So this car (1999 528it Sport Package) came up on a local CL search in the town next door. While I'm not a fan of tan leather it's still a lot nicer inside than the tan leather in my old Integra. Low miles, manual, 1 owner car. I've already emailed him & the radiator has been replaced, only accident was a hit in the rear door, small dent but went through insurance. He also says he's got almost all receipts of work down. So before I go look at this, possibly today, what should I look for. I do think the M badge is just that, don't think that ever existed.
http://boston.en.craigslist.org/nos/cto/4589533002.html
M Wagons did not exist in the US. Period. However the E39 wagons (all variants) are awesome. We have a 2002 525it wagon and it has a nicer ride than my M5 on long trips. Price is good if the car is good. Easy cars to work on and very reliable. IMHO the E39 is the second best series ever made by BMW and that's saying a lot as the E46 and E36 are awesome too. The best BMW car ever made is the 2002 but I'm biased cause I race one.
Manual sport wagons are EXTREMELY RARE. Get on that ASAP! Might be worth passing on if it has a few dead pixels, though 
SlickDizzy wrote: Manual sport wagons are EXTREMELY RARE. Get on that ASAP!
Exactly. That car is a unicorn. For $3500 you can't go wrong.
In reply to SlickDizzy:
My E36 has a few dead pixels, I've made due with it. Ha. Sure enough I planned on looking at it today & the skies opened up.
Any common issues with these? Cooling system, places to look for rust other than the hatch?
oldtin
UberDork
7/27/14 1:42 p.m.
good price, rare car, looks decent. buy it. as far as relatively common stuff. cooling system, abs pump, ps leaks, oil filter gasket leaks, vanos seals, window regulators (gummy grease), I've seen a few around chicago that rust around the rear wheel arches.
That so cheappppppp!!! Buy it and spend a grand on Little stuff.
As for places to look for rust; NE car will have rust in the corners of the rear hatch window. It will have rust at the top corners of the windshield. It will have rust at the bottom of the door jams in the sills( these are not always apparent but will show as bubbles in the sills). Make sure the rear window opens separate of the hatch door; both have soft touch and if they don't work its pricey to make it right. The floor will be rusted out under the battery tray. Passenger side rear which is obvious from underneath, it will have two tabs sticking through. Not a big deal since the panel is $28 from BMW if you can weld and undercoat it. The battery has to hook up to the vent hidden behind the bumper cover or it will rust there again. Also, lots of them have "ripped" floor pans under the spare; I don't know what it's from but I've owned four and two have had it. Any other specific questions let me know or join bimmerforums and read in the touring forum.
Nice car. Even if I was looking for a BMW to mod I might of considered, the engines from this time are great
Thanks for the input guys. I just got off the phone with the guy & while he's not a car guy he has meticulously maintained the vehicle. Went over some of the more recent work including brakes, radiator, & shocks. Said the only thing wrong with it at the moment is that the radio stopped working a couple days ago. When it's turned on you can hear a "pop" but no audio, display still lights up. Says the car was detailed recently & this happened shortly thereafter. Dead amp? Would probably through an aftermarket deck into it anyhow. Plan is to look at it tomorrow night but if the rain holds off the next few hours maybe tonight. He has one other interested buyer who is coming Wednesday, jumping first.
From my experience with E39s: Air conditioning panel buttons fall out, cup holders SUCK, seats have dual seat motors for reclining and one may fail which lead to crooked reclining seats, window motors, suspension bushings, VANOS seals, pixels
Aftermarket stereo heads are a nightmare also, better to properly repair the factory head unit and add power. There are DIY write ups.
Seat issue is real, but not usual; pixels issue is overblown; cup holders do suck and no real good fix; VAnOs doesn't seem to be as bad if the car was cared for from new.
Jump on that quick! Ask him if the clutch is the original one. If it is, it probably has a dual mass flywheel that will need to be replaced, and that's not cheap. You will probably need to do transmission mounts when you do the clutch.
Screw your typical aftermarket stereo. You want one of these:
http://www.dynavin.com/products/n6_e39.php
Basically updates the radio and nav to 2014 spec as a plug-and-play solution.
I replaced the radio on mine with a rebuilt one from ebay. 15 minute job done with a socket and a screwdriver. Under $150.00 with 2 yr warranty on radio. Cupholders suck but there are many aftermarket options and they are mostly cheap. Bushings are also somewhat common but the cars are otherwise great. I have an aftermarket setup in my M5 because the previous owner had one. He had removed them and the 00 stock M5 radio was missing pieces so I went with a Kenwood touch screen. Works great and I get iPod and BT phone so I don't agree that an aftermarket radio is a bad idea.
Well, rain stopped & went to look at the car since he was 10 minutes away. I will be signing the title tomorrow. He had comprehensive history of all major service items, brakes, suspension, radiator, air system, etc. The only issues that were immediately noticeable were a little surface rust over the left rear rocker. Everywhere else was solid. The SRS light was on as well but if it's anything like the E36 you sneeze & those come on. The car drove great, sounded great, shifted great, this will make a fine choice for vehicle #20.
The stereo will be replaced. I'm a metalhead & I like to have my iPod with me. Screw FM radio & not a fan of satellite anymore.
Next up, clean the E36 & sell it. 99 323is coupe, 5spd, 201k, $1,500 for GRM members. Post soon.
When you get tired of it hit me up! Nice buy.
chandlerGTi wrote:
When you get tired of it hit me up! Nice buy.
Hop in line, silverfleet was the 1st to call dibs 2 years from now.
If it has the power seat twist problem, Ghats an easy DIY fix too. I can do them in about an hour per seat. Google BMW seat twist repair.
I'd love to have a 5 Series wagon, especially a manual.
MA$$hole wrote:
chandlerGTi wrote:
When you get tired of it hit me up! Nice buy.
Hop in line, silverfleet was the 1st to call dibs 2 years from now.
I can't wait to own this wagon 2 years from now. 
Wow nice find! That is a mighty fine wagon sir. Well bought.
SilverFleet wrote:
MA$$hole wrote:
chandlerGTi wrote:
When you get tired of it hit me up! Nice buy.
Hop in line, silverfleet was the 1st to call dibs 2 years from now.
I can't wait to own this wagon 2 years from now.
What the... I called dibs! Lol
NONACK
Reader
7/28/14 10:57 a.m.
Craigslist find
Since you're all clearly madly in love with these...
NONACK wrote:
Craigslist find
Since you're all clearly madly in love with these...
Not bad, but it's not a Sport wagon (and it's painted a terrible color. )
