifting, extra power and added control and feel of the car is up to you.
seriously, quicker shifts? You can shift faster than an automatic? added control? you autocross your 540? It's all bragging rights. Just admit it. If you want to race your 540 against mine I'll be happy to race you 10 times. I bet you miss a shift first race.
Jeff

seriously, quicker shifts? You can shift faster than an automatic? added control? you autocross your 540? It's all bragging rights. Just admit it. If you want to race your 540 against mine I'll be happy to race you 10 times. I bet you miss a shift first race.
Jeff

Shifting quicker than an automatic is really not a feat.

:lol wow, that couldn't be further from the truth. My 540iA is .1 second slower in 0-60, and probably dead even in the 1/4. The auto is a nice car, and what is the real reason to have the 6spd besides bragging rights? I know I don't auto-X my 5 series. As a matter of fact I only know a few who do race their 5's....So car control is a mot point to me. I am guaranteed not to miss a shift in my auto, but the 6 spds, you can't guarantee that you can hit 100% of the shifts, so the trade-off is the selling point of hte auto to me.
Jeff
see sig for details.

uh... I believe you're wrong about performance - depending on the mag you read, the 540ia is actually around a full second slower to 60mph than the 6-sp. Refer to this online review on bmwworld.com: http://www.bmwworld.com/reviews/528i_and_540i.htm

I don't know what the right figures are anymore though - some reviews say that the stick has better fuel efficiency (which I would expect) and other say that it gets a few mpg less. I would venture to guess though that the automatic would be about a second slower - just because driveline power loss...

In the end - I think it's pointless to have a discussion of merits over sticks and slushboxes. It's just a driver preference.

I enjoy being more part of the driving experience - and I love the way bimmer manuals feel. There's a more immediate rush and kick in the pants when you do that downshift on the freeway and mash on the throttle. The stick is also more dependable than the autoboxes - just less complicated. Yes - you do have to worry about changing out the clutch every 60-100k miles - but hey that's the price of fun right?

On the other hand - I enjoyed my automatic 3-series for it's usability sitting in rush hour traffic. But it was soooo boring compared to the manual equivalent - that M50 engine loves to rev and it's a crime to keep it all "civilized" with the autobox.

In the end you just gotta get what you'll be happy with - not what someone else will approve of...

seriously, quicker shifts? You can shift faster than an automatic? added control? you autocross your 540? It's all bragging rights. Just admit it. If you want to race your 540 against mine I'll be happy to race you 10 times. I bet you miss a shift first race.
Jeff

If you think that auto's shift faster than manuals, then you either don't know how to drive a stick or you don't know much about cars. You keep talking about "missing shifts" If you know how to drive a manual, which you obviously seem not be able to, then you won't miss a shift 99% of the time. That means that 1 in 100 races, you might miss a shift. And I would really love to hear how much the auto puts down to the wheels.

My friend test drove an auto and bought a 6 speed without EVER before driving a stick before in his life. I actually drove the car for him from the dealership. He has not regretted learning how to drive a 6 speed just because this car is so much fun to drive with a manual. I could never imagine having this much fun with an auto. You don't have to autocross in order to fully enjoy being in TOTAL control of the car.

if you ever decide to take this car out on the track - you'll be glad you got the stick too. Nothing like getting it in just the perfect gear for an exit and leaving people in the dust with all that torque. Yeah yeah - not the best track car probably ;) but still a ton of fun nonetheless. Probably the easiest stick shift car that I've ever owned too because the gearbox is just so smooth and the clutch is about as light as the throttle pedal.

And I would really love to hear how much the auto puts down to the wheels.

253Hp and 272TQ at the wheels. out of 6 pulls on the dyno with A/F right at 14.0 all pulls were within 5 hp and 5 ft lbs of each other.
So what's your 6 spd putting down, I'd love to know about the tremendous driveline loss/internet myth. If my car has a 17% driveline loss then I should have about 295 HP right (295/1.17)?
And your numbers?

I dont know. It looks pretty nice but I personally would rather have a lower mileage just for the piece of mind. I would imagine that car is worth about 17-18 thousand. I picked up my 99 540i/6 several months ago for $20,500 and it had only 50k miles.

But at the same time a car with that mileage has recently done all the work you will have to do soon. You can expect about $3,000 worth of repairs in the 70,000 miles range as well as a $1500 clutch job. You must consider more than miles but in my opinion the maintenance work performed is more important.

If you have to perform all the maintenance work and you pay a premium for lower miles, it seems that you get the lesser end compared to someone who pays less for 30,000 miles more (just an example) and all the maintenance work has been done( inspection II +inspection III).

I've always found it interesting on how people can be made to feel comfortable with a car just based on what the odometer says rather than how the car was taken care of.

Which would you rather have, a car that was dogged and mistreated for 40,000 miles or a car that was babied for 80,000 miles?

Is the "i" upside down on the rear of the car?

WOW, good eyes. I would definitely stay away, it's being sold by a dealer for $12,000 under retail? Something is definitely wrong with this car and incorrect badging is oftem a sign that a car had been in an accident.

There is a black/black 540/6 in Atlanta at the bimmer store. 92K miles, xenon headlights, comfort seats.

Look at several cars. I personally don't mind a high mileage BMW, because I can do most maintenance myself. I also know independent folks who do work locally for $45-$50 / hour (for actual time, not book).

Go with the one that "looks" and feels like it has been cared for. You can tell by examining the engine bay, wheels, undercarriage, window trim, paint condition, etc etc which one has had some love over the years. I paid just over $20K a year ago for my 540, it's a 1998. I think I paid a couple grand more than a lot I read about on the boards. Having said that, I haven't had any problems and EVERY single time someone gets in the car they ask what year the car is and then comment on its condition.

The internet and car ads won't tell you what seeing a car in person can.

Very good point. A lot of people I know tell me about the great deals they got on their cars. Then I see the cars and I think to myself no wonder you got a good deal, this car is in horrible condition. Most of those people end up regretting their purchase in less than a year of ownership.

seriously, quicker shifts? You can shift faster than an automatic? added control? you autocross your 540? It's all bragging rights. Just admit it. If you want to race your 540 against mine I'll be happy to race you 10 times. I bet you miss a shift first race.
Jeff


I don't race my 540 but the driving feel is totally different. You get to take advantage of the torque that makes it so fun to drive. I have driven many automatic 540's and I just don't like the way it feels, the instant power just isn't there. I don't think everyone who buys a manual buys it to race or autocross, the dirving experience is very different, some may like it and some won't but you must admit it is very different.

I didn't notice a difference in acceleration, and all the numbers I've seen only show a difference of about .1 second 0-60, so it seems like it's all in the preception to me, but to each his own.
I amazes me how quick the 6 spd guys will jump up to tell you how much better the 6 is over the auto, but the auto guys usually just ignore them (except me).

I didn't notice a difference in acceleration, and all the numbers I've seen only show a difference of about .1 second 0-60, so it seems like it's all in the preception to me, but to each his own.
I amazes me how quick the 6 spd guys will jump up to tell you how much better the 6 is over the auto, but the auto guys usually just ignore them (except me).

Quoted from the bmwworld review I referenced earlier:

"There are some compelling advantages gained from wielding a stick. The manual 540i gets to 60 mph almost a second (0.9) sooner, and to 100 mph 1.9 seconds earlier, than its slushbox-equipped equivalent. The standing quarter whizzes by 0.8 second sooner, at 14.1 seconds, with an extra 4 mph on the clock (101 mph)."

If you're saying the autobox shifts about the same as the 6-sp, I'd say you haven't driven the 6-sp before. You even deprecate automatics in your sig - "It's an auto, but atleast it's not a 6 cyl", so I'm not sure where you're going with this.