What's up guys. I currently own a 1991 volvo 740 turbo but will soon be in the market for a e39 wagon, most likely a 525it or a 528it. I would like a 540it, but with gas prices i think i'll pass (never thought i'd hear myself say that). Anyways what i would like to know is exactly how slow is a 525it and is the 528it noticeably faster especially with the extra torque it has? Also i have no plans to buy one with an auto, 5spd only which i'm sure should help out a little. I'm just a little concerned being that my volvo has some decent mods and is pretty fast, and i'm afraid that the 525it will be too slow. I did see that they sell a supercharger over at VF superchargers, so that might be an option in the future. Thanks for any help and feedback. Cheers!
Go with the 528iT. You get about 8 more hp and 18 lbs of torque. With the manual, you will be able to rev her like crazy I had a 1999 528i auto and it was pretty quick. Not rip-your-face-off power, but good passing power and blew away many japz...... A supercharger would make her fly.
It should still be better then a 540it. My old 03 cobra got about the same gas milage as a mustang gt, and they had the same engine only the cobra was supercharged. Thanks for the input though.
Well I meant that financially AND economically. lol The cost of a supercharger is like what, a year's worth of gas?
Good point and i have thought about that before. That's part of the reason i say in the future, basically me pretending that i'll have more disposable income in the future...fat chance right . That's also part of the reason i shyed away from the vw jetta tdi sportwagen. Even though i'll save money with its 55mpg, the $10k premium i'd pay to buy it would be more then offset by the savings i'd get from buying a 525it. Also i'm not sure if the 540it came with a manual tranny, which i'd really like to have.
To my knowledge, the 540it didn't have one. Question is, do you really need all that power? Did you test drive one yet? If not, try one out first, be it from a private seller or a used car dealer and then decide if it packs enough grunt for your tastes. My 2.7 is brutally slow, to be honest (about 9 seconds stock 0-60) but I hear that the engine in a 528i, despite the car's extra weight, can deliver about a second and a half off of that, but don't take my word for it. Test drive and then you'll see.
E39 528i's (with the M52TU) would take 7.5+ ticks to get to 60. No 540it's were available with the 6-speed manual. Remember, gas might get up to $7-$8 per gallon within 12-24 months. Are you sure about the super/turbo charging? Just slap on a cone filter and claim that it gets 50 hp ~
If your Volvo has suspension mods, you will probably want a 528iT with the sport package (17 inch wheels, sport springs/shocks, sway bars).
