advice on the pros/cons of buying an 02 5 series

barney 20v

Hi all, i'm looking for opinions on the 01-02 5 series BMW. I'm currently driving a mk 4 golf Gti totally standard and i am trying to decide if a diesel 5 series is a good choice for my next car.... i am no mechanic but i do know a good deal about motors in general but i am in the dark on BMW'S, heres a few things i need to take into consideration.
1. I have just landed a new job "thank jebus!" and my weekly commute will be 240 miles so fuel costs are a factor.
2.I am used to a bit of poke so performance is a factor but not as much as with my previous motors.
3,Insurance is not really an issue but i won't stretch to taxing the 530D.
4.I am looking for an m pack motor with leather and auto.

Has anyone on here got any advice to offer on the 2.5 diesel ? i've been told over 40mpg is possible with sensible driving?
Basically i want to know any pros and cons of the 5 series as i know sfa about bmws
. any help will be greatly appreciated !

Voodoomelon

Two weak points of E39s, cooling system and suspension. Listen for any knocking noises when test driving, also for any vibration or shimmy through the wheel.

Try and look for the lowest mileage model you can, something around 80k is good. Its a plus if the waterpump, hoses and radiator were replaced, but not essential.

Tax difference between the 525 and the 530d is €500, not that bad. Consumption difference won't be much but the performance is a fair bit better with the 530d. You can get it remapped also to over 250bhp.

ShiresV2

barney 20v wrote: »

1. I have just landed a new job "thank jebus!" and my weekly commute will be 240 miles so fuel costs are a factor.
2.I am used to a bit of poke so performance is a factor but not as much as with my previous motors.

UK brochure including performance figures and MPG etc:

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/attachments/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/4017d1108054942-oem-e39-m5-camshafts-same-e39-540-bmw5er.pdf

ShiresV2

Voodoomelon wrote: »

Two weak points of E39s, cooling system and suspension. Listen for any knocking noises when test driving, also for any vibration or shimmy through the wheel.

What he said. Once overheated the alloy engines are scrap.

For the front suspension make sure to try braking hard from both low speed (say 50kph) and ideally higher (say 100). If the steering wheel shakes it's not the end of the world but generally means you need new bushes (and probably control arms up front). I would deduct at least 500 for parts and I don't know what for labour.

barney 20v

ShiresV2 wrote: »

UK brochure including performance figures and MPG etc:

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/attachments/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/4017d1108054942-oem-e39-m5-camshafts-same-e39-540-bmw5er.pdf

Thats deadly, cheers for that.

Stevie Dakota

A brilliant car is you can find a good one, however as you are mindful of costs beware, as the wrong E39 can empty your bank account in minutes.

Fey!

I'm on my second 5 series (both petrol e39s) and love them; very comfortable to drive and great on long journeys.

For peace of mind, I'd look at paying the extra to a garage to get a decent warranty, as if you get unlucky with things going wrong it can get expensive.