Tested E39 523i Europe

[bimmerholic]

Ok guys,

Look, with the age of the car being 11-12 years old right, and mileage of 250-270K KM, am i looking at an EXTREMELY tired engine and tranny on it? Will i be looking at a full overhaul anytime soon after purchasing an E39 of this mileage? Based on the test drive, the engine and tranny was smooth and seameless. No trace of engine oil leaking looking from the top of the hood. But the mileage is my concern. I really need all your inputs on this one.

Or is there a specific mileage when a full overhaul is recommended-with the assumption that the car was well taken care off with full service records? How can we tell if the engine's consuming oil and rings & pistons are due? Black, white or blue smoke emitting from exhaust?

Lastly, and hopefully lastly can i get a recommendation on a reliable & trustworthy mechanic around PJ,TTDI,Subang or anywhere else around these areas that most of you would encourage me to go to for a check-up (undercarriage,engine,tranny and so on) prior to buying the car? That'll be a deciding factor for me if i'll go ahead with the deal.

Thanks very much.

 

[tay]

Bro,

trust what you feel and what you have seen. When we buy second hand car, the chances are there, just that the risk factor is lowered if it is 1 owner's car ( can show all the pass history, and the way being maintained). Take it as if you are going to do the work, and calculate whether ok for you if it going any time.

if it runs well, then a bonus and you will be happy to own it.

 

[mango86]

how much it can loan now for a 97' E39 528i ?

 

[azan23uk]

Guys,

Recently i went for a test drive in this car.

This is the condition and details of the vehicle.

1997 Europe M52B25. I ran a check on the VIN. It didn't say if it's a TU version.
Surely noy. TU came in 1998/99 me think.
1 owner
Well kept & maintained interior
266,000KM on the clock
Milage too high. I'd run away if i were u
Full service record history since Day1 from Cartrade and AB.

Observations:-
Engine/ Trans:
The engine was smooth and the transmission shifts (in D and in Tiptronic) were seamless although it has a very high mileage on it. No clucking/ knocking or whatsoever. No sign of engine oil leaking but the power steering reservoir is leaking. There's trace of oil surrounding the reservoir and the connecting hose to the radiator. Any advise here?
Quite common. Can be related to steering rack fault

How do we check if the fan clutch is in proper working condition and that it doesn't draw to much of horses off the engine? Cause i felt that the A/C isn't as cold as other E39s i've sat in. Could it be gas (cheaper option)?
Potential bomb. A/C compressor cost RM1700 new. Cooling coil also about the same.

Road test:
Nothing was vibrating or rattling while on the road.
I noticed that the steering wheel was heavy ( i later identified that the front wheels were under-inflated).
I felt that the suspensions are somewhat soft.
Heavy steering could be the steering rack. Tyres underinflated not too much effect. However, if u are used to Jap steering, BMW does feel a bit heavier. Soft suspension is relative. Expect RM450 on average for each wheels if u wanna change.

Electronics:
When i increase the height of the front driver electric seat, both sides of the cushion rises SIMULTANEOUSLY (flat level) UP TO A POINT, when the left side of the cushion stops rising and the right side of the cushion continues to rise. In other words, the driver seat is now slanting towards the center console. Is this what it's supposed to do after a certain level (that it starts to tilt towards the center console)? If it's not, what could be the issue?
Not supposed to be like this.No idea how much to repair

Then there's the instrument cluster. Classic Broken Pixels. Read the thread on it in this forum. That should make me RM600 or so poorer.:frown:

My concern is that since it's a 12year old car with 266K KM, I'm guessing if anything that should fail (wear & tear parts), it'll be anytime soon if the owner has not replaced these parts before. In the assumption that, an original BMW mechanical part should be able to last for some years before it starts to fail (then again it all depends on the driving style). So in order words, i may be bored down with one after another wear & tear issues if i were to purchase this unit.

Comments, thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much.

My opinion is u can find a better car. Pay market price for well maintained e39 is always better than pay cheaper but for a lemon.

 

[turbo2]

Dont be so excited buying secondhand car at cheap price...if the car has no problem seldom people will sell at low price. If mileage is already 260km what u expect? Its not going to be "pay n just drive..." i m pretty sure repair cost wil be high.Look for good car even if u hv to pay higher but no heartache n can sleep well.

 

[initialM]

Bro,

Dun be offended on what I'm goin to say.
1st you have to decide what do you want? Then is yr budget confirm wt yr want.
For me BMW used price is ridiculous cheap but the maintenance is very high. I bought my E39 528 yr 97 RM75k 2 years ago. Now mkt price not more than 60k I think. I already spent almost 50k I think(dun dare to count now). I think the car new price was close to 300k brand new. But still my 12 yrs old car feel like brand new & the satisfaction is priceless. I'm not rich but I spent a lot on car. Again come back to my questions if yes then dun think to much. Just getting feedback here won't help much. You have to go through the maintenance cost thread. Are you ready to come out wt hard cold cash "banyak makan wang" & the hassle of "banyak masuk wokshop"?

Just for reference & info maybe can browse thru my thread
http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8855

 

[feisaldzul]

i strongly second what initialM mentioned there.

i dont really pay too much attention to the mileage if there is a good service history. furthermore mileage can be 'adjusted'.

but rest be assured that with any car of this age, itu wang mesti banyak kena makan.

 

[antiquer]

Bro,

Dun be offended on what I'm goin to say.
1st you have to decide what do you want? Then is yr budget confirm wt yr want.
For me BMW used price is ridiculous cheap but the maintenance is very high. I bought my E39 528 yr 97 RM75k 2 years ago. Now mkt price not more than 60k I think. I already spent almost 50k I think(dun dare to count now). I think the car new price was close to 300k brand new. But still my 12 yrs old car feel like brand new & the satisfaction is priceless. I'm not rich but I spent a lot on car. Again come back to my questions if yes then dun think to much. Just getting feedback here won't help much. You have to go through the maintenance cost thread. Are you ready to come out wt hard cold cash "banyak makan wang" & the hassle of "banyak masuk wokshop"?

Just for reference & info maybe can browse thru my thread
http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8855

im agree with u initialM.
im not a rich man. but i like bmw. i found one that i can afford, and do the maintainence slowly. no rush. im aware before i bought the car that bmw's maintainence is quite high, but my passion for the car put that aside. money is something u can find but plesure of driving a bmw u cant find in other cars. if i really like something i dont mind spending what i have.

 

[anakin]

Me also agree with initialM..and also eyeing for E39 coz it relatively cheaper now..with God willing!
...my final say is too much spices will spoil the soup...don't depend on other opinion too much, it will bring you nowhere...the fact is when you buy a used car, sooner or later it will hurt your pocket....

 

[initialM]

Me also agree with initialM..and also eyeing for E39 coz it relatively cheaper now..with God willing!
...my final say is too much spices will spoil the soup...don't depend on other opinion too much, it will bring you nowhere...the fact is when you buy a used car, sooner or later it will hurt your pocket....

Good luck on yr coming E39 bro. Then u can make yr E34 as project car maybe V8 hehehe:top:

 

[initialM]

but rest be assured that with any car of this age, itu wang mesti banyak kena makan.

The car makan more than the owner hahahaha:listen:

 

[bimmerholic]

Bro,

trust what you feel and what you have seen. When we buy second hand car, the chances are there, just that the risk factor is lowered if it is 1 owner's car ( can show all the pass history, and the way being maintained). Take it as if you are going to do the work, and calculate whether ok for you if it going any time.

if it runs well, then a bonus and you will be happy to own it.

I agree with you on the probability of risk factor if it's 1 ownership with full service history. Just that I've yet to see the receipts of the parts that have or haven't been changed. Will be seeing him tmr with the receipts and i want to bring the car to a mechanic for a engine and OBD check-up. I was thinking of Beemerholics in Sunway. Any one with experience on this workshop in terms of serviceability?

 

[bimmerholic]

hey , as long as it's not a UK built and run in UK your car cylinder wall is still good. not much wear and tear as other countries petol dont contain too much sulphur.
refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_E39

Yes, i've read about this before. This is imported straight from Europe to Msia by Cartrade.

 

[bimmerholic]

how much it can loan now for a 97' E39 528i ?

No idea yet...but i doubt if can get loan for a 12 years old car. Even if it can, the interest rate is overkill.

 

[bimmerholic]

My opinion is u can find a better car. Pay market price for well maintained e39 is always better than pay cheaper but for a lemon.

Appreciate your comments. Thanks.The only thing I'm worried is your quoted potential bomb of the A/C compressor. As for the absorbers, i'll check with the mechanic together with the A/C tmr. Just hoping it's a much cheaper solution.

 

[bimmerholic]

Dont be so excited buying secondhand car at cheap price...if the car has no problem seldom people will sell at low price. If mileage is already 260km what u expect? Its not going to be "pay n just drive..." i m pretty sure repair cost wil be high.Look for good car even if u hv to pay higher but no heartache n can sleep well.

It's not always the case when a car is priced low, the car could be problematic. It's just that the dealers takes in the car at a very low price and hike it up at the market. And everyone else regardless if it's owners or other dealers selling, they follow the market price which is above the actual car price. It's priced low in this case due to it's age and mileage. As for what's in store for me after purchasing (if i decide to), i should be able to judge tmr at the workshop wit the potential lists of repairs. Since it's a used car of this mileage, i'm expecting and kept aside some $$$ for repairs/maintenance . My concern is how serious or major are the repairs/maintenance if the previous owner haven't done any of those major repairs/maintenance before selling the car.

 

[bimmerholic]

Bro,

Dun be offended on what I'm goin to say.
1st you have to decide what do you want? Then is yr budget confirm wt yr want.
For me BMW used price is ridiculous cheap but the maintenance is very high. I bought my E39 528 yr 97 RM75k 2 years ago. Now mkt price not more than 60k I think. I already spent almost 50k I think(dun dare to count now). I think the car new price was close to 300k brand new. But still my 12 yrs old car feel like brand new & the satisfaction is priceless. I'm not rich but I spent a lot on car. Again come back to my questions if yes then dun think to much. Just getting feedback here won't help much. You have to go through the maintenance cost thread. Are you ready to come out wt hard cold cash "banyak makan wang" & the hassle of "banyak masuk wokshop"?

Just for reference & info maybe can browse thru my thread
http://www.bmwclubmalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8855

Thanks for your reply. I understand that the maintenance is high. Like in my above post, i'm expecting repairs/maintenance to be done right after purchasing. Just concern of how major is it gonna be if the previous owner haven't replace or done anything to it. I'm thinking of taking it to Beemerholics for a check-up. What's your input?

 

[bimmerholic]

i strongly second what initialM mentioned there.

i dont really pay too much attention to the mileage if there is a good service history. furthermore mileage can be 'adjusted'.

but rest be assured that with any car of this age, itu wang mesti banyak kena makan.

Yes, i am aware in the event of the mileage being tempered. Thanks to the information i gained from reading this forum. The first thing i do to all E39s the second i sit in, is to check the mileage counter it there's a RED DOT before the mileage. I'm pretty much decided (read: walk away) on the car upon seeing that RED DOT.

 

[bimmerholic]

im agree with u initialM.
im not a rich man. but i like bmw. i found one that i can afford, and do the maintainence slowly. no rush. im aware before i bought the car that bmw's maintainence is quite high, but my passion for the car put that aside. money is something u can find but plesure of driving a bmw u cant find in other cars. if i really like something i dont mind spending what i have.

I know exactly what that feeling is. The passion for beemers is simply priceless; else you and me or anyone else for that matter wouldn't be in this forum. :65:

 

[bimmerholic]

Me also agree with initialM..and also eyeing for E39 coz it relatively cheaper now..with God willing!
...my final say is too much spices will spoil the soup...don't depend on other opinion too much, it will bring you nowhere...the fact is when you buy a used car, sooner or later it will hurt your pocket....

Experienced that before, can't agree more with you....just the question of how bad's it gonna hurt you. It's good if the previous owner have done most of the major repairs to date at the very least....