Why so cheap?

bmwguy

http://www.cbg.ie/mobile/bmw-5-series-2.2-2003-dublin

Good looking low mileage e39 2003 from a dealer for only a grand? Probably walk out with it for 800-900. Assuming it checks out, what's the catch? Just being realistic

looks like awesome value to me

colm_mcm

It's only got 3 months test. E39 can be a minefield. Bill is no fool either, you can be sure its priced correctly

Underpaid Mike

Bought a 04 e class from Bill last year "cheap".
Shook my hand after I paid him and he said now if i were you id take that car to a really good mechanic and let him service it for you. Two weeks later id spent a small fortune on the damn thing. Advice is if it looks too cheap, then it is for a very very good reason!

Dale Parish

No car is more expensive than a cheap BMW

dgt

Dale Parish wrote: »

No car is more expensive than a cheap BMW

I must have got lucky with my old 520, tested and all... All i did was a service and change the odd tyre, sold on for 200 and no money lost! :cool:

Alanstrainor

All e39, e46 will need work done at this age. Unless you're buying from an enthusiast who has minded it you'll have cooling components, and suspension parts to see too immediately imo.

166man

Car is guaranteed to need suspension work, replacement water pump, possibly a radiator, E39's tend to warp front discs also.

It's fine to buy a €1k E39 so long as you understand that it's really a €2k car once you have spent a few bob on it.

Never buy a €1k BMW expecting it to owe you that after a year basically.

Foxhole Norman

Agree with what everyone has said, I looked at a few E39's of varying prices before settling on my own one, all the ones around €1000 - €1500 were dogs and needed a fair whack of work.

Spend 2k on a decent one and do the cooling which is the biggest job on these cars. I had to redo my cooling after 2 days of ownership due to a blown radiator, since then though it's been very reliable and I've only thrown about €100 in parts into it at the moment.

Trojan

Like Foxhole Norman, I bought an e39 525i recently. Here's my spend after ~6000 miles:

Trojan wrote: »

Here's an update on my bangernomics purchase - 2002 BMW 525iA (e39) - after 3 months.

€1,150.00 Initial Purchase.
€110.00 Valet (day 1)
€200.00 Rear brake lines (week 1)
€295.00 Alternator reconditioned and new battery (week 8)
€200.00 Fuel pump replaced with 2nd hand from low miler, plus a firmware update (week 12)

So that's a ~€1k car that's cost ~€2k.

Apart from the above, there's another grand's worth of suspension work that needs to be done at some point. I have had a good BMW indy look at it and he reckons it's far from urgent but I will need to get around to it at some point if I want to keep the car. At the moment it's driving quite well - lapping up the motorway miles which is 95% of my driving.

Foxhole Norman

Trojan wrote: »

Apart from the above, there's another grand's worth of suspension work that needs to be done at some point. I have had a good BMW indy look at it and he reckons it's far from urgent but I will need to get around to it at some point if I want to keep the car. At the moment it's driving quite well - lapping up the motorway miles which is 95% of my driving.

Yep, I'll be doing the same to mine either around the Summer or next year, that's it then for it I think.

UnknownSpecies

Look up what an enthusiast owned 520i is fetching at the moment. Expect to pay close to the difference in sale prices to have a well running car.

Trojan

dorgasm wrote: »

Look up what an enthusiast owned 520i is fetching at the moment.

About €3k for a nice clean car that's been very well looked after and shouldn't need any work.

UnknownSpecies

Trojan wrote: »

About €3k for a nice clean car that's been very well looked after and shouldn't need any work.

I'm actually surprised it's that low. Would have said €4-4.5k at a guess.

Foxhole Norman

dorgasm wrote: »

I'm actually surprised it's that low. Would have said €4-4.5k at a guess.

There's an absolutely immaculate 525i for sale down here by a huge enthusiast that does my diagnostics, looking for €3500 and it's worth every penny, even with 172K on the clock.

H3llR4iser

bmwguy wrote: »

http://www.cbg.ie/mobile/bmw-5-series-2.2-2003-dublin

Good looking low mileage e39 2003 from a dealer for only a grand? Probably walk out with it for 800-900. Assuming it checks out, what's the catch? Just being realistic

looks like awesome value to me

That's because you're most likely an enthusiast of the brand (going by your nickname).

In the eyes of the "average Joe Motorist", that car looks more or less like this:

- It's 12 years old, insurance companies will have a field trip with the premiums;
- It goes around with "03" on the plates, which makes people scoff at it;
- It's petrol;
- It's a 2.2L...951 Euro/year tax;
- It's near the magic 100k miles mark, after which Paddy down the pub says cars just fall apart (funny as in more metric-savvy countries, this limit is 100k KM);

The car certainly will need some work on it, possibly another 1 or 2 grands worth of it, but the ultimate reason is that it's just difficult to sell. They're probably not keen on waiting for an enthusiast to come around, so priced it in an interesting way.

UnknownSpecies

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

There's an absolutely immaculate 525i for sale down here by a huge enthusiast that does my diagnostics, looking for €3500 and it's worth every penny, even with 172K on the clock.

Wow I'd have been interested if that was around when I was looking. What year is it? Seems cheaper than similar E46s I was looking for.

Foxhole Norman

dorgasm wrote: »

Wow I'd have been interested if that was around when I was looking. What year is it? Seems cheaper than similar E46s I was looking for.

2002, it's Rebel.Ranters from BMWHaus's car, load of work done along with Lemforder arms, Paddle Shift wheel(Which I'll be doing ), cream leather on black. No NCT but he can do it if the buyer wants, taxed until April 15.

166man

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

2002, it's Rebel.Ranters from BMWHaus's car, load of work done along with Lemforder arms, Paddle Shift wheel(Which I'll be doing ), cream leather on black. No NCT but he can do it if the buyer wants, taxed until April 15.

Are Lemforder not a poor spurious part? I always thought they were...

OEM for suspension arms all the way...!

Foxhole Norman

166man wrote: »

Are Lemforder not a poor spurious part? I always thought they were...

OEM for suspension arms all the way...!

Nope, Lemforder make the best E39 Suspension parts, everyone uses them in the suspension refresh.

*Edit, BMW OEM use both Lemforder and Meyle.

166man

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Nope, Lemforder make the best E39 Suspension parts, everyone uses them in the suspension refresh.

*Edit, BMW OEM use both Lemforder and Meyle.

Ah cool, I stand corrected Mr Fanboy...:D

Foxhole Norman

166man wrote: »

Ah cool, I stand corrected Mr Fanboy...:D

I don't even like BMW's.

UnknownSpecies

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Nope, Lemforder make the best E39 Suspension parts, everyone uses them in the suspension refresh.

*Edit, BMW OEM use both Lemforder and Meyle.

Used Meyle HD for my own wishbones and fcabs. Tightened it all up lovely. I think Lemforder use oil filled bushings whereas Meyle use hardened rubber. Strange they'd use two different types from factory, unless the Meyle they use are oil filled.

Foxhole Norman

dorgasm wrote: »

Used Meyle HD for my own wishbones and fcabs. Tightened it all up lovely. I think Lemforder use oil filled bushings whereas Meyle use hardened rubber. Strange they'd use two different types from factory, unless the Meyle they use are oil filled.

Not sure if it's specifically suspension but they both make OEM parts if you know what I mean.

UnknownSpecies

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Not sure if it's specifically suspension but they both make OEM parts if you know what I mean.

Ah yea I get ya. I was only thinking suspension.

Atlantic Dawn

H3llR4iser wrote: »

- It's near the magic 100k miles mark, after which Paddy down the pub says cars just fall apart .

Yes I love when they hit 100k miles, dealers and sellers want rid of them quick, making my cash go really far with little work bargaining down. A maintained car with regular oil changes should do another 100k with little worry.

bmwguy

H3llR4iser wrote: »

That's because you're most likely an enthusiast of the brand (going by your nickname).

In the eyes of the "average Joe Motorist", that car looks more or less like this:

- It's 12 years old, insurance companies will have a field trip with the premiums;
- It goes around with "03" on the plates, which makes people scoff at it;
- It's petrol;
- It's a 2.2L...951 Euro/year tax;
- It's near the magic 100k miles mark, after which Paddy down the pub says cars just fall apart (funny as in more metric-savvy countries, this limit is 100k KM);

The car certainly will need some work on it, possibly another 1 or 2 grands worth of it, but the ultimate reason is that it's just difficult to sell. They're probably not keen on waiting for an enthusiast to come around, so priced it in an interesting way.

Not particularly an enthusiast, I do like them though and have a 525 sport. Just did not think they were gone that cheap, even ones needing work tended to ask 2 to 3 grand. The name came from when I was registering I was on boards specifically to ask questions about them, don't like the username actually!

Voodoomelon

Weird that it has the manual temperature controls for a 2003.

Foxhole Norman

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Weird that it has the manual temperature controls for a 2003.

Most Irish cars had Manual controls on the cars I was looking at, Dual Zone never became standard.

166man

Mine was an irish car from new and had it I believe....

Foxhole Norman

166man wrote: »

Mine was an irish car from new and had it I believe....

Most :P

166man

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Most :P

All this BMW talk is making me miss mine.......:o

Gumbo

Foxhole Norman wrote: »

Most :P

Norman do you mind me asking what kind of real world mpg figures you are getting from the 525i?

Hal1

If you buy that car, it will very soon become a project car.

cerastes

H3llR4iser wrote: »

That's because you're most likely an enthusiast of the brand (going by your nickname).

In the eyes of the "average Joe Motorist", that car looks more or less like this:

- It's 12 years old, insurance companies will have a field trip with the premiums;
- It goes around with "03" on the plates, which makes people scoff at it;
- It's petrol;
- It's a 2.2L...951 Euro/year tax;
- It's near the magic 100k miles mark, after which Paddy down the pub says cars just fall apart (funny as in more metric-savvy countries, this limit is 100k KM);

The car certainly will need some work on it, possibly another 1 or 2 grands worth of it, but the ultimate reason is that it's just difficult to sell. They're probably not keen on waiting for an enthusiast to come around, so priced it in an interesting way.

Are you saying that on the continent, there is a trend for owners to start disposing of them at 62,500 miles? meaning worse than us?

Foxhole Norman

kceire wrote: »

Norman do you mind me asking what kind of real world mpg figures you are getting from the 525i?

Averaging 18.5 with I'd say a 60/40 City/Dual Carriageway. I do about 200 miles a week and at current rates costs me around €55 to fill back up. Motorway spins to Dublin/Galway would have the car hitting 35MPG while cruising at 130. It's not bad for an auto I find and I don't hang about either :P

H3llR4iser

cerastes wrote: »

Are you saying that on the continent, there is a trend for owners to start disposing of them at 62,500 miles? meaning worse than us?

Not disposing them, but the "psychological barrier" is indeed at 100.000 - if you're selling a second hand car, you're much more likely to get more money if it has 99.000 on the clock than 101.000 (where, to say, there won't be any difference between 95.000 and 99.000, or 101.000 and 103.000).

That said, it's not like they crush them - in many EU countries there are plenty of 15 and even 20 years old cars still perfectly going around, with 200k or even 300k km on the clock.