Faults:

I had to replace the shocks at 285,000KM, so I upgraded to Motorsport shocks and springs.

Starter motor at 300,000KM.

Radiator and thermostat housing at 280,000KM.

General Comments:

The E39 was one of the best cars ever produced by BMW.

This car handles and brakes very, very well, and is super smooth and quiet.

I have fitted it with facelift lights and upgraded to OEM Xenon headlights...

Also upgraded to the Motorsport Staggered fitment alloys.

I just love driving it.

Super frugal on fuel, and see 10-11L/100Km around town, and as low as 7.6 on a trip.

Faults:

Cassette player is broken.

Camshaft location sensor needed replacing as it was not working properly. This did not result in a breakdown though. $544 NZD for repair, but was mucked around by doing a catalytic clean. $1044 in the end.

Keeps coming up with 'Slow! Cat. Overheat' warning when starting, despite issue being fixed (above). Apparently this is a characteristic of models sourced from Japan.

Driver side window wash jets are weak.

Sunroof still opens, but can be temperamental.

Window wash reservoir was leaking, but fixed by myself with silicone glue.

Steering at low speeds sometimes feels a little bit loose, and suspension has a rattle at low speeds. Steering wheel has a bit of a squeak too.

General Comments:

Economy: Very impressed. On long trips and around town. Seems to handle variable trips quite well in comparison with my last 1.6 4 cylinder car. On the two long trips I have been (500km one way) I have achieved 8.4 l/100km and 8.7 l/100km. I usually achieve between 11 l/100km around town if I do not push the car too much.

Comfort: The cabin is very quiet, very smooth and enjoyable to ride in. Quite possibly the most comfortable car I have ridden in, especially on open road and on the motorway.

Performance: When this car needs to be pushed it handles it extremely well. It is quick off the mark, and accelerating for overtaking is simple and very quick.

Handling: Handling is okay. I call this car a cruiser because that's what it is. I am not sure if it actually does, but when I am doing a lot of cornering, I put the car in sport mode because it feels like the suspension is firmer. It does hold its position very well in corners, yet does have a bit of roll. More a comfort thing. The traction control system works extremely well in the wet, and when the wheel may spin, very impressive for a RWD car.

Looks: I never really liked the E39 that much before, but now I own one, I feel that the car has an extremely classic look. More as time goes on. The side and back of the car is probably its best looking feature, and as mine is a 96 model with quite large authentic alloys, the car sits quite low in comparison with newer E39 models. The colour is metallic dark blue and looks amazing with a wax. Nothing has been modified.

Interior: Everything inside still works, except the cassette player. All materials have lasted very well with no fading, splits or stains. The car still has that fresh BMW smell, and the interior feels extremely classy and inviting.

Service costs about $260 NZD every 10,000kms.

Faults:

Replaced a rear brake light bulb.

General Comments:

I finely got around to getting a 5 series and I couldn't be more pleased.

The driver and passenger comfort is superb.

The 528 has great performance from the silky smooth six. It can be sluggish off the line until the tacho gets up past three. On the open road tacho sits at around 1800 at 110 KPH while you drive in complete comfort.

Love the transmission, especially with the sport mode option. Very smooth auto-changes.

Good sound system complimented by minimal cabin noise at speed.

The best build quality I've had in a car. Very tight with no rattles yet.

I have just travelled 940 kilometres over a 48 hour period and feel like getting back into the car and doing it all again.