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

[fw_fw]

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....

[san]

Congrats! That's an excellent find


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[Oli77]

Great find! Been considering something like that for extra room but what scared me was the mpg for a DD around town.

[zhp05jb]

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.

[fw_fw]

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.

[BMWCurves]

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 :drool

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.

[az3579]

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...

[fw_fw]

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....

[az3579]

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.

[brettbimmer]

Beautiful E39! Hope she treats you well. Keep us posted with details once you are enjoying her!

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[fredo]

Congrats, man ! :thumbsup

[BMWCurves]

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 think that's a wise move.


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....

Yeah, I'd trust the M54 more than the M62. Not that the M62 is bad by any means, but it has issues with timing chain guides failing and a few other things, and has two more cylinders to deal with, etc.

Really looking forward to hearing your impressions of the car when it's in your hands.

[fw_fw]

She's here, she's beautiful....

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...and I feel like I stole her: 27,875 miles upon delivery, $10,689 plus shipping!!!!!

She honestly looks like she is 15 to 18 months old on the outside and just about brand new on the inside. She's not perfect, she is 13 years old after all, but I feel like I just bought a 2 year old E39. A time machine back to 2003....

Didn't drive her too far, the tires are shot. New ones are waiting at my indy tomorrow morning. Still, could immediately tell the suspension is tight, much tighter than my ZHP. It literally feels new. Coolant system overhaul, belts, pulley and fluid change next week, then enjoy her as a DD....

Things to do over time:

Power Door lock switch inside is not working.
Driver's thigh bolster switch is not working.
Full Detail, buff, and sealant.
Cocomats
Replace split center armrest with a lifting storage unit.
Get 5 door dings fixed.
The rims have a small bit of corrosion on the outer lip, like so many of them from that era. Just a tiny amount, so still easily fixable.
Dynavin N6 Headunit with BT and Rear Camera
and I'm sure I'll find some other things!!!

However, first mod is complete:

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[san]

Looks great! Awesome buy


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[danewilson77]

Congrats!

S7 Edge, out

[BMWCurves]

Looks great! Seriously great price for the car.

[fw_fw]

Installed some LEDs this weekend in the factory Angeleyes. Gotta love that extra room under hood of the E39 versus E46, made the swap a breeze.....

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Showing off the 5 this morning to a good friend and car enthusiast here at work we noticed that the passenger seat on the 5 was sitting a good 2 inches further back than the driver seat. I knew I had moved the driver seat all the way back, so it left me scratching my head. Sat back down at my desk and googled.....2 minutes later I had the answer. Went out to the car and confirmed it:

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BMW had issues with premature clutch failures in MT 5 and 7 series cars failing while still under warranty back then, so the BMW engineers assumed that most of them could be attributed to drivers putting their seat too far back and not fully depressing the clutch pedal. So they installed a travel limiter on the seat rail.......now the driver's seat travels back just as far as my passenger seat......:facepalm...and my 5 is an automatic.....:facepalm X 2!!!

[Ernest]

Wow Frank this is a great find on a really great car! A friend of mine has the same car in a manual, very reliable and wearing well at 120k. Can't do much better than an E46 and an E39. Congrats!

[fw_fw]

Wow Frank this is a great find on a really great car! A friend of mine has the same car in a manual, very reliable and wearing well at 120k. Can't do much better than an E46 and an E39. Congrats!

Thanks! I agree, the best 3 and 5 series platforms, and I'm blessed to own them both!!! Obviously the M3 and M5 versions are the halo cars, but the M52 I6s are just the best all around drivers....

[slater]

wow - SCORE!!! nice find! that thing's got a lot of life left... might want to change belts right away though - like the tires... rubber rots over time, use or not. how are the door seals, bushings, etc?

[fw_fw]

wow - SCORE!!! nice find! that thing's got a lot of life left... might want to change belts right away though - like the tires... rubber rots over time, use or not. how are the door seals, bushings, etc?

Thanks!

Cooling System (hoses, belts, pulleys, waterpump, thermostat, coolant, i.e. everything but the radiator) is in a box and ready to take to my indy Wednesday evening. He'll also be draining and refilling the AT and Brake fluids.

Door seals and all exterior rubber look and feel new, suspension is absolutely tight as new with no play found. Driving it actually pointed out to me that my ZHPs suspension is getting a little tired......

[slater]

Thanks!

Cooling System (hoses, belts, pulleys, waterpump, thermostat, coolant, i.e. everything but the radiator) is in a box and ready to take to my indy Wednesday evening. He'll also be draining and refilling the AT and Brake fluids.

Door seals and all exterior rubber look and feel new, suspension is absolutely tight as new with no play found. Driving it actually pointed out to me that my ZHPs suspension is getting a little tired......

nice! i think you made a super smart buy. with the spotty build quality and increasing electronics prevalent in newer cars... this thing is like getting the best 5er in an almost-new package for peanuts! this thing will be going strong for another 15 years.

[Oli77]

Beautiful. Do tell us your mpg when you get a chance.

[fw_fw]

Got her back from the indy, so maintenance is up to date with new cooling system & brake flush. Got love this shop, cost me $245 in labor to get the complete cooling system R&R (except radiator), I supplied the parts.

Took her to the local PDR specialist, got all the dings and 1 dent fixed. Washed her yesterday and touched up a few chips, but still haven't had the time to do the full detail and buff. Installed the Bimmian/Panavise phone mount with iClip holder, and now I'm waiting for the DSP interface to go with the GROM BT unit.

Here is how she sat after the carwash yesterday evening:

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Next to do list items:

Full Buff and Chip fix
Install Grom BT
R&R Instrument Cluster to fix LED display
Install new Driver's Thigh support adjuster motor
Cocomats
Tinted Windows

[theothersawyer]

Beautiful car and great find! It looks brand new!

[fw_fw]

Yep, I won, the E39 trifecta!!! Even with it's low miles and overall excellent condition my 530i still has all three of the most common problems:

1) Missing pixel columns on the instrument cluster - Not too bad yet, mostly on the information 2nd row of LED pixels. I will live with it until everything else is fully sorted.

2) Leaking rear door vapor barriers - Fixed this immediately as soon as I became aware of it. E39 rear door vapor barriers come loose from the butyl tape that they are mounted to on the door, allowing water to flow & pool into the rear passenger footwells. Heating the Butyl tape with the heat gun and reattaching the vapor barrier has worked. This one does prove it was garaged all it's life as there was no indication of past water intrusion.

3) Bad FSR Front Blower Resistor - This only showed up yesterday, up until then the AC was working perfectly. Got all the classic symptoms of random fan speeds and staying on for an extended time after the car was shut off. Actually parked the car last night and today, leaving it hooked up to the battery tender. Gave me an excuse to do the driveway shuffle and get the ZHP out to drive to work. Part should be here tomorrow at the latest, another thing to add to the weekend 530i to-do list:

- Replace Blower Resistor
- Install GROM BT unit
- Buff, polish, and Dr. ColorChip

[fw_fw]

...it's been a couple of months, time for an update:

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Hit the big 30 today, she's about worn out.....he he....Actually, she has been an absolute joy to drive. I now fully understand why everyone always raved about the E39 5 series!

Here is what I've done since the last update:

Exterior

- Full Mequiars M105 & M205 Paint Correction using the PC Dual Polisher, followed by Dr. ColorChip

- HüperOptik Ceramic Tint 40

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- Replaced Broken Headlight Adjusters on Passenger side (This was a fun 3 hour job!!!)

Interior

- Installed GROM BT3 unit with DSP Connectivity

- Installed Bimmian/Panavise phone mount with Proclip phone holder

- Battery exhaust tube (was left laying under battery by person who had previously replaced battery)

- Replaced Instrument Cluster (Faulty pixels) with virginized refurbed 2004+ unit that did not use ribbon glue

- Installed Cocomats

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Also performed an oil & filter change this last weekend, used Castrol EDGE European Formula 0W-40. The dealer I bought it from had done an oil change before I bought it, but who knows what they used. After 2200 miles that stuff looked twice as dark and much thicker than what I poured in, probably just standard cheapo dino oil out of a 55g drum. Car noticeably revs better now and runs quieter & smoother. Now I have piece of mind there as well.

Only thing on the not working to do list is the driver's seat extension. I have the replacement part, however since it is stuck in my preferred position I haven't been in a big hurry to fix it!

On the no hurry Wish List, maybe early next year:

Akebono Ceramic Brake Pads (OE pads are DUSTY!!!!)
Technical Graphite Interior Trim
M-Tech Front Bumper

[fredo]

Looks great, man ! Good idea on Akebono. I had them on my e90. :thumbsup

[ELCID86]

Very nice (except for the color :-)

What kind of MPG are you seeing?


---
"ZHP is a garbage option anyway- just some cosmetic upgrades with a different cam and diff to claw back some of the performance lost fitting those hideous and heavy wheels. Any 330 with a 3.46 diff will smoke a ZHP every time. The whole Mafia thing reeks of childish behavior." - anonymous

[fw_fw]

Very nice (except for the color :-)

What kind of MPG are you seeing?


Agreed Shawn, would have preferred one of the many blues BMW made, but couldn't pass this one up.....

MPG: A little disappointing, right now I'm seeing 19 in mixed driving, however I want to see how things improve after the oil change I did Saturday. The oil the selling dealer used seemed much thicker than the Castrol 0W-40, and the car has been running & revving smoother. Not expecting miracles, but hope things improved 1-2mpg if they used a thicker regular oil as I suspect....

[BMWCurves]

Agreed Shawn, would have preferred one of the many blues BMW made, but couldn't pass this one up.....

MPG: A little disappointing, right now I'm seeing 19 in mixed driving, however I want to see how things improve after the oil change I did Saturday. The oil the selling dealer used seemed much thicker than the Castrol 0W-40, and the car has been running & revving smoother. Not expecting miracles, but hope things improved 1-2mpg if they used a thicker regular oil as I suspect....

Don't be too sad about the fuel economy. My father's 540i saw about 14-16 if it was city-only, about 17-20 mixed, and 26-28 highway. The 5 series is a lot heavier than the 3 series and you see that in fuel economy, even with the M54

[Pilot05]

Congrats! I have a '99 e39 5MT w/125k that I have used as
Year-round daily driver now for 13 yrs. this is an excellent choice.
Like this group, there is a deep and supportive E39
Community.

[fw_fw]

Quick update - she's just turned over 32K miles:

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Also replaced the door surround gasket on the driver's door as it was torn from butts dragging across it going in and out of the car....

Got a small bonus at work the other day, turned that around and got the wheel barrels on my Style 42s refinished at my local wheel repair shop. They unmounted the tires, removed the center hubs (left them alone as they were perfect). Media blasted the barrels, machined them to a nice finish, and then powder coated them clear. Put them back together and this is what you got:

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Good as new, and now with powder coating better protected!!!

[BMWCurves]

Looks good, love those wheels!

[johnrando]

Looks good!

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[Adi]

Holy Cow! What an amazing find! Despite that fact that my E46 suits my purpose perfectly, I am quite jealous. Love the E39!

[holyc0w]

Love the wheels :thumbsup

[fw_fw]

32,967 Miles

Purchased the Technical Graphite interior trim from Daniel S. on bimmerforums.com. He has a little business going purchasing some of the high line E39 interiors from some sources in Europe, brings them to the USA, refurbishes them and then resells. He just had a new batch come in, and I scored the best set he had in this batch. It included ALL pieces in perfect shape, even the center console, shift knob, CD Cover and Euro only cupholder delete piece. It arrived yesterday and installed it today. Looks awesome, brings the interior forward about 10 years, getting rid of the Buick look color scheme!!

Before Pic:

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After Pics:

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[az3579]

That is a beautiful trim. I'd love that trim on my E46.

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[hcbeck2689]

Drool


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[BMWCurves]

Very nice!

[danewilson77]

Win. Looks great Frank.

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