2001 BMW 540i 292bhp M62 V8 E39 M-Sport suspension

2001 BMW 5-Series Description

Okay BMW fans, here's one for you. And if you're reading this far you already know what this car is - considered by many to be the best sedan BMW ever built. And in addition to the new-for-2001 higher output V8 (292bhp), this car has an M-Sport suspension package and shorter drive ratio, so you're close to M5 performance for a fraction of the cost. (Yeah, that last comment really ruffles feathers of M5 owners, but it's true - the limits of the M5 are so high you'd likely never notice the difference between this car and a full M5 without putting them on a racetrack.)

Only deviation from factory is the 18" TSW forged alloys, wrapped in Continental ExtremeContact DWS rubber- 245/40 ZR18 front (>50% tread depth) and 275/35 ZR18rear (almost new).

Car has new crankcase ventilation valve, coils, and plugs. Leather is in excellent shape forits age, and HVAC system works well, although missing a couple buttons -just a minor issue of finding replacements and popping them on, which I haven't bothered to do.

Paint is in good condition with a good shine, albeit with the usual dings and scratches you'd expect on a car this age and mileage. There is a rust spot in the rear corner, shown pretty clearly in the pics. Front bumper surround has a small gap in the left corner (also shown clearlyin the pics - driver's side where it meets the fender) from going over a parking block.

Known issues as follows: Driver's door power window regulator only goes down about halfway, plan to replace. There's a side marker lamp failure that generates a "CHECK SIDE LIGHT" notice on startup; haven't traced that one so not sure if it's a bulb or socket. Coolant expansion tank has an ever so tiny crack (which is about the most common BMW failure there is other than the CCV valve, and that one is done for you) - but the winning bidder gets a new tank with a new sensor thrown in! Had an oil change in November before it was parked for the winter, so I'd say probably figure on doing a fresh oil change for the summer. Speaking of November, it had been parked all winter and when I started it for the first time last week noticed a rough idle, smoothes out with RPM - so I'm guessing sitting over the winter it got some buildup in the injectors you should figure on cleaning out. (Wonderful 10% ethanol gas...)

Done the best I can to describe the good and bad; email with questions, etc. All in all it drives surprisingly well for its age, but of course has a few issues to address like any other car of its age and mileage.

UPDATE: After some really snarky comments that the M-Sport package didn't come out until 2003 (according to Wikipedia, et al), I ran the VIN through BMWvin.com and confirmed yes, it is an M-Sport car according to them. Specifically, here's their decoding of the car's build info below. Correct, this car doesn't have the bumpers/mirrors M-Tech appearance pack that came out in 2003, but it does have the M-Sport suspension, M Steering wheel, and dead pedal - which is what you really want anyway.