BMW E39 525i Auto SE Touring - daily/tow car: DEAD!!

[craigrk]

UPDATE: This thread started as a question when I was thinking about buying a 5-series touring as a cheap hack daily with towing capability. Having made the purchase, this thread is now about the trials and tribulations of ownership. The story post acquisition commences on page 3.

---

Hi all,

So for reasons we wont go into here, I need to get a temporary daily/tow car to tide me over.  Key requirements are:

• Reliable (don't we all wish) - I tend to prefer the main German brands for this reason.
• In budget (sub £2k)

• Presentable (usable for business trips)
• Performant (not too sluggish)
• Tow car (needs to tow a 2 bike trailer and I prefer a significant weight advantage to the car)
• Ideally a relatively low mileage
• Not too bothered about fuel consumption as I'm used to an ML500
• Need to get something in the next couple of weeks or so

So my thoughts have led me to a 5-series touring as a possible candidate, hence the questions:

• Is the above realistic/achievable?
• Which models/variants should I go for/steer clear of?
• What major repairs/issues are likely for the models mentioned?
• What mileages should be avoided, i.e. Upper limits?
• Anyone got something suitable for me?
• Is there something else I should really be considered?  E.g. I've been looking at E-class Merc's, but while I like the W124's, the next models are a bit bland.

[zoompod]

This could have been asked by me, I shall be following this closely.

[60six]

Friend of mine just bought an e39 535i with the most glorious sounding v8 ... £1500 - There are so many of these going very cheap at the mo

[welshpug]

yes.

anything 6 cylinder up, minimum of 150 bhp, a chipped tds is around 175 and on a good run is in the 50's mpg wise.

tow bloody lovely, 1800 kg for the e34, 2 ton i think for the e39.

very reliable in my experience, about 12k a year and I've not needed much more than a few suspension arms, an oil cooler pipe, discs and pads a few years ago, re-bushed the wiper linkage.

the later 3.0 diesels are bloody good and more economical, but the commonrail system can give more issues than the older part mechanical injection system.

[welshpug]

mileage not a concern, condition and history trumps all, auto boxes on e34 and earlier e39 can give issues, manuals are strong. easy to convert if that takes your fancy.

e34 can rust on sills and rear arches, rare for them to go anywhere else without provication.

for a daily, if you have a choice I'd go SE not sport.

[grizz]

I guess, knowing Craig's home situation, a teenager, and 5 year old, also means that Estates may well be more ideal.

And of course there is the sheer practicality of wagon over sedan.

Not sure I can help you Craig, but it opens up the options a bit.

Ohhhhh and PS......... Craig is not afraid of a ROAD TRIP to collect pretty much anything, so collecting a car a bit further than the corner shop would be on the books too if needed.
Just check this thread he is always charging around fetching or delivering stuff.
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/190311/1947-chevy-fleetline-aerosedan-progress


Good luck mate, I hope someone here has something tasty for you.

[craigrk]

Thanks so far guys.

grizz : Yep, wagon would ideally be the way to go

Let's see what we can find out there!! Love a road trip!!!

One of my best was a flight out to Nice to meet up with a Sales rep friend, then a drive back through France including hooking up an ex EDF 2CV van on an a-frame behind his Volve 940 estate and filling the boot with spares at Mehari Club-Cassis.

[rblote]

We love our 5 serie. We have a e39 528i at the moment. It's our second one. It has 150.000km on the clock and is very relaible. It's cheap to run and looks great. Our car is 100% rust free but that's quiet common here in Brissie.
Ours is a stock as a rock and does represent really well.
I really can recommend one.

[g40jon]

The e34 and 39 are both very well built cars and as such there isn't too much to worry about with them.

Bodywork, check around the sills and arches, this area can hide rot in less loved examples, much like any other 20+ year old car.
Engine, pay attention to the cooling system, this is one area that requires keeping an eye on! Some models were fitted with a plastic impeller which fail with age. If it has a metal one, then all good! Thermostats can get lazy, this has happened on 3 out of 4 bmws I have owned. Keep an ear out for cam chain rattle, a sign that oil changes have been scrimped on.
Early six pots can suffer with cracked heads, but it is pretty rare. Overall they are well engineered and pretty bombproof.
Oh and probably clue up on the vanos system used on later cars as it is expensive to sort if it goes wrong.
Running gear, again pretty solid. I would be checking for things like worn drop links, saggy springs. I'd expect a well loved example to still be in good shape. The 5s can suffer with steering shimmy between 50-70 mph, research it!
Brake lines..... BMW like to take some awkward routes for rear brake lines, check them, they do like to rust and are a pain to replace!
I recently convinced a friend to buy an e39 (picked up for sub £1000) and he has been delighted with it (his normal car is a porsche 996). For that kind of money, you can't fault it. Just under 140k on the clock, full service history, premium matched tyres all round, just generally very cared for.
Buy on condition, not mileage, avoid cars which have tacky aftermarket bits attached to them (those kind of owners waste their money on the wrong car accesories where BMWs are concerned in my experience) and you won't go far wrong.
Personally I'd go for a less flashy looking 5, they tend to be owned by older gents, that tend to keep them to a high std.

[oli8925]

Worth mentioning a Saab 9-5 estate? Find a good one and it won't do you wrong, and you'll have change. All turbos and easily mapped for £80 so even the 2.0t can be given some decent legs. Avoid diesels.

If not retro enough I'd highly recommend a 9000 but they're all getting on a bit and are likely to need money spent and some rust work.

Do like an E39 too though, but from my reading I wouldn't say they have any more or fewer issues than most other things.

[jonk]

I bought one last week and my first impressions are that it is extremely quiet, solid-feeling and surprisingly agile, even quite frisky on the right road.

The ABS pump on mine is away for refurbishment, and there is a temporary one in instead. This has caused all kinds of electronic issues (no speedo, cruise control, dodgy fuel gauge, confused gearbox, funny wipers) which is a reminder that they are pretty complex cars.

It oozes quality when you're in it.

edit oli8925: It's replaced a 9-5 aero estate. The turbo of the aero makes it feel faster than the 530i when it is on boost. The BMW feels much more planted but keeps you on your toes too, where the 9-5 was extremely predictable in a barge-like way. Driving position of the BMW much more comfortable for me (I hate to admit it but I didn't actually find the famous Saab seats that good!). Both are refined. I prefer the image of the saab (i.e. not much image). If the BMW turns out to be as reliable as the saab was, I will be delighted.

[Curtis]

Paging adam73bgt. Rafftank also has one, though its not his daily.

[adam73bgt]

I run an E34 520i touring as a daily and its been ace



Not the fastest thing in the world since I got a smaller engine model but still a great drive. Tons of space in the boot and I've got a roof rack to carry anything else that doesn't fit inside


Since you're wanting something a bit heavier for towing, it sounds as though an E39 may be more suitable? I'm not all too sure on what the towing weights of each of them are as I don't tow, but bigger engined variants of E34 are getting quite hard to come by and expensive

Typically I can't find one at the moment, but I've seen some pretty reasonably priced E39 540i autos for sale in the past, a touring version of one of those would make a great daily I reckon

[deanflowers]

Having owned owned 4 (E34, E39,W124,W210) I would say the e39 is the best as an everyday car for me. However i do prefer the older looks which is why i only own the W124 estate and 525i sport.

The steering is a bit vague on some E34s due to them having a steering box and as said sill rot is the only danger.

W124s are absolutely bomb proof and a bit of a tank but even the cleanest examples can be rotten inside the rear quarters so remove the inside side panel compartments and check. (They open anyways)

The w210 is a good car but you will be ever trying to keep on top of the bodywork. Check front spring hangers in the wheels arches as if one snaps off it will try to kill you. (I know).

I had an e39 imola red sport (51 plate) and it was really nice to drive and did everything i asked of it. I suppose the question really boils down to how often and what mileage you plan to do,

Just to mix it up have you considered an audi?

[craigrk]

Mar 10, 2017 7:17:34 GMT oli8925 said:

Worth mentioning a Saab 9-5 estate? Find a good one and it won't do you wrong, and you'll have change. All turbos and easily mapped for £80 so even the 2.0t can be given some decent legs. Avoid diesels.

If not retro enough I'd highly recommend a 9000 but they're all getting on a bit and are likely to need money spent and some rust work.

Do like an E39 too though, but from my reading I wouldn't say they have any more or fewer issues than most other things.

Thanks for the suggestion.  Never really gotten into Saab's, while slightly quirky looks (and I like quirky), they've never floated my boat.  (or her indoors).

[craigrk]

Mar 10, 2017 8:13:56 GMT adam73bgt said:

I run an E34 520i touring as a daily and its been ace
Not the fastest thing in the world since I got a smaller engine model but still a great drive. Tons of space in the boot and I've got a roof rack to carry anything else that doesn't fit inside


Since you're wanting something a bit heavier for towing, it sounds as though an E39 may be more suitable? I'm not all too sure on what the towing weights of each of them are as I don't tow, but bigger engined variants of E34 are getting quite hard to come by and expensive

Typically I can't find one at the moment, but I've seen some pretty reasonably priced E39 540i autos for sale in the past, a touring version of one of those would make a great daily I reckon

Nice one!!

I think I'm edging towards the E39, it doesn't have to be overly powerful, I don't plan to towing anything heavier than the bike trailer, so in fact a 3-series would do it, but I just prefer to have the balance of weight in my favour. I had quite a nasty incident with a large trailer behind a W124 back in SA about 19 years ago and it still sticks with me whenever I hook a trailer.

[craigrk]

Mar 10, 2017 9:48:39 GMT deanflowers said:

Having owned owned 4 (E34, E39,W124,W210) I would say the e39 is the best as an everyday car for me. However i do prefer the older looks which is why i only own the W124 estate and 525i sport.

The steering is a bit vague on some E34s due to them having a steering box and as said sill rot is the only danger.

W124s are absolutely bomb proof and a bit of a tank but even the cleanest examples can be rotten inside the rear quarters so remove the inside side panel compartments and check. (They open anyways)

The w210 is a good car but you will be ever trying to keep on top of the bodywork. Check front spring hangers in the wheels arches as if one snaps off it will try to kill you. (I know).

I had an e39 imola red sport (51 plate) and it was really nice to drive and did everything i asked of it. I suppose the question really boils down to how often and what mileage you plan to do,

Just to mix it up have you considered an audi?

Great response, nice to get a full view.

We've owned about 6 W124's in the past, so I really like them, but am finding that they're either rotten or very expensive.  I also know that at 150,000 miles they start needing some TLC in terms of wiring looms and things.  Although we did run the one in SA to over 200,000 miles (we got it to 340,000km) before my wife blew the motor doing a traffic light grand prix.

I hear you on the 210, and I find the looks not quite too my taste.

As noted above, I'm edging towards the E39 given all the feedback above.

I did vaguely consider an Audi (it's German after all), but that's about as far as I've gotten 

[welshpug]

e34 is around 1400 kilos, e39 is 1600 odd, towing weights 1800 and 2000 respectively, I think this applies to most of the range bar the 4 cylinder models, they all have pretty big brakes anyway, with the larger engines ones even bigger.

[Rafftank]

Used to (almost) daily my E34 525i until I took it off the road for some repairs:



I also used an LPG E39 540i for work for 9 months too:



Aside from random electrical niggles, the 525i has never let me down. Not the best on fuel (~25mpg combined) but it's a comfy, cool car to cruise about in.

The E39 was pretty much a nail in terms of bodywork and the LPG system smelled... but it was a 180k car with 7+ odd owners, so not much was to be expected of it. When it was driving it was more than fast enough, supremely comfortable and got an equivalent 38-42mpg.. not bad!

[oli8925]

Mar 10, 2017 7:28:19 GMT jonk said:

I bought one last week and my first impressions are that it is extremely quiet, solid-feeling and surprisingly agile, even quite frisky on the right road.

The ABS pump on mine is away for refurbishment, and there is a temporary one in instead. This has caused all kinds of electronic issues (no speedo, cruise control, dodgy fuel gauge, confused gearbox, funny wipers) which is a reminder that they are pretty complex cars.

It oozes quality when you're in it.

edit oli8925: It's replaced a 9-5 aero estate. The turbo of the aero makes it feel faster than the 530i when it is on boost. The BMW feels much more planted but keeps you on your toes too, where the 9-5 was extremely predictable in a barge-like way. Driving position of the BMW much more comfortable for me (I hate to admit it but I didn't actually find the famous Saab seats that good!). Both are refined. I prefer the image of the saab (i.e. not much image). If the BMW turns out to be as reliable as the saab was, I will be delighted.

I'm preaching to the choir then :lol: good to hear though. I'm more a 9000 man but have an 08 9-5 TiD and can agree with your description of the car (minus the performance in my case), although I find the seats to be quite good. Being honest I would sell the 9-5 in a second if the right E39 530d sport came along but at the time of looking I could only find leggy or uncared for examples that were very overpriced, and represented a considerable risk compared the 9-5 so I went for the boring option. Although to be fair the 9-5 has also been a liability.

If I can rid my need for a diesel and my stage 5 9000 build doesn't come to fruition a 530i sport might be on the cards. They're on my bucket list.