As we speak’s Good Value or No Cube 540i M-Sport is touted by its vendor as the proper “poor man’s M5.” We’ll must see about that, in addition to simply how poor you can be and nonetheless afford the automotive.
Standing out just isn’t the identical factor as being excellent, and with its flamboyant styling, the 2000 Pontiac Firebird we checked out yesterday was the previous and never the latter. In response to the advert, it likewise suffered from a few vital ancillary points however was in any other case mechanically sound, and had a T-top roof. The vendor set a modest $3,995 asking value in gentle of its situation. That proved begrudgingly cheap to nearly all of you, who flipped the ’Hen a stable 59 % Good Value win.
Hey, what’s the perfect automotive on this planet proper now? The brand new Tesla Mannequin 3 Efficiency? Porsche 911 GTS? Heck, there are such a lot of nice automobiles on the market nowadays that it’s onerous to decide on only one for the highest of the canine pile.
That wasn’t the case 20-odd years in the past. The final consensus of people that issued such edicts on the time was that the BMW E39 was, palms down, one of many—if not the—finest automotive on this planet. The truth is, even I assumed it was just about a banger on the time.
Now, the actual fact of the matter is that point wounds all heels, and each expertise and other people’s preferences have a tendency to maneuver on. The odd factor is, nonetheless, the E39, particularly a uncommon and covetable 2003 540i M Sport mannequin with the Getrag 420G six-speed guide gearbox, nonetheless ranks excessive on automotive fanatics’ lust-o-meter.
The vendor of this silver-on-black version claims to have purchased it on a whim however now desires to see it gone. Plainly household enjoyable has encroached on their driving time, they usually have already got an E30 as a getaway automotive.
BMW provided the M Sport bundle to the already well-sorted 540i starting in 2003. Aesthetically, it bridged the hole between the usual automotive and the M5 version, that includes the latter’s extra aggressive bumpers and aero aides, whereas upgrading the inside with sport seats and a three-spoke wheel.
Different enhancements included 18-inch Fashion 37 alloys and ///M badges seemingly in every single place. Underneath the hood sits the all-alloy M62 V8, rocking 4398 ccs and making 290 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. That’s sufficient to push the mid-sized saloon to sixty in simply over six seconds.
This one appears to be clear as a bean and, per the vendor, comes with a clear title and a well-documented upkeep historical past. There are 152,600 miles on the automotive, nevertheless it doesn’t present them, presenting within the advert as unmarred outdoors, inside, and below the hood. The advert touts a “FULL suspension refresh” that includes Bilstein struts and shocks and all of the flexible bits. A brand new clutch and flywheel had been additionally put in not too many miles in the past, in order that shouldn’t be a problem. The truth is, it appears like all of the automotive’s ache factors have been addressed in some unspecified time in the future over the course of its life.
For enjoyable stuff, the automotive has been imbued with a weighted shift knob (nonetheless a BMW half, it’s reassured) and a rear finish out of an automated automotive providing a shorter last drive. The cabin appears superior and the boot is promised to please with a full complement of “official” BMW instruments within the lid-mounted tray. On the surface, the M-parallel wheels have been powder-coated black, which is one thing of a love-it or hate-it proposition. On the plus facet, these are fitted with new BF Goodrich meats.
The vendor clearly loves this automotive—nonetheless, not sufficient to maintain it—and avers within the advert that they’ve a lot extra to say about it. Additionally they brag that they might put it on Carry a Trailer and get greater than they’re asking right here on Craigslist. If such a boast is correct, we have now to ask, why select this extra plebeian venue?
One other query is whether or not the automotive, because it sits, is definitely worth the $16,500 price ticket the vendor has set. That’s really the extra essential quandary and one which we are able to handle proper now.
What’s your tackle this uncommon and seemingly well-sorted version of what was as soon as thought-about the perfect automotive on the planet and that present $16,500 asking value? Does that appear truthful, given the automotive’s presentation and outline? Or, even for the perfect, is that the worst?
You determine!
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go right here if the advert disappears.
H/T to Paul Lee for the hookup!
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