My new 540i-6 (including pics)

[thejobman]

U guys might have seen my earlier post ("might pick up a silver 540i tonight") which didn’t work out since that car was junk... but I just got back from putting down 1k to hold a metallic green w/ black leather '99 540i (6speed).


omg I'm soooo excited


I get will pick up the car this Sunday...

I was scared at first that it might be in bad shape, but it drove soooo beautifully. I took Eric S.'s advice and drove a pre-owned one at a dealership and then drove this one that I was actually interested in buying. The pre-owned one was a 03 with 50k miles, mine (soon to be) has 129k miles. Surprisingly, the 129k mile car felt just as tight (or tighter, its has a M3 shifter)

Ok, enough of my blabbering, here are the pics (FYI: car is pretty dirty in the pics):

[Torque]

Awesome. I'm glad you found one you like.

[superdeadman]

pshhh... it got no heated seats...
pshh!


*btw i'm jealous *

[thejobman]

Its ok, il just go to taco bell when i want to heat... lol never mind

Actually, as for the interior, I was mainly looking for the the sporty 3 spoke wheel.

Oh, did I mention that I got it for $12k? Sigh I cant wait till sunday!!!!

[saltshaker185]

nice find! im excited for you! haha this car is beautiful! make sure to take some pics with a fresh coat of wax on it!

[Eric S.]

Jobman,

Congrats! Now that you have a truly righteous ride, the coveted 1999 540 6-speed, you need to know one very obscure bit of trivia about the 1999 540 Sport:
The 1999 Sport is the only E39 540 with the multicolor M-color (red, light blue, dark blue) steering wheel stitching. When the M5 was introduced in 2000, the M5 was given the honor of carrying the "M colors" in the steering wheel threads, whereas the 540 Sport reverted back to "plain old" black stitching.

I love that stitching so much, it's a wonder I didn't wreck the car the 1st week I had it I stared at it so much!

Back to your car: it looks like it has most popular upgrade aftermarket stuff: projector angel-eye headlights (are they Xenon?), clear taillight lenses (are the Hella Celis?) and a few other neat touches.

My 1999 is at nearly 127K and I am going through some serious withdrawal - it's been off the road on jackstands for nearly 2 weeks as I've been installing Koni's and H&R Sport springs, and replacing many suspension arms & bushings as well. I am on track to finish this weekend.

If you have any Q's feel free to ask me, and I'll watch for your posts. In the 18 months I've had my 540, I've done a LOT of stuff to it and can help troubleshoot problems and/or provide an opinion here and there...

[thejobman]

Eric S,

Thanks for the welcome! I am so excited to be a 540i owner, you have no idea!

I am not sure if the headlights are xenon's, but i must admit, i love the clear lenses and the cool angel eyes.

I really cant tell the diff between the OEM tail lights and the "upgraded" ones... so I'm not sure what to tell you.

As odd as this sounds, i might not even do any mods for the first year or so... since all i wanted was angel eyes w/ clear lenses, nice rims (it has them already), and window tints (it has them already)....

so i guess il just start by taking it to my BMW guy or just paying my local dealer to do a check on the car. I have a 30 day warranty from the dealer that i am buying from.

[uconn299]

Very nice find. Hope you enjoy it. Nice to find the most common upgrades already done, I just need to add the front lights myself now.

[thejobman]

How much does it cost to have a duplicate key made? The car only comes with one key and the buttons are VERY worn on it.

Thanks,

[sp0rky]

Its something like 265 here for a new key with the keyless entry buttons on it.

Congrats on the new purchase. Enjoy it and keep it safe!

[Eric S.]

Originally Posted by sp0rky

Its something like 265 here for a new key with the keyless entry buttons on it.

Congrats on the new purchase. Enjoy it and keep it safe!

Yep, new keys are shockingly expensive. Oh well, now you know why you're only being given one. There is a Jim Cash write-up on the subject of keys on the roadfly forum, and it is very interesting. I have no handy link so you'll need to search for it yourself. It mentions something about there being only 10 possible keys coded to each car (for the life of the car) as it leaves the factory. Looks like you'll be on key # 3 or 4.

[winters97E39]

I asked about a key when I got mine. They might be different for 99, im not sure, but for my 97 it was $140 from the dealership. So not so bad. But then again, I was willing to deal with the worn buttons for $140. I'll replace them when they just dont work anymore.

[saltshaker185]

Originally Posted by thejobman

How much does it cost to have a duplicate key made? The car only comes with one key and the buttons are VERY worn on it.

Thanks,

they are hella expensive... like 140 i think... and thats a cheap estimate! good luck finding a good deal on that!

[thejobman]

oooohhh I CANT WAIT! I have approximately 26 hours until I am driving down the belt parkway with my new 540i



uh, sorry for being so giddy and impatient... im just very excited... I have wanted this car for more than 9 years... (i was 15 back then) ... and now the wait is aaaaaaaaaaalmost over

[saltshaker185]

Originally Posted by thejobman

oooohhh I CANT WAIT! I have approximately 26 hours until I am driving down the belt parkway with my new 540i



uh, sorry for being so giddy and impatient... im just very excited... I have wanted this car for more than 9 years... (i was 15 back then) ... and now the wait is aaaaaaaaaaalmost over

haha no problem... id be giddy too... its a great car, but i will warn you... they have a tendency of making people get obcessed...

(guilty.)