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Noob here. Spending 17k on a used e39 5 series.

9K views 63 replies 27 participants last post by  BMWEFOlogist 
#1 ·
Hello, this is my first post. I basically want estimations/ideas from people.

Please before you attack me, yes I understand I have to do my research first, I know that. I will read and learn non stop for the next months to come by. I am just really curious about something, and would like an estimation from someone.

Say I get a used e39 528i for 2 grand. With 17k cash to spend on mods, what could I do? The car would be in pretty bad but drivable shape obviously, so could I basically get a kick-ass e39 in the end? s62 swap, brakes, suspension etc . I know I sound like such an idiot, but again I am just extremely eager to know what sort of e39 I would end up with spending 17k Canadian cash. For an engine swap I would like to do an s62 swap, and if it's possible supercharge it (ESS vt1-525, costs 6 grand) but ONLY if il have enough money in the end which I doubt, by that means il still be extremely happy with a 400bhp s62.

So again I just want an idea of what I could do with 17k on a used e39 528, or 540i? Engine swap will be done for sure. And now to research non-stop.

If I'm going to spend 17k on a e39 which model 5 series should I get, does it matter? since I will be modifying it so heavily.

Thank you very much
 
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#6 ·
$17000? Thats an odd number. I assume you picked that amount because thats every single penny you have. Not very wise. This car is very expensive to drive. No point looking like a baller if you have to keep it parked because you have no money left to fix it when it breaks.

I would spend less than half of that and get:
M5 diff, coilovers, exhaust, rebuild vanos and guides, and extra wheels.

$17000 in mods and you would have a fake m5 for the same price you could have just boughten a real one.
 
#7 ·
$17000? Thats an odd number. I assume you picked that amount because thats every single penny you have. Not very wise. This car is very expensive to drive. No point looking like a baller if you have to keep it parked because you have no money left to fix it when it breaks.

I would spend less than half of that and get:
M5 diff, coilovers, exhaust, rebuild vanos and guides, and extra wheels.

$17000 in mods and you would have a fake m5 for the same price you could have just boughten a real one.
A fake M5, without the insurance of one :thumbup:

Anyway, OP I'd get a 2003 540i 6-speed and slap a supercharger on it and call it quits.
 
#8 ·
The m5 engine costs way more to maintain and mod, go 540!
 
#10 ·
It might be possible....but it would be way more efficient to do an engine swap. I've seen people put lsx engines in their 540s that push 500hp for <$6k
 
#11 ·
Start with a base 540 6-speed, and take a driver's course (similar to what we call Sports Car Club of America here) learning to autocross and track properly.

What you will find out is that with "only" 282bhp these cars are incredibly capable if driven properly. You sound young, and this much car is actually a Lot to handle. It's the real world here, these cars cost a lot of money to keep up...and if you have that much to start with you should be able to afford insurance too - it's all part of the running costs to OWN, not just Buy a car like an e39. That $17k goes really quick, and there's a lot of better uses for it...
 
#12 · (Edited)
You want to research, start here. Here is some reading for you..
Work to do on a new E39 at 100k
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=23905929&postcount=6

Next, do you really need a crazy engine?
Have you driven a 530i?
540i's will cost more to maintain.

Don't dump $15k into a $2k car.
You're a LOT better off dumping $10k into a $7k car.

Buy a nice car to start with.
And focus on mechanicals first. (read link above)
 
#19 · (Edited)
Um... One thing that the above posters have tried to stress is the upkeep of BMW's. Is this your first BMW (I assume so) and is it your first car?

BMW's are not Honda's or Toyota's, in the sense that you can supercharge and turbocharge a Civic SI and it probably won't complain, the same with the Scion's. However, BMW doesn't focus on power so much as the whole picture. Have you driven the e39 yet? I highly recommend a 2003 525i Manual (I am biased so what), the engine is the smallest made, but it is the last year and has most of the updates. Uses synthetic oil and the engine is bulletproof along with the transmission.

I have driven the e39 M5 and had it for a few weeks (a friend lent it to me) it was a 2003 and was amazing, but as a daily driver, I have to say I enjoy my 525i more. And power like above is not everything with these cars. And a 525i is probably the lowest insurance bracket you can get on the e39.

Assuming this will be your first BMW, I highly recommend getting a car in good condition and go to autocross events to learn why BMW doesn't solely focus on power and why these ARE the Ultimate Driving Machines. I can't stress the upkeep required on these cars, they are reliable but one must treat them as olympic athletes. They need care, but will astound you every time you drive them.
 
#15 ·
I'm not sure the 2k would be a good idea. Yes if you are planning on heavily modifying the car it may not make sense to spend a ton a car when you are only going to replace a lot, but at the same time you don't want a car that is beat to hell because then you will have to replace everything and you won't have enough left for the big mods you want.

Couple items to keep in mind
The I6 and V8 cars used a different steering setup. The V8s use a recirculating ball system since the rack and pinion system the I6 cars used did not offer enough clearance with the v8 engine. So if you are going to swap a v8 into an I6 car you will have to swap in the v8 steering system and possibly the whole v8 sub-frame to make the s62 engine fit. So if you are set on an supercharged s62 it might be a better idea to build off a 540 rather than a 525/528/530. Also the v8s are heavier so the front shocks and springs are a different spec and you would have to change those too, but you already mentioned you would be doing that.

Probably not an issue if you want a bbk or have to have m5 brakes, but the 530 got the same front brakes as the 540. The 525 and 528 have smaller front brakes.

If you are thinking about doing an engine swap another option is to do a 2JZ or LSx swap. Do some searching I know there are a couple of people who have done LS1 swaps here. I know there have been 2JZ swaps in e39s, but I am not sure if anyone has written it up. if you are going after max HP I think turbo charged 2JZs have put out some crazy numbers.

I would do some searching here to see what exactly is involved in 2JZ, Lx1, S62 swaps. If you are handy and know what you are doing it can be done, but if you have to pay for someone else to do the work it is going to get very expensive in a hurry. But you probably know that already.

A 540 in good shape and supercharging it rather than doing an s62 swap and supercharging that might be a good route.

I have not idea how it is Canada, but just make sure you can get the car registered, insured, pass emissions and there are not any weird restrictions. I think I remember someone saying something about requirements in their state being that the chassis had to be newer than the engine otherwise registering the car was a serious headache. Basically just make you get the info for your area before you buy the car and sink money into a supercharger or engine swap. I am guessing this will be more of an issue for engine swaps than superchargers.

There is also someone who is doing a turbo on a 530
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1736215

First off - welcome

Now... WTF? :yikes: $17,000 is just a few thousand short of an M5. Get a 2003 540/6 and put the rest aside for maintenance.
Sounds like a make work project you are starting there....best of luck
Noo the 2003 540/6 should be left unmolested.
 
#21 ·
Stop thinking about blowing 17K on a car. This money is worth more to you down the road in life, than it will be now blowing it on a car.

Go to school, get your degree in a good field, get a job, and make good money. Then you can afford to play with big expensive things without worrying *TOO* much.
 
#26 ·
Stop thinking about blowing 17K on a car. This money is worth more to you down the road in life, than it will be now blowing it on a car.

Go to school, get your degree in a good field, get a job, and make good money. Then you can afford to play with big expensive things without worrying *TOO* much.
This +1!! One day, you'll really appreciate it.
 
#22 ·
However, BMW doesn't focus on power so much as the whole picture. Have you driven the e39 yet? I highly recommend a 2003 525i Manual (I am biased so what), the engine is the smallest made, but it is the last year and has most of the updates. Uses synthetic oil and the engine is bulletproof along with the transmission.
Let me take this thought one step further. Why are you thinking BMW at all? If HP is your main goal, there are other makes that will yield a far better $$ in, HP out factor than BMW. And be easier to maintain.

Just giving you more to think about.
 
#23 ·
Im not going to nag about spending 17k on a 12 year old car. I probably put 1k in mine already.

why don't you just buy e36 m3 put some nice mods on it. e36 m3 probably run you 7k for a nice one. so 3 k in mods and then call it a day save the 10k for a future m5 or 550i purchase, not an e39, an f10 or e60.
 
#24 ·
^^agreed...even tho mine "looks" like an M3 I still wish I had one for the extra power under the hood..yea I could do an M3 swap but the funds aren't in my pocket right now :(...you on the other hand could purchase one with the cash on hand and u can ask any M3 owner how fun they are! I would say a lot better than an e39 I had one prior to getting my e36. I miss my e39...but love my e36!
 
#25 ·
I have never owned an e36 but I love the look of the m3 version much better than e46. From what in here it is much more nimble than e39 and probably gets a lot better mpgs. That being said I love my 540 01 m sport 6 speed and wouldn't trade it for anything. The only problem with e39 is it handles like a truck through corners my dads e60 is much better. I'm installing a m5 sway on my car soon supposedly that helps out.
 
#27 ·
You know what. Il just get a 300zx non turbo and do a Twin turbo engine swap, upgrade the turbos, suspension, brakes some other things and i'l leave it at that. I think I should go jdm for my first car with the reliability and cheapness of parts
 
#28 · (Edited)
Please stop. You are completely contradicting yourself. You say you want cheapness of parts, but if you had done any research you would have seen that doing a twin turbo swap into a non turbo z32 is extremely cost prohibitive. Ask anyone on a z forum, the question has been brought up 1000 times, they'll say just start with a turbo car.

Seriously, save your money, invest in an education and a cheap reliable hot hatch, and work your way up. Just because you have money, does NOT mean you need to spend it.

How old are you? What is your profession/occupation?
 
#30 ·
Get a 2002-2003 540i 6 speed manual in good condition for 10-11k and drop an M5 engine in it. and u may have 1-2k left for wheels and other things. and you wont need to do much more. because the interior on the 2002-2003 sports e39s is already sick. if you buy a 528 for 2k. ur gonna spend 10k to make it look like an 02-03 5 seires not to mention all the problems... u will never run the car for a month str8 withought problems
 
#33 ·
Don't supercharge a 540 unless you already own one. Buy an M5 if you want the speed.

I suggest getting an older 540 for around 6K and saving the 11K for repairs/future

DRIVE some cars. You may be drooling over numbers on the internet too long. I am guilty of this sometimes, then I drive my car and realize, wow, it's plenty of car for me.
 
#34 ·
true. I think I would be dead if I owned an m5. 540i is enough car for me it wants to go fast. I swear it has a mind of it own. I think its trying to kill me. The only performance mods I'm doing is in handling. m5 sway bar and hopefully konis. The e39 not nearly as refined has my dads e60 no matter what anyone says about the e60 I like the car and its not ugly.
 
#35 ·
M5 sway bar dials out so much of the boatness its shocking, do it asap. Simple to do yourself or cheap my mechanic charged under $40 to install swaybar and new swaybar links. Best upgrade sub $200 and you could do it for $100 or less yourself. The car went from the boat to the nimble sedan.

BTW, the E60 is ugly.
 
#37 · (Edited)
Much better, but I don't know if getting new swaybar links helped as well. But E60 is probably still better for corners (maybe you can make a post after swaybar)-- newer tech though it is slightly longer. Never driven one though, probably never will. F10 would be my next 5 series, but the E39 might be my last (size creep). I just can't deal with E60 or most bangle stuff.
 
#44 ·
I think that most of the cars will need a lot of work that are used, unless you luck out and find a board member selling.

You can absolutely get a "proper" one for 5-8K. You seem willing to do engine swaps, why not pick up the cheapest car that has clean exterior paint in a color you like and plan on doing suspension refresh and cooling system yourself. People usually dump these cars when the next big bill is coming up, not usually when everything is taken care of. A new suspension will help you travel around corners fast, the weak point of the sedan.
 
#39 ·
That's a much better plan - you ought to be able to find one for around 7-8k, and I would encourage you to consider as new of a unit (with good records) as possible.

Get a Pre-Purchase Inspection done so you'll know what you are up against and Good luck with the search.
 
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