1996 BMW 5 Series 523se 2.5 petrol
Summary:
This car is very soft and will not last very long without the owner having to spend lots of money
Faults:
Two rear wheel bearings at about 98,000 miles.
Catalytic converter packed in at 100,000.
Shockers and springs front and rear.
Air conditioning compressor at 83,000.
General Comments:
I only bought this car because I had previously owned an e34. My previous car hardly cost me a penny, and I sold it with 365,000 miles on the clock. It was bullet proof.
The e39 gets fantastic reviews, but beware, this car will be OK under warranty, however, if you get one out of warranty be prepared to spend lots of money. The car is not as tough as the old 5 series, I have already spent £2,000 since last October that's around 6 months.
The car is more refined than the old model and is great to drive.
My advice is don't buy one with 80,000 or above.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 21st April, 2003
20th Aug 2008, 04:52
The problem is that an E-39 bought secondhand in England is neglected piece of wreck. Typical U.K. driver only knows to fill up the tank and go...
If you want to buy quality E-39 you have to go to Switzerland or Japan and get it there.
Typical failures of an E-39: 80000 miles - worn rear suspension bushes and shocks, exhaust/cat, radiator, thermostat, aircon not working, pixel missing from dashboard, leaking windscreen and windows, auto gearbox...
24th Apr 2010, 12:58
To be honest, your comments are a bit unfair.
All the bits you've mentioned like bearings, etc are consumable parts that wear out with time and usage, you won't even be able to buy a second hand Rolls Royce that won't need the wheel bearings done at some point.
My e39 has done 175,000 miles, and drives exactly like it was new. Yes, it's had stuff replaced, but if you buy a car it has to be maintained, otherwise buy a push-bike!!!
25th Apr 2010, 05:58
20th Aug 2008, 04:52.
In actual fact UK drivers are more likely to get their cars serviced at manufacturer dealerships compared to their European counterparts.
And the Swiss or Japenese markets for BMW are practically meaningless; outside Germany, the UK is one of BMW's main markets.
Regards, UK 2007 BMW driver.
12th Jul 2011, 05:09
Damn straight, mine has done 271,568 miles!
19th Aug 2008, 01:14
BMW's are generally pretty reliable IF preventative maintenance is done. I also have an E34 525i ('92 model non-vanos) and it is tough as nails.However, preventative maintenance on BMWs are depressingly frequent, and experienced BMW owners like me know this fact. But most who have gotten used to Japanese cars tend to ignore this when they own a BMW for the first time. This probably explains some of the horrid reviews you read here about BMWs.
As a rule of thumb, BMW's are very nice cars to drive (better than 99.9% of Japanese cars),but buying one that's over 10 years old to use as a daily driver is just not a good idea for those who adopt the care free motoring attitude.