Upgrade Time

My e39 lasted 207k miles, it was a good run but I am ready to upgrade. The transmission went out and I do not want to put all that money into it. I had a 2001 525i and now I am looking to get into a 530 or 535 in the year range of 2004 and above.

I am interested in the normal failures or headscratchers in these autos. For instance, the e39 is famous for the cooling system needing to be overhauled every 100k. I also had to replace all the pulleys and runners for the belt system. Not to mention leaking power steering and what seemed to be a constant struggle to find all oil leaks towards the end.

Are there any differences across years worth mentioning?

I am also a little puzzled why I am seeing many 545-550's for sale at relatively same price as some 530-535's. Any insight there?

My non-expert reply:
The things you should look for in a 535 are the fuel injectors and pump. These engines have a high pressure pump and apparently fragile injectors, so they seem to go out.

Just make sure it has been serviced regularly

The wagons have roof leaks that end up frying the electrics in the trunk

make sure you keep the drains in the track clear

There is also an oil leak at the front, top of the engine that is an easy fix

The 535 is the perfect balance of power and weight. The handling, in my opinion, is better due to the decreased weight over the front wheels.
You can easily tune the twin turbo engine to over 400hp.
Some reputable magazines have put the stock output closer to 340hp. BMW probably lowered the released number so as not to step on the previous M3s 333hp claims.

I have the 535 wagon and it is the BEST Grand Tourer I have ever owned. It is not a drag racer, but will take me to Vegas at 90 without blinking an angel eye.

Good luck

FYI 5 series V8's are expensive to maintain/fix and most 545/550 usually have higher options packages which involve electronics which will and do fail and are expensive to fix the E60 is a more expensive car to deal with than the e39

Originally Posted by MRV99

FYI 5 series V8's are expensive to maintain/fix and most 545/550 usually have higher options packages which involve electronics which will and do fail and are expensive to fix the E60 is a more expensive car to deal with than the e39

YMMV

Now at 70,000 miles, my 550 has still had zero mechanical or electrical failures. By this point of ownership with my E39, I had already had several very expensive repairs (coolant system, driveline, front suspension, head gasket). The '08 550i V8 engine is just about bullet-proof if taken care of.