Why I Bought My First BMW: 2003 E39 540i M-Sport Manual!
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- Опубликовано: 7 ноя 2017
- Am I insane to have bought a high mileage 2003 BMW 540i M-Sport? Time will tell.
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So nearly 7 months later, do you still own the car and how do you feel about it? Curious about any potential maintenance issues.
Perfect timing, check out my latest video 😉
Hah, nice! Great video btw. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
@@Zygrene get some e39 528i wheels on it it would look much meaner.
Those wheels are lit, dont change them..
Zygrene wouldn’t be surprised if it’s broken now lol
Honda guy " this is the first car I've had with LEGITIMATE TORQUE haha
I own a ‘95 540i and there’s no better feeling than owning a car that’s appreciating in value.
GA65318. sept '95 build. Alusil block. :-)
If anyone ever asks why I drive manual, it is always the same 3 answers;
1. Keeps you more focused and engaged
2. Gives you more control and a better driving experience
3. Most of all, it is always MORE FUN!
:)
Car sounds GREAT btw brotha. I'm a honda guy myself but I love many, many cars. S2k is my next car, but i will have many other cars lol. Hondas are just fun to work on and fun to drive.
Can't argue with that! 4) it's also a nice leg workout haha
Zygrene definitely! Lol. Driving stick for the first time after I had finished up training legs, well I'm proud to admit it was actually fun haha
1. I am focused and engaged plenty anyways as I like driving, so I am enjoying it even in me old Golf mk.2.
2. More control?? For what? You will only need it when trying to powerslide the car, but you also need LSD to do that which you probably don't have anyways.
3. And even more annoying. Last time I've heard "it's more fun" was last winter from my friend with RWD Volvo. Next thing you know is I was pushing his stupid bigass "fun" car up a hill so mild that I was really amazed how he couldn't have found any traction already. Like honestly, if you have to live with a MT car every day, I can't see the fun aspect.
conclusion: Get a car with a proper automatic and you won't ever feel the need, especially if you drive anything with four seats bigger than Golf. I'm not denying the importance of a MT in a car that's supposed to be fun and simple like S2000, MX-5, 350Z, GT-86, e46 M3, Sandero, you get the idea, but in a daily driver - really? What I want there most of all is just usability and comfort, right?
E39s are perfect daily drivers
Do. Not. Sell. This beauty. I sold mine in 2009 and it's now that one car I wish I never sold. It's hard to find these cars in that good condition.
I got an E38 and I love it, however, it's a beast! So I bought My wife a Low Miles E39 6 Cylinder, Agreed, DO NOT SELL!!! The E38s and E39s are the last of the great mechanical BMWs
V8
He’s selling it because he doesn’t know what he has.
He sold it only got 5500 (6000$ before bring a trailer fees)
@@startingtech3900 OMG
V8 just kicked in, yo!
4.4L V8 only making 282 hp... Weak..
@@multiblade04 On the dyno these cars put down about 270whp (and a bit more after the facelift when they added vanos) ... and after all this car was designed for the autobahn; to go fast for a longer period of time effortlessly... Its not a drag car, so you kind of missed the point
Bruno Begic I’m just saying your getting shit v8 gas mileage and like you said only getting 270hp in return
Dude I have one plenty of neck snapping power for average joe and we get 30 mpg highway. Are you high?
@@startingtech3900 nah he’s just a fucking goof, this car could have a 230hp V8 and still be amazing
e39 is by far one of the best bmw ever made, im a proud owner of one , wont trade it for a new one.
Speedgear 100 !!
The 2003 is the best version of the e39. Many updates to the model for that year..
I know the E39 had its weaknesses, but the positives outweigh any of that. I had an E34 540i 6-speed, what an amazing car. It was the longest I had ever owned a car in my 40 years of ownership, 8 years. Truly enjoyable experience. Some say I got off cheap, not ever having to make any major repairs. One clutch in 80k. I imagine the previous owner did one, but I only needed one. GA65318. The vin # I will remember for the rest of my days...
E39's always been my favorite 5. Electrics on them can be finnicky but they're a pleasure to drive
Not going to lie that car looks amazing
why my pp hard
@@isaacgordon2701 yooo 💀
I've had mine as a daily driver for the last 5 years. Normally I get bored and change my daily every year. It does comfy limo for transporting Mrs and kids and it does third gear clutch kick huge slides when they aren't in it. The best mod you can do to it is fit an E39 M5 limited slip differential (needs M5 propshaft and driveshafts to fit). That makes skidding more predictable but other than that it's perfect straight out the factory.
Still got mine and drive it every day, except in the winter. Nothing else can give you a total package in one car and be cheap to buy like an e39 540i. It’s not too bad on maintenenace and mine has been reliable *knock on wood.* I’ve got the DINAN exhaust and with the 6 speed and V8, it’s the best bang for your buck vehicle. Congrats!
Great review! I love the E39s! I had a modded 2006 E53 4.4i sport package up until last year...there seems to be a special bond between E39 and E53 drivers because I swear on the road more E39 drivers than any other type of BMW driver would stop and talk to me about it.
And much respect for switching it up, there are too many cool cars in this world to own. If you ever need any BMW repair advice hollah at cha boy we got you
hey i thinking about getting a 540i tomorrow, the guy says it needs a new ccv and has the usual symptoms. is there anything else thats really bad that can cause it to smoke and so on? if so should i stay away from it?
The CCV plate on the back of the intake manifold is common but there are still a few other potential causes of smoke and oil consumption, the CCV plate isn't too bad to do and I wouldn't let it deter you from buying the car. The other major problem is the cyclone separator thats behind the timing chain covers.There are plastic fittings on the separator that get really brittle and break and can cause the oil residue to back up in the pipe that goes to the CCV on the back of the intake manifold this can cause smoking and oil consumption as well. So I would start with the CCV on the back of the intake manifold but prepare for the worst. If you had a manometer and an oil cap with a fitting you could tell wether it was the CCV plate or other issues. If you don;t have access to these you could do a quick check and try to open the oil cap with the engine runniing, if it's difficult to open the cap (excessive vacuum on the crankcase) it's a good sign its just the CCV plate. There should be a little suction at the cap but not much
presteronetj thanks so much for the useful information, I’ll definitely check that out tomorrow. He did say he has a lot of the common problems these have fixed recently so I’ll look into all of that. I’m not a total noob, I’ve had e39 530i’s but just not familiar with the v8 problems on these. Thanks again hopefully I’ll get it!
presteronetj also if you’re a independent mechanic or can check out the car in the future to let me know about what it may need let me know👍🏽 I live in SoCal area
He will definitely need to."holler" at you, bmw reliability is notorious
Bro this thing is so clean I always find myself coming back to this video. I want a stock 540i one day. I really hope you’ve kept and cherished this beautiful machine!
Still have it! 133k miles and counting
I own one too! I love it! The sound, the look, easy to fix, everything!
I bet you fall in love with it and keep it longer
Fiveoh Four I also think so
I was thinking just that
No doubt
I bet $50 dollors that he'll keep it yes!
Fee Nicks i agree, if he sells it, he will regret it...
Great review brother. Welcome to the bmw family.
I used to own one of these back in 2009, it was silver with Eisenmann exhaust, was glorious with it's 6 speed manual.
Nice! I am so tempted to put an exhaust on mine... the car is pretty quiet from inside the cabin
you should do it, makes the car sound REALLY good. Watch for engine issues btw
V8 + manual + eisenmann is awesome :D
Get a DINAN for it !
You Sir had the perfect combination!
These cars are easy to love man. I hope you’ll be happy with it and keep it for longer than a year.
wow great find! those 540s are tough to find in manuals. subbed!!
I watch your videos on and off, and have been for years now. I like your POV on things since you're more of a driver rather than someone who just likes to cruise.
Seeing you buy this car got me excited for some reason. Hope to see more videos on this. Have been a big fan of the e39 m5 for a while now but i just cant justify their price. Maybe this is a nice alternative.
Great choice! Have fun driving it.
Daily driver issue is always relative to the person's life style and needs. So many people argue that you're "weak" cause you don't want to DD a manual car, two seater, or high horsepower, tuned suspension for the track, etc etc.. but really, when you just need something comfortable, something 4 door with cargo space, for daily commute route (traffic/road condition/etc), not many sports cars fit the bill WELL... especially modified examples. I've had my S2k for 10 years now since new and few motorcycles and always had a DD to the fleet, and it's the best "mod" I've done to my S2K and Ducati. But if you're rich then everything changes lol.
picked up a 02 bmw 540i auto non sport package about 4 months ago and I Love it. Shipped it back to Indiana when i moved back and have been enjoying it. its Straight piped from the Cat and let me tell you the sound is amazing, played the rev game with a shitty honda and made him shut up at the light he literally was shocked. great car cant wait to start the build on it to make it a drift monster. def will be keeping up with yours. I also said id only have mine for about 6 months but that changed quickly
These things are awesome. Basically a bargain e39 m5.
It's a very very lovely car, well specced and seems well taken care of, but a M5 it's not...I've had a few 540i/6 and I have an M5 now and there are similarities obvs but the M5 is in a different league, but twice as expensive to buy and even more so to run and maintain.
Yeah he "thinks" he's gotten a great deal on a used BMW. There's a reason why they have no resale value as they cost a stupid amount of money to maintain and repair break as they do. Most of these bimmers don't even have an oil dip stick as you have to rely on some stupid electronic sensors. Yeah so more things can break.
Eman 08 lol nah this one def has a dipstick and it should be alright to him
He better be prepared to spend a small fortune when all the electronic systems start breaking down as German cars are notorious for electrical problems as they age. My uncle just gotten rid of his 740iL money pit machine. He bought it for little as $3k and it broke down in one year after owning as the main computer went out on It. It broke down in his dad's yard that's been sitting non drivable for the past three years until my uncle finally towed it out of his dad's yard. Not only you have to get a ECU replacement you need the BMW ISTA/P dealer scan tool to reflash the computer that cost several thousands of dollars. Not only that you need a battery maintainer required for flashing ECUs to supply steady voltage to the battery while flashing so you don't brick the computer. A battery maintainer can set you back $2k-$3k like the Midtronics GR8 Series. Not only that you got to hire a locksmith to register the stupid computer and VIN number so that the car can start again. There's a reason why you can buy a $66k BMW used for 3 grand as these cars have absolutely not resale value what so ever.
Knowledgeable about '90--'00 BMW's you are not. They are very well built cars, but sure, the electronics can play up, but it's not that common. I've had 3 e38 750's (the notoriously bork prone V12's...) none of them had any troubles whatsoever apart from being rather thirsty. Since then I've had 9 e39 ranging from a 523 to my current M5 and there have been pixel errors abd a few oil leaks, show me any soon 20 year old car that's this complet and trouble free. A hint, they don't exist. You can't compare these to a fucking Toyota Corolla. And FYI, they do have a dip-stick. The biggest dip-stick here is you tho ;)
Test drove an ‘02 540i manual years ago - shoulda bought it! Good for you!
This is the best car you'll ever own. E39's are special.... I'll stay stick with at least one e39 for the hole life!
It is nice to see someone smile while driving his car, means love
I used to be so obsessed with these back before I bought my g35, I wanted a 540i m sport 6 speed so bad. I used to check eBay and Craigslist every day for one but eventually figured I needed a reliable car. Still think this is one of the best looking bmws ever. The M-par wheels are my favorite OEM wheels. Congrats to you and thank you for reminding me how amazing these really are. Except for those horrible cup holders.
You now own two of my absolute favorite cars ever. NSX and 540i M-Sport
Needed a reliable car....of course its a premium car, its not g35...you must be the type that wants to run a german car with a Japanese budget, it cant work like that...
You will love it, such good value for money, and great to drive as a daily
listen to the sound when you start it up.... only a BMW has this melody... wooooooow ! what a great rig
great choice,love that era 5 series. And 540i is a bit of a monster already!
I've got an 02 525i m sport in the titanium silver. The rear quarter of the car and those wide rear wheels never cease to give me a woody. Such a muscular and handsome shape.
I have 03 530i sport package. Had the car for 3 years. I was also stepping up from dropped Accords. Cops stopped harassing me also. I love the car and hasn't had any major problems, aside from back struts . I have the Sachs units btw. I also redid and upgraded the sound system to a two amp setup. 1 for front and rear components using wiring from trunk harness and second amp for 2 12s in trunk . Sounds great in car and its built so well you hardly hear it outside with windows up.
Had that exact same car but silver and had minor mods on it such as wheels brakes suspension tune. Very light mods for long term use. Owned it from 2005-2011 and from 33k-98k. Other than normal wear items that will be needed in any vehicle I only had to replace the FSU unit in the heater system that was just 120 dollars and put it in myself. Absolutely loved every mile. Enjoy your sweet E39. Will subscribe to see how it works out for you!
The car is legendary the position of sitting is unbelievable and the letter interior
Nice i also got one but one of the first one's from 96, i also have the m package with the comfort seats and an sunroof, but without the rear m bumper because it came with an removable towbar, such a great car to drive, still enjoy it every single day!
I dig it. Nice car ^.^ can't wait to see reviews of this too along with more nsx stuff!
Honda man here,had 6 Accords and almost any 2 door coupe except the NSX and S2000. Went threw E39 though and hands down,better in any way than any Accord. Mine was 525i,and yes,the Type R is faster and more nimble in the city,but on the highway this has no match. I drive it fully loaded at 220 kmh with barely touching the steering with my finger. Cross winds cant move it an inch. Comfort,materials,build quality,and its so damn easy to work on it that it hurts! Air and cabin filters (2) are changed for less than 3 mins. Coils,fuses,everything on this car is so easy accessible. Has few weak spots like Vanos and the cooling system,but if you service them in time and use quality oil,wont give you hard time. Good choice,however,you should have gone with the 530i,straight 6,way smoother and cheaper to maintain,power wise not big gap. Enjoy it!
Excellent review, no doubt!
Good choice man! I️ almost bought a dinan 540i a couple years ago before finding my M3
Bro such a cult classic. I love me 540i Msport. So much powerr for what it is. It’s crazyyy fun and good.
Welcome brother. Its not as bad as everyone says. Working on e39s/e46s is really easy. They arent serious money pits. If your smart you will be fine. Happy your in the family. Best wishes.
Keep that beauty! On my 3rd bimmer 2nd 5 series. E60 550i, she’s a beast! First bimmer was a e39 one of the most beautiful BMW’s ever made imho
I love this car!!!! I want one for daily driver as well! It’s so timeless in style and sturdy.
Bit of a sleeper, congrats!
Best choice ever!!!! Only thing whats missing is the navigation screen 16:9 !!
Car sounds GREAT btw brotha. I'm a honda guy myself but I love many, many cars. S2k is my next car, but i will have many other cars lol. Hondas are just fun to work on and fun to drive.
I️ straight piped mine...sounds amazing, no issues at all with it!
These things are gonna go up in value
Those things sound unreal with a muffler delete. That v8 just comes to life
Nice car buddy. I too have a 2001 540i Dinan. I bought this car this past May. The previous owner have the whole car redone meaning he did all of the major maintenance and even spend extra the cash to make it a “Dinan 5”. It even came with a binder full of receipts showing all the works that has been done to the car. That gave me the confidence that the car was taken care of.
Thank you! It definitely seems that solid maintenance records are worth a lot more on a used BMW versus a used Honda.
Zygrene. I recently just picked up a 2008 BMW M5 E60 6 Speed. This past weekend and man that car is a BEAST!
i hate Americans for 1 reason. they get the m5 e60 v10 with a manual gearbox option................... other than that I think your great
I’ve bought a 200to 330 I sports packet manual five speed. And yes the cooling system is replace about to replace the expansion tank and I’m basically bought to replace a lot of things the sub frame is in excellent shape considering that the car is 16 years old when I bought the car which was 2017 and only had 152,000 on it and that’s not bad at all my miles are highway miles I keep changing the oil every 3000 miles synthetic of course I’m going to get the spark plugs coils replaced. Basically replacing mostly everything but the engine in-line six engine is basically bullet proof. My car is 300 pound less than the new Bmws . Not to mention the power steering is much better than the new Bmw
Nice! You just bought the most iconic BMW ever. The M-sport versions are a very different from the regular ones driving wise. Much tighter and sporty, and it will only raise in value.
I️ used to want one of these like crazy in 2016. I️ really did and they’re beautiful to this very day. One of the best looking beamers ever
Great choice I just totaled my e39 and am heartbroken. Flipped 2.5 times and it held up great. All I had were some scratches but this car is amazing all around!!!!
Even the I-6 e39 has torque. Welcome to BMWs. They get into your blood. Many claim the e39 is the best BMW ever. What brand is that phone holder? Looks way better than mine that fits in the cd player slot. Thanks for the video. Happy motoring!
It’s funny, I fell into driving BMWs by accident, not design. I bought a compact from a neighbour for my first car and I just loved it. Treated myself to a 320d m sport when I got back from an overseas deployment and I still have it. I’ve driven the e60 v10 M5 and that was absolutely wild. Yet I still hanker after the e36/e39 generation.’
Welcome to the family
My e39 540i 6spd is currently getting resurrected after 6 years sitting in the garage. I’ve had it for 18 years and cannot wait to drive it again. I miss the manual and the V8. I’ve been driving an X5 paddle shift 6cyl twin turbo and I love it but boy I miss the 540.
Only ever heard great things about these, cheaper m5 and looks amazing
Great choice bro 🙌
My dad had the exact same 540i back in 2002 to 2010 he drove it like crazy i remember the v8 sound when I was a kid just amazing! Now he drives a 550i f10 but yeah it's not the same
E39 is the perfect daily! Such a nice car
after watching this video i set out to buy a 540i m-sport. test drove one and everything. unfortunately, i chose not to get one but i did get an '05 imola red 330i saloon 6 speed mani zhp. i love this car!
thanks for your well spoken description
Check out my 540i vs ZHP video! Can't go wrong with either car.
BMW !!! I had the E39 M5 for seven years ! Warning, the E39 will keep you a BMW driver for life. Good luck,
Look into swapping out the old radio and cassette player for an Eonon headunit. Really bring the car up to date
BMW E39 540i is legendary 🙌🏽💯
E39 will always be one of my favorite cars.
An E39 especially a 540 (V8) M sport is a BMW coneoiour car. Timeless vehicle. You should be proud of owning one!
I've owned three of them and all three were wonderful this car really is a joy to drive. I once did 16 and a half hours straight in the driver seat and when I got out not a sore muscle or crick in my back to be had..
being a previous honda guy myself, i really hope you get into BMW’s.. (I’ve probably owned 10+ honda’s/s2000 being by far my favorite car of all time)
Congrats. I️ do love the interiors on this vintage of BMW. High quality, no fuss. Love the wood trim!
As much as I️ enjoy revving out my Honda, the effortlessness of that V8 torque is nice. The thing that’s great about these cars is that they can be fun but with that torque you can get in it and feel like you don’t have to go fast. Looking forward to more videos. Enjoy.
Friggin iPhone bug
Legendary cars. . . I want one!!!!
Nice ride bro now you won't go back to any thing else hahah the power and the ride tops all
Very cool car!
I used to have two manual e30s, a 2003 manual E46 330i-msport all of which were magnificent. Currently we only have one parking spot and we need AWD and large cargo capacity as we frequently are in Tahoe so we switched to a 2007 automatic 328xi Wagon. In terms of fun the wagon has been a major downgrade compared to the previous cars (and of course it has a transmission issue six months in as it uses a GM automatic gearbox).
As soon as I have space for it I will be looking for an e39 or another e46, my e46 was flawless despite almost having almost 200k and the parts were actually reasonably priced and easy to install (I did an entire cooling system including the radiator in one afternoon and the parts only cost a few hundred).
There's nothing more to say apart that this version probably the best (non-M5) 5 series EVER. Definitely one of my top 5 favourite BMW. I NEED ONE😍
I have a 2003 540iA, also in Bay Area. I’ve had it for a year and have done quite a bit of research on it. At 113k miles, I’d look into replacing the timing chain tensioner if you haven’t already. It’s a good way of avoiding the timing chain guides going bad later. Mine hasn’t hit 90k miles, but my main problems have been with gaskets. They’re a pain in the ass to do, but if you DIY, it’s pretty cheap to do!
Good input. TCT was replaced at 89k. All the gaskets were done around the same time.
Love it. Had a 1997 540i. Great car.
Hey what a really great example of a 540i. I think you'll enjoy this change in car. Too bad no LSD but these cars are supposed to be very fun to drive and own.
Someone i know has an 03 530i M sport 5 speed manual trans and i was surprised at the 3.0l engine. For a small displacement engine with hp in the 230ish hp area in a fairly large heavy car it goes fairly good power wise i feel. And as you were talking about the v8s tq the 3.0 has very impressive tq also for what it is. I was driving it below 2g rpm in 5th and i rolled on gas in traffic and it just grunted away. Its a nice car. But at 140k it has been plagued with cooling problems. It had a few other problems like rear suspension bushings, 1 bad front strut. Pixilated stereo and broken buttons on console and rear camber wore a tire badly. But for $3995 there was $ left to put a grand into it. But after repairs the cooling problem has rissin its head a few times... Id say on scale 1 to 10 on reliability at 140k a 5. I own a 2010 grand caravan with 180k havent done much but brakes (they are very chinsey) and a $10 cooling fitting.
looking at getting one of these because i want a v8 and dont want to take a loan out on a coyote mustang... ive had hondas my whole life. great video and great info. thank you, im subscribed now
I keep getting this recommended to me and I think it’s happened again and again that you bought a new one
I have driven many 5 series and always loved how comfortable they are. The M5 power was lots of fun. I do know if that 540 breaks, it will be a money pit.
Enjoy the car! Its an Amazing one!
Looks great! Wish they were as reliable as a Honda. Such a good daily.
Great choice 👍🏻👍🏻
VANOS just kicked in YO!!
Always liked the E39's...most newer BMWs are apparently not as fun to own. BTW not only the electronics break down a lot, I heard the cooling systems also break down as well, especially with the V8.
Do a muffler delete, Eibac springs and Bilstein shocks. You wont regret it.
Congrats on the BMW, man! I'm 17 years old and bought an e46 this year. Just a heads up, check for rust under the car and your subframe (cracks, what not). Don't wanna scare you but no one told me about BMW having those problems back in the day (46's at least).
John Smith e46 😍
Only e36´s and e46´s can have the cracked subframe issue. Btw congrats on your e46 my mate, i bought an e46 328 for my first car 9 months ago and ive loved it like nothing else
This things are super comfortable and fun to drive.
Good information
Thanks
I had this exact car with the 6 speed manual, best car I ever owned.
You in the Bay Area? Nice man. Also, appreciate your love for the S2000/NSX but still can enjoy other cars e.g. BMWs. BTW, I have AP2 with 14k miles, which is sad - should be driven more ;(
I love this car!!!!💪 greets from vienna
I miss my E39 everyday. This is when BMW was a great car company.
E39 is my favourite generation of the 5 series and last of the good sounding bmw v8. Stick a exhaust it makes a difference
Is super clean !
One of the best BMW