# E39 Did I mess up or can I keep and upgrade this?



## Denevyn (Oct 22, 2020)

Hey! So about two weeks ago I bought an E39 530i with 170k on it w/an automatic transmission. I bought it for 3k.I knew it would need some work but it looked good and drove really well. Long story short, on my way home the fuel pump died and I was stranded in the middle of the highway. OK, that sucks; but the dealership replaced that and the battery. I also spend 1k to have the radiator replaced. Two days later the "check engine light" comes on. The car seems to run fine. I'm doing research to find out how much I can fix myself as I'm mechanically inclined; albeit inexperienced. Here's what the shop I took the car told me a few days after I bought it.

Needs bearings on some of the suspension due to a "lot of play" on one of the wheels.
A brake caliper is sticking but that can wait till your next brake job. 
Check Engine Light is on, but they don't know why. 

The body is for the most part really good. I've been underneath the car and didn't see any rust. It's nice to drive and starts up immediately and sounds great. Since this was almost an impulse buy (I had been doing some research), but this wasn't the car I intended to buy that day. That car was sold by the time I got there. I like it, but I now know this is a potential money-pit. Should I cut my losses and move on? What should I look for? Like I said, it runs great and doesn't overheat.

Any thoughts?


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