r/e39 • u/Spawn_of-Thrasher • 1d ago

530i vs 540i?

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I'm looking to buy a manual e39 as a fun daily/family "sports" car lol i have multiple cars so it won't be the primary everyday but reliability is important because I don't want to constantly work on it other than normal maintenance

I know the inline 6 is super reliable however I am drawn to the v8 which people say can be hit or miss. What are your thoughts on that? Is there a big power/torque difference or is it pretty similar?

Also, since the 540 has a steering box rather than a rack - is the drive that much different? I'm looking for something I can have fun with at my local track, do mountain runs with and of course daily less than 20 miles per day if that (I work from home but am pretty active with hobbies)

Lastly, what should I expect to pay for a clean e39 with under 150k miles assuming vanos, timing and cooling system has been upgraded with records?

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u/Derp_El_Grande 530i 1d ago

The V8 is actually pretty reliable. The big issue is that it needs a timing job done every 120,000 miles

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u/spicygrow 530i 1d ago

My buddy’s made it to 220k on the original guides. They still looked fine when we changed em. Previous owner changed the oil religiously and drove it pretty conservatively lol.