E39 520 or ?? with €5k to spend, want auto and toys

Del2005

Looking to spend around €5k on a new car. I'm feeling lazy in my old age so I'm going auto and leather with as many toys as possible.

So far I'm looking at
E39
C Class
CLK
E Class
Saab 9-5

I want to try and stay around the 2l mark. I've looked at few cars and I'm leaning towards the E39 520. Is there anything else I've missed?

I've been looking on the cars sites and while I've seen some cars I like the looks of I'm hoping that the more knowledgeable people of Boards can help me out.

Thanks

deandean

The big renault - the Safrane, or the Yves St Laurent whatever - came well loaded.

Volvo V70 or S80

Camry, the 2.5 V6 is a cracker.

Beat of luck!

ottostreet

E39 523i at least...sure it's a little more on tax, but the 2.0 litre is a little underpowered for the size of the car...I think fuel economy is the same.

EPM

What about an S80 D5? It will be a bigger engine but you'd save a bit at the pumps with it being diesel.

voxpop

Wouldnt get a 520 with an auto - too slow. Go for a 525 auto - same cc as the 523 (2.5l) so same tax but a few more horses.

Otherwise you could pick up a 525d - people seem to like the bmw diesel and auto combo.

Stevie Dakota

Off that list E39 by far. E39 post 2001 had the 2.2 which was quite an improvement over the 2.0. I would agree the 2.0 with an auto would be both thirsty and slow. Getting a bit ropey at €5K so choose wisely!

Del2005

deandean wrote: »

The big renault - the Safrane, or the Yves St Laurent whatever - came well loaded.

Volvo V70 or S80

Camry, the 2.5 V6 is a cracker.

Beat of luck!

Yeah was looking at a some S80s, hard to find a V70 for my money.

ottostreet wrote: »

E39 523i at least...sure it's a little more on tax, but the 2.0 litre is a little underpowered for the size of the car...I think fuel economy is the same.

I'm looking at the 2.2. Not too worried about speed, more for comfort.

EPM wrote: »

What about an S80 D5? It will be a bigger engine but you'd save a bit at the pumps with it being diesel.

Was trying to stay away from 2.4s, but just checked the tax and it's only €60 more then a 2.2, thanks.

Voodoomelon

Mate got a 01 525i auto sport a few weeks back, €5400 with 70k miles, I wouldn't pay anymore than 5k for a similar example, my mate didn't do much haggling!

Plenty quick, and nice and smooth. The sport exhaust is a bit loud for my liking but i'm used to my E38.

Watch out for leaky radiators/expansion tanks/water hoses, old waterpumps, vibration or shimmy in the steering wheel when braking, jumpy gear changes, uneven wear on tyres, buttons falling off the centre console, aircon works, heater blowers working etc.

Great car, as said above its the pick of the bunch.

Seweryn

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Mate got a 01 525i auto sport a few weeks back, €5400 with 70k miles, I wouldn't pay anymore than 5k for a similar example, my mate didn't do much haggling!

Plenty quick, and nice and smooth. The sport exhaust is a bit loud for my liking but i'm used to my E38.

Watch out for leaky radiators/expansion tanks/water hoses, old waterpumps, vibration or shimmy in the steering wheel when braking, jumpy gear changes, uneven wear on tyres, buttons falling off the centre console, aircon works, heater blowers working etc.

Great car, as said above its the pick of the bunch.

E39 is a great car to drive. I used to have a 523iA and I liked it, however they have very sensitive cooling system, so check this out properly. It looks like the engineers designed the whole car, and then they did the cooling system last minute before the launch of production.

Voodoomelon

Its classic BMW, they use plastic for parts that heat up and cool down, why?! Water pump impeller should have been metal, thermostat housing should have been metal, expansion tank inlets and outlets should have been metal, with the tank itself thicker plastic, radiator neck should have been metal etc etc.

Lazy bastards, sure why would they care once the cars out of warranty? They did it on purpose IMO, nice easy money maker for the dealer to swap out cooling parts over the life of the car.

Seweryn

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Its classic BMW, they use plastic for parts that heat up and cool down, why?! Water pump impeller should have been metal, thermostat housing should have been metal, expansion tank inlets and outlets should have been metal, with the tank itself thicker plastic, radiator neck should have been metal etc etc.

Lazy bastards, sure why would they care once the cars out of warranty? They did it on purpose IMO, nice easy money maker for the dealer to swap out cooling parts over the life of the car.

Yeah, on one hand you have a really good, lovely sounding engine, but when you look closer, you can see these pieces of cheap cr@p plastic bits that you are afraid to touch in case they fell of the engine.

By the way, the E39 was the only car in my 15-year driving that ever let me down mechanically (water pump exploded :rolleyes:). It was also the youngest car with the lowest mileage I have had.

Voodoomelon

Unlucky, I should start to replace mine bit by bit before it starts to let me down, i'll be doing waterpump, hoses, expansion tank, belts and tensioners when the weather gets better.

tweedledee

Most 5's and 7's pre 2002 will have major engine probs,as Voodoo said,all those pokey plastic bits on very important engine functions.I had an awesome E38,2001 V8 Sport,the car itself was rock solid,fast as hell but the bitty parts in the high performance V8 were ****e.Power steering hoses,rads,coolants,fan,thermos etc etc were made of garbage,same probs accross the line,AVOID old Beemers.

Seweryn

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Unlucky, I should start to replace mine bit by bit before it starts to let me down, i'll be doing waterpump, hoses, expansion tank, belts and tensioners when the weather gets better.

The only positive thing about it is that these cheap bits are cheap. I remember I paid something like 9 Stg for the thermostat and 11 for the housing. Water pump was around 48 Euro in my local motorshop.

When I sold my E39, the next morning I got a call from the new owner who got stuck in a sunny day with the coolant leaking of the radiator and I heard all the horror stories. We brought the car back to my place and fortunately the leak was only through the expansion cap tank, so I helped him to sort it out.

All in all, it would be a brilliant car, if all the parts were designed the right way.

Voodoomelon

I remember you saying that alright, bad luck on his part!

I certainly wouldn't avoid old BMWs, if you're handy with a spanner you can have the whole cooling system replaced in half a day no problem, and thats with basic tools and basic knowledge. As Seweryn said, its not too expensive either. Then again, my thermostat and housing was over €75 and thats from the north, its more expensive down here, must be more expensive than an E39 one.

EDIT: Example: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056030833&highlight=failed+thermostat

unkel

As others said, you'll have a 525i E39 for your budget no problem. It's the one to go for really - tax is only a few hundred more than a 2l car. But you haven't stated what's most important to you. If it is comfort that's more important than driving abilities, the E200K is the one to go for

tweedledee wrote: »

Most 5's and 7's pre 2002 will have major engine probs

I've had three of those over the past 10 years, on average 12 years old when I sold them and I never had any engine problems on any of them...

Seweryn

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I certainly wouldn't avoid old BMWs, if you're handy with a spanner you can have the whole cooling system replaced in half a day no problem, and thats with basic tools and basic knowledge.

That special spanner saved my life after last Christmas, when my water softener cylinder burst after the big freeze. I needed 32mm flat spanner to fix the water supply in emergency, before the garage got flooded... The spanner was just right there handy, the same one that I bought only to undo the viscous fan in the cooling system in my BMW .

I am not sure why your thermostat was as much as 75 Euro, while it is the same M52 engine as in my BMW. Unless they fitted a different unit in the M52TU engine. I think they did actually, but the price should not be much different.

skyhighflyer

Although the 520i is probably the pick, how about?

Alfa 166

Find a 3.0 V6 with the lovely Momo leather interior and an auto box

Opel Omega

You can get a 2.2 one of these with an auto box and leather for next to nothing. RWD too.

Saab 9-5 Aero HOT

A properly quick car, would probably come in under budget

Voodoomelon

Seweryn wrote: »

That special spanner saved my life after last Christmas, when my water softener cylinder burst after the big freeze. I needed 32mm flat spanner to fix the water supply in emergency, before the garage got flooded... The spanner was just right there handy, the same one that I bought only to undo the viscous fan in the cooling system in my BMW .

I am not sure why your thermostat was as much as 75 Euro, while it is the same M52 engine as in my BMW. Unless they fitted a different unit in the M52TU engine. I think they did actually, but the price should not be much different.

Yup, got my spanner in Halfords, €14 I think. Have the reciept here, thats how much the housing cost.

Del2005

unkel wrote: »

As others said, you'll have a 525i E39 for your budget no problem. It's the one to go for really - tax is only a few hundred more than a 2l car. But you haven't stated what's most important to you. If it is comfort that's more important than driving abilities, the E200K is the one to go for

Looking for comfort but want it to go around corners without frightening me. Hired a Mercury Grand Marquis in the US a few years ago, lovely comfortable car, I've driven trucks that handled better.

skyhighflyer wrote: »

Although the 520i is probably the pick, how about?

Alfa 166

Find a 3.0 V6 with the lovely Momo leather interior and an auto box

I don't fancy paying €1300 tax, I'm loath to pay €900 but can live with it if needed

skyhighflyer wrote: »

Opel Omega

You can get a 2.2 one of these with an auto box and leather for next to nothing. RWD too.

Not a big fan of the Omega

skyhighflyer wrote: »

Saab 9-5 Aero HOT

A properly quick car, would probably come in under budget

Will have to check this out, thanks.

Voodoomelon wrote: »

I remember you saying that alright, bad luck on his part!

I certainly wouldn't avoid old BMWs, if you're handy with a spanner you can have the whole cooling system replaced in half a day no problem, and thats with basic tools and basic knowledge. As Seweryn said, its not too expensive either. Then again, my thermostat and housing was over €75 and thats from the north, its more expensive down here, must be more expensive than an E39 one.

EDIT: Example: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056030833&highlight=failed+thermostat

I've a bit of skill under the bonnet and when I get stumped my mechanic is free!