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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » E39? Please advise.

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Dec. 8, 2009 12:03 a.m. wherethefmi Dork

Okay, I've been dreaming of driving a BMW for the last few days, so now I'm really serious about it, sorry woody, the Porsche has to wait. I almost want to find one that has a bad diff and swap out an M5 unit into a 530i, with the sport package.

Will I notice a difference with the recirculating ball steering, having always had a rack and pinion type before this, if I were to have the nards to get an M5?

Cars of note that I owned, and my lack of ability not withstanding.

88 300zx, 90 SHO, 95 Z28, 06 WRX, 06 Sonata (actually handled decent) and current 05 Toyota Sienna

I just realized something, an M5 is a 4 door SUPERCAR, I'm DUMB and going to try to convince the wife that it's necessary, luckily for me I have the deployment angle to play.
Dec. 8, 2009 12:14 a.m. wherethefmi Dork

Ohhhhh then I find this

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ctd/1489349129.html

sigh...
Dec. 8, 2009 8:25 a.m. ansonivan Reader

wherethefmi wrote: Will I notice a difference with the recirculating ball steering, having always had a rack and pinion type before this, if I were to have the nards to get an M5?

If you drive a 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder e39 back to back you will notice the difference between the two steering systems, that's about it though, bmw did an excellent job making the old technology feel right.

I support your 530/M5 rear end idea.
Dec. 8, 2009 10:09 a.m. Keith PowerDork

You'll notice a big difference between the 540i and M5 steering as well, the 540 doesn't fare quite as well. It's not a bad box, but the M5 is better.
Dec. 9, 2009 6:23 p.m. Treb Reader

This looks better than my first CL find... http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/1501999588.html 528 Sport
Dec. 9, 2009 6:33 p.m. 2002maniac Reader

In reply to Treb:

that looks like a great car!
Dec. 9, 2009 9:07 p.m. Treb Reader

Still waiting to hear back... fear that I missed it.

OTOH, if it were a scam, I would have heard back already.
Dec. 10, 2009 11:14 a.m. Treb Reader

Heard back this morning -- car is almost in Indianapolis, so about 200mi from me. Seller isn't exactly forthcoming -- his e-mailed this morning included the line "Sorry no more pics at this time" -- so I'm a bit concerned.

Meh. Post just got deleted anyway. Keep looking, I guess

Matt
Dec. 10, 2009 9:50 p.m. Treb Reader

http://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/1503597817.html

Just test drove -- nice car. 540, 6 speed, cold weather/sport/premium. (Did two things on the test drive that I'd never done before -- shifted into 6th, and invoked traction control.)

Bluebook's fair-good-excellent on it was about 6100-7100-7700... he's asking 8.

Scared me off, though -- lots of recent work, but still had a CEL, which he said was just because it needed the ECU switched out & flashed to communicate with the alarm. Hood and door had been keyed, hood is dented as well. The guy had just put a bunch of work into the motor -- cooling system, gaskets, timing chain/tensioner. So that's nice. But there had been a problem that shorted out the secondary air pump (?) so its solenoid was disconnected... it may have been pretty close to done. But for a first car to test drive, it was nice, and the owner was good to talk to.

Awesome to drive, almost laughably easy. At one point, in an industrial park, crossed railroad tracks in the middle of a decreasing-radius, off-camber turn, at twice the posted speed... pretty much without noticing.

Yeah, I want one. But it's going to take some looking.

BTW, my wife noticed the ad, called the guy, and set up the test drive while I was at work. Awesome.

Matt
Dec. 10, 2009 10:37 p.m. pigeon HalfDork

Treb wrote:

BTW, my wife noticed the ad, called the guy, and set up the test drive while I was at work. Awesome.

Matt

KEEPER!!!!

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