5th Jul 2015, 21:15
Original poster here again.
Just covered 4000 miles in a month. My respect for this car runs very deep indeed. The ride is indeed firmer than my old SE's, but the body control is quite excellent, while still being comfortable. The cabin's a lovely place to be, and the feel of the thing just makes me want to drive as well as I can. It's just so classy.
Very happy, still averaging 34 MPG.
Just had four Hankook Optimo 4S tyres fitted - now worth 1/5 of the car's value :)
I had the AC re-gassed and cleaned too, which has made everything smell and feel fresh as new.
Up early to drive a long way to work tomorrow and looking forward to it.
18th Jul 2015, 15:42
Original poster here. I found the windscreen washer wasn't working. After researching online, I discovered that the motor gunging up is a common occurrence with cars not used too often.
I pulled apart the hose connector near the cabin air filter and blew down it, causing bubbling. Sucking on it bought up some nasty looking algae stuff.
I crumbled a water purification tablet into the reservoir and blew bubbles down the pipe to agitate the contents. Overnight the algae was gone and the washers worked fine.
I will take off the wheel and arch liner when I get some plastic rivets to make sure there's nothing else wrong.
Still a wonderful car. 35 MPG, 4350 miles in six weeks.
7th Aug 2015, 21:22
Original poster here: I just covered 7000 miles since I got it, ODO now reads 59500.
Nothing has failed, but a bit of a vibration is developing under heavy braking and at around 70-75 mph. That's usually the thrust arm bearings, not surprising given the heavy use I'm giving the old girl. I'll get them looked at when I get her serviced and MOTed in September.
This car could not have been any better if were new. Comfy, quick, economical and INTERESTING. I look forward to putting lots more miles on her!
2nd Oct 2015, 18:21
Original poster here again: 10,000 miles covered since I got it 4 months ago. Quite brilliant car. Just like a new one. Walked through the MOT with no advisories.
This does the job of being my company executive and family car just as well as a new one. 34.4 MPG overall.
No failures.
Excellent and beautiful when clean too!
28th Feb 2016, 11:51
Original poster again: Just covered 20k miles in this beauty. I can hardly fault it.
Some berk ran into me at low speed while I was stationary in traffic, and I was concerned in case the insurance company wrote my car off, but in the end a new wing was bolted on, beautifully colour matched for a great price, and all was as new again.
Averaging 34 MPG, nothing has gone wrong. A service by a BMW indie specialist for £140 is my only outlay. Otherwise this beautiful car has performed exactly as well as a new car would have, but with more more charisma. No rust.
Criticisms? Well, the ride is a bit firmer than my previous SE, but not uncomfortably so. That's about it.
I am proving that if you choose well, a fifteen year old car can be a perfectly viable heavy-use company car, and provide huge entertainment too.
27th Oct 2016, 22:12
Original poster here: Sadly this week I say goodbye to this lovely car. Still polishes up like new and drives and rides quite wonderfully. I covered 26k miles in 18 months for the cost of two services and a few MOT issues. One of the truly great cars of all time, I love just about everything about this car. It is incredibly comfortable, spacious and airy in the cabin. The engine strong and quite frugal, and has a glorious sound and feel. Steering and all controls are beautifully weighty and communicative.
The new owner is a friend of mine and I just know he will love it as much as I did.
Get the right E39 and you won't need another car.
Amazing car that has been a privilege to own.
9th Jun 2015, 13:41
Thanks for your comment!
It seems the 2.2 six is not well thought of amongst the BMW owner community, so I'm not sure about the "classic status" thing, but it's certainly a brilliant, brilliant car!