Anyone Own a BMW 5-Series Wagon?

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The fiancee sent me a cell phone pic she shot of an older BMW 5-Series Wagon the other day. She knows I like stuff like that.

I asked her if she'd consider owning one instead of a boring SUV one day when we have kids. She said she would. A manual transmission would be a must for us.

Anyone own one? How do you like it?

I guess the biggest gas engine they put in them was the 3.2 I-6? 240 HP? I know that was the M3 engine back in the day.
 
These are the actual photos she took of the car she saw. She said she didn't like the color, though. She would want something like a charcoal.

This being a 528, Im assuming it has the 2.8L engine?

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Close. I have an E39 528i sedan with a manual transmission. It's even a charcoal colour. Mine has the interior appearance package and the M-sport package, ski pass through, zenon headlights, sunroof, etc.

It's a great car. It rides great, handles great, and doesn't have squeaks or rattles. It gets good mileage (though I always use premium fuel). The fit and finish is wonderful. It's even been relatively reliable - for a European car. By comparison, it costs less to maintain than my Volvo 740 Turbo did. It's 20 years old now and it still looks terrific, both inside and out.

Sometimes I think I should buy a new car, but I really don't want to give this one up. And anyway I haven't found anything I like better, or even as much.

What don't I like - nothing really. There is one thing. I don't like the way the sun visors sit when used on the side window. I suspect the frame for the roof is too stout for them to sit nicely.

PS That's an E39 in the photos.
 
Originally Posted by ecotourist
Close. I have an E39 528i sedan with a manual transmission. It's even a charcoal colour. Mine has the interior appearance package and the M-sport package, ski pass through, zenon headlights, sunroof, etc.

It's a great car. It rides great, handles great, and doesn't have squeaks or rattles. It gets good mileage (though I always use premium fuel). The fit and finish is wonderful. It's even been relatively reliable - for a European car. By comparison, it costs less to maintain than my Volvo 740 Turbo did. It's 20 years old now and it still looks terrific, both inside and out.

Sometimes I think I should buy a new car, but I really don't want to give this one up. And anyway I haven't found anything I like better, or even as much.

What don't I like - nothing really. There is one thing. I don't like the way the sun visors sit when used on the side window. I suspect the frame for the roof is too stout for them to sit nicely.

PS That's an E39 in the photos.


Man! Don't get rid of that car! It has character. Something that is sorely lacking in today's vanilla, antiseptic, car-appliances.

Do you have any photos you could post? With the M-Sport package, I bet it came with some nice wheels. BMW has always outfitted its cars with very nice wheels from the factory.
 
Originally Posted by john_pifer


I guess the biggest gas engine they put in them was the 3.2 I-6? 240 HP? I know that was the M3 engine back in the day.


There was a 540i Touring with the 4.4l M62 V8 as well, but no S62 M5 version. For whatever reason, they built E34 and E61 M5 Tourings, but skipped the E39 generation.

BMW NA has only bothered to import very limited versions of BMW's wagons to the U.S., when they bothered to at all, and they haven't sold well (chicken or egg?), so they're relatively rare.
 
Wagon in the photo is an E34, while they have a strong following you better be an EE or have a Masters degree in running down electrical gremlins. Next generation E39 wagons would be the one I'd consider first.

Viva the long roof!

[Linked Image]
 
The E39 is widely regarded as the best 5 Series ever. For me the sweet spot is a 530i Sport with three pedals.
 
As Stated that's an E39 grocery getter. Sweet ride the cooling system is the weakness on these cars, They over heat if not PROPERLY maintained. Cooling system upgrades are readily available.
Prices of low mileage ones are on the rise. Your Lady has great taste in cars.....
 
Originally Posted by MCompact
The E39 is widely regarded as the best 5 Series ever. For me the sweet spot is a 530i Sport with three pedals.



Agreed.
 
These cars were some of the most reliable made from BMW. Ive had a few customers with over 300k, and some that overheated at 110k and cracked the head so it goes both ways. The rarest models from BMW in the early 2000s were the 540i sport wagons, some were 1 of 200! If you can find a very nice well maintained example, Id be all over it just keep a fund going for the usual age related issues. EWS issues can get expensive as well, last one we needed reprogrammed was about 1000 with 2 new keys.
 
Originally Posted by john_pifer
The fiancee sent me a cell phone pic she shot of an older BMW 5-Series Wagon the other day. She knows I like stuff like that.

I asked her if she'd consider owning one instead of a boring SUV one day when we have kids. She said she would. A manual transmission would be a must for us.

Anyone own one? How do you like it?

I guess the biggest gas engine they put in them was the 3.2 I-6? 240 HP? I know that was the M3 engine back in the day.



For I6 engines you have the 2.5L (525), 2.8L (528) or 3.0L (530), Approx 189 ,200 and 225 hp respectively. 540 was of course the V8 and a rare bird.

Personally I would avoid it just due to it's age and the self-leveling air suspension.
 
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My neighbor had one of those in a rather strange light green color. I think Euro wagons are cool, I wish Americans would have accepted them along with their flock to SUV's, but not to be. Even VW has dropped the Alltrack, and they actually advertised that one.
 
My neighbor has a 328d wagon that he loves. I would take that with a grain of salt though, he's a BMW fanatic.
 
Originally Posted by glock19
My neighbor has a 328d wagon that he loves. I would take that with a grain of salt though, he's a BMW fanatic.


Wagon owners generally are. I really like the looks of the F-series wagon. Too bad it could only be bought with AWD.
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I've got a 2008 BMW 535xi Wagon (E61 chassis code)

PROS: Cargo space is excellent, especially in a sedan-sized footprint. Car feels very solid overall. Engine is great - the twin turbo is really fast.

CONS: Super heavy, and you feel it. Steering is among the worst BMW made. It's way too heavy and slow with no feel. I'm sure it's great at 130 MPH, but of course that never happens. The ZF 6-speed auto isn't very good. It's fine, but a 6-speed manual would make it a far better car to drive.
 
I had an E60 545 V8 6 speed manual. That car was an absolute blast to drive. Had active steering, sport package and cold weather package. It was not cheap to maintain or fun to work on. I ended up getting rid of the car after one year of ownership due to TONS of problems. I had gone through entire cooling system, valve cover gaskets (which is not easy or fun on a V8), crankcase breathers, multiple sets of tires and list goes on. This was over the span of 10 months. When I got rid of it it needed a clutch, a starter, front control arms (compliance bushings) and had some I drive issues. Took a huge hit on equity but it was better for the long run. Bought with 58k miles got rid of it with 77k. I do miss the driving experience, though.

Obviously not an E61 but still my BMW experience
 
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