I picked up my "new" 1995 540i yesterday. It's an eBay car (item 160013258791) that the seller listed as a 5-speed manual. At one point in the listing, they also referred to it as an automatic. Pictures clearly showed a manual, but with a 5-speed shift knob. I'm sure all of you know that car didn't leave the factory with a manual 5-speed. I thought it might be a conversion, but the VIN said 6-speed manual. I called the seller to aske a few questions and deduced that they probably had a 6-speed car, but assumed it was a 5-speed based on the shift knob. I decided to gamble figuring the most logical explaination was that someone replaced the shift knob. I won the auction within my budget, but had to wait a week to find out if I was indeed the owner of a 6-speed or not.

I went to pick up the car yesterday morning. Appearances were about what I expected, although there is a small spot of rust on the front passenger door that didn't show in any pictures, but I assumed that risk with an eBay auction. I climbed inside and grabbed the shifter. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6! Yes, six forward gears! I was happy. The rest of the car checked out well too. Pretty much what you would expect for an eleven-year old car. A few dings and scratches and a few trim pieces missing. The interior is nice, but the seats are twisted. I've already done my research on those and will work on that this week.

I drove it from Pittsburgh to SE Wisconsin all day yesterday with a couple of stops along the way for work. Which worked out great because I got the company to pay for the flight and the gas and I get to write off my expenses. It was a smooth, uneventful drive - just as I had hoped. I started my day before 3 AM so I could catch a flight out of O-Hare and finally got back home at 1 AM. What a long day, but well worth it.

I'll get some pics up soon, however I'm not sure if this board will allow me to attach them.

87Blue325iC on these boards was kind enough to run a check of the VIN to identify the order options. The highlights are auto stability control and M Sport Suspension.

Anyway, just thought I'd chime in with my story of how I bought 5 gears and got the 6th FREE!

Pretty cool ride, I'd like to have a 6 speed, but then again, after shifting 13 gears at work everyday, the auto is nice on the way home...

What a steal. Too bad for the uninformed seller.

Holy crap, you stole that thing! I am jealous, I just paid a lot more for mine!

You stole that car, nice one!

Yep, sound like a broken record, but what a deal (checked the ebay listing)!!! I paid a lot more and don't have a CD player nor ASC. Oh well, mine had 103K miles so I don't feel too bad ... although after 100K and before 150K who's really counting? :stickoutt There's always a better deal anyway, right? :)

Do you know if it has an Alusil engine or the Nikasil? If it rode fine on your "cross-country" trip I guess we can assume it's fine.. Congrats and post some pics..

Nice ride. Where are the brake ducts at? Only thing that I can tell that is missing. Great deal though.

nice ride!!


Nice ride. Where are the brake ducts at? Only thing that I can tell that is missing. Great deal though.
those were only stock on 94's.

nice ride!!



those were only stock on 94's.


:) oh....

Do you know if it has an Alusil engine or the Nikasil? If it rode fine on your "cross-country" trip I guess we can assume it's fine.. Congrats and post some pics..

According to my research, BMW put Alusil engines in at the factory starting around May of 1995. The build date for my car is 8/31/1995, so I believe it's Alusil.

Thanks for the comments, guys. I was willing to go quite a bit higher on the auction, but it worked out better than I had expected. :redspot

:needpics

Pics from ebay seems like you got a really clean car. Congratulations on that. Passenger seats look like they've barely been sat on. Interior looks great too. =)

Nice.. What a deal..

Wow man, I just bought mine for quite a bit more, with more miles! Awesome find!

Unbelievable deal! You stole it and then drove it away with title. Nice.

At those miles if you are still on orginal clutch... be sure to consider what I believe is the best mod I've made on my 540/6, the JB racing ltw flywheel and Sachs sport clutch. REALLY woke the car up in 1st and 2nd. :buttrock

As if a 540 needs to be awakened in those gears :rolleyes

Thanks for the tip, Grim Reaper. I have no idea if the clutch is original or not, but it doesn't feel like it's slipping anyway. I'll certainly keep the JB Racing flywheel and Sachs clutch in mind for the future regardless.

I've now been driving the car for a few days. This is my first BMW. In fact it's the second BMW I've ever driven. The first was test drive that lasted less than a quarter mile because the seller's tags were expired. My most recent previous car is a 1994 Caprice - former cop car. The Caprice has a ton of tire-shredding torque, and handles well for a 4200 lb car, but it has all the refinement of a shopping cart. I used to think of my Caprice as poor-man's alternative to a 5 or 7 series BMW because of it's power and decent handling with a few mods. Man was I wrong. My 540i feels like it was made specifically for me. Everything is just where it seems like it should be. The car drives just like I want it to and it looks great. I've been enamoured with the idea of a 4-door sport sedan since my wife and I decided to adopt our fist child. This car feels like exactly what I wanted only I didn't really know it.

One major reason I felt it was time to get a 5 series was because my wife absolutely hates my Caprice. She was the one that urged me to get a "new" car. And even when I floated the 6-speed trial balloon, she completely supported the idea. I owe her for this.

I'm working on getting the car cleaned up so I can take some pictures, but for now the eBay ones are pretty accurate.

I really thought I had gotten a good deal, but from what you guys are saying, it sounds like I did even better than I originally thought. Right place, right time.

I've had the car for well over a year now, and thought it would be good to include and update for any interested parties.

The car still runs great, but the front suspension and brakes are asking for some attention. The clutch is working fine, but feels like the pedal is a little soft.

Work completed in the last year (all DIY) - heater core (not so fun), heater hose in engine bay(started to leak), replaced all missing exterior trim pieces, replaced driver's door brake, replaced left turn signal lamp socket, fixed twisted seats, replaced ignition cylinder.

The biggest issue I had with the car was about a month ago. While driving in a parking lot, the steering flange that connects to the steering wheel shaft came off and I completely lost steering. After figuring out what happened, it was a simple fix. The flange was missing the pinch bolt that holds everything together. I can only assume it was a mistake made by someone during a repair job previous to me owning the car.

I also bought new (used) wheels for the car - 18" Style 32 replicas. I plan to do the brakes immediately, start on the suspension maybe before winter, and do the clutch next spring. I'd like to have some body work done too, as there is rust at the bottom of all doors now, but that will wait until at least next summer.

All in all, I'm still very happy with the car.

I would try bleeding/replacing the clutch fluid before you go taking stuff apart.