Materials to Maintain Your ZHP IIIII Hand Protection IIIII Tools to Maintain Your ZHP
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Helena, AL
    Posts
    633

    Frank's 03 Saphirschwarz E39 530iA Daily Driver - CK45302

    Well, it's not really a project yet as I just signed the papers today and she won't get delivered till next week, but I thought I'd go ahead and get a project thread started.

    I've been thinking about selling my present DD, a 2014 X1 xDrive35i M-Sport. It's been a great car in the 2 years I've had her and she's paid for, but with 15 months of warranty left and still a pile of depreciation coming at me I was having second thoughts. With one kid starting college next year, the other a sophomore in HS, and a 15 year old house starting to show it's age I'd rather have that depreciation sit in a bank account than driving it down the road every day.

    Having bought my ZHP earlier this year as a weekend warrior I've come to appreciate that vintage BMW even more, back when I thought BMWs were out of reach financially. Thought about a second ZHP sedan, but I wanted at least some legroom in the back. Even toyed with going back to a Japanese product again for a DD, but my love of BMW wrote that off. So a 5 Series it is, automatic a must due to a bum left knee that won't let me daily drive a clutch, as well as having the Sport package for the seats & steering wheel alone. An E60......no, to finicky as a first gen of iDrive electronics, plus the Banglization factor is high with it. An E39 has always been a favorite, and finding a 530i with an M54 engine very similar to my ZHP's engine was a plus. However the newest E39 is 13 years old, and most have been driven had and put away wet with 150K-200K miles. I wanted something that with normal maintenance could make it thru the next 6 years as my DD, so it wouldn't just take any E39 to fit the bill. So I started my search in earnest as I started to prepare my X1 for sale.

    Last Saturday evening I was surfing across cars.com when a new 530iA listing showed up without pics. Mileage was unbelievable (more on that in a minute), so I checked the VIN for options.....perfect. Sport package, Xenon, M-Sport Suspension....good.....grey interior...better than beige but wanted black. Black exterior......it's been 27 years since I've had a black car, and I swore I would never again as they are near impossible to keep clean. Still, went ahead and sent an inquiry to the dealer, who responded yesterday morning and sent me some pics:

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    Looking good and clean so far. Spoke to the sales manager about the car at that point. it was a 1 owner owned by a gentleman who recently had passed away from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He was a personal friend of the car dealer's owner and they are now selling it. Hardly driven, and then not in the winter.

    Interior pics:

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    Yes, the odometer is right: 27,869 miles!!! Autocheck and carfax confirmed, with an interior that looks brand new (except for the busted cupholder (of course))!

    However, it is still been a Wisconsin car it's whole life, was it REALLY never driven in the snow. Here are the underneath pics:

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    Forget snow...it may not have even been driven in the rain!!! Even the tires' date code match the car manufacture date!!!

    Forget about the black exterior, it's a "new" E39!!! One final check: the inspection report (clean except cracked original tires & cupholder) and some haggling......I pulled the trigger!!

    Like I mentioned, I hope to have her by the end of next week. I'll immediately replace the tires, cooling system, and fluids (PS, ATF, Brake, Diff), but then she'll be my new DD and just enjoy!!! More pics to come, as well as any updates on maintenance & mods as she begins her journey with me....

    Frank W.

    Present
    2003 BMW 530iA Saphirschwarz Metallic

    Past
    2006 BMW 330ci ZHP 6MT Silbergrau Metallic
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive35i ///M-Sport Mineralgrau Metallic
    2011 BMW 328i 6MT ///M-Sport Alpenweiss
    1999 BMW ///M Roadster Estorilblau Metallic


    plus an assortment of VW, Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, and others over the years


  2. #2
    Congrats! That's an excellent find


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


    2006 Coupe | Black Sapphire Metallic | Natural Brown | Gruppe M Intake | Corsa TSE3 | Michelin PSS on Apex ARC-8 | Koni Yellows |

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Lexington, KY
    Posts
    4,903
    Great find! Been considering something like that for extra room but what scared me was the mpg for a DD around town.
    325i, 2005, 5MT, Silvergrey, leatherette, Sport package; CDV delete, KONI STR-T & KYB Excel-G, Weisslichts, Stewart H2O pump

    328i, 2010, 6MT, Spacegrey, dakota leather, M-sport packages; has a 330 intake but no tune - yet
    http://s900.photobucket.com/user/othibau/media/Junesig.jpg.html][IMG]http://i900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/othibau/Junesig.jpg

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    NOVA
    Posts
    85
    The underside of the car is in great condition. Nice find. My brother-in-law has the same car (03 530i) with 120K miles on it and it's been very reliable. The only pet peeves he has is the infamous "creaking" noise coming from all 4 door seals. He has to apply WD40 or something similar to the door seals every once in a while.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Helena, AL
    Posts
    633
    Thanks guys, we'll see how lucky I was once I have the keys in hand and see her in person. zhpo5jb: You are spot on, the underside and interior is what sold the car....well that and the mileage and history.

    Frank W.

    Present
    2003 BMW 530iA Saphirschwarz Metallic

    Past
    2006 BMW 330ci ZHP 6MT Silbergrau Metallic
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive35i ///M-Sport Mineralgrau Metallic
    2011 BMW 328i 6MT ///M-Sport Alpenweiss
    1999 BMW ///M Roadster Estorilblau Metallic


    plus an assortment of VW, Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, and others over the years


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    10,243
    Great pick up, Frank! I love my father's '98 540i, he's had it since new and it was a fantastic family car. Fun in the bends and incredibly comfortable on long trips. Exceedingly quiet on the highway as well (dependent upon tire). I think you made a wise choice with the M54 engine. Definitely cheaper to repair and run than the V8 in the 540i and is a silky smooth engine, although I can't say I don't love the V8 and its low end torque and monstrous sound

    Post more pics and impressions when you take delivery! I love the aero kits on 2003s and can't believe that car has such low miles.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Branford, CT
    Posts
    16,055
    Do you mind posting what the price is/was? I'm curious what the dealer is asking for on this extremely nice example of an E39.
    It seems to me like you scored a great car for a great deal. I can't believe the steering wheel looks new...
    BP
    2005 330i ZHP / 6MT
    Imolarot / Naturbraun
    2003 330iT / 6MT
    Orientblau / Naturbraun




    It's not the car you drive, it's how you drive it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Helena, AL
    Posts
    633
    No, don't mind posting the price, but I'd like to wait a couple of days until everything is finalized. I signed the sales contract and overnighted the paperwork & check for it this afternoon. The dealer has been great so far, just would hate to have someone tempt them by someone seeing this post and trying to snake it out from under me.....

    William: I would loved to have had the V8 as well for the power, but I was looking for longevity and reliability. E39 530i's have long been known as the best 5 ever....

    Frank W.

    Present
    2003 BMW 530iA Saphirschwarz Metallic

    Past
    2006 BMW 330ci ZHP 6MT Silbergrau Metallic
    2014 BMW X1 xDrive35i ///M-Sport Mineralgrau Metallic
    2011 BMW 328i 6MT ///M-Sport Alpenweiss
    1999 BMW ///M Roadster Estorilblau Metallic


    plus an assortment of VW, Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, and others over the years


  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Branford, CT
    Posts
    16,055
    Quote Originally Posted by fw_fw View Post
    No, don't mind posting the price, but I'd like to wait a couple of days until everything is finalized. I signed the sales contract and overnighted the paperwork & check for it this afternoon. The dealer has been great so far, just would hate to have someone tempt them by someone seeing this post and trying to snake it out from under me.....
    I don't blame ya.

    William: I would loved to have had the V8 as well for the power, but I was looking for longevity and reliability. E39 530i's have long been known as the best 5 ever....
    I once had an E39 loaner from a shop that was doing my suspension work. It was a 2000 528 touring. That thing was STILL running like a top and felt like a tank. No rattles, squeaks, or anything that didn't work - it was just good to go. And it had almost 320k on the clock! Loved driving that thing, even though it was Steptronic. The tranny shifted so smoothly.
    BP
    2005 330i ZHP / 6MT
    Imolarot / Naturbraun
    2003 330iT / 6MT
    Orientblau / Naturbraun




    It's not the car you drive, it's how you drive it.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Deale, MD
    Posts
    1,826
    Beautiful E39! Hope she treats you well. Keep us posted with details once you are enjoying her!

    Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

    -Brettski

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