I Bought A 20-Year Old BMW With 234,000 Miles On It To Prove The Haters Wrong

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Here’s some free advice: There’s nothing more expensive than a cheap German car. There’s a reason why that advice is free, though. It sucks. Any older car can be problematic and any car, from any company or region, can be expensive to repair. Here’s some better advice: There’s nothing more expensive than a car you bought thoughtlessly. I’ve thought a lot about this 2003 BMW 530i with the five-speed and the sport package. Yeah, it has traveled almost the distance from the Earth to the Moon, but that doesn’t faze me.

Am I tempting the automotive gods here? Absolutely. That’s the point of this car. It might turn out to be a super dumb purchase and I may be eating my words as well as drawing down my kid’s college fund. It also might be the single greatest purchase I’ve ever made.

How I Got It

Img 7337I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how the search for the perfect cheap/fun car on Facebook Marketplace was slowly causing me to lose my mind. At that point I kind of gave up trying to find my next project car. Here’s what I wrote:

I love having oddball cars, but I tend to assume the universe will bring them to me as they’ve always done. One day a few years ago I was bored and on the Internet and decided to look and see what Volvo 240s were going for on eBay and, magically, I had a Volvo wagon in my driveway a week later. Not long after I acquired the Volvo a Greek clubowner friend-of-a-friend needed to stash a ’60s Mercedes sedan and that, too, ended up in my care (a friend of Alex Roy, of course, which is also how I ended up with a Tesla Model 3 for a bit). How does one become a Merkur owner? Unintentionally.

Not long after I posted the story I got this message, from reader Chris:

Matt,

I just read your story about the fruitlessness of Facebook marketplace and think I may have a car to save your sanity. It’s not as quirky as a Saab but at least it has a manual.

I have a 2003 BMW 530i with 235k miles. I’ve owned it for the last 12 years, primarily while living in Georgia and California but I now live in Philadelphia. I bought it from Texas with 108k miles. It’s now my 3rd car and I’ve been meaning to sell it but haven’t been motivated to get rid of it until I read your article and thought you might like it. It runs great, no check engine light, jut got an oil/filter change last month, new coils and plugs 2,000 miles ago, stacks of maintenance records and a clean title. The attached pictures are from this summer when I first considered selling it. Someone had hit it while parked, I’ve since completely replaced the rear passenger door. I can take new pics but the weather is miserable right now.

Happy to share more info if you’re interested.

Thanks for all the work you’ve done at Jalopnik and now The Autopian.

Chris

The universe had spoken! I’ll admit to some initial hesitancy. I love E39s, but have only driven the Alex Roy Cannonball Run M5. Driving his car was a great experience for the first thirty minutes and then it decided to die on me. Some would consider this an omen. Not me. I’m an optimist and, besides, most of my Alex Roy experiences result in a car breaking, an entire film crew getting arrested on the Oregon Trail, or Alex going out for a three-minute drive around the block in a Peugeot 405 mi16 and just disappearing in Eastern France for a while.

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With the help of our own Thomas (an old BMW expert) [Editor’s Note: That’s giving me way too much credit. – TH] and a few other friends in the community, I worked out an agreement with Chris ($3,000 delivered) and he brought the car up from Philly yesterday and I’m just counting the days until I can put some real miles on it.

Why I Felt Comfortable Making This Decision

Img 7354When you’re buying a new car you’re mostly thinking about what you need and what you want. When you’re buying a used car it should be the opposite: What does your car need and what does your car want? After a lot of emailing and texting with Chris and consulting with friends I got the sense that this BMW didn’t need much immediately and mostly wanted someone to keep giving it the love and attention that it had gotten from Chris.

Part of the used car process is sizing up the person selling you a car. I won’t buy a car without knowing its story. Who is selling it? Why? How’d they get it? Chris bought the car with just 108,000 miles on it and managed to more than double the range. He’d read Alex’s book, actually, and knew he wanted an E39. An M5 was a little expensive for him so he decided on the 530i with the slightly more powerful BMW inline-six, sport package, and five-speed transmission.

[Editor’s Note: The sport package on E39 530is adds a wonderful set of sport seats with adjustable thigh support, blacked-out Shadowline window trims, M-Technic sports suspension, a lovely M-Technic three-spoke steering wheel, and 17-inch two-piece alloy wheels. It’s a pretty sweet option pack that’s definitely worth seeking out. – TH]

In the years since buying the car he’s driven it across the country multiple times and kept detailed records of every step of the car’s life. Seriously, look at the spreadsheets:

Sheets2

He even noted when the distance from the Earth to the Moon will be reached! There’s a good first goal. Chris was extremely clear with all the bits that had been addressed on the car as well as the little quirks. I don’t know Chris, of course, but I got good vibes and everything he said made sense. Thomas also pointed out that a higher mileage German car is less suspect than a low mileage one because you know someone had to be taking care of it.

As for the car, the 3.0-liter M54B30 straight-six is well known to be robust and the addition of a manual transmission means that there’s no big surprise automatic rebuild in my future. Bill Caswell, who knows more about BMWs than I know about the history of the Berlin Airlift (and I know a lot), thinks of E39s as Legos. “Just replace the pieces as you go,” was his advice.

What It’s Like

Img 7342When Chris pulled up to my place yesterday I was delighted to see the Sterling Gray Metallic BMW looked just as good as it did in photos. There were a few scratches here and there, the nose is heavily pocked from more than 200,000 miles of road debris, and the headlights are in need of a refresh. If anything, the imperfections took a little pressure off the car. Chris spent so much time loving this car I’d have felt bad if it ended up being perfect.

Img 7344

There are a couple of awkward moments once we got into the car, however. The first was probably my fault. Chris installed a DICE media bridge that allows the E39’s older system to connect an iPhone and even display songs on the little media display. There’s a small cubby ahead of the armrest that contains the necessary cords for this system and, trying to close it, I immediately broke the brittle plastic cover. Oops. The car went 230,000 miles and couldn’t survive five minutes in my care.

Chris immediately froze up when this happened and I had to assure him that it wasn’t his fault and I didn’t care. It was something to fix and it in no way impacted the usability of the car.

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The second issue was totally his fault, though. In the email he noted that the headliner was sagging on both sides where the fabric met the front window. Sitting in the car I couldn’t identify either sag and so he pulled down the passenger side visor to show me and the whole thing drooped maybe an inch. I laughed. Maybe too much. I could barely even photography the sag it was so minor.

Other than the predictable blemishes from years of use and a needed engine detail, this thing was nice. Just look at the tool kit! That tool kit is nicer than anything David owns.

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Driving the car to the bank (heads up, Zelle will only let you send $500 to someone if you’ve never sent them money before) I knew I made the right decision. The car felt great. Everyone says these cars just feel right and this one feels right. The six is as smooth as everyone says, and the 228 horsepower and 221 lb.-ft. of torque felt more than adequate. This one’s equipped with the sport package so it hunkers down a little lower than a standard E39. This is a vast improvement in feel over my tall Forester.

Thomas suggested I swap over for a short-shift kit given that the throws, like the films of Paul Thomas Anderson, tend to run a little long. Maybe it’s just me, but I like the longer throws and I liked “Punch Drive Love.”

[Editor’s Note: While an E60 545i shift lever and a ZHP shift knob definitely shorten throws, their big benefit is taking much of the rubberiness out of the shifter in a cost-effective manner while using OEM parts. Think slick but not really notchy. -TH]

There’s a lot more to say about the car and I’ve got a big comparison with our man Gossin coming up, but I thought I’d let everyone know that I own a BMW with more than 200,000 miles and all I feel is happy.

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70 thoughts on “I Bought A 20-Year Old BMW With 234,000 Miles On It To Prove The Haters Wrong”

  1. Idea for a new Autopian feature: Member Only Classifieds. There is nothing better than being able to buy a car from another enthusiast and as a seller you will know that the buyer “gets” your car and why you love it.

  2. I remember someone telling me that BMW’s will frustrate you in how they can combine engineering marvels (that M50-series 6-cylinder engine) with cheap crappy stuff like plastic parts that break in your hand and sensors that brick the car when they fail.

    I got 305k out of my 2001 325Ci before the electronics decided to give up the ghost so badly at least one shop told me not to bother because the cost of doping it out exceeded the value of the car. Still, the engine was pristine. I know this because I had to replace an oil pan gasket at 275k and the pan was spotless. With that car, you had to deal with wear items like shocks and bushings and that all-important bugaboo, the cooling system. As in the whole thing, radiator, hoses, water pump, tanks, etc.

    Now I’m driving a 2004 330Ci convertible 6-speed with 140k on it and the DME unit goes into convulsions in extreme cold weather, stalling out constantly until warmed up. I know this by taking the damn thing out, keeping it inside overnight and reinstalling it the next morning with no problems.

    Not to mention the convertible top mechanism blowing fuses and the front door handle breaking so I have to lower the window with the key to open it from the inside.

    That’s all I’m dealing with now, but the adage of replacing pieces as you go also applies. Power steering pump, door latch, convertible top pump, water pump, the list goes on.

    However, the car in the article has one overwhelmingly important advantage. It’s been taken care of and not messed with. In both my cars, I’ve had to undo the mistakes of previous owners, like a disastrous shock and strut upgrade on the 325 or a fart can exhaust on the 330 while the 325’s original system never had to be touched.

  3. There are always well cared for high mile cars of all makes and vintage that tend to go against the grain. If you love this one enough to be willing to drive another car when it goes down and pay 2-3 times more for the parts than say a similar vintage American sedan, then this is all fine and dandy.

    Usually the high mile High end stuff gets tot he buy here, pay here lots, they get the 1st second and sometimes 3rd buyer before the car completely fails and the repairs or tape over warning lights get to be too much.

    Or it goes to the one lover of the particular model in the area who actually knows how to fix things himself and has other to drive when one is waiting for parts.

    I see that you are more the latter, or may be him in a few years.

  4. This is the last BMW that I would actually want to own. No, no, I don’t mean I don’t want it, I mean as in anything developed after the E39 gives me the heebie-jeebies.

  5. I bought a 2001 BMW Z3 about 2 years ago this coming April. I took a complete shot in the dark because the car had no history. The guy selling it was a “dealer” on FB marketplace but the price was what I could afford $1900. The odometer read at the time of purchase 285,265 miles. I drove it about 100 miles back to my house and it ran pretty good for something with that many miles. It had check engine lights, airbag, ABS, and BWM’s version of traction control lights on as well. The 2.5 M54 engine was hurting, but not as bad as I though once I dove into it.

    All and all 8 out of 10 I would make the purchase again. Side note mine has the GMC automatic transmission and pretty sure the fluid was never changed…ever…it came out looking like black water. Trans shifts smooth though.

  6. I’ve taken three BMWs (E30, E36, E90) to well over 200K miles each, and all three were reliable cars right through to when I sold them (except for the E90, which I still own). My experience with these cars is that there are problem areas to be aware of (crappy plastic radiator necks are an abomination!), and you of course need to keep up with routine maintenance, but deal with those issues responsibly and you’ll have a great car that won’t let you down. One other thing, though – you need to choose the model of BMW you get carefully. I’d be curious to know if anyone here has taken a 7-series car to 200K+ miles and what that entails.

    1. I work on BMW’s for a living too, the E39 is pretty darn reliable as far as BMW’s go, especially in 525i/530i form. Keep the cooling system and CCV happy and it’s a relatively pain-free experience. My customers love their E39’s.

  9. This passage stopped me in my tracks:

    “When you’re buying a new car you’re mostly thinking about what you need and what you want. When you’re buying a used car it should be the opposite: What does your car need and what does your car want?”

    That is a great piece of advice, truly. Totally resets the thought process.

    The E39 looks phenomenal. That driver seat in particular seems super comfortable; I’m 6’2″ and would love to have an adjustable thigh support. Glad you finally completed the deal, and the car is everything you’d hoped it would be.

  10. The E39 is truly a special car. My dad has owned a 2000 540i 6-speed M Sport since 2007 when he purchased it with 70,000 miles. It is now about to hit 210,000 miles and keeps going. It is not a cheap car to repair but it is a rock solid vehicle. For a nearly 25 year old car the doors still sound solid when they shut, steering is heavy and direct, and the car hunkers down in turns and when accelerating. At some point he will have to replace it but it is tough to figure out what you could get next. There really is not another sports sedan like it new/used and I think you need to go in an entirely different direction (i.e. luxury focused sedan, suv, etc.). Congrats on the purchase you now own a truly future classic!

  11. High mileage old BMWs are fun!

    I have an E36 323i manual with 182k miles on it and it’s still going strong.

    I really, really need to get round to replacing the gear linkage bushings this spring, though. I have the parts already, just haven’t got it on a lift to do it. It’s bad. It still finds gears though, so it’s fiiiiine.

  12. Completely reasonable. I mean look, I bought a 2008 911 Turbo with 103,000 miles last year. It’s only needed about $11,000 in work between myself and the PO over the last 12 months. Completely reasonable right? Right?

    Mostly kidding, to be fair, most of that was him getting the car ready to sell – new brakes ($1200), tires ($1600), coolant lines and engine out service for minor leaks ($6000) and most of my costs have been optional – new steering wheel ($800), automatic spoiler actuation repair ($2000).

    I bought the car very reasonably (under $40k), it’s in magnificent condition, and it still outperforms most of the new Porsche lineup, so I’m pretty comfortable with my decision for right now – There are many 300K+ 997 turbos running around – they are actually much more reliable than the non-turbos – go figure.

  13. I’ve owned several 500.000 km (300.000+ miles) eureopean cars, which drove just fine. So I can’t see anything wrong with that. Good luck 🙂

  14. I had a 2001 330ci that I owned for 15+ years. Fantastic car and great mechanically, but I grew tired of constantly fixing issues. BMWs of that era seem to have squishy parts that rot away — gaskets, wires, headliners, hoses. Despite e46’s having the reputation of amazing steering feel, my car had the overly boosted power steering which BMW rectified in later builds.

    I replaced the e46 with an e39 M5 of similar year and mileage, and I’m super happy with the upgrade — more power, more space, but a little less modern compared to the 330Ci. I still have to deal with a myriad of old-German-car issues, but I don’t mind it as much.

    In just the last 3 years:

    – ABS module failed. “Luckily” it was a common issue that can be repaired by soldering. I sent it to a company who specializes in repairing these.
    – Dashboard display pixels going out. Also repairable by mailing the module to someone who knows how to fix these.
    – Cracked HVAC buttons. I replaced these with knock-off ones from eBay. The OEM parts are sold only as the entire panel.
    – Center storage cubby door broke, same way that Matt’s did. It’s a $20 part that takes minutes to pop out and pop in.
    – HID headlight adjusters broken, so lights pointed down. It is repairable but is messy and time consuming. Or replace the lights entirely for $1000+.
    – Wiring that goes into trunk lid had broken due to sharp bends. It’s a common issue and a design flaw. I repaired it by splicing in new wires and soldering and applying heat shrink.
    – Windshield fluid hoses disintegrated. Replaced.
    – Trunk lock actuator broke. Replaced.
    – Window gasket needs replacement. The part has been backordered with an ETA of 4 months out since the factory wasn’t regularly manufacturing these.

    Previous owner had repaired VANOS, replaced clutch, rebuilt the driveshaft.

    The only upgrades I did on the car are:
    – Shifter to e60. This solves the long-throw, rubbery feel.
    – Bluetooth input, replaces CD changer input.
    – Change dashboard lights from orange to red. The red color matches all the other dashboard lighting and looks less “tired”.

  15. As someone who only tries to buy ‘interesting’ cars over 150k, this is going to be a really interesting article series, but. Is there any way we can get ahead of the squillionaires moving on from Radwood and instead driving up the price on one of the last remaining affordable segments of the car hobby?

  17. That IC reminds me so much of my 2001 330Ci. If it had been a little warmer out, I would have been tempted to go out to the garage and fire it up just to hear the sweet thrum of that M54 (the car is in storage for the winter, so no chance of taking out for a drive). Nice purchase!

  18. Vacuum lines. You will confound yourself chasing *every* one of them that has cracked or disintegrated over time. Get a good smoke tester and roll up your sleeves!!

  19. That is a very you car sir. Well bought. I don’t have the intestinal fortitude to maintain an old German car, but I think you’ll be happy with that piece.

  20. I bought an ’02 530 in the summer of 2021 and planned to have it as an extra car for a bit until I satisfied the itch I had to drive an e39. Then, right before Christmas I totaled my then daily so the e39 stepped up into daily driver duty and never left. I never imagined I’d be so content driving a 20-year-old car. The M54 drives very nicely, and the stuff I have had to work on has led me to discover a rationally designed and assembled car. If you want to upgrade from the Dice and add bluetooth, check out BlueBus. It’s designed for the e39 and e46, so integration is all but perfect and installation is dead simple.

    1. Its only good because Hoovie doesn’t have it, that guy has the opposite of the Midas touch with cars, everything seems to turn to crap as soon as it gets in his hands.

    2. This is a beautiful BMW. I had to quit watching Hoovie’s Garage when he started high hatting with new Corvettes, Mercs, and Lambos. He got away from hoopties and went too far upscale. Still watch The Car Wizard, though.

  23. I had one of those, 2003- 530i w/Msport, but automatic. very nice indeed. The things that went wrong: Twisty seats and radio pixels going out. Had them fixed, but 5 years ago i sold it. Im told this was one of the best cars BMW ever made, so have fun with it

  24. Best of luck to you. I finally threw in the towel on my 2002 MT 325XiT, but will drive it until it just dies. My original plan was to baby it to 200k, then life & starting a new business happened.

    I bought it 10 years ago with 120k on the clock, it’s now at 182k. I kept up with all of the recommended preventative maintenance items, and most of those are already needing to be replaced again.

    I mean…how many front axles does one have to burn through, even at stock ride height? I’m on my third set in 60k-ish miles, and one of the rears just lost a boot (to its credit, that one was stock).

    Two water pumps. Two CCV systems (cold weather conversions). The cooling system is practically new minus the radiator – fingers crossed those plastics hold out a little longer. Brakes need replaced again. Exhaust leaks. SES light.

    The interior plastics are disintegrating. Minnesota winters are disintegrating the metals bits of the exterior.

    But gotdamn I love this car, and it has been my favorite vehicle I’ve owned by a long shot.* The M54 isn’t fast, but the 5-spd makes you forget about that. The seats of the Sport Package are nearly perfect. The AWD system has always plowed through anything I’ve thrown at it. It is/was a driving/hauling machine. Now that I type this, I want to save it – again. But instead of my (lack of) funds going towards saving a derelict E46 wagon in the rust belt, I think I’ll redirect those funds towards my ‘73 Squareback. Originally intended to be a Megasquirt turbo build, I’m leaning towards scrapping (selling) all that and going EV.

    *
    1969 Beetle
    1994 Cherokee
    1992 SC300
    1991 Econoline Viking conversion van
    2013 Prius
    1971 & 1973 Squarebacks

  25. I must admit I laugh at my brother’s cult like love of German cars and tales of work done and bills amassed.

    In your case I wish you and the great looking car the best of luck and promise no matter what I won’t laugh. |-:

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