Brother Michael
Well-Known Member
More info and better photos later along with proof pic.
Edit: Alrighty then, so this is what I've bought:
It is a 2002 BMW 540i Touring M-Sport with the best of what the boys from Munich had to offer this side of an M5: 4.4L V8 with 286hp/460nm, 0-100km/h in around 6.0 seconds, suspension by M-works, the best seats my ass has ever met and of course:
Yeeeees it is a 6-speed manual gearbox, no automatics for me. The interior is the most wonderful place to be in. It has such a natural feel and as much I loved my old S8 (and still do), I will say that the E39 is much more comfortable inside.
At the moment the car is rolling on 235/45R17 Hakka 5 studded tires and for summer I have a set of (genuine) 18" Alpinas clad in 265/235 Michelin Pilot Sports.
Since getting it on last Thursday I've covered somewhere around 1200km and I am loving every second of it. To drive it is very easy and unintimidating, at least compared to the S8 for instance which at first can be a bit daunting with its size and power. And about the power....even though having more torque over the S8 (460nm vs 410nm) it feels a lot more sluggish at low revs. I mean it still pulls like a freight train but the S8 was much more raw and savage. However get past 4000rpm or so and the 540i starts to move, fast. Typically rev happy BMW engine then.
Inside, as mentioned, everything is very quiet and comfortable, some of which has to do with the damn near armour thick double glazed windows. Rear passengers have sun blinds as well.
Other creature comforts include (among others) sun roof, parking sensors, electrically adjustable seats, (back then) top of the line sound system and remote control pre-heater/Webasto thing. I love the Webasto first and foremost for having a warm car every single morning before sitting in it but also for this lovely James Bond villain'esque remote control for
Gas mileage ? Weeeeeell it isn't really a concern when buying a car like this now is it ? It'll drink every drop it gets but with a careful foot will do 10L/100km on the highway which should give me about 700km on a full tank.
As far as the condition of the car goes, it is not exactly mint but for a 10 year old car I really cannot expect more. Tha back seat has never seen passengers, the front seats don't have a wrinkle on them, all of the trim is still scratch free, all the toys work...it is fantastic. The paint could use a little buffing In a couple of spots but there is absolutely no rust anywhere to be found.
The only two complaints that I have, if I must, are that like all E39s save it for the M5 this one does not come with an LSD and the exhaust is way, WAY too quiet. So those two are on my to do list at some point. But that is just about it: this is going to be my long term daily driver and thus it will be kept stock. I don't even miss the better rack and pinion steering you get in the 6-cylinder versions (due to packaging reasons BMW put a recirculating ball steering in the V8s), this is not a car that IMO desperately needs something like that, as opposed to let's say an M3. The E39 is a big heavy car, despite all the fancy tricks BMW did with the M-Sport package. It's not a sports car. That is not to say it can't/won't be hooned or tracked though.
All in all it very "me"....Bromic-spec as MXM put it.
I reckon that is enough blabbering, so here is a picture dump, the obligatory proof pic at the end.
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Who wouldn't? Awesome car BroMic.