Johan928

I've owned a 2002 540iA (with the sports package) and a 2003 540i6 with the M-sport package the 6 speed manual. The 540i6 is by far one of my favorite sedans with regards to making you smile when you drive it. A bit like the 928 in that it has good power and torque, and it's own problem areas.

Yes, the E39 has it's issues (radiators, etc.), but I think it is a good car and value for the money now that it is no longer in production. I've read that the ZF automatic is not up to the torque produced by the 4.4L V-8, and often doesn't last past 100k miles, and I prefer the manual transmission in the car because I live in a rural area.

My current daily driver is a 2003 525iT with the sports package and 135,000 miles. I love the car and the in-line six is exceptionally smooth and does well on the highway (I am averaging 27-29 mpg on my work trips.)

Good cars, the E39's.

fabric

I can 't believe I forgot about the transmission. Some people have problems with the tranny at 100K. I've never heard it said that the V8 was the problem - usually it's the "no-change fluid" that's blamed.

An informal poll on Bimmerforums found only a few people out of over 100 who had problems, and it didn't seem that related to if you had the tranny fluid changed or not. But the failure rate was still pretty low. I'm probably going to take my 5 to an indy and have the tranny fluid changed, I'm at 60K and 4 years, which is about right for synthetic, but apparently it's not that cheap. ANd if it craps out, I've probably voided it's warranty. A lovely Catch-22.



Did they expand on those "some" problems? The 2 real problems with 5 series are ones that affect all models - crappy radiators and a potential transmission issue. For all the talk of the "problems" with BMW V8s, all you get is vague comments like this. Most of the negative comments on Bimmerforum about the E39 V8 came from people driving - yup, E39 inline-6's. I don't doubt that when it's time to work on V8, it's probably more work than the I6, maybe that's why mechanics don't like it.

Your "a to b" comment almost sounds like you haven't driven a BMW, but I suspect you have. Must be rough when the most boring car you drive is a BMW.

Hilton

Something a little different that no-one's mentioned..

Volkswagen Phaeton W12?

Its fast, has AWD and lets face it, W12 engines are just cool

If you need to tow stuff then its not on the list, but otherwise worth a look? (VW say the W12 isn't rated for towing)

Jfrahm

It was after sitting in a Phaeton in the Autostadt that I decided to get an A8. I could see getting a used Phaeton someday... with a warranty though.

-Joel.

laneskelton

I remember my friend telling me that the BMW v8s have problems with main bolts. Everytime I ask him how business is going he says that they are working on a bunch of crappy v8s.

As for my experiance with BMWs I have driven almost every model made. The most disapointing car that I have ever drive was a BMW 850i. I had always loved the looks of the 850i and it drove like a pig. Heavy, and slow. I love old BMW 2002s and 2800s, and 3.0 csis. My brother has a 2000 BMW 740i with sport package, I have driven several 2002s, e30 m3s, e36 325s, 328s, and m3s, e46 m3s, 328s, and 330s, I have also driven every generation 5 series, and most recently I drove my friends new 335ci for about 100 miles home from the crappy dealership where he bought his car. Bmw cars are nice, and handle good, but I hate that they are compared to Porshes in anyway. The 335ci that I drove doesn't have any soul, and I found it boring to drive compared to any Porsche I have driven from old 911s, 914s, 944s, 928s, or my 996. As a family car I would look at BMW, Audi. I have heard some really bad things about newer vws, volvos, and mercedes. My 1995 325i was the most unreliable, hardest to work on car that I have ever owned (I have owned about 30 cars) I commuted in it and compared with my previous commuters (old Audi 4000 quattro, and Volvo 740) it was a peice of %&*$. My volvo and Audi were dead reliable, which took a lot of stress out of my daily commute, and made it so that I could pour money into cars that were worth putting money into.

JG928S4

I drive an A4 turbo quattro, get some snow a few times a year, commute 120 miles a day, at least once a week, to every day in the 928. A late S4 would be a good hy-brid of the both w/the V8 power...hummm......

StevenB

I would have to disagree with this comment. My "other" car is a 2007 335i coupe and I find it the has a tremendous soul. Maybe you drove the auto. I did find that version uninspiring, but not my 6 speed. It is a beast when you want it to be but can also be as civilized as your heart desires. It is probably not a track car in stock form, but it does make a superior commuter car, IMHO.

Sorry if I am a little OT.

Nicole

Many years ago I went to a public auto auction with some friends who were looking for a car. There I saw a 95 Saab 900 5-door with V6, Automatic, and pretty much all options you can imagine. I had seen such cars advertised between $14 and $15k - which was more than I would have spent on a daily driver.

So I asked the owners of the auction what they thought it would go for, and they guessed between $9k and $10k. Well, there was one other person biddding, so it was slightly over $10k, plus 10% auction fee and the usual taxes and registration stuff. But in the end I saved about $4k on a very practical car. Not perfect, but pretty darn good for the money... I've had it for 7 years and over 50k miles now.

fabric

[QUOTE=laneskelton;4637243]I remember my friend telling me that the BMW v8s have problems with main bolts. Everytime I ask him how business is going he says that they are working on a bunch of crappy v8s.
[/quoute]

You may not have this info, but what years? I know that the first gen V8's from the mid '90's were really pretty bad.



Perfectly fair. For the most part they aren't really comparable, so it doesn't make a lot of sense anyway, save the Z4/Boxster/Caymen, which are yet still different interpretations of a theme. You just came across as completely anti-BMW, but this clearly isn't the case. However, as a complement to a Porsche, it's hard to beat a BMW IMO as a practical yet fun car.

Tom in Austin

Try a Civic Hybrid, my "other car" ... get 45 mpg and PZEV emissions with near-Lexus comfort and quiet, and help Al Gore save the earth. Auto-stop and fully-electric glide mode are a whole new experience and really make sense if you drive in a congested urban area like I do.

Like a 928 or LS400, beautifully engineered and built, just aimed at a different set of objectives.

RicerSchnitzzle

I'n thinking about a well sorted '95 968 for a daily driver this spring. I wanted an S4 to go with the OB, but decided against it. Just think with 2 sharks I would always drive the better one, neglecting the other.
968 are a hoot to drive and look very modern, IMO. Also has the uniqueness that sharks enjoy. A nice one will only run you $10K+/-

fabric

And an A/C that shuts off when the engine does (the newest ones don't do that at least). Near Lexus-Comfort? That wasn't my experience - it's still a Civic, nice though they are, although the one I rode in wasn't even up to normal Honda standards in my book due to some horrible vibration.

Stop at the 45mpg and quit while you are ahead.

wds928

When I bought my 928 4 years ago, I already had (and still have) an old 89 Suburban. Very useful at times, but still a big thirsty pig, and not much fun to drive.

I was putting too many miles on the 928! So I ran across a 1992 Mercedes 500E locally and bought it for $10k. It's my daily drive and I've put about 40,000 miles on it in almost 3 years. Now the 928 is lucky to be driven 5,000 miles a year. Like the V-8 BMW's, the Mercedes 500E is a great car, plus it was built by Porsche!

Changing oil, filter, plugs, rotors and distributor caps is similar to the 928.

piccardo

The BMW 335i is a proper sporting car with a confortable and quiet ride. Tonns of grip and 300 Hp. hard to beat.

Rob Edwards

My DD is a '95 525iT, bought in 2000 with 58K miles. Now has 126K miles, and other than replacing the plastic-end tank radiator twice, the water pump once, and the A/C compressor, it has consumed only tires and Mobil 1. The original tranny still shifts like new, I have changed the fluid 4 times in 7 years. I will drive it until the tranny lets go.

My next daily driver will be a federalized '93 or '94 Euro M5T, there's a guy about 10 miles away who is in this biz. The wife has an Accord that we use for family hauling. Life is too short for boring cars!