I am looking for an E39 Touring Manual transmission, preferably with sport pkg, V6 no V8s. Currently own an E91 Touring, need more room in back seat for car seats.
I hate to break it to you, but you won't find any V6 E39 tourings. They don't exist. I-6 on the other hand... You still might have a hard time though because of the very, VERY few touring E39's I've seen, they all were auto's. And, with the sports package? I dunno.... Good luck with your search.
Sport package E39 tourings do exist, however, only the 528i and the 525i were offered with a manual gearbox. Try to find a 2000 528i sport wagon (touring) with a manual trans. More bang for the buck.
i would love to find one, if anyone knows anyone looking to rid of his/hers i would be happy to talk. thanks for the correction by the way on the I6. did the E39 come in AWD? the only 2 bmws ive owned were AWD and do amazing in the snow and rain. im curious how a regular 2wd does...
I think only in Europe did they offer E39's in AWD format. A RWD BMW will need snow tires to tackle the snow.
According to a quick 2-minute research job, there was no E39 with AWD. And yes, you'll need snow tires to tackle snow/ice.
+2 Four snow tire will do wonders. Get a dedicated set of wheels too, makes swapping in fall and spring easier. You have just as good if not better traction then an AWD car with just all-season tires.
I hope you mistyped that. That is completely untrue. I have all-seasons and my traction in the snow is dreadful. I would invest in some full winter tires, not all seasons, as the all-seasons are a compromise and don't really get you too far in the snow compared to a set of real winter tires.
I guess I wasn't clear. I was trying to say a RWD BMW with four snow tires will do better in the snow than an AWD BMW with "no-season" tires.
its amazing how few are out there...im not asking for much, just a 528i wagon with the manual gearbox, sport pkg, not grey on grey (too boring), and one that has been given the respect such a fine automobile deserves
The problem is that you're looking for a sample of probably less than 2% of 528 wagons imported. Very few came with manuals, and most were ordered that way as hardly any dealer will stock one (idiots). The few I've seen come up for sale in the past couple of years were usually by people that took really good care of them and therefore wanted a really good price for the car which they likely didn't achieve. The sad part will be when you find a nice manual wagon but it doesn't have the sport package...
Well, you could do the next best thing, which is buy it, buy the sport seats and upgrade the suspension, and you'll have all the "important" bits. And it will probably be cheaper too, seeing as the sport package ones are ultra rare on Tourings anyway.
One of the most expensive parts is all the shadowline trim, oh and don't forget the nice sport package steering wheel vs the non-sport one.
the sport pkg makes the vehicle. my e90 touring handles beautifully thanks to the sport pkg. just sucks i have to tote a spare tire/wheel in the rear on road trips now that ive replaced the run flats with real tires. it would be weird to drive a bmw again with an actual spare.
The trim can be done yourself for very cheap. Just take your time to do it right. I wasn't going to pay about $800 for all the black trim pieces I needed; hell no. I took an entire day, taped up the entire two sides of my car, and sprayed those suckers. They still look as good as the day I did them (except for a few parts that I got lazy on - preparation is the MOST important thing!). So, let's recap: shadowline trim: ~$10 in parts. As for the sport steering wheel; well, that is mainly just for looks. You can get one on eBay.
I paid $350 for sport seats to put in my E39 525i. All I am missing is the sport steering wheel and a different diff. My car came stock with the style 5's and the M tuned suspension. The E39 525i sport didn't come with shadowline trim. OP, keep trying ebay and autotrader. You may have to travel a great distance to get the car you want. You may want to order a PPI. However, the ride home will be great.
Re I6 iT's -- forgot that also on the wagon, the 525iT sport did not have shadowline trim, so it was only on the 540i sport package wagons and the 528i wagons with sport package. Another lifetime ago (i.e. in 1980) I painted all the trim on my E3 (Bavaria) black, (hey it helped it win Best Bavaria award at the 1982 O'fest). I masked everything off, sanded down the chrome using multiple grades, did two coats of primer with light sanding, and then did 4 coats of satin black paint with sanding in between each coat. It looked great for a number of years, but by year 4-5 it had started chipping, and I had to constantly be touching it up, etc. So, yeah, if you're on a serious budget, painting it is an option; however, just don't expect a factory outcome long term.
I own that car I shopped long and hard to find an E39 M=Sport Pkg 5 speed with heated seats. I found my car through the Roundel classified under CARS WATED. I found 4 over the course of a 6 month search. It is worth your patience. They are out there. A couple advisories: Rear suspension is different from the E39 sedans and is expensive to rebuild. Avoid cars with soggy flat feeling rear ends (women too, ahem). As always, condition is paramount. The car would have had to be a special order car. You can walk into the dealer today and do the same for $60,000+ just as someone did 10 years ago. BTW, I pd $10,500 for a 105,000 mile, very clean example. I flew to Nashville to drive it home to Minnesota. Great "get to know you" rad trip. Be patient, it is out there. Scott
I agree with what Scott mentioned above. I looked for about 12 months before finding my Touring. Would have preferred the 540, but with no 5 or 6 speeds available, I chose the 528. The previous owner had records AND 5 mounted snows! It has the ///M sport package and upgraded interior package as well. The only options I did not find/get were the sport seats, and heated seats. I chose the Touring for two reasons. First, I wanted something to haul the dog, and did not want a SUV. Second, there are just fewer of the Tourings than sedans. People are amazed to see an manual in a wagon! Do a nationwide search for your Touring. If you find something that you have an interest in, there will most likely be someone in the area who can evaluate it for you.
