# Newbie: Which E39 to buy?



## markseven (Apr 30, 2004)

Great resource you have here, you guys really know your stuff!

I am interested in buying a E39 wagon, and being a newbie, I have a few questions:

1) Is the 540iT worth the premium over the 528iT that sellers are asking?

2) Is the 540iT more expensive to maintain (both preventive maintenance as well repairs) than the 528iT? If so, is it a negligible amount or are we talking some serious coin here?

3) In Southern California CPO cars are going for about $10,000 than private sellers cars; is the piece of mind offered with a CPO car worth $10,000? Might I end up paying $10,000 in repairs for a non CPO car?

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Mark


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## Sands (Apr 7, 2004)

I own a sedan, so I can't specifically talk about the tourings, but most of the stuff is the same.

1. depends on if you like the extra power. An autobox 528 will feal anemic at best. An auto 540 on the otherhand....

2. not really, most failures are not engine specific. Tunups and oil changes will cost more. More spark plugs, etc. All the engines see coolant system failures, suspensions wear out the same, etc.

3. If you want, buy a non-CPO, then a ~2k independent warenty. CPO is not as good a deal as you might think. I'd rather get a lower milage private sell that you know the history on. Especially if you intend on keeping the car for a long time. CPO cars are typically off lease which get the absolute minimum maintenance. I don't care what kind of oil you put in a BMW, 15k mile changes are a bad idea. Same with the "lifetime" tranny oil. It's lifetime allright - a short one.


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## mottati (Apr 15, 2003)

Yes to all..... for the most part. The e39 wagon is a heavy car, the extra torque of the v8 will certainly be noticed. That said, you are the ultimate judge of how much power you need, you need to drive both. If you want a manual, you have no choice but the 525/528, or investing about $8k to have a 6 speed conversion on a 540 (although that is a really cool way to go). My wife had a 525iTa, while i had a 528i (manual) and in my opinon, the 525iTa was underpowered, the 528i/5 speed was tolerable. (whereas my current M5 is just right!)

Maintenance will be higher, both for the routine stuff and the repairs. It does seem like the 540s require more work than the 528s from what i read on the boards. Fuel costs are of course quite a bit higher too.

I think a CPO car is certainly worth extra money. I certainly haven't seen a $10k difference in prices, but i'd think maybe $4k would be worth it, considering an aftermarket warranty would probably cost in the $2k range, and you may end up with something like warranty gold, who is now out of business. Both my 528 and M5 were purchased as CPO cars, and i'm very happy i did. I've gotten thousands of dollars worth of repairs done under the cpo plan on each car.
Mike


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## markseven (Apr 30, 2004)

I am gravitating towards the 540iT (no big surprise there, eh?), but am a little concerened with the comment motatti made:



> Both my 528 and M5 were purchased as CPO cars, and i'm very happy i did. I've gotten thousands of dollars worth of repairs done under the cpo plan on each car.


motatti, how many miles were on your cars when you purchased them? Also, were the repairs pretty typical?

Thank You,
Mark


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## LA525iT (Oct 27, 2003)

Just to add to the stick vs. auto comments...

My 525iT with a stick seems MUCH quicker than my brother-in-law's 525iA sedan, despite the extra weight of the Touring. Some of this is the gearing, though.


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## markseven (Apr 30, 2004)

Thanks for the insight, guys. I think a 540iT is in my near future. You will see me on this forum quite a bit once I have the car in my possession.

Mark

P.S. Can anyone recommend a good E39 club in Orange County, CA?


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## bmwagoneer (Apr 23, 2004)

i recently purchased a cpo 2000 528tia with premium sport package with steptronic trans.
i absolutely love it. i admit i looked into the 540 wagon but decided that the 528 was good enough. i test drove a 2003 525ita but it was very dissapointing and i think for the money the 528 is the better choice. in the future, mods like a perfomance chip upgrade and maybe cold air intake and high performance exhaust might futher enhance my wagon ...its no v8 but im very happy with it...plus i think the straight 6 engine has less probs than the v8 ...


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## markseven (Apr 30, 2004)

I am glad to hear that you like your 528iT - I have considered that model for many reasons: less maintenance, better fuel economy, availability of a manual transmission, plus there is an abundant supply of them... yet I am still drawn to the V8. If I can't find a 540iT in the condition I desire, I may get a 528iT.


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