New Car!

[Colonel Cadillac]

Hey Everyone,

Hope everyone is well! Thought I would share my latest vehicular news.

My 2018 BMW M550i was unfortunately smashed by a 19yo drunk driver while parked in front of my sister's house in Austin. It was declared a total loss last night by the 19yo's insurance company. I'm getting a better payout than if I sold it myself. Plus, it was stupidly expensive to maintain, so I am trying to see it as a blessing despite it being one of the best german V8s before extinction (arguments not accepted, obviously lying).

Anyways, a 54,000 mile 2003 540iA M-Sport has popped up in my neighborhood. Going to look at it tomorrow. $16k. Seems almost nuts not to say yes?!

[Submariner2]

Hello there.

Sorry to hear about your 550.

The E39 (and E38!) are in an interesting era of cars - old enough to feel somewhat analogue yet still so well engineered that they can old their own against cars two decades newer (or more!).

I sat in a low mileage E38 not long ago and it's amazing how well it has held up.  All you'd need is a good HD Car Play head unit for it to feel modern.

Hope you're doing well (and hope the DD scumbag has the book thrown at him - selfish prick)

[Colonel Cadillac]

Signed the dotted line. $17,865 including taxes. 2003 BMW 540iA M-Sport. 56,000 miles.

[Colonel Cadillac]

More pics

[Colonel Cadillac]

And more

[Colonel Cadillac]

Hello there.

Sorry to hear about your 550.

The E39 (and E38!) are in an interesting era of cars - old enough to feel somewhat analogue yet still so well engineered that they can old their own against cars two decades newer (or more!).

I sat in a low mileage E38 not long ago and it's amazing how well it has held up.  All you'd need is a good HD Car Play head unit for it to feel modern.

Hope you're doing well (and hope the DD scumbag has the book thrown at him - selfish prick)

Thank you! Yes, research into how to install a new head unit with wireless Apple CarPlay, all new sound, and a backup camera to commence immediately!

Hopefully the backup camera won't be too ugly, but that's going to be hard to live without these days!

And it leaves room in the budget to look for a similar vintage Boxster S   

[CaminoRacer]

Very clean!

I looked around for some similar vintage BMWs before I bought my G20, but I couldn't find anything in nice condition like that

[Eye of the Tiger]

Nice. They don't make
em like that anymore.

[veeman]

Looks great!  Love the color.  Congratulations!

[FoMoJo]

20 years old and looks better than any new car.

[AutobahnSHO]

Fantastic!! Enjoy 😊

[Laconian]

54,000 miles. That car is a time capsule. Goddamn I'm jealous.

[CALL_911]

Fuuuuuuuck yeah that is awesome. Timeless design, I still think it's perhaps the best looking sedan ever designed. Congratulations!

You're in Houston? I'm moving down there this July.

[giant_mtb]

Such a good-looking car.  Handsome, elegant, and sporty all in one.

[Morris Minor]

54,000 miles. That car is a time capsule. Goddamn I'm jealous.

Me to. No one wants the beaten-w/-ugly-stick BMWs of today. These are golden.

[Raza]

Looks fantastic! My friend bought an E46 off a guy who had a meticulously maintained 540i 6 speed. I should have given him my card and told him to call me if he ever decided to sell it. E39s are probably the best looking sedan of all time.

[CALL_911]

Man this has me thinking about ditching my F30 340xi for an E46 M3 when I move to Texas. I'm already seriously looking for a 982, but they're fucking pricey. An E46 M3 would be more responsible

[Colonel Cadillac]

Man this has me thinking about ditching my F30 340xi for an E46 M3 when I move to Texas. I'm already seriously looking for a 982, but they're fucking pricey. An E46 M3 would be more responsible

Do it!! Flag the E46 M3 on bringatrailer.com and wait for a good one to come up!

Also, yep, I'm in Houston. Hit me up when you move!

[Colonel Cadillac]

Just picked it up yesterday and already got a compliment from a stranger today.

It really is a dream to drive. The V8 is very strong and doesn't leave anything to be desired, still feels fast despite its age. The steering is pretty heavy and requires two hands when maneuvering in the parking lot, but I can really feel the road. Handles wonderfully.

I have to get back into the habit of looking behind me when I'm backing up though!

It's hard not to sit and stare at it. And the green seats are just so lovely!

Just waiting for the sun to come out before I get some real photos.

[CALL_911]

Hell yeah. Gotta do the CarPlay mod:
https://www.eonon.com/Android-Car-GPS/Vehicle-Specific-GPS/eonon-bmw-e39-android-12-wireless-apple-carplay-android-auto-car-radio-with-6gb-ram-64gb-rom-7-inch-qled-touch-screen.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8sauBhB3EiwAruTRJrnSy-Nr5GCEwaf0qzbd931Cz0-k3YUoJkK1d7MAuuuaiuOspwh59hoCDHQQAvD_BwE

I'm excited to see the pics of this thing

[Rich]

That's beautiful.  I wish there were more OEM look headunits out there.  I think its this and porsche.. and

[CaminoRacer]

Hell yeah. Gotta do the CarPlay mod:
https://www.eonon.com/Android-Car-GPS/Vehicle-Specific-GPS/eonon-bmw-e39-android-12-wireless-apple-carplay-android-auto-car-radio-with-6gb-ram-64gb-rom-7-inch-qled-touch-screen.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8sauBhB3EiwAruTRJrnSy-Nr5GCEwaf0qzbd931Cz0-k3YUoJkK1d7MAuuuaiuOspwh59hoCDHQQAvD_BwE

I'm excited to see the pics of this thing

Wow that looks nice & pretty cheap

[AutobahnSHO]

Hell yeah. Gotta do the CarPlay mod:
https://www.eonon.com/Android-Car-GPS/Vehicle-Specific-GPS/eonon-bmw-e39-android-12-wireless-apple-carplay-android-auto-car-radio-with-6gb-ram-64gb-rom-7-inch-qled-touch-screen.html?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA8sauBhB3EiwAruTRJrnSy-Nr5GCEwaf0qzbd931Cz0-k3YUoJkK1d7MAuuuaiuOspwh59hoCDHQQAvD_BwE

I'm excited to see the pics of this thing

REAL BUTTONS AND KNOBS!!! 

[MrH]

Wow.  That's like a time capsule.  Looks brand new.  It's shocking how well those have aged too.

An interesting thing I didn't know about the E39:  The 4 and 6 cylinder versions are the first 5-series to use a rack and pinion steering system.  V8 models, including the M5, use a recirculating ball system because of packaging reasons.

I heard that the other day and had no idea.  Wild.

The latest Savage Geese video on the Lucid Air Pure compared the dynamics to the E39 5-series.  Amazing after all those years, the E39 stays as the benchmark for sports sedan in terms of size and ride/handling balance.

[Madman]

That has to be the cleanest, most original E39 I have seen in a very long time!  Well done, sir!

At first blush, the idea of shelling-out nearly eighteen grand on a 21-year-old car sounds crazy, until you take a good look at those photos and take note of the fact there's only 54,000 miles on the odometer.  And then the thought hits you that you'd be really hard-pressed to find another one, anywhere, as nice as this.  And that leather!  Oh my, I can smell it from here!

It's exactly the sort of well preserved soon-to-be classic that I'd almost be afraid to use as daily driver.  My instinct would be to keep it garaged and only bring it out in fair weather, to be driven on roads where it could really be enjoyed.  I'd want to pick up a beater for the drudgery of the daily commute, just to keep the BMW in it's wonderful present condition.

May I make a suggestion?  I implore you, please, please, PLEASE don't pull out that original head unit!  There must be a way to get Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth to work through the original unit?  As for a backup camera, you can get one that incorporates the screen into a new interior rear-view mirror, again with the aim of preserving the originality on the head unit.  The camera lens can be discreetly placed in the upper portion of the recess for the rear plate.

Once again, congratulations!

[Morris Minor]

The thought about the head unit also crossed my mind. If you have to pull out the original, document, photograph & retain everything so that, when the time comes to sell, there's the choice to reinstall.

[giant_mtb]

May I make a suggestion?  I implore you, please, please, PLEASE don't pull out that original head unit!  There must be a way to get Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth to work through the original unit?

Wait, what? You do know that the whole point of CarPlay is having things on a  larger screen that isn't your phone, right?

[Madman]

Wait, what? You do know that the whole point of CarPlay is having things on a  larger screen that isn't your phone, right?

Maybe he wants to have Apple CarPlay without hacking apart his dashboard?

Personally, I'd rather preserve the original aesthetic of the car than deface the cabin with some Chinese made garbage that looks like it came from the Wal-Mart discount bin.

[Raza]

Wow that looks nice & pretty cheap

Yeah, the prevalence and relative cleanness of these CarPlay mods these days is really making not sweat looking for a car that has it natively. My brother's got it in his car, and since the pandemic he doesn't drive, so I've been driving it a lot. I don't particularly care for it, it's big and wide and feels huge when you're behind the wheel, but the CarPlay is absolutely wonderful. I love not having to use Audi's confusing GPS system and not having to use the MMI system to input addresses.

[Morris Minor]

Yeah, the prevalence and relative cleanness of these CarPlay mods these days is really making not sweat looking for a car that has it natively. My brother's got it in his car, and since the pandemic he doesn't drive, so I've been driving it a lot. I don't particularly care for it, it's big and wide and feels huge when you're behind the wheel, but the CarPlay is absolutely wonderful. I love not having to use Audi's confusing GPS system and not having to use the MMI system to input addresses.

Auto manufacturers' lame ICE & nav systems exist only as hindrances and annoyances, obstructing drivers' access to  systems that actually have actual merit: Apple CarPlay & Android Auto.