BMW 540i...

[HiTempguy1]

Has anyone here ever owned one? Thoughts? Originally I was figuring I'd just buy a Camaro for V8 goodness, but to get an actual well built car that was pretty cool back in the day wouldn't be so bad... obviously, a 6 speed sport package.

[911fever]

expensive and unreliable but if you can DIY, not a bad car at all

[ddduke]

I used to love these cars but now they just look so dated.

[J-hop]

well if you are looking for a fast car also consider how much more expensive tuning a 540 will be. Camaros are a dime a dozen, and the amount of aftermarket parts/engine swaps possible is off the charts compared to a 540.

IMO if you go with a 540 and want to make it a fast car you'll want to go with a dinan supercharger setup (about as plug and play as it gets). The stock numbers although are impressive for a stock car of that size are definitely nothing to write home about (1/4 in low 14s at sea level). The dinan kit will push your 540 to close to 500hp, however it comes with a sharp price tag.

On the other hand with half the total budget (including cost of car) you could likely afford to either tune the lt1 to similar numbers or do some sort of LS swap and end up with a way more fun car. And not to mention you can afford to break it!!

[GT4rally]

It's a fantastic car! I've owned over 25 cars and this is my hands-down favorite--'00 540i sport package 6-spd

The Good:
-Ultra comfortable
-All creature comforts
-Handles great
-Powerful brakes
-Gets decent fuel economy with the 6-spd (~10L/100km ave.)
-A dream on the highway
-Stability control--that can be switched off when needed
-Fast as hell! The torque from the V8 is addictive! 0-60 in 5.6 sec.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ2lq0DIKwM
-Lots of online forums for maintenance help.

The Bad:
-Maintenance will kill you if you don't DIY... get a Japanese car if this is an issue--seriously!
-Parts are expensive.
-Cooling system (rad, expansion tank) are very fragile.
-The clutch is quite jearky (my #1 peave with the car)--only fix is to replace with a non-OEM clutch.
-Stock exhaust is too quiet (I was missing shifts cause I couldn't hear the engine), but remedied with a Magnaflow--now it sounds like a quiet Corvette.
-No posi rear diff (M5 only)

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by GT4rally
It's a fantastic car! I've owned over 25 cars and this is my hands-down favorite--'00 540i sport package 6-spd

The Good:
-Ultra comfortable
-All creature comforts
-Handles great
-Powerful brakes
-Gets decent fuel economy with the 6-spd (~10L/100km ave.)
-A dream on the highway
-Stability control--that can be switched off when needed
-Fast as hell! The torque from the V8 is addictive! 0-60 in 5.6 sec.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ2lq0DIKwM
-Lots of online forums for maintenance help.

The Bad:
-Maintenance will kill you if you don't DIY... get a Japanese car if this is an issue--seriously!
-Parts are expensive.
-Cooling system (rad, expansion tank) are very fragile.
-The clutch is quite jearky (my #1 peave with the car)--only fix is to replace with a non-OEM clutch.
-Stock exhaust is too quiet (I was missing shifts cause I couldn't hear the engine), but remedied with a Magnaflow--now it sounds like a quiet Corvette.
-No posi rear diff (M5 only)

Much obliged, thank you for the excellent post :D Will you be at the Cochrane Rally? You could always let me try yours out on some of the stages... ;) But honestly, if you are there I'd love to take a peek anyways!

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Only qualm I had with them was the shitty recirculating ball steering. My dream family car is a E39 M5.

[n1zm0]

when i was just out of HS, a friend of mine was house sitting a very wealthy O&G guy's house of german descent, of course i went over, garage with a Z8, a 911T and his daily driver was a V70R and a 540i 6spd. being that young i never drove very many 'nice' cars (until i went to work at a dealership) so when i did i tried to soak up every little bit like a car reviewer would, so yes of course i took the 540 out on an acreage back road, absolutely amazing, all i could think was 'this is as german as a car can get' acceleration was amazing, the seats i could definitely drive across north america 3x round, suspension wasnt extremely stiff but was good enough for spirited corner slinging.

The best part about most 540s is that when they were bought new, where north american eldery ppl usually buy cadillacs and towncars, elderly euro ppl buy this as retirement from what i've seen = pretty much babied and never seen over 4k rpm.

idk about maintenance tho, i've never owned anything but japanese cars and i despise working on german cars but the 540 would be the one german car i'd love to shed DIY blood and sweat over if i owned one, i could only dream what the M5 of that chassis would drive like :drool:

edit also the sound, i've never heard a full throttle german V8 until that drive, wowee wow wow

[CSMRX7]

I have an E39 M5 that I have been driving this winter and I love it. One of the best cars I have ever owned for DD. Feels a lot like the e90 M3 but a touch more comfortable, and more low end grunt. If you can step it up to the M5 over the 540 it is definately worth it IMO. You could spend a lot on mods for a 540 and still not have as much car as the M5.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by CSMRX7
I have an E39 M5 that I have been driving this winter and I love it. One of the best cars I have ever owned for DD. Feels a lot like the e90 M3 but a touch more comfortable, and more low end grunt. If you can step it up to the M5 over the 540 it is definately worth it IMO. You could spend a lot on mods for a 540 and still not have as much car as the M5.

An M5 would be close to double the cost of a 540i in the same shape (150,000kms), so that isn't in the cards. I'm not looking to spend more than $10 grand on a DD that I hopefully would keep for a long while.

To the poster who grabbed onto my camaro comment, owning either of these cars has no correlation beyond having the same power. I'm also shopping JDM STi's with DCCD. Its not about power (but torquez are good), its about a fun daily driver. Most people who have owned a 540i seem to really love them, so the next step is probably a test drive. :dunno:

[J-hop]

I C, fair enough. I was swayed by the "v8 goodness" comment and assumed you were basing your choice on power.

I seriously considered a 540i as my next car, they sound amazing, good build quality and great looking cars. But what turned me away was the lack of tuning options and the cost of modification as I know for a fact I wouldn't be happy with stock performance. But as a DD I think it would be a great car.

If you youtube 540i exhaust or anything like it will blow your mind how great these engines sound when their vocals are freed up a bit.

[uptown.]

E39 with some good stance on BBS wheels has me goin nuts

[GT4rally]

Originally posted by HiTempguy1

Much obliged, thank you for the excellent post :D Will you be at the Cochrane Rally? You could always let me try yours out on some of the stages... ;) But honestly, if you are there I'd love to take a peek anyways!

Don't think I'm gonna make it out to Cochrane this year... I've missed a lot of rallies in the last couple years.



Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
Only qualm I had with them was the shitty recirculating ball steering. My dream family car is a E39 M5.

Yeah, that's a valid criticism on paper, but it really isn't an issue in the real world.


Originally posted by CSMRX7
I have an E39 M5 that I have been driving this winter and I love it. One of the best cars I have ever owned for DD. Feels a lot like the e90 M3 but a touch more comfortable, and more low end grunt. If you can step it up to the M5 over the 540 it is definately worth it IMO. You could spend a lot on mods for a 540 and still not have as much car as the M5.

I love the E39 M5, but I don't think I would buy one. I did plan on upgrading to a M5, but knowing how maintenance intensive my 540 is, and that the M5 engine requires constant attention (even more expensive parts), I will probably look elsewhere for my next car.


Originally posted by J-hop
I seriously considered a 540i as my next car, they sound amazing, good build quality and great looking cars. But what turned me away was the lack of tuning options and the cost of modification as I know for a fact I wouldn't be happy with stock performance. But as a DD I think it would be a great car.


How could you not be happy with 0-60 in 5.6 sec???
Sounds like you need a sport bike!

[AE92_TreunoSC]

The larger failures are just starting to appear in the E39's. I've changed 2 engines, one was a 540i.

The tranny failures on the auto's start to happen around 150,000. Which is when a majority of the clutches start to need replacing on the standard models.

They aren't really much more to own over a E46 3series, but like the e46 somethings can really murder you, like a heater control module or HID headlight problems.


I'd only buy a MINT e39, stay the fuck away from any that havent been regularly maintained.

And stay away from the M5's lol. Great cars, but are far less reliable then the 540 or 530's.

[GT4rally]

Originally posted by AE92_TreunoSC
The larger failures are just starting to appear in the E39's. I've changed 2 engines, one was a 540i.


What was the issue with the 540 engine?

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Originally posted by GT4rally


What was the issue with the 540 engine?

Headgasket. Overheated too many times by the owner and it wasn't worth trying to fight warped heads/block.

After replacing that engine, the next used one had low oil pressure due to an internal leak. That was replaced under warranty thankfully and the car is still running strong since I saw it last.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

What I've learned from vitek is FLUSH BMW'S COOLANT.

Don't wait, do it when the service guide says to, or every 100,000km's.

Having it done properly and on time on any bmw is vital, and I've yet to see a headgasket go on a maintained bmw.

The coolant becomes corrosive, eats at the gasket/aluminum, then it leaks, the car then overheats, and people blame BMW.

[GT4rally]

Originally posted by AE92_TreunoSC
What I've learned from vitek is FLUSH BMW'S COOLANT.

Don't wait, do it when the service guide says to, or every 100,000km's.

Having it done properly and on time on any bmw is vital, and I've yet to see a headgasket go on a maintained bmw.

The coolant becomes corrosive, eats at the gasket/aluminum, then it leaks, the car then overheats, and people blame BMW.

Do you think the G0-5 coolant is necessary in these cars?
I've been pretty diligent with using Zerex G0-5, but I recently had to use the regular green Prestone when a rad hose burst.

[J-hop]

Originally posted by GT4rally


Do you think the G0-5 coolant is necessary in these cars?
I've been pretty diligent with using Zerex G0-5, but I recently had to use the regular green Prestone when a rad hose burst.

you should look into the compatibility of the G0-5 with regular coolant. I know in VWs we have to use g12, mixing regular prestone with G12 has been known to cause the coolant to sludge (or gel). I personally haven't seen it happen but I don't want to find out if its true.

I don't know if its going to be a similar case with the G0-5 but I would investigate to make sure.

[AE92_TreunoSC]

Any long life mixed with non-long life will react, its not major but it shortens the life of the additives built into the coolant.

I work at a non-specialty shop, but we always use BMW coolant on BMW's because of their higher demand engines and probability for head failure.

I'll use green coolant on E36's, but I usually use universal long life on older bmws, but almost always the blue bmw coolant on 1998+ bmw's. (including my late e46)


Really, coolant is coolant, and as long as it's changed on schedule its fine. But it MUST be flushed properly.

Spill and fill is not enough.


The ultimate solution is to always use OEM, and distilled water, but its overkill

Tap water + a good long life brand is more then good enough for any car that is out of warranty.

[BMDUBS]

For all BMW's, use nothing but the factory OEM "blue" coolant. It apparently has corrosion inhibitors added to it and I second that comment on ensuring that you regularily flush the rad/block and put in fresh Blue coolant. I have had 2 older I-6 BMW's with failed head gaskets that used Green glycol. Pitting on some of the cooling system parts was insane aswell.