I remember test driving this car at a dealership when I was considering an E46 M3 many moons ago. Classic lines and the 540 is plenty fast and good enough dynamics. I was impressed but it was just too big a car for me at that time. The example you got is quite pristine! Enjoy it in good health :)
I have a 2002 bmw 540i M Sport with 7k miles. My dad bought it back in 03 and the guy had got in a fender bender with it, my dad had a shop at the time so he bought it but then sold the shop and the car has now been sitting in my grandparents garage for 18 years. Getting ready to fix it soon
The car has a great history and means a lot so I don't think driving it would be the best bet. I'm not sure if you want to store this car 24/7 especially with your interest in maybe getting a dedicated track vehicle. I would put it on an auction website and have a collector purchase it and enjoy the car while you can put that money towards a new project vehicle and make stories with that car. Awesome pick up either way!
Oh wow that's awesome. A couple years back I too purchased a car with same engine, I bought an estoril blue 1998 bmw 840ci (same 4.4 ltr V8 and gearbox), it was a one owned car bought in 1998 and even had a sales invoice for £52k 😱. Had a full main dealer history since new. Felt absolutely amazingly and I do miss it. But had to sell it as I never had so many strange issues/problems with the car during my 1 year of ownership lol..... Oh well, I did make £2k profit when I sold it as it just appreciated in value.
@@TommyLGarage lol. Good news is engine and gearbox are built like a tank and very strong. Issues I had were weird: battery went flat 3 times in winter alone, rear tyre deflated in front of me for no reason lol, rear windscreen cracked bizarrely (took me absolutely ages to source a new one), shockers started knocking, so much dampness started appearing in trunk (I suspect from the windscreen fix maybe sealing wasn't done right), gearbox oil developed a small leak..... All this in around 2k miles of driving in a year 😩🙈. Had to sell before bankruptcy lol
What a fantastic gem you found. Drove one (e39 523i with 5Spd) for six years. As long as you keep up on maintenance they are great cars. Such a joy to drive (Also have an F80). Wish I could have kept mine but it was a Euro spec and not old enough to bring back to the states.
I definitely understand the allure of your newest addition. I bought an 02 XiT Wagon for the same reason. I've since added an e92 335is convertible for my wife. I almost enjoy driving my older cars more than my highly modded F80M. Congrats again and enjoy.
Having owned 5 of these, 2 of which I still have and an E38. I'd personally keep that as it is. If your really want the sport, I'll suggest getting your hands on a 530i manual with average miles. That means you can drive the car no matter the weather. Then add sport bumpers if its an SE and so on... Keep the 540 in the garage for special occasions.
I came here for the e39 and your joy for it will keep me here. I love these cars and the e39 m5. Please keep making more content on it. Maybe a manual swap!?
Hey Tommy! So y father had the twin of that car minus the exterior color (silver) and 6spd manual and now has a low milage e39 m5 black and beautiful. Dinan parts both cars ride like a dream.
Very cool car! I have an E38 with the same interior. Personally I like luxury more than sporty and since the originality of this car is so special I wouldn't modify it but just drive it. I look forward to a memorabilia video :) thanks for sharing
Say what! A 540 Sport,...under 20k miles! I fell in luv with the E39 at first site! The first solid BMW chassis! Nice find... I'm trying to buy a house,...let me check the garage for a mint E39! LOL! Edit again,...the road noise is way lower than your M3.
I knew it was a e39! Love it man! I enjoyed mine! You’re going to enjoy it! So as a point I’m sure you’ll realize. Those cup holders in the front and rear are Ofcourse so fragile they are useless. I never used mine so i didn’t break them. They do make an aftermarket metal pop out cup holder you can place in the sliding door under the arm rest. That way you can atleast have 1 cup holder
It's a regular 5 series it won't appreciate. Plus, it's not M-sport nor manual so not that desirable... If it was an M5 you would have a gem on your hands. Nice car either way. I have the 530i version and I did an auto to manual swap and the car is now perfect!!
Ha! The car cover definitely hinted at a e39. Great choice. Sometimes stock oem cruisers make you appreciate full on M cars. I actually sometimes prefer running around town in our 11’ 328i. Less worries.
Congrats Tommy, loved this car back in the day and almost got it with 6 spd. The sales guy @ Open Road BMW in Edison wasn't too happy with me after the test drive...lol and wouldn't negotiate, so I left and got a Lexus GS400 the same day :)
Tommy the more i watch your videos the more i aspire lol. You convinced me to get my yas marina manual f80. And no joke just the other day i was looking to find one of these. Impeccable taste good sir!
Do modifications. Make it your own. Keep oem parts. More enjoyable content. If you do go crazy. Do a manual swap at most. An old school dinan exhaust. M sport front snd rear.
Hi Tommy. I would fix the imperfections, keep it original and use it for sunday drives with the wife. :-) I used to own a E39 530d Touring 2001 and that also was a great car, even without the M-Sport aerodynamics. It had the M-Sport chassis though. Happy New Year :-)
That’s beautiful, I would buy it too if I had the opportunity. I would just keep the interior immaculate, get paint corrected and keep it oem+ with stock wheels.
Congrats to the house and the 540i. As much as I love driving my car a lot - considering it's low mileage and service records I'd keep it 100% as it is and low mileage. Modifications will only ruin it's special value (being low mileage and original) and it's financial value (collectors want stock cars as far as I know?)
Quite a car. I used to work for BMW NA - I wonder who these owners were you mentioned. I have the chance to buy a `95 540i 6-spd or `98 540i 6-spd. I've found the E38/E39 seat bottoms are flat and hard compared to the E32/E34.
Nice buy Tommy. Upgrade the headlights to xenon ones with halos, thats all. Keep it oem. Check out e39 source on CZcams. You can have Bluetooth as well. Make the build sort of oem plus. But tasteful. Clean looking
Looks like someone sat in the backseat as the clear mats were dirty, and Maury Povich said that was a "lie"...lol. Hope you didn't pay too much for the car. 😁
Make it a M OEM+ and enjoy it no matter what miles you put on it. Cars are enjoyed while driving. Do small trips. Go to cars and coffee so that others can appreciate your car 😊👌🏻
@@TommyLGarage After you make it M OEM+ 😁 but from the comments you got it seems like a popular car 👍🏻 If you don’t want to put time amd money on it then sell it like some suggested 😊
How ironic to see this video and your heartfelt sentiments that come through on your video post on the day after I saw a new G80 series in the flesh driving on the road. In a few words, what the hell is BMW thinking! Back to your garage find, I would strongly suggest to do as the previous owner had done, cover it, store it, and bring it out on nice sunny summer days for a ride with the family(or solo 😉). In my opinion, start a modification program and you will lose the special treasure you found in the beautiful home you purchased. Please think!
It’s a cool car, but let’s be honest I think it will be better for someone on BaT. Someone who is nostalgic about these cars and is willing to pay for this unique example.
@@TommyLGarage where I live this would be illegal since you can screw up the safety of the car by modifying a working airbag system, so ye even if it was legal I wouldnt do it ^^ I would go for the M steering wheel that was used in the pre facelift models, I drive a facelift (09/2000) with that steering wheel and I would never want to replace it since it suits the interior (pre-fl tacho) so well :)
Please keep it classic, the 98 Bmw 5 series is one of the most beautiful car ever made. Enjoy it!
I agree.
Fantastic pick up sir! I sold my E39 in 2008 and I still miss it after all these years later. A true drivers car!
I wish it was a manual
Congrats on the Barn Find
Thanks!
Congrats on the purchase of the house and 540i!
Thanks!!
I love my 2002 530i M sport. Handles like a dream and has enough power to keep things fun. Not to mention it feels like it’s made of stone.
So far I love this one
Love this thing! The hidden cassette feature is so funny!
In now have to find my cassettes collection.
Love that car. Amazing condition. I’d keep it stock and enjoy it on sunny days like the previous owners.
Not special enough for it.
I remember test driving this car at a dealership when I was considering an E46 M3 many moons ago. Classic lines and the 540 is plenty fast and good enough dynamics. I was impressed but it was just too big a car for me at that time. The example you got is quite pristine! Enjoy it in good health :)
I am almost afraid to drive it
I have a 2002 bmw 540i M Sport with 7k miles. My dad bought it back in 03 and the guy had got in a fender bender with it, my dad had a shop at the time so he bought it but then sold the shop and the car has now been sitting in my grandparents garage for 18 years. Getting ready to fix it soon
It’s an amazing car!
Thanks for your details of the BMW 540i, you were great am from Nairobi and own one BMW 540i e39 v8 engine 1997 these are great cars
Glad you like them!
The car has a great history and means a lot so I don't think driving it would be the best bet. I'm not sure if you want to store this car 24/7 especially with your interest in maybe getting a dedicated track vehicle. I would put it on an auction website and have a collector purchase it and enjoy the car while you can put that money towards a new project vehicle and make stories with that car. Awesome pick up either way!
Good point really. I need to consider BaT
Oh wow that's awesome. A couple years back I too purchased a car with same engine, I bought an estoril blue 1998 bmw 840ci (same 4.4 ltr V8 and gearbox), it was a one owned car bought in 1998 and even had a sales invoice for £52k 😱. Had a full main dealer history since new. Felt absolutely amazingly and I do miss it. But had to sell it as I never had so many strange issues/problems with the car during my 1 year of ownership lol..... Oh well, I did make £2k profit when I sold it as it just appreciated in value.
You’re making me worried!!!
@@TommyLGarage lol. Good news is engine and gearbox are built like a tank and very strong.
Issues I had were weird: battery went flat 3 times in winter alone, rear tyre deflated in front of me for no reason lol, rear windscreen cracked bizarrely (took me absolutely ages to source a new one), shockers started knocking, so much dampness started appearing in trunk (I suspect from the windscreen fix maybe sealing wasn't done right), gearbox oil developed a small leak..... All this in around 2k miles of driving in a year 😩🙈. Had to sell before bankruptcy lol
E39 has one of the most handsome silhouette of ANY sports sedan.
I agree !
Congrats on the new home and car
Thanks!
What a fantastic gem you found.
Drove one (e39 523i with 5Spd) for six years. As long as you keep up on maintenance they are great cars. Such a joy to drive (Also have an F80). Wish I could have kept mine but it was a Euro spec and not old enough to bring back to the states.
They do drive very well
Enthusiast Auto Group regularly has E39’s with lower miles. They currently have an Immola Red 2003 M5 with less than 800 miles.
Very nice
bags, BBS wheels, big turbo and underglow coming up right? Jk congrats!
Lol yes!!
I definitely understand the allure of your newest addition. I bought an 02 XiT Wagon for the same reason. I've since added an e92 335is convertible for my wife. I almost enjoy driving my older cars more than my highly modded F80M. Congrats again and enjoy.
Thanks! Older cars are so amazing
Car looks awesome!!!
Congrats on the house.
Thanks!!
Having owned 5 of these, 2 of which I still have and an E38. I'd personally keep that as it is. If your really want the sport, I'll suggest getting your hands on a 530i manual with average miles. That means you can drive the car no matter the weather. Then add sport bumpers if its an SE and so on... Keep the 540 in the garage for special occasions.
Does the 530 manual have a posi diff?
@@apierre5712 No. Open diff on all the model ranges. Only the M5 had LSD
I’m tempted to add some oem mtech bumpers and interior bits
I came here for the e39 and your joy for it will keep me here. I love these cars and the e39 m5. Please keep making more content on it. Maybe a manual swap!?
Already started ordering parts for it haha
What a find! Keep it, enjoy on the weekends or whenever you feel like it.
it's going on BaT soon!
Pretty cool you found home sellers so involved with BMW! Drive it a few times and sell it for something a bit more fun..
Agreed!
I still can't wrap my head around why ppl have very few millage on their cars for this many years.
Amazing find, congrats!
Thanks!! Some people just own too many cars
Someone who properly adjusts the head rest. Mind blown. 🤯👏🏻
Always have. Better be safe
Now that's a classic BMW. I would keep it stock and OEM.
I think I’ll do that. Unless I’ll do oem m-tech conversion!
Hey Tommy! So y father had the twin of that car minus the exterior color (silver) and 6spd manual and now has a low milage e39 m5 black and beautiful. Dinan parts both cars ride like a dream.
Very cool car! I have an E38 with the same interior. Personally I like luxury more than sporty and since the originality of this car is so special I wouldn't modify it but just drive it. I look forward to a memorabilia video :) thanks for sharing
Luxury is amazing. I agree
Knew it, it’s an E39!!! Welcome my family own a 525i e39 2002
Thanks! Amazing car
Say what! A 540 Sport,...under 20k miles! I fell in luv with the E39 at first site! The first solid BMW chassis! Nice find...
I'm trying to buy a house,...let me check the garage for a mint E39! LOL!
Edit again,...the road noise is way lower than your M3.
Hope your new house has an e46 M3 in it :)
Interior is so clean! Those seats!
I love them!
I knew it was a e39! Love it man! I enjoyed mine! You’re going to enjoy it! So as a point I’m sure you’ll realize. Those cup holders in the front and rear are Ofcourse so fragile they are useless. I never used mine so i didn’t break them. They do make an aftermarket metal pop out cup holder you can place in the sliding door under the arm rest. That way you can atleast have 1 cup holder
Good tip on the cup holders !!
It's a regular 5 series it won't appreciate. Plus, it's not M-sport nor manual so not that desirable... If it was an M5 you would have a gem on your hands. Nice car either way. I have the 530i version and I did an auto to manual swap and the car is now perfect!!
I’ll be doing a Manual swap perhaps
Ha! The car cover definitely hinted at a e39. Great choice. Sometimes stock oem cruisers make you appreciate full on M cars. I actually sometimes prefer running around town in our 11’ 328i. Less worries.
I agree!! It’s such a sublime ride
I would buy it and hold on to it I have e34 525i but e39 is superb car especially with this engine:)
I have too many cars :)
LOVE THE NEW SET 🏡
Thanks !!
Did the car come with the house or the other way around?!? 😂 Congrats- enjoy it!
lol house came free
@@TommyLGarage it’ll make a good story for when it ends up in BaT :)
Congrats Tommy, loved this car back in the day and almost got it with 6 spd. The sales guy @ Open Road BMW in Edison wasn't too happy with me after the test drive...lol and wouldn't negotiate, so I left and got a Lexus GS400 the same day :)
Funny. This car was ordered through open road
Just watched Tommy, great purchase! Love to get a 03 540i in Sterling Grey.. 6-speed of course! Great channel, just getting started my self!
Thanks! I actually just sold the 540
Love it...especially that color!!! Looking forward to a photoshoot with 540 and M3.
Thanks !
Hey man, did you sell this on Bring a Trailer? Incredible sale. You mentioned the original owners worked for BMW. What other cars did they drive?
Great car. I would keep it oem. I have e39 530d and I love it.
Oem is the way to go
Tommy the more i watch your videos the more i aspire lol. You convinced me to get my yas marina manual f80.
And no joke just the other day i was looking to find one of these.
Impeccable taste good sir!
Do modifications. Make it your own. Keep oem parts. More enjoyable content. If you do go crazy. Do a manual swap at most. An old school dinan exhaust. M sport front snd rear.
Thanks! Now I need to add an e46 M3 to the collection
@@TommyLGarage if you get one you will forcibly undirectly make me get one lol! Now that, would be hard to find untouched
I just bought a e39 1997 528i with 8805 miles . Yes was sitting for 5 years after owner died. Will try to load picture
Sell it on bring a trailer !
Great find and nice car! However, I found immediately many lower mileage E39's, including some never driven 540i.
Incredible find. She looks great!
Thanks!
Very cool purchase! Congrats 🎉🍾
Thanks!!
Definitely and amazing car. Please keep it classy or oem plus!! Can't wait to see more of this car.
Thanks! It’s getting detailed Monday
Congrats; we had E39 and loved the styling.
I wish it was manual
Hi Tommy. I would fix the imperfections, keep it original and use it for sunday drives with the wife. :-) I used to own a E39 530d Touring 2001 and that also was a great car, even without the M-Sport aerodynamics. It had the M-Sport chassis though. Happy New Year :-)
Thanks!! It does have the sport suspension :)
That’s beautiful, I would buy it too if I had the opportunity. I would just keep the interior immaculate, get paint corrected and keep it oem+ with stock wheels.
I agree. Has to be kept oem
Congrats to the house and the 540i. As much as I love driving my car a lot - considering it's low mileage and service records I'd keep it 100% as it is and low mileage. Modifications will only ruin it's special value (being low mileage and original) and it's financial value (collectors want stock cars as far as I know?)
I agree. I won’t drive it and she will sit as is...until BaT
@@TommyLGarage what means BaT?
My dad has a 2002 E39 with 15k miles
Quite a car. I used to work for BMW NA - I wonder who these owners were you mentioned. I have the chance to buy a `95 540i 6-spd or `98 540i 6-spd. I've found the E38/E39 seat bottoms are flat and hard compared to the E32/E34.
But e39 steering feels so much better
@@TommyLGarage Yeah? Which model are you referring to? The 528i or 540i? Rack and Pinion was in the 528i and Steering Box in the 540i.
Love this car bro thanks for the info you are a great CZcamsr Yesirr
My dad bought one 3 years ago, at the time had 21k miles on it. Currently on 30k
How much did he buy it for ?
Insane find, U better drive it :)
Or store it!
👎 Nooooo!
Nice Car Tommy Congrats...Extra bonus to the Home
Haha thanks !
tommy buys immacualte E39: 0:25
tommy 5 minutes later: 8:27
Lmao
Nice buy Tommy. Upgrade the headlights to xenon ones with halos, thats all. Keep it oem. Check out e39 source on CZcams. You can have Bluetooth as well. Make the build sort of oem plus. But tasteful. Clean looking
I’m thinking manual swap
@@TommyLGarage 6speed manual plus lsd I'd be on board with that.
theres a carbon black e39 m5 with 3100 miles for sale right now
Wow you’re right !
Beautiful survivor car. Pleeeaase do not modify it!
I will keep it stock. Then sell it :)
E39 is the best 5 series ever built. Love it
E60 M5 was the ugliest but also the craziest with its V10
Imagine a v10 in an e39...
Great looking, timeless example! Make sure wind those cassettes tightly 😆💯
Hahah for sure !!
Start the mod engine. Should be very exciting.
Exhaust sounds amazing on these cars
Beautiful example.Leave it 100% stock.
I think so
Damn, I thought mine was pretty low. Got my 01’ 525i about 6 months ago with 86K on it. Just broke 93K yesterday 😢
Lovely car
That car is a tank. This was actually my first car and Bmw years ago.
It feels like it too
Sweet deal, congrats on the house and the old school 5 series.
Thanks!
Е-39 ❤️❤️❤️
I sold it
Keep it classic, it's an awesome car. This BMW is made for driving.
I agree. Such a lovely car
Niceeee... I always wanted to do a E39 build.
I will keep it stock
@@TommyLGarage Yeah you have a rare clean one. Very nice spec
Hate to break it to you but eag had an e39 with 3k miles last week.
Had :)
Beautiful car, congrats 👏
Thanks !!!
Very elegant. Congrats. Btw, your hair is fine.
Haha thanks
That color with a M sport kit and wheels would look 🔥
I’m tempted !!
@@TommyLGarage OEM+ build coming soon to Tommy L Garage! LOL.
Would love to see it though
needs some BBS LM´s
Mmmm yes
Looks like someone sat in the backseat as the clear mats were dirty, and Maury Povich said that was a "lie"...lol. Hope you didn't pay too much for the car. 😁
Haha ouch
LOL I found 2 e39 with low mileage. One has 9k miles and the other one 16k miles. Both are original and can be proofed
I just saw those too. Thanks
Very nice car, I love these "old" BMWs, so fun to work on. I guess this is why you bought the house... let's not tell your wife lol
Lol it’s our little secret
If you are considering a sale maybe reach out to Enthusiast Auto Group based out of Cincinnati.
Will do thanks !!
That was the most fun the car has had since it was made
You are probably right!
It needs #Tommy_L_Garage Mud flaps😉👍
lol so true
Make it a M OEM+ and enjoy it no matter what miles you put on it. Cars are enjoyed while driving. Do small trips. Go to cars and coffee so that others can appreciate your car 😊👌🏻
I don’t think people would appreciate this car
@@TommyLGarage After you make it M OEM+ 😁 but from the comments you got it seems like a popular car 👍🏻
If you don’t want to put time amd money on it then sell it like some suggested 😊
The interior is in better shape than my F80 😂 Looove e39s
It’s mint
How ironic to see this video and your heartfelt sentiments that come through on your video post on the day after I saw a new G80 series in the flesh driving on the road. In a few words, what the hell is BMW thinking! Back to your garage find, I would strongly suggest to do as the previous owner had done, cover it, store it, and bring it out on nice sunny summer days for a ride with the family(or solo 😉). In my opinion, start a modification program and you will lose the special treasure you found in the beautiful home you purchased. Please think!
I think you’re right. I’m going to see what she’s going to fetch on bringatrailer
Nice daily driver for the wife. Now go buy that Cayman GT4
Looking for one !
It’s a cool car, but let’s be honest I think it will be better for someone on BaT. Someone who is nostalgic about these cars and is willing to pay for this unique example.
Should be a great investment!
Let’s hope so!
Bought the house, bought the car......this is how the movie Funny Farm started too
Lol what’s next ?
As we know your videos with F80, i think you wont resist to upgrade ;D do only m pack, headlights, taillights upgrade for a better look
It’s hard to resist temptation!
Now it looks very plain. With a bit of original mods would be perfect weekend cruiser
Definitely need m bumpers and M wheels at least
I agree !!!
Bring a trailer eBay etc. Sell it to one of those collectors in the business of preserving cars like that.
I think I will
Oh hell yeah!!! This is such a good catch, if you ever need some advice feel free to hmu :)
Thanks!
How about doing a 2003 m5 steering wheel retrofit? I know the airbag single versus dual stage is an issue. Thoughts ?
@@TommyLGarage where I live this would be illegal since you can screw up the safety of the car by modifying a working airbag system, so ye even if it was legal I wouldnt do it ^^ I would go for the M steering wheel that was used in the pre facelift models, I drive a facelift (09/2000) with that steering wheel and I would never want to replace it since it suits the interior (pre-fl tacho) so well :)
Enthusiast Auto Group in the USA has two E39 M5's with lower mileage.
I need to talk to them
i would daily the 540i and drive the f80 on weekends
Naaaaah. F80 is a daily
🔥🔥
You found a Unicorn congrats 🔥
Thanks !
Make it your new daily and convert the f80 to a track tool?
I would prefer my track car to be pdk
Those wheels are nasty. Is it a manual.? I’d prefer an msport.
I love those wheels