[ishotmydog]

oh man, that is one hell of a car.

fantastic buy, enjoy.

how about a some pictures of both your beemer's together?

[Cyrus43]

Wow. Very nice. These older BMWs looks so much better than the new ones. Do get the M5 kit.

[audidebs]

nice!! why didn't you get one with three pedals? IMHO, automatics take the fun out of driving, unless it's a really efficient double-clutch gearbox like porsche's PDK!

[Pancham]

Congrats man!!The car is amazing. Take care of the car. It looks very aristocratic. Bravo

[Dippy]

The E39 is my favourite 5 Series. I still drool over the E39 M5 than the current one. Congratulations. You have a fantastic car there. Looking forward to more updates in this thread. Keep her well.

Drive safe.

[shamik.bose]

Saw this lovely E39 530i in Mumbai. Looked to be in good condition

[13thpsycho]

Hi there I am planning to buy a BMW 523i e39 it's an old girl, 1998, pretty good condition, 2nd owner, original 70k on the odo, it needs external refurb plastics are out of shape and on board computer needs a checkup. It has a couple of error messages, check brake fluid and engine temp, abs and airbags light is on, the car shows max temp at start up and after about 10 Kms the temp comes back to normal. Engine sounds good and has a complete 6 year service history. Owner says I don't need to worry about the messages. The water pump and hose pipes have been changed. Problems with the rear right door locking. Do you think I should splurge on one? How much is the annual maintenance on this car?
Anything that I should be worried about?
Please help. Thanks.

[canonball]

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

Hi there I am planning to buy a BMW 523i e39 it's an old girl, 1998, pretty good condition, 2nd owner, original 70k on the odo, it needs external refurb plastics are out of shape and on board computer needs a checkup. It has a couple of error messages, check brake fluid and engine temp, abs and airbags light is on, the car shows max temp at start up and after about 10 Kms the temp comes back to normal. Engine sounds good and has a complete 6 year service history. Owner says I don't need to worry about the messages. The water pump and hose pipes have been changed. Problems with the rear right door locking. Do you think I should splurge on one? How much is the annual maintenance on this car?
Anything that I should be worried about?
Please help. Thanks.

Unless your getting it for as good as free forget it. BMW parts for older models like this one are very expensive. Very few dare devils buys them (most ignorant of what they are getting into)with so many problems not to mention some of them very expensive to fix and not that many folks who know their way around these. Electrical issues that you have mentioned are sure signs that you should walk away from this one. Buy one where there no work required. You have been warned

[13thpsycho]

Originally Posted by canonball

Unless your getting it for as good as free forget it. BMW parts for older models like this one are very expensive. Very few dare devils buys them (most ignorant of what they are getting into)with so many problems not to mention some of them very expensive to fix and not that many folks who know their way around these. Electrical issues that you have mentioned are sure signs that you should walk away from this one. Buy one where there no work required. You have been warned

Firstly thanks a ton for a quick reply. When I first saw the car I fell in love the e39 shape and the condition of the engine. The owner is a lawyer and the car is self driven to the court and back on most days. Do you think if I spend an additional 3 L on the car I could get at least the brakes, abs and other electrical issues fixed? I am getting the car cheap. So restoring would definitely be on my mind. What kind of issues have you faced with your car? Please share some costs and your experience of owning a legendary car. I have heard sourcing parts from uk is cheap. Do you think it will be easier on the pocket if I didn't have to pay shipping costs and got it directly imported than sourcing it from here?

I wish u had given me a "go ahead" but now I have my doubts if an owner says so! 10x thanks sir.

[abishek2222]

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

I have heard sourcing parts from uk is cheap. Do you think it will be easier on the pocket

Even if you where to buy parts from UK , you would have pay for the fedex or ups shipping costs to india plus 29 percent customs duty.It would be cheap if somebody was carrying the parts if they where coming to india. i totally agree with what he said earlier the car is likely got problems and is going to be expensive to fix.If your still determined to look at it at least get a OBD check so you have an idea about what all errors codes are actually showing up and need to be fixed.

[13thpsycho]

Originally Posted by abishek2222

Even if you where to buy parts from UK , you would have pay for the fedex or ups shipping costs to india plus 29 percent customs duty.It would be cheap if somebody was carrying the parts if they where coming to india. i totally agree with what he said earlier the car is likely got problems and is going to be expensive to fix.If your still determined to look at it at least get a OBD check so you have an idea about what all errors codes are actually showing up and need to be fixed.

I have a friend who can carry it with him, that's why I am not concerned about the shipping costs at all. Only shipping I would have to pay is within the UK itself. Can you give me an idea on how to get the OBD checked up at the current owners' place and where in Delhi could I get a reliable mechanic to have a look at the car?

[canonball]

Originally Posted by 13thpsycho

Firstly thanks a ton for a quick reply. When I first saw the car I fell in love the e39 shape and the condition of the engine. The owner is a lawyer and the car is self driven to the court and back on most days. Do you think if I spend an additional 3 L on the car I could get at least the brakes, abs and other electrical issues fixed? I am getting the car cheap. So restoring would definitely be on my mind. What kind of issues have you faced with your car? Please share some costs and your experience of owning a legendary car. I have heard sourcing parts from uk is cheap. Do you think it will be easier on the pocket if I didn't have to pay shipping costs and got it directly imported than sourcing it from here?

I wish u had given me a "go ahead" but now I have my doubts if an owner says so! 10x thanks sir.

Most welcome. I want to make you extremely aware and know what you are getting into, I know the initial excitement to well, and can turn into heartburn unless you are not into intact complete cars, if not go nuts. I suggest you get hold of a good mechanic for BM, like Kashyap in Delhi ( I don't vouch for them, just that they have been around for long), pls check with some more Delhi folks to verify antecedents once you zero in on the right mechanic who will anyway be doing the work. Sit with the car and them and do a COMPLETE list of all work to be done with labor, cost of spare parts etc. shop on the net and local spare parts guys in Delhi. be sure to check out blogs and other resources to see which parts are the best quality etc. You will have the answers you seek

PS. I have considered buying ( sat and done what i am recommending above) diesel on several occasions and finally walked away as the economics did not work out, do note all cars offered to me by investor dealers so the economics is doomed/non starter often. The odd thing about theses cars is that until you start IDENTIFYING for yourself and actually start costing each part (some dirt cheap and some very very expensive) it is not as easy as writing faults you have stated and then getting a rough estimate. You will have to see what is really wrong behind those faults ranging from a cheap sensor, to wiring loom, too god knows what else only an investigation by you will reveal what's up. It should be fun as it helps in sharpening yourself for future cheerio