THE BEST BMW OF ALL TIME?! | 2000 BMW 540i Sport E39 Review 

Not to get heavy, but. This year, my dad gifted me his 2000 540i 6-speed before he passed from cancer in July. We've had it in the family for 24 years, he picked it up in Germany from BMW on European delivery in fall of 1999, after which it was shipped to the US. It's been such a great car. When I got my driver's license in 2001, he taught me how to drive manual in it. He let me take it to prom in 2003. He traded it for a Porsche 911 C4S in 2005 but missed it so much that he actually bought it back from the dealer later that week. He had a rotating stable of great primary cars; the Porsche, S500, S55 AMG, Z06, M6 Gran Coupe, X7, but sitting there in the driveway the whole time was the faithful 540i. And now it's mine. And I love driving it. It has 157,000 miles now so lots of little problems are popping up, and its deffffinitely showing it's age with deteriorating paint, dry rotting of the window seals, drooping of the headliner, and cracking of the wood trim, but it still drives like a dream and pulls like a glassy smooth freight train when you push the pedal down. I'm planning on having a full top to bottom restoration of it here in the near future. That alone will cost as much as a decent used car, but, totally worth it to keep this understate beauty with a great story alive and in its full glory.

I'm an original owner of a 2003 530i 49k miles. Sport and premium package. Best 5 series ever made.

I absolutely agree with you - I bought almost the same one year ago here in Germany, same rims, manual, sports seats, but black leather interior and titan-silver paint. There is some maintenance to do, but no rust or anything severe. The driving experience and the styling are unbeatable. It is my time machine into the good old days for car enthusiasts.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. I have a 2002 540 I and M5 and I don’t think I will ever sell them. Cars aren’t built this way anymore!

I factory ordered a 540i6 w all the M Sport goodies in 2000. I couldn’t afford a M5. Awesome car. If I could buy a new one I would. This was 57K USD in 2000 I still have the window sticker.

This is why I love my e39 540

This is great. I have a 2002 E39 540i in Sterling Grey Metallic. Exceptional car. If you have one, keep repairing it and keep it on the road. These cars were overbuilt, simply put. You can't find the same build quality in the newest models of BMW because they're a volume producer now. Great review of the E39 5 series and all the qualities!

I also have an E39 540i Wonderful machine. I will never sell it. Awesome review, truly appreciate your work. Everyone's doing M5 but you are very original 😃 Keep up the good work.

I have a 1997 540i and I think it's the best. 370000km and still puts a smile on my face.

I have a 2002 530i. I don't care that it's not a V-8 or 4 speed,. And that's because I'm an old person who's owned many manual high performance cars and I'm tired of shifting gears. LOL I love my e39. It's fast, elegant and fun to drive. It has the M-sport package and loaded with options. It's in perfect shape, runs perfect and lately I've been getting compliments on the car from people who admire this classic when I drive it around town.

Such a fantastic review, bravo! 👏 ‘01 540i manual proud owner 🤝

This was my childhood's dream car....I will never forget the first time I saw one parked on a road on my way home from school... It looked like a spaceship compared to all cars around, and it was painted in nice metallic green with beige leather interior... I remember being stunned there thinking "What is this thing,???" Back to those days we were so poor we could not even afford the phone inside it 😆✌️... Incredible how much time has passed, and things have changed... I have my own Jaguar now because the 5 series of today although full of modern tech is still far from inspiring those emotions my childhood's 5 series did.... And to this day, I still never had the opportunity to have a ride in one... They are quite rare now...

I just purchased my boyfriend a 2000 540i, it’s a project car since it’s not in the best condition but i can’t wait to see the outcome. such a beautiful car

Great review.. I bought a 97 540i/6 sport 9 years ago for 3,000$ . 2 previous owners and only 95,000 miles. Currently at160,000 miles and still running well. Maintenance and small repairs are pretty constant but lots of great info and cheap OEM parts on the internet make it possible to own one of the most enjoyable and truly satisfying sport sedans out there for the money. I ended buying a 2000 M5 6 years ago when prices were much lower. That car is a beast and tons of fun but I still love the long road trips in the 540. I just wish we had an autobahn near me to drive it the way it was intended because when it’s Approaching triple digit speeds is Just when the car is starting to wake up…. I think that’s what makes the 540i/6 so special, the acceleration at higher speeds doesn’t diminish, it just pulls all the way to its limiter. Feels a lot more powerful than only 282hp and 310Lb/ft. It’s a great car.

I had a 2000 E39, a 528i. What a superb car that was.

Great vid! Hard agree that E39 is peak BMW build quality. Used to have a 530 5-speed sport. Currently have a 525 auto touring that I'm gonna do a B30/5sp swap in soon. The 540 is a beast with one of the best sounding engines ever but the rack and pinion steering and lighter front end in a 6cyl makes it a better drivers car for me. 6 cyl steering is superb, with none of the vagueness of the V8's steering box. What a 3.0 lacks in grunt I think it makes up for in efficiency and reliability. The V8's are fussier. Super hot Thermostats (you can and should change them for lower temp), chain guides, etc. 530's also have the 540 brakes. I think the 530 is the best rounded of them. I think more attention is needed for the suspension design on E39's. It was the first time the 5 had a real, sophisticated multi link rear, which came from the 7. Between that and the double wishbone front, it is a spectacularly good handling car particularly for its size. It's not as good for track days as a 3 but it's a more sophisticated riding and handling car. It's unflappably and unrelentingly solid. The feel of it is bank vault solid. It's also a packaging hammer blow, particularly the wagon with the cavernous fully flat cargo area (thanks to using X5 rear suspension with angled shocks to move the towers out of the way). When I have my 530i 5-speed touring with E38 contour seats (and maybe a LSD and some headers) I may just have the perfect car ;)

I used to own a 2001 530i, and it is a fantastic car. I put 200K miles on it, and it never once let me down. Reliable, extremely fun to drive, and rock solid, and looked so stylish on a black-on-black with shiny wheels. It is what I call a timeless design. Especially his comment about no rattle is 100% true. It always felt like I was driving a tank. It had features that were ahead of its time. I've owned/driven many cars, to name a few M5, F Type, GT3, 458 Spyder, 911 Turbo, and easily the 530i is worth every dollar I paid, and it is the only car I regret selling.

I had one of these with 250k miles. Bought it for 1000 and did the timing chain myself like another 700 with timing tools and timing chain set. I lost my job and needed money and now I miss that car so much. Had a muffler delete on it and had so much fun with that car.

I have my 99 540i now for 7 years, still love it

I used to own 2001 bmw 530i with sport pakage. Best car ever in every catagory

I have a Black 2000 540i automatic 86k miles, same wheels in the video but black interior. Though I don't drive it much these days working from home. I'm the 2nd owner, the first owner was the doctor that delivered me.

buying a 1997 6 speed manual 540i tomorrow! Aspen silver colour with no rust anywhere, hopefully I won't be disappointed.

Nice mate. Great info and well put together. Keep em coming

MY GUY! Thanks for showing love all around to the non m

Love the orient blau color! I love my 2003 titanium silver 540i and it's rare to see others on the road. Cheers from the Laurentides

I have 535i manual. Also a V8, manual, 40 HP less than yours but still sounds and drives like a dream. I'm its last owner for sure

I have a 2003 Bmw E39 540i Sport 6 speed manual Sterling grey with comfort seats last 9 years i been driving it and what a machine you can't get enough of driving experience.

I have an E39 Alpina B10 3.3, which almost has as much power as the 540i but with a straight six, which i prefer the steering on (rack and pinion instead of reciprocating ball on the V8s), and it’s wonderful

E39 BMW 540i owner... fave car ever... drive it 2800 miles NY - Vegas.... top up the oil,,,, go back... like sitting on a lounge suite... lovely

Purchased a ‘98 540i 6 spd in Oxford green for $4k cad. 180k original kms. I’m super excited!!

Nice video as the E39 is a great car. I have a triple black 2002 530i sport.

Wonderful car! I own a 523i from 98 in Oxford green metallic, 300.000 km on the clock. Would never sell it!

Been driving me 540i m sport six speed for almost 20 years....its awesome..

I love my 97 540i. Black on black. Its automatic but its still very strong at 300.000 km. Well built vehicle. I would buy another 540i. Probably a 2002. But I'd rather sink the money into the 97.

Good video! Love that generation

My 03 540 sport wasn't my first bmw but it may favorite. I had an e90 335 and currently have an f15 x5 50i. I still enjoy driving the 540 more than both of those. It currently has 214k and I don't plan on getting rid of it.

Bravo William pour ton canal et merci d'offrir du contenu intéressant pour le public Canadien/Québécois. Content de savoir que tu as apprécie tout comme moi les BMW du "Golden Era" !

Great video, you taught me things about my car, like what that rest button does lol. I will never sell my 540i.

Buthsineths.. love you man ❤️

I am looking to restore a 2001 540i. I love the car so much, I can't let it go.

I just got an Active Autowerke Tune on mine and WoW the difference is Very clear. Smoother Power delivery, smoother cold starts and it just pulls all the way to the new redline.

98 540i 6speed black on black great car.

I have had 4, e39 540i- 3 of them sports. I now have a E39 525i (non sport). I tend to get bored, and sell my cars after a couple years, but always end up with another E39! I tried an E60 550i-hated Idrive! I miss the power of the v8, but I like that I can easily work on my 6 cylinder 525i. It has only 90k on it, and is smooth and quiet. My wife has a 2008 Highlander with 30k on it. If we go on a trip, we take the BMW because it is much quieter!

I have 1999 540i sport with Dinan goods and stage 4 tune with 110k miles. I love this car.

the v8's have a reciculating ball steering setup on the e39 the i6's a rack and pinion, thats why alot of ppl say the 530i is "the car to get", but lets be frank even the r&p steering is still on the comfortable side and horsepower is always nice. its always nice to see that most e39 owners are very happy about the car, i got myself a 1 owner late 96 build one in 2010 and its still my main car ❤ if you keep proper maintenance its reliable and i have no worries to push it whereever i go. i was never stranded on the side of the road

I had a 2003 540i touring sport. What a machine! Mind you, I needed more space so traded it for a Volvo XC90 V8 Sport, which I still have. Both special machines

True beauty 540i m sport has it all a collector!

I am another long term E39 540 owner and I to would NEVER move it on, ever.

I also absolutely love the phone! It's also what drew me to mine lol. I'm lucky here the in built phone uses standard 2G networks in the UK from the 90's and those legacy networks are still in use today as a fallback when 3/4/5G isn't available, just needed a Vodafone uk SIM card so very cool!

I had the 540i e39 auto version. Loved it.

Greetings, I had a 5 series. One of the Best cars I’ve driven. My Daughter cried when we had to get rid of it. The good news is you can find them👍🏾

not me watching it to actually get something similar and then realizing you're in quebec as well :o

Brilliant review of a great car. Thanks so much for this, wonderful looking car as most BMWs are apart from the new "buck teeth" looking jobs, absolutely hideous. I have run BMWs since around 1987 and so miss my 628CSI with manual gear box but now run a 325 E36 and absolutely adore her and have owned since 1999 when she was four years old and one owner. Now got 170k on clock and runs so amazingly. Love your car and hopefully many miles of very happy motoring.

Your steering feels loose because e39 v8 cars could not be fitted with rack and pinion steering, the large engine prevents that. Six cylinder cars have rack and pinion and are more responsive.

I’ve a E39 535i V8 (1999) Msport Full Package as in front and rear bumpers.charcoal headlining witch i like.electric glass sunroof,all door panels are leather.my interior trim id say is alloy.seats are a blueish grey id say 🤷had this car coming up to 12 years now..just had brand new full box seals fitted.galvanised cost abit but ha the car is much better than some of the stuff out there today.fantastic ride so comfy 🤷you just have to keep maintaining them,now coming up to (24 years old) great car…steve 🇬🇧

i own the 2003 540i auto transmission , i had problems with starter and alternator , sat for a year and wanted to give up , even wanted to sell the sedan . fast forward to last week and i just drove 150 miles on a road trip with it !

The only two classic Beemers I ABSOLUTELY LOVE are the E30 3 series (I had a 325i SE - fricken brilliant 'Drivers Car'), and the E39 5. I would LOVE to own a 525/530d (had a long term drive in one, yup, LOVED it, like you said, drives superbly). But also, an old friend had a 540i with a, erm, 'Freer zorst' 😏 and cool air intake, oooooh THAT sound! I think he's still got it (lucky b'stard) 😎🇬🇧

I sold my E39 and have regretted it ever since. Mine was a 2002 2.5L MSport. I have sold my E60 and am looking for another E39 to replace it.

That loose steering is not normal, my 98 540 6sp with 115k miles does not do that, any move is felt by the wheels. I did have the control arms and bushings changed some 4k miles ago, but even before that, there was no play in the steering wheel. Also, low end acceleration should be very strong, that's why I fell in love with this car way back in 96; I do have a Dinan chip which helps, but even stock had very good low end torque on start.

Nice car! One of my favorite. 530i straight 6 has different steering, they say it's better than what the 540i has but you got less power

i love my 01 540i6 it is the ultimate driving machine

Thanks for the video. Your steering wheel airbag is not installed properly.

I have a 1998 528i. Still going strong

The era when BMW was not competing with anyone, they were just focused on being BMW. I own a 530i 2002 model.. drives better than my e90 330i

My 2003 e39 530 Msport wagon has been my favourite car …so far……..

I had an E39, a 528i, not a 450i, but still the best car I ever had, including my current X4M sport.

I miss mine, A LOT

Love my 01 530i

Beautiful Car the 540i

I hope I can fix my 540i. I will never get rid of it, but unfortunately has been neglected and been sitting for the last 6 years

I have a 2016 535i m sport and I want this car so bad 😩

One big issue with the v8 e39 was the circulating ball steering box vs rack and pinion in the 6 cylinder e39.

I had a blue 540i 6 speed short shift with cold air induction. Wonderful car, but upkeep is a little high. Sadly minor crash totaled it.

Sir, your check engine light is on. Overall my favorite car of all time!

Currently saving up to either get a manual e39 540i or a manual 3rd gen 4Runner. Whichever I come across first as a good deal as they are both desirable and hard to find with

Really nice cars. However on RHD models at least the V8 variants got a steering box rather than a steering rack which ruined the driving experience somewhat. The 530i models were only a bit slower but were much more fun to drive. We had both a 540i auto and a 528i manual.

I have a 2000 540i sport it's silver with the GPS stereo and it sounds pretty good.I kept it all original .it's a stage 2 dinan car with cold air and chipped .the car is very smooth with style 32 with Bridgestone potenzas

03 525i 5 speed love it m54 a champ

Running a scruffy 523. Lovely

The only reason I will always take a 530i over the 540i is the steering, 530i doesn't wobble at all

I have a 2001 540i in Tampa. Does anyone know where I can have it restored?

If you don't have that much torque under 3000 something is probably wrong. Mine (with a 6 speed) shoots forward in low rpms. Its when i feel the power the most. Make sure to check for vanos codes or similar with a scan-tool

I just had to scrap mine.....😢 200k miles. 21 years old. Beyond saving without tons of cash.

Little correction: E60 was designed by Davide Arcangeli (†) not by Chris Bangle himself.

Just realized you’re in my town and I saw your car for sale before I picked up mine.

Is there also the voice from my Papa & mama in that radio inside. I think after we use it, that car is damage... VPO.. TY!

Did the E39 540i have the rechargeable flashlight in the glove compartment? As does the E39 528i.

Dashboard is much nicer than in modern cars!

I ❤ My E38 740😋

I considered an E39 540i, then read that the 535i was better, because its steering rack was not compromised by the size engine.

Well actually it's factual. I own a E39 540 touring coming from a Subaru Forester STI SG9 and I'm enjoying the BMW much more. P.S. How did you get this steering wheel in the pre-facelift?

The loose on center feel has less to do with the fact that it’s hydraulic steering and more due to the fact that v8 powered BMWs of this era did not have rack and pinion steering and instead used recirculating ball steering (like a truck). If you felt a 530i sport, that on center sloppiness is just not there.

Lovelly car.

If you want a more reliable car with more precise steering, better get one of the i6 versions (520i-530i). They use a different steering system which only had to be changed to fit the big V8 (535i, 540i and M5). Parts are generally cheaper and the i6 engines are more robust. As the engines are lighter, there is also less stress on the suspension parts and the front brakes. With lower weight you get better handling as well and they also need less fuel. The 528i and 530i at least come close to the performance of the 535i. The 540i and M5 of course have better acceleration.

Found one with 91k miles for $8500 I thought it looked like a great deal. Manual too

I owned a 540 Tourer in UK, sadly sold it.

When you mentioned bitchin stereo I subscribed 👍🏻

Difficult call as to which BMW is the "Best". Handling, performance, design, economy, every day usage? Different criteria, different results. I have two 2001 E39 530D Tourings, one manual, one automatic. When towing our 1.8 tonne caravan I'd always choose the manual, for lazy driving the auto and if I wanted some fun on the road again the manual. I also have a 1993 E34 520i Touring. Nowhere as performant as the E39s, obviously, but still fun to drive and reminds me of the Triumph 2500S Estate I owned at a time. Then again there is the Briliant Rot E30 2.0i Touring my wife had, that was fun to drive. Sadly the seats were too flat and didn't grip you and the oil consumption was a bit high (normal for the M20 engine). The Best BMW of all Time - certainly before 2002 other than that it depends what you want out of your BMW.

I recently found a 2000 540i for 3k with 166k miles was wondering if I should buy it how reliable are they?

Why does it look like an SE if it's a sport? It should have sport bumpers etc? Also BMW DID plaster the M logo everywhere on Sport models just like they do today. I have a real E39 sport, and it has an M steering wheel, M door sils, M badges on the front doors behind the wheels, and M badges on the wheels themselves, all in the same places as my newer F30 M Sport.