how slow is a 525 compared to a 528? it's only 10% difference in displacement. the 525 would be a stick, where the 528 might be an automatic. both are on the radar, in sedan or wagon form, as possible replacements for the '96 probe GT.
how slow is a 525 compared to a 528? it's only 10% difference in displacement. the 525 would be a stick, where the 528 might be an automatic. both are on the radar, in sedan or wagon form, as possible replacements for the '96 probe GT.
I would buy the best 6 cylinder e39 you can find regardless of the displacement. Both 525 and 528 are rated a smidge over 190hp. The 2001 and later cars were updated in a bunch of subtle but meaningful areas, color coded bump strips and a bunch of other fiddly things. Driving an early car and a late car of the same mileage back to back you'll notice the late cars feel much more solid.
The 525 (2001-3) is down on torque compared with the 528 (1997-2000), and down on both horsepower and torque compared to the 530 (2001-3). The 525 is fine with a stick (this is what I have) as long as you're willing to use the rev range to best advantage, but the auto will probably be happier with the extra torque of the 528/530. 525 and 528 can be found in sedan or wagon form; there were no 530 wagons in the US.
The post-facelift (2001+) cars are a bit nicer, IMHO, both stylistically and technically. 2000MY 528s are known to have ABS pump issues, and none of the automatics are considered particularly robust (isolated examples notwithstanding). Prices on the early cars are coming down very quickly, however, so you might be able to find a nice 528 at a better price than a later car.
thanks guys, i knew this was the place to get the scoop. i really like the pre-facelift years appearance, but won't argue style over actual hardware. seems like a lot of car for the money.
I understand the revised 2.5 engine uses different cams that produce more torque but run out of revs quickly. Not that fun. Drive it and you'll see.
The 528 would be well paired with a manual trans. Not too many manual e39 wagons in a manual trans though.
I'd love to do an LS1 swap with a T56 on an e39 wagon.
One of my past cars, 1997 528i automatic affectionately named the Purple Pig. The car had just under 250k on the clock when I sold it, original engine and transmission still doing their respective duties with nothing but routine maintenance. That's certainly the exception for transmission longevity though, most of them seem to die before 200k even with filter changes.
amg_rx7 wrote: I understand the revised 2.5 engine uses different cams that produce more torque but run out of revs quickly. Not that fun. Drive it and you'll see.
On the contrary, on the 2.5 M54 you can feel the VANOS kick in at 4k and boost the power as it advances the cams (well, at least on mine you can). Like most BMWs (eta models excepted), the upper end of the rev range is where the fun begins. The VANOS seals are a known issue, however; changing them is strongly recommened.
I have a 2002 530 auto. I have been very happy with the performance of the car. My has sport and handles very well and the 3.0L motor makes nice power 1600 rpm for sedate hwy crusing and nice power to 6k redline. Plus on easy driving I can see 30 mpg hwy.
When I was looking I avoided the 525's. The reason was there was no much benefit over th 530's since used I was looking at a very similar cost. Plus the 530 put out enough power to make a largeish car feel quick. Something to consider when you load with 4 people and luggage. The 540 would have been faster, but I wanted the extra fuel mileage from the smaller motor and the rack & pinion steering. I have been quite happy over the 65k miles I have driven the car.
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