1997 BMW 5 Series 528i review from UK and Ireland

Left rear brake light bulb blew.

Er, that's it so far.

Apart from that, the cabin does have a few creaks, which are annoying, since it's otherwise very well put together and not really justified given the very low mileage.

Otherwise lovely cream leather seats are also wearing prematurely, drivers seat in particular, but as this has been the case on all E39's I've seen it may just be a specific BMW trait.

It generally doesn't seem quite as bulletproof as the Saabs and VW's I've had before, but there have been no problems so far, although that IS only 3 months.

I love this car. The E39 5-series is a fantastic car, and now also great value.

Performance is good, if not astonishing, from the 2.8 litre straight six, but it is very refined indeed and sounds fantastic.

Motorway cruising is second to none, with a very quiet engine and plenty of poke for overtaking etc., at UK legal speeds, anyway.

Handling is excellent, although my example needs new tyres soon, so it tramlines a bit. The worn tyres make for excellent fun on wet roundabouts though - traction control off, a bootful in 2nd and the tail comes out nicely.