Steve van hool

Just a heads up on the October edition of Bmwcar magazine, featuring quite a few E39 topics, namely an Alpina version of the E39, A 528i car featured in the staff cars section, and a workshop guide to changing the E39 shock absorbers. As I say just a heads up.

As you say Mark, an early E39 being more reliable, probably due to being relatively less complex, it doesn't explain why they seem to fair a bit better on the rust front as well.

Yes it would influence my decision as £900 will buy you a half decent holiday, rather than going into the government coffers, but road tax pales into insignificance when compared to depreciation of an £18k car purchase.

I don't think the E39 M5 will ever have anything like the stratospheric increase in values of the E28 M5, but, as the. last true manual M5, and as such seen by many as the last true M5 drivers car, it's appreciation in value is foregone.

I'm about 13 years in with my 1996 528i, and to date it has been the most reliable and enjoyable drive so far in 40 years of motoring, since I passed my driving test. I drive for a living and so I'm super fussy in how well a car measures up to a drive.

You've sold it Dan?

An old shed to smoke about in? What about an E39 Mark, all either 6 or 8 cyl, although a nice one is fast becoming a classic rather than an old smoker, another plus is, unlike the F10, or G30, they are no longer depreciating, so you shouldn't lose on it. Dan has a nice estate, sorry, Touring for sale, looks to be pristine, or try Old Colonel Cars.

I don't know if they differ, but early E39's had engine management electrics by Siemens, and later on by Bosch, that will include the throttle bodies.

Love the red E39, one of the best colours for that 5 series range, the interior is very Marmite though, being boring, and Conservative, I would probably go for the 2nd one with a black interior.

Did a jolly boys outing to Lisbon, a great city, and I recommend.

Even if it is as cheap as chips, stops, starts, and go's, the 316 was the poor man's bmw, you couldn't really get any lower, and as a consequence not that great a drive, a 323i or 325i was a much better drive, after you had poured yourself into one. The 316 reminds me of a bmw 518, or a Mk2 Ford Granada 2 litre, still damn fine on the body, but paired up with underwhelming performance due to small engines.

Seeing this, I'm reminded of a local evening news story, when Spanish Air traffic control went on strike, and holiday makers couldn't get back home, one plucky lass bought a Ford Fiesta in Costa del Sol, and drove it back home to Blackpool. Northwest TV news covered the story with the car on her drive, having made it back home.

The 535i was a heavy, wallowy old bus in E34 form

Wank stains

Didn't Wills get banned from bmw5, over piss poor customer service?