98 540i - What do you think?

[High3nd]

Hey guys, I was wondering what you all think of a 98 540i. I'm about to buy one but before I do I was wondering what you all think of it? All opinons are welcome.

[jon_s]

decent car! quite thirsty though.

[TT]

And sorry to always touch the same point, but should also have very high insurance premiums for a very your driver as you are :)

But it's a very nice car indeed.

[High3nd]

I dont even have the car yet and I have Hartge Classic 19's powder coated Black wheels that i'm picking up today. I also want to buy the Breyton Body kit but I think it will bug me knowing that the wheels arnt Breytons. Any of you guys think of a better body kit? And please dont say Hamann

[Gnome]

You know, for some time BMW tried to make us believe that they wouldn't make a M version of the E39 5-series. They claimed that the 540i was powerful enough. That should tell us something about the car.

But as mentioned: Watch your petrol bills...

[aliendude012]

Enjoy it. My dad had a 2003 530i and I absolutely love the looks, inside and out. His 530 was more than powerful enough for him(enough for him to have an accident and total the car) so I'm sure you'll be happy with that. Just be careful, you're young.

[CMonakar]

Great car. I drove one for a little under a year. It has nearly as much torque as the M5, and is quite a bit lighter. With traction control switched off it would spin the tires in 2nd when I put my foot down. It killed my friend's NSX-T on the highway without a problem. I strongly recommend you get a 6 speed. It has so much torque shifting frequently is not necessary, unless you want to have some fun;)

[adlinyusman]

Buy it. Don't think twice. If you get it for a decent enough price, you're wasting your time here asking us opinions. Go FOR IT!! And enjoy the ride. My brother used to own a 540i and subsequently an M5. Even he says that the 540 is powerful enough for 'bahn' storming or slapping boy racers around traffic light sprints. With the new 5 series being released, there's no time like the present to get yourself the E39, it's cheap, relatively easy on your pocket service wise, and as dependable as Mount Kilimanjaro. Take some pics once you bought it. :fadein:

[crazyxzer0]

Definitely a good car, and like many people said, it is definitely more thirsty than the other e39s (aside from m5). I would take the 530i due the fact gas isn't cheap for crap.

If you can maintain the bill, GO FOR IT. Aside from the hefty gas bills, i don't see any reason not to take up on this oppurtunity. Course the Angel eye headlights do look better than the older e39s... :lol:

[High3nd]

I got the car today. 98 540i w/ 44k on it for 19k black/black Non Sport
Got the wheels put on today also, 19" Hartge Powder Coated Black
Next up is lowering it......thinking of H&R Springs w/ Bilstiens....any suggestions?

[enigmatic]

sounds awesome! pics would be good, so we can see how much it really needs to be lowered.. otherwise, H&R's with Bilstiens sound good.
did the 98 540 get Xenons?

[RC45]

LOL - hefty gas bills... ;)

How'd ya all figure "hefty gas bills"? 14mpg? 13mpg? 12mpg like myself and other's get ? ;)

Anything over 18mpg average is awesome - quit whining and let the man buy his V8 for pete's sake... :twisted: :twisted:

[High3nd]

Acually compared to my last car gas is way better. Before i use to get 10mpg so this is a step up for me. i use to have a SL600, and it was in the shop more than on the road, reason i sold it.

oh and i cant post any pics, i dont have the membership to post.

[High3nd]

sounds awesome! pics would be good, so we can see how much it really needs to be lowered.. otherwise, H&R's with Bilstiens sound good.
did the 98 540 get Xenons?

Xenons are on the way. ordered them today.

[adlinyusman]

love it when ppl mod their cars ad infinitum. Makes it all the more special. Do post some pics, we would all like to see you new 'toy'! :)

[espen]

Get an x-pipe; you'll love the sound :D

Also, if you can get them go for an Eibach matched kit (shocks/springs) - a friend rund them om his Alfa 156 and the ride vs. handling is unreal. Smooth ride, iron control!

[High3nd]

feel free to add me on your msn, I would be more than happy to post them for you dude, I love both your last car and the bmw 540.. :D

how much did the xenon lights set you back?

I paid $300 for the Xenons and 800 for the Angel Eyes, total = $1,100.00
But when they are on it is worth every penny

Got another question for everyone, is it possible to mix body kit. I know it may sound rather tacky but I love the rear bumper of the M5 and Love the Breyton Front bumper even more. I would like to do this but will this line up right? Or is this just bad taste? I mean i know normal people would not be able to tell but other car people would know, and its those people that i care about more.

[aliendude012]

Its definitely possible to mix. I've seen it done before(moreso on wishlists than on actual cars :roll: ) but go for it. I couldn't tell you if it would look good, I'm not familiar with the Breyton look, but see if you can find a picture of a car that's done it, or get someone to photoshop them on for you. Give yourself an idea of how it would look. I'm sure unless they are completely contrasting styles, or they have a monstrous difference in clearance when on the car, it would look fine.

[ambry]

Acually compared to my last car gas is way better. Before i use to get 10mpg so this is a step up for me. i use to have a SL600, and it was in the shop more than on the road, reason i sold it.

oh and i cant post any pics, i dont have the membership to post.

Acually compared to my last car gas is way better. Before i use to get 10mpg so this is a step up for me. i use to have a SL600, and it was in the shop more than on the road, reason i sold it.

oh and i cant post any pics, i dont have the membership to post.

feel free to add me on your msn, I would be more than happy to post them for you dude, I love both your last car and the bmw 540.. :D

how much did the xenon lights set you back?

Not to start anything but didn't you have a CL600?

http://www.motorworld.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6066&highlight=
I got a 01 CL600 w/ 36k for 55 grand. I thought i ripped it and got a steal. 3 Months later its been in the shop for a total of 1 month and 3 days. Just to keep this thing going without the engine light turning on every day cost me about 6 grand already. This car is a BLAST when it is working, but seems to me that Mercedes 600 is more problems than its worth. NEED ADVICE. Any help would be appreciated. any fellow 600 people out there please tell me if you guys are having the same problems. Either that or I got a lemon. If things continue at this route i'm gonna get rid of this and get a 645ci asap.

[TT]

Well spotted ambry... so why not a 645 and just an "old" 540? The 645 is to die for!

[adlinyusman]

wow, not bad, you've owned a CL600 at the age of 18. When i was your age...I drove normal run of the mill cars. Well i hope to see some photos of you and the new car. I'm sure a lot of ppl here would love to host your pics. And hope you post em up soon...you wouldn't want TT to grill you, hehehe :P

[TT]

LOL look who's speaking, the one that drive an F355 and an M3 ar 21!! :D

But indeed, we sure always prefer to see pics to avoid misunderstandings in this section :D

[adlinyusman]

who me? 8)


:mrgreen:

[High3nd]

Yes i also drove a CL600. I am a HUGE mercedes fan and especially 600 fan. Its just that the 600 is constantly in the shop. I wholesale cars so I am always driving this and that. But i finally decided to get a driver which is the 540i. And let me tell you about that CL since you mentioned it, i ended up paying almost 4k on keeping that car alive. 600 are great cars, but they cost you a grand a month to keep up.

[High3nd]

wow, not bad, you've owned a CL600 at the age of 18. When i was your age...I drove normal run of the mill cars. Well i hope to see some photos of you and the new car. I'm sure a lot of ppl here would love to host your pics. And hope you post em up soon...you wouldn't want TT to grill you, hehehe :P

All I'll say is that I LOVE MY PARENTS. I'll also take pics of my Dads "piece" and post them along with my car. I also have some pics of my Buddys car that would give you all a boner. Tell me where to send the pics or what exactly to do so I can post them.

[High3nd]

Well spotted ambry... so why not a 645 and just an "old" 540? The 645 is to die for!

When i saw the Price on the new 645i I almost shit my pants. Stupid Money.

[adlinyusman]

from your posts i assume that you're pretty well to do, so the question i'm wondering in my head is, why didn't you get an '04 545i instead?

That's a really good car, the only downside to the new 5, is the plastic part below the aircon, i guess that's where you place your keys and stuff, but the new 5 has way to much plastic in it anyway. BUT! It's a really good drive(the 530i)...not the 545i (since it's not released in Malaysia yet, and just released here in Oz), much much better than the old E39 and marginally better than the E-Class but not nearly as refined as the E. If i had to choose between those two, i'll go for the Brabus E 270CDi, beautiful car and much cheaper than the 545i, and you get a decent mpg!!