I'm thinking of a 5 yr old one,probably near 100k

can these engines take that? anyone got any experience of this car? what to look for etc etc

 

Biggest engine issue is the Nikasil issue:
http://www.lestac.co.uk/bmw/nikasil.htm

 

ta,so post March 98 540s are ok

 

i have 2001 540...facelift but i assume pretty similar to a 98/99.

its the best car i have ever had....its 8.5/10 in every field. i am currently thinking of selling it but might not bother as i cant think of anything to replace it with.....in fact, the only thing i'd replace it with is a new 545 (dont like M5 as i want auto)

my only concern would be a car out of warranty. i paid 600+ in jan as the car hit 3 years and i wanted to extend the cover...good job too as its had:

new accelerator pedal...twice
replace park radar front
replace park radar rear
replace climate control computer
replace air temp regulator

none of these stop the car working and i imagine the engine would do 200,000 at 155mph without blinking (except for lots of fuel!) but they spoil a fully speced car if they arent covered.

T

 

NB I don't think you can extend the BMW warranty once it's already lapsed. An issue for me as I'm looking at M5s

 

The new M5 will be an Auto. SMG box's all have auto options. So you can have the best of both worlds

 

your right....once warranty is out its tuff. and only the slightest job runs into ££££ on these things.....i wouldnt touch one without cover.

the M5 with SMG is gonna be cool...give it 3 yrs to loose a ton of cash then i'll pick up a 2004 car in 2007 for £30k ish.

daft that the old one didnt have auto...the E55 makes do ok.

i cant belive that most drivers of such a car wouldnt appreciate an auto for most of their travels.

T

 

so these things cost a lot to maintain? because its a 540,or because its a 5 series?

 

You can buy a BMW warranty so long as the car passes a BMW inspection which will cost £150ish. It's well worth it. I wouldn't spend +15k on a BMW without a BMW inspection.