BMW 540i

goleafsgo · 10-28-05, 07:47

Has anyone ever had one of these before? There is a '98 540i for sale here that I've been considering. 6 speed manual, sport package, Dinan exhuast, air intake and engine software. 120,000+ miles on it though and I've spotted a few trouble areas already. I don't see any dents or anything though, no major scratches except on the wheels which seem to be gouged pretty bad on the lip. Has a clear bra on it. Seats/interior are in great shape except for the rear console which is missing a part.

I believe they are asking $13k. NADA says 15,400, Edmunds says 13,400, and KBB says 18000 for dealer retail.

It would definitely be more fun to drive than my '99 Taurus. I've been wanting a car with a manual transmission too. I'm keeping the Taurus though.. its been very good to me over the last two years I've had it. But its just too boring and I'd like to have something more exciting to look forward to when I get in the car

awdirtdrifter · 10-28-05, 08:12

What kind of trouble areas? While the e39 5 series is a beautiful, classic design--and who doesn't love a V8 6-sp--I would be especially leary of a used BMW with "trouble areas". If these areas are something that would arise because of poor maintenance, run, don't walk, away. With any used BMW, I would take it to a specialized indy BMW shop to have it thoroughly inspected and tested (compression) before I would even consider it. Then, make sure the owner has all maintenance records. This is KEY, especially on a car with so many miles. You DON'T want to find out the hard way that the oil wasn't changed regularly.

That said, I love the 540i. The only reason I don't own one is cause I like smaller cars, hence the 3-series. But if you find an e39 that you like and that has been taken care of, it will not disappoint you. Great car. You'll be asking "What Taurus?"

Good luck and don't rush the buying process with these cars.

goleafsgo · 10-28-05, 08:24

No trouble with the engine that I've been able to tell of yet. The only things I've seen were from walking around it and taking a look inside. It was mostly things like the exhaust is hanging down and not flush with the body, gouges in the wheels (I can't figure those out), and the missing piece in the rear of the console. It did start right up though and I loved the sound of the Dinan exhaust. I haven't been able to go out for a drive in it yet. The interior does look good though for having 120k miles. Normally the leather seats would be worn where the driver would slide in, but this isnt the case here. The Dinan modifications are kind of putting me off though as much as I like them.. But if they spent the money on Dinan parts then they must have spent money on maintenance I hope.

truzoom · 10-28-05, 08:52

Those are great cars. I've never owned one, but I've driven a friends many times and if it isn't the smooth ride, then the sheer speed should be enough to make you turn into jello. Definitely have it checked out by a certified BMW mechanic and report back to us with pics.

awdirtdrifter · 10-28-05, 09:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by goleafsgo

But if they spent the money on Dinan parts then they must have spent money on maintenance I hope.

Don't hope--make sure. Spending money on Dinan parts doesn't mean he knows or cares what he's doing. Get a compression test/leakdown on the motor. Ask for maintenance records. I just can't stress that enough. Ask what bushings he's replaced. Pray that he's changed them with those miles. If he hasn't, well, YOU will. And it ain't fun or cheap.

Good luck.

hadboosttroy · 10-29-05, 01:51

have the cooling system checked out, e39's of that mileage have a lot of problems in that area. have all the electrics checked out, and look at the pixels in the gauge cluster.

awdirtdrifter · 10-30-05, 07:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by hadboosttroy

have the cooling system checked out, e39's of that mileage have a lot of problems in that area. have all the electrics checked out, and look at the pixels in the gauge cluster.

What is it with BMWs and cooling systems? That is the biggest ongoing problem I've had on both my 3 series. And from what I've read online, it's pretty damn common. You can pretty much count on replacing the whole system before 100K.

goleafsgo · 10-30-05, 03:01

I took a closer look and its leaking coolant. No maintenance records with the car either. What is usually the extent of the cooling system problem? Maybe I'll just pass on this one

awdirtdrifter · 10-30-05, 06:11

I don't have specifics on the 5-series cooling issues, but for the e36 3-series, they're as follows:

Radiator has plastic neck that is prone to breaking. Replace.
Water pump on earlier models had plastic impellers that were prone to breaking--not good. Must replace with composite-impeller pump.
Thermostat housing was plastic. Replace with aluminum version.
Fan clutch would go with high miles.
Auxiliary fan would sometimes go (not fun and expensive).
Random hose leaks (somewhat normal I guess).
Coolant level sensor would sometimes go (not really harmful but you would get the annoying "Check Coolant Level" message on the computer).

That's all I can think of at the moment. For my e46, the newer car, we had one catastrophic failure. It was the final stage unit, a fairly cheap electronic part that tells the fan when to come on. Stuck in a drive thru, fan didn't come on. By the time I noticed, temp was pretty high. Stopped the car and turned it off, KABOOM! Coolant everywhere and smoke under the hood. Engine was fine, only damage was the expansion tank. The elec unit that needed replacing is probably really cheap, but problem was, I had to buy a whole kit, which included fan, rad, shroud, condenser. That meant $$$!

Sorry for the ramble, just don't want you to get screwed. If he's leaking coolant, who knows if it hasn't overheated. If it has, it may be on its way to a leaky headgasket.

hadboosttroy · 10-30-05, 06:32

http://540i6.com/probsfixes.html

you can read about some common problems here, don't let this scare you necessarily, just helps you be aware

they are still frickin awesome cars!!

gmblack3a · 11-12-05, 07:37

Plastic radiator neck cracked on our 99 740il at 52k miles. It was still under the 6 year/100k CPO. Upper arms where worn, but had to replace those myself as CPO does not cover rubber parts. Now at 75k the lower arms are starting to go bad.

Paradyme540i · 08-07-06, 05:43

Ive got a y2k 540i auto & i have to say its be best car ive ever owned! it had 118k miles when i bought it 4 years ago & now has 159k miles without any issues.
Mine was standard when i bought it but as ive found, alot of uprated parts for it are actually cheaper than standard...for example, mine got to 150k miles & i decided to treat it to new shocks and springs, the oem M-Tech kit was £1450, looking around however i ended up with the KW Inox variant 2 coil over kit for £1100.
It does work that way with most things as BMW parts are very over priced, so its easier to modify/uprate when change is needed than keep standard.

http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g138/Paradyme540i/