BMW 2003 540i, your thoughts

[mzbmw325i]

do you all agree that this is considered the best BMW ever made? I mean sedan wise, not M series related.

I always said to myself if own a 5 series it will be a 540i produced between 99-03. for some reason i cant stand the headlight/tail lights on the newer models.

the link below is for the plant in Germany where all the Premium BMW's are build. i ran into it on some guy's website

http://www.bmw-werk-dingolfing.de

[3050rpm]

I think that the 5-series of those particular years were (are) very highly regarded, Consumer Reports may even have said it was the best car they had ever tested. Of course it'd be worthwhile to see how they've held up repair- and maintenance-wise since then, and again Consumer Reports would be one place to look.

On a personal note I'd opt for the 6-cylinder engine with manual transmission.

[MTurboPower3]

the E 39 is the greatest Bimmer ever made.

[Kasei]

E34 and E39=sex. I personally love the E34's design to death but the later E39's are sexy as well. 5 series ftw....period.

[Dr1ve4fun]

^^

[nick_318is]

Well the e30 is the best BMW ever . The e39 is a great car my dad had a 528i and it was a very nice car, the 540i with a 6 speed is a great car and definitely one of the finest sedans and would be on my look out list if I wanted a sedan.

[Dr1ve4fun]

I think if you want a coupe e30s are better, but for a sedan I really like either the e34 or an e32 they are beautiful cars just depends on how much room you want

[Dudesky]

Although I own a 530, this isn't a biased opinion- a lot of people prefer it over the 540 because the inline 6 is almost perfectly balanced, and doesn't have the inherent vibration issues that the V design has. The M54 is also considered by many to be the best BMW engine ever made, and was on Ward's 10 Best Engines list from '01-'03. But then who can argue with the M62's 282hp

I tried to do as much research as I could before I bought into an E39, and they all pretty much share the same problems. The difference I think was the changes they made in '01; previous to that the 525's and 528's had the same problems plaguing their 3 series counterparts. The 540 however is just a beast- the thing is a bit louder than the other 5'ers. I noticed that when I was test driving them.

And I hate the back end of the E34's- looks like someone chopped it off. Other than that, I think they're great. But the best looking BMW in my opinion will always be the E24

[celsdogg]

the E39 is my favorite 5er, and one of my favorite Bimmers overall.

i dont like what they did with the E60, but i have since gotten used to it being around.

[Kasei]

The E60 is a bit of a let down when you compare it to the previous 5er's. As far as coupes go, then E24 all the way, I'm more of a sedan guy myself....I don't know why though.

[RSF5]

e39 540i is a great car, but I don't think I could every pick a BMW as the best. Their all the best in their own regard.

[celsdogg]

^^^ +1

[mzbmw325i]

i am a E30 owner and i love it, i was trying to be particular on a roomier size bmw, looking at the new models 5 and even 7 series as i mentioned above, the tail lights are such a big turn off,

i don't know how they allowed it come of the sketch desk into production. it makes the car looks to feminine from the rear

I think the E39 5 series as a whole is just a beautiful design, to me it looks like a great white shark on the road, ready to destroy anything in it's path

[Numark318i]

E39=pure sex.

when we got the E46 we almost purchased a e39 530, E46 was purchased because my mom was having a mini mid life crisis and wanted something more sporty, but I think the E39 looks more elegant and refined.

First time i saw an 39 m5 i fell in love, I will never stop wanting one, along with an E30 M3, Best cars Bmw made style wise IMO.

[RSF5]

Originally Posted by Numark318i

First time i saw an 39 m5 i fell in love, I will never stop wanting one, along with an E30 M3 and e46 M3, Best cars Bmw made style wise IMO.

Fixed.