Hello. New to this forum....

I am in search of a 2003+ 530 manual, so far nothing. According to the guys I hired to search in auction, a manual is almost impossible to come by. But I am not in a rush, that's not a problem.

But the problem is I don't know anything about BMW, except a lot of people recommend it. What should I look into when selecting a used E39 (is that right?)

I am planning on putting a lot of miles on the car... Due to stupid work reason I need to have a presentable car. I am in finance and real estate, currently driving a 97 Honda Del Sol Si, it is a great car w/ 150k miles and original clutch, but it is quite inconvenience when taking clients around....

I also heard the 530's tranny require a lot of attention or it might need to be replaced when its near 150k miles, what should I be doing in term of maintaince the tranny and keep it in good conditions in general....

Help a noob!

the car will impress all of your clients, guaranteed! its a beautiful car that will last forever if it is properly maintained. i have never heard of anyone have any transmission problems with this car, especially a manual. common problems are the control arm bushings (vibration at 50-60mph) and the cooling system. both go bad anywhere between 50 and 100K miles. just keep up with the recomended maintanence and you'll love this car! take a time to read around the forum and you'll find some great and incredibly useful info. welcome to the board!

autotrader.com has 86 manual trans. 530i's offered nation wide:

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?num_records=25&search_type=both&distance=0&address=20850&style_flag=1&make=BMW&model=530I&make2=&start_year=1997&end_year=2003&min_price=&max_price=&transmission=Manual&engine=6+Cylinder&drive=&doors=&fuel=&max_mileage=&color=&keywordsfyc=&sort_type=priceDESC&body_code=0&certified=&advanced=y&default_sort=priceDESC&keywordsrep=

I think you will end up enjoying your new ride more than you think...

A nice low miles 530i manual + sport pkg in good condition is indeed tough to find, but they are out there. You just have to give it some time. I took me about 2-3 months to find a decent one. Good luck!

Also, consider getting a short shift kit if you don't want to look like you're rowing a boat in front of your clients. :)