If anyone ever asks why I drive manual, it is always the same 3 answers; 1. Keeps you more focused and engaged 2. Gives you more control and a better driving experience 3. Most of all, it is always MORE FUN!
Car sounds GREAT btw brotha. I'm a honda guy myself but I love many, many cars. S2k is my next car, but i will have many other cars lol. Hondas are just fun to work on and fun to drive.
1. I am focused and engaged plenty anyways as I like driving, so I am enjoying it even in me old Golf mk.2. 2. More control?? For what? You will only need it when trying to powerslide the car, but you also need LSD to do that which you probably don't have anyways. 3. And even more annoying. Last time I've heard "it's more fun" was last winter from my friend with RWD Volvo. Next thing you know is I was pushing his stupid bigass "fun" car up a hill so mild that I was really amazed how he couldn't have found any traction already. Like honestly, if you have to live with a MT car every day, I can't see the fun aspect. conclusion: Get a car with a proper automatic and you won't ever feel the need, especially if you drive anything with four seats bigger than Golf. I'm not denying the importance of a MT in a car that's supposed to be fun and simple like S2000, MX-5, 350Z, GT-86, e46 M3, Sandero, you get the idea, but in a daily driver - really? What I want there most of all is just usability and comfort, right?
I know the E39 had its weaknesses, but the positives outweigh any of that. I had an E34 540i 6-speed, what an amazing car. It was the longest I had ever owned a car in my 40 years of ownership, 8 years. Truly enjoyable experience. Some say I got off cheap, not ever having to make any major repairs. One clutch in 80k. I imagine the previous owner did one, but I only needed one. GA65318. The vin # I will remember for the rest of my days...
I got an E38 and I love it, however, it's a beast! So I bought My wife a Low Miles E39 6 Cylinder, Agreed, DO NOT SELL!!! The E38s and E39s are the last of the great mechanical BMWs
It's a very very lovely car, well specced and seems well taken care of, but a M5 it's not...I've had a few 540i/6 and I have an M5 now and there are similarities obvs but the M5 is in a different league, but twice as expensive to buy and even more so to run and maintain.
Yeah he "thinks" he's gotten a great deal on a used BMW. There's a reason why they have no resale value as they cost a stupid amount of money to maintain and repair break as they do. Most of these bimmers don't even have an oil dip stick as you have to rely on some stupid electronic sensors. Yeah so more things can break.
He better be prepared to spend a small fortune when all the electronic systems start breaking down as German cars are notorious for electrical problems as they age. My uncle just gotten rid of his 740iL money pit machine. He bought it for little as $3k and it broke down in one year after owning as the main computer went out on It. It broke down in his dad's yard that's been sitting non drivable for the past three years until my uncle finally towed it out of his dad's yard. Not only you have to get a ECU replacement you need the BMW ISTA/P dealer scan tool to reflash the computer that cost several thousands of dollars. Not only that you need a battery maintainer required for flashing ECUs to supply steady voltage to the battery while flashing so you don't brick the computer. A battery maintainer can set you back $2k-$3k like the Midtronics GR8 Series. Not only that you got to hire a locksmith to register the stupid computer and VIN number so that the car can start again. There's a reason why you can buy a $66k BMW used for 3 grand as these cars have absolutely not resale value what so ever.
Knowledgeable about '90--'00 BMW's you are not. They are very well built cars, but sure, the electronics can play up, but it's not that common. I've had 3 e38 750's (the notoriously bork prone V12's...) none of them had any troubles whatsoever apart from being rather thirsty. Since then I've had 9 e39 ranging from a 523 to my current M5 and there have been pixel errors abd a few oil leaks, show me any soon 20 year old car that's this complet and trouble free. A hint, they don't exist. You can't compare these to a fucking Toyota Corolla. And FYI, they do have a dip-stick. The biggest dip-stick here is you tho ;)
I've had mine as a daily driver for the last 5 years. Normally I get bored and change my daily every year. It does comfy limo for transporting Mrs and kids and it does third gear clutch kick huge slides when they aren't in it. The best mod you can do to it is fit an E39 M5 limited slip differential (needs M5 propshaft and driveshafts to fit). That makes skidding more predictable but other than that it's perfect straight out the factory.
And much respect for switching it up, there are too many cool cars in this world to own. If you ever need any BMW repair advice hollah at cha boy we got you
hey i thinking about getting a 540i tomorrow, the guy says it needs a new ccv and has the usual symptoms. is there anything else thats really bad that can cause it to smoke and so on? if so should i stay away from it?
The CCV plate on the back of the intake manifold is common but there are still a few other potential causes of smoke and oil consumption, the CCV plate isn't too bad to do and I wouldn't let it deter you from buying the car. The other major problem is the cyclone separator thats behind the timing chain covers.There are plastic fittings on the separator that get really brittle and break and can cause the oil residue to back up in the pipe that goes to the CCV on the back of the intake manifold this can cause smoking and oil consumption as well. So I would start with the CCV on the back of the intake manifold but prepare for the worst. If you had a manometer and an oil cap with a fitting you could tell wether it was the CCV plate or other issues. If you don;t have access to these you could do a quick check and try to open the oil cap with the engine runniing, if it's difficult to open the cap (excessive vacuum on the crankcase) it's a good sign its just the CCV plate. There should be a little suction at the cap but not much
presteronetj thanks so much for the useful information, I’ll definitely check that out tomorrow. He did say he has a lot of the common problems these have fixed recently so I’ll look into all of that. I’m not a total noob, I’ve had e39 530i’s but just not familiar with the v8 problems on these. Thanks again hopefully I’ll get it!
presteronetj also if you’re a independent mechanic or can check out the car in the future to let me know about what it may need let me know👍🏽 I live in SoCal area
I used to be so obsessed with these back before I bought my g35, I wanted a 540i m sport 6 speed so bad. I used to check eBay and Craigslist every day for one but eventually figured I needed a reliable car. Still think this is one of the best looking bmws ever. The M-par wheels are my favorite OEM wheels. Congrats to you and thank you for reminding me how amazing these really are. Except for those horrible cup holders. You now own two of my absolute favorite cars ever. NSX and 540i M-Sport
Needed a reliable car....of course its a premium car, its not g35...you must be the type that wants to run a german car with a Japanese budget, it cant work like that...
6 лет назад
BMW !!! I had the E39 M5 for seven years ! Warning, the E39 will keep you a BMW driver for life. Good luck,
Honda man here,had 6 Accords and almost any 2 door coupe except the NSX and S2000. Went threw E39 though and hands down,better in any way than any Accord. Mine was 525i,and yes,the Type R is faster and more nimble in the city,but on the highway this has no match. I drive it fully loaded at 220 kmh with barely touching the steering with my finger. Cross winds cant move it an inch. Comfort,materials,build quality,and its so damn easy to work on it that it hurts! Air and cabin filters (2) are changed for less than 3 mins. Coils,fuses,everything on this car is so easy accessible. Has few weak spots like Vanos and the cooling system,but if you service them in time and use quality oil,wont give you hard time. Good choice,however,you should have gone with the 530i,straight 6,way smoother and cheaper to maintain,power wise not big gap. Enjoy it!
after watching this video i set out to buy a 540i m-sport. test drove one and everything. unfortunately, i chose not to get one but i did get an '05 imola red 330i saloon 6 speed mani zhp. i love this car! thanks for your well spoken description
Nice car buddy. I too have a 2001 540i Dinan. I bought this car this past May. The previous owner have the whole car redone meaning he did all of the major maintenance and even spend extra the cash to make it a “Dinan 5”. It even came with a binder full of receipts showing all the works that has been done to the car. That gave me the confidence that the car was taken care of.
I’ve bought a 200to 330 I sports packet manual five speed. And yes the cooling system is replace about to replace the expansion tank and I’m basically bought to replace a lot of things the sub frame is in excellent shape considering that the car is 16 years old when I bought the car which was 2017 and only had 152,000 on it and that’s not bad at all my miles are highway miles I keep changing the oil every 3000 miles synthetic of course I’m going to get the spark plugs coils replaced. Basically replacing mostly everything but the engine in-line six engine is basically bullet proof. My car is 300 pound less than the new Bmws . Not to mention the power steering is much better than the new Bmw
I have 03 530i sport package. Had the car for 3 years. I was also stepping up from dropped Accords. Cops stopped harassing me also. I love the car and hasn't had any major problems, aside from back struts . I have the Sachs units btw. I also redid and upgraded the sound system to a two amp setup. 1 for front and rear components using wiring from trunk harness and second amp for 2 12s in trunk . Sounds great in car and its built so well you hardly hear it outside with windows up.
I'm driving a 2000 540i 6 speed Dinan sport. amazing car, maintainance is pretty good, especiqally if you like to do some of your own work. Great cars.
Bro this thing is so clean I always find myself coming back to this video. I want a stock 540i one day. I really hope you’ve kept and cherished this beautiful machine!
Congrats. I️ do love the interiors on this vintage of BMW. High quality, no fuss. Love the wood trim! As much as I️ enjoy revving out my Honda, the effortlessness of that V8 torque is nice. The thing that’s great about these cars is that they can be fun but with that torque you can get in it and feel like you don’t have to go fast. Looking forward to more videos. Enjoy.
My dad had the exact same 540i back in 2002 to 2010 he drove it like crazy i remember the v8 sound when I was a kid just amazing! Now he drives a 550i f10 but yeah it's not the same
zygrene this is funny, I'm currently doing valve cover gaskets, upper chain cover gaskets on a black 2003 manual 540 m sport at this very moment (lunchbreak)
Recently bought a 01 530i auto v6 216xxx , could you give me some tips about a issue I’m having . I noticed my engine is leaking water near the water pump but when I looked it seemed to be leaking behind the water pump like if it was in the middle . Could it be the upper and lower hoses?
It absolutely could be the hoses are just not tightly installed or loose hose clamps or whatever. Alot of times the car will have an oil leak from the valve cover that goes on for too long and gets neglected. The oil from the valvecover leak deforms the rubber hoses. It's hard to see in this area I know.
So yea If it is leaking in that area its probably the very bottom of the thermostat. The thermostat on the M54 sits right above the waterpump. If it hasn't had both replaced recently price out both the water pump and thermostat. Replace as many old cooling system components as you can afford on an old BMW they get crispy as hell with age. And also it's not a "V6" it's an inline six.
Great review! I love the E39s! I had a modded 2006 E53 4.4i sport package up until last year...there seems to be a special bond between E39 and E53 drivers because I swear on the road more E39 drivers than any other type of BMW driver would stop and talk to me about it.
Even the I-6 e39 has torque. Welcome to BMWs. They get into your blood. Many claim the e39 is the best BMW ever. What brand is that phone holder? Looks way better than mine that fits in the cd player slot. Thanks for the video. Happy motoring!
I'm thinking that car was a special order, had some special boxes ticked. I'm thinking the person that ordered the car was a tad wide in the hips. Those Recaro sport seats are not forgiving of the 'generously proportioned.'
I've owned three of them and all three were wonderful this car really is a joy to drive. I once did 16 and a half hours straight in the driver seat and when I got out not a sore muscle or crick in my back to be had..
Car sounds GREAT btw brotha. I'm a honda guy myself but I love many, many cars. S2k is my next car, but i will have many other cars lol. Hondas are just fun to work on and fun to drive.
Congrats on the BMW, man! I'm 17 years old and bought an e46 this year. Just a heads up, check for rust under the car and your subframe (cracks, what not). Don't wanna scare you but no one told me about BMW having those problems back in the day (46's at least).
Only e36´s and e46´s can have the cracked subframe issue. Btw congrats on your e46 my mate, i bought an e46 328 for my first car 9 months ago and ive loved it like nothing else
I own a Manuel 6 and an auto black on black both. They are cheap to work on if you wrench yourself. You will work on them. That's why I have two so I have something to drive while I repare my daily
I had an E39 528i it was so Loud you feel like you didnt Start the Car only in the Inside i ve got the feeling my Engine is Big and the sound is good hahahaha Greetings from Germany the Country Where you can push all Cars To the Limit
BCK NKD why do you think that’s a good deal? Bmw is definitely top 3 manufacturer with biggest depreciation. I see old Bmw like this 540i in my area for 500 bucks to 2k lmao
It actually has 290 hp and a completely different torque curve to the standard 540i . Far more low down torque . Thus a completely different beast . Thats not knocking the standard 540i . I currently have a 540i m sport and have previously owned a standard 540i . Both incredible , just different . I honestly couldn't chose between them .
Nice i also got one but one of the first one's from 96, i also have the m package with the comfort seats and an sunroof, but without the rear m bumper because it came with an removable towbar, such a great car to drive, still enjoy it every single day!
Bro an e39 is not a car to rotate it’s a car for life. The last engineered car and one of the best bmws ever made along with the e46 m3 imo...I bought one when I was younger and when I sold it no other car filled its gap, I tried Subaru sti gc8 ver3 which btw is probably the closest to take it’s spot imo but just didn’t have the feeling the e39 have me. Also a Porsche Boxster s which I just sold to buy another e39 but this time a v8 my last one was 528i and both are amazing cars. But e39 as a all round car with the v8 ticks all boxes for me
TheFlemburger i was obsessed for so long with the e46 m3, I couldn’t afford one so bought a e46 330ci for the time being, I recently looked up e39 m5, it seems to be the perfect car for me, 400bhp v8 great acceleration, sounds a lot nicer than the e46 m3 too
I have driven many 5 series and always loved how comfortable they are. The M5 power was lots of fun. I do know if that 540 breaks, it will be a money pit.
Talk about pulling torque, try a 911 3.0 flat 6 stick or a automatic mustang 302. H.O. u just another jack in >>>out of the box, u still young, time is on your side, that's a good thing!
Very cool car! I used to have two manual e30s, a 2003 manual E46 330i-msport all of which were magnificent. Currently we only have one parking spot and we need AWD and large cargo capacity as we frequently are in Tahoe so we switched to a 2007 automatic 328xi Wagon. In terms of fun the wagon has been a major downgrade compared to the previous cars (and of course it has a transmission issue six months in as it uses a GM automatic gearbox). As soon as I have space for it I will be looking for an e39 or another e46, my e46 was flawless despite almost having almost 200k and the parts were actually reasonably priced and easy to install (I did an entire cooling system including the radiator in one afternoon and the parts only cost a few hundred).
113k miles is nothing for these cars. I had a 2003 X5 4.6is with 216k miles, and I currently daily drive a 2000 BMW 540it (the wagon version of your car) that has 197k miles. The only potential issue is the timing chain guides, but those generally don't go bad until after 150k miles.
Sure it'll pull great from low revs in high gear, but that's not down to the number of cylinders but to the amount of displacement plus the fact that the engine is relatively low strung.
