New addition to the fleet

[Karl Grau]

Since I sold the 911, I have been looking for an e39 because I wanted at least one car in the fleet that was manufactured in this century. It's not the year or exterior color that I wanted but I couldn't pass it up with the low mileage.

2001 530i
56,000 miles
Original owner
Service records
No leaks
No MID or cluster issues
Windows all working
Spare tire has never been removed
Still has new car smell
$7,000

[Shawn D.]

Nice! I dig that color combo.

[5280 JB]

Nice score! E39's are a great choice.

Did the 911 stay stateside?

Jim

[Karl Grau]

Jim, yes, the 911 is still in San Diego. I haven't been for a visit because I still have a little seller's remorse.

[vinceg101]

Congrats, welcome to the club.
Can't wait to see it in person next month.

[oldskool]

Damn fine looking automobile. Good find.

[2 5's and a 7]

Ok I know nothing about those cars.....but I see a "Sport" steering wheel and regular seats....is that the way they come? by the way nice lookin g color combo.

[vinceg101]

Ok I know nothing about those cars.....but I see a "Sport" steering wheel and regular seats....is that the way they come? by the way nice lookin g color combo.

Not usually, but Sport Seats were an expensive option so some were inevitably going to be ordered with standard seats.

[Justin_FL]

Ok I know nothing about those cars.....but I see a "Sport" steering wheel and regular seats....is that the way they come? by the way nice lookin g color combo.

Not usually, but Sport Seats were an expensive option so some were inevitably going to be ordered with standard seats.

The sport seats were $400 in 2001. Except for MY2002 and 2003, they were never included as standard equipment on 6 cylinder cars with the sport package in NA.

[Karl Grau]

I left a 10% deposit last Sunday and because of conflicting schedules and lame bank hours, I just brought it home a couple of hours ago. First order of business was a bath.





As far as I can tell, the tool kit is only missing one item.





Came with an auxiliary power adapter and a working flashlight.









Ivo is bringing me an extinguisher bracket so I went ahead and put the sticker on.



Bought a few things during the week while I was waiting to pick it up.



The car certainly isn’t perfect but for the price and mileage, I’m happy and even the exterior color is growing on me. We’ll see what horrors lay ahead.

[davintosh]

Sexsay wheels. Wanna race?

Oh; your tiles are crooked. Or is it the bumper?

[vinceg101]

You should have had Ivo bring you one of these: Euro Sliding Armrest with Storage Compartment


Oddly enough this was a Euro-only option. Works great, too. I bought mine used from a guy in Poland off ebay. Plug and Play with your current armrest/phone slot.

Of course you also need this:

This is the uber-cool flip out Cup Holder that replaces that rather useless storage compartment under the armrest behind the gear shifter. Sorry I don't have a shot of it in use or open at the moment, but it's well worth seeking one out and paying the price for it. You can't even call what BMW put in the E39 for drink holding cupholders; they are more like torture devices for US drivers.

[wkohler]

The auxiliary power adapter is worth the price of the car.

E39s make me sleepy, so forgive me for not making it all the way through your post!

[Ted in T.O.]

I love that Mag light holder and flashlight setup.

[John in VA]

Of course you also need this:

This is the uber-cool flip out Cup Holder that replaces that rather useless storage compartment under the armrest behind the gear shifter. Sorry I don't have a shot of it in use or open at the moment, but it's well worth seeking one out and paying the price for it. You can't even call what BMW put in the E39 for drink holding cupholders; they are more like torture devices for US drivers.

[geordi]

I'd like to try out your cup holder in March… deal?

[wkohler]

Heh heh. That's what she said.

[Karl Grau]

You should have had Ivo bring you one of these: Euro Sliding Armrest with Storage Compartment

I really like that armrest but it's too late to ask Ivo to bring anything more.

It looks like someone has reproduced that cup holder. Not cheap though. The front double cup holders on mine are actually not broken and work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E39-5-Serie ... c7&vxp=mtr


I didn't realize my build date came with Angel Eyes. I'm all of a sudden feeling 30 years younger and want to buy a giant subwoofer for the trunk.

[vinceg101]

You should have had Ivo bring you one of these: Euro Sliding Armrest with Storage Compartment

I really like that armrest but it's too late to ask Ivo to bring anything more.

It looks like someone has reproduced that cup holder. Not cheap though. The front double cup holders on mine are actually not broken and work.

Yeah, until the first time you stop short and it spills into the HVAC control unit. Or you put something heavier than an 8 oz. Styrofoam cup in them. I love how they positioned them right in front of the sensor intakes on the HVAC control unit also.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E39-5-Serie ... c7&vxp=mtr


I didn't realize by build date came with Angel Eyes. I'm all of a sudden feeling 30 years younger and want to buy a giant subwoofer for the trunk.

That was part of the Facelift in 2001. Are you low beams Halogen or Xenon? (I didn't see it on the build-sheet).
Those are the other things you could get Ivo to bring over: the Euro Xenon Hella headlight units, the ones with the clear side marker reflectors. You can't even get those from Schmeidmann nor any of the US BMW dealers or parts houses. Of course you'll pay a pretty penny for them if you buy them new (+/-$800-900 each).

[wkohler]

Am I nuts for liking the stock US ones? I'm so used to seeing the stupid Depo everything that it's refreshing to see the stock stuff. I even like the stock front bumper better.

[John in VA]

It looks like someone has reproduced that cup holder. Not cheap though. The front double cup holders on mine are actually not broken and work.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E39-5-Serie ... c7&vxp=mtr
]

I believe TEC made the cup holder for BMW. $89 new from TECaccessories.com
This one does a nice job & secures the cups a bit better than the stock set-up, and the price is right. Something to consider if/when yours fails:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BMW-E39-FRONT-C ... 75&vxp=mtr

[Karl Grau]

Are you low beams Halogen or Xenon? (I didn't see it on the build-sheet).
Those are the other things you could get Ivo to bring over: the Euro Xenon Hella headlight units, the ones with the clear side marker reflectors. You can't even get those from Schmeidmann nor any of the US BMW dealers or parts houses. Of course you'll pay a pretty penny for them if you buy them new (+/-$800-900 each).

I'm not sure if they're Halogen or Xenon but I don't drive at night enough to warrant changing them if they're Halogen.
I think I going to go with the TEK cup holder.

[Justin_FL]

The factory Xenons are mediocre anyway, the projectors just don't perform all that great. I've had plenty of newish cars next to me with modern halogens that are brighter and have a better beam pattern. If I drove more in the dark, a retrofit of a better projector into the housing is the way to solve it.

The TEK cupholder is more useful than factory, however it's still rather limited because of the dimensional constraints of the storage pocket. I find that it doesn't hold all that well as the ring is too low and the diameter restricts what fits. I basically only have bottled water in a car, so it is fine for my usage pattern. Probably not good for the typical American coffee drinker or those that get fast food or convenience store cups that are tall due to the tipping hazard risk. Seems like most around here with E39s have automatics, but for those with a manual trans, items in the TEK cup holder certainly gets in the way of shifting gears, too. I've had over 7 years with mine and think it was a waste of money!

I also changed out the armrest on my car, but went for the non-sliding Euro armrest. It still flips up and has a storage cubby. It is lower profile, as I found the larger armrests for the car phone insert are just too damn bulky, making the gear change motion less comfortable for the arm/shoulder.

[vinceg101]

Am I nuts for liking the stock US ones? I'm so used to seeing the stupid Depo everything that it's refreshing to see the stock stuff. I even like the stock front bumper better.

I thought this thread and E39's bored you to sleep.

[Karl Grau]

After reading Justin's post, I decided to go with the $15.00 cup holder that John in VA posted. I too, am more of a bottle of water guy. The only time I could see anything else needing a cup holder would be on a roadtrip where I might have a cup of coffee in the morning.
I'm definitely going to do some form of Euro armrest too.

I found this in the spare tire well.



It was obvious where it went but I'm missing one. One more item added to the parts list.




I'm still laughing at this. Is there a TSB on it too?



Looking at the pristine Style 42 in trunk makes me want to get the ones on the car refinished.




That would mean running the Style 5s that were on the M5 for a while. It doesn't look as bad as I thought it would.