But thats not your 3.5 litre na is it? Granted some of the Jap v8 engines of the day compared well to the euros. The Yank ones were and still are miles away in cube to kw. The Toyota V8 of the period also compares well.
mrcat1,
Mar 19, 10:00am
I was thinking the same, I have a 3liter diesel ute rated at 170kw so would of expected a little more.
robotnik,
Mar 19, 7:28pm
Assume yoil oil burner has a turbo to make that much power? The BMW has no such assistance.
edangus,
Mar 19, 8:25pm
Take a E38 740 for a spin, its just as exciting. You can probably get for cheaper too! Hoodlining will be sagging (or about to) and gas struts will need replacing in boot and engine bay. If battery has not been replaced, that will also be due.
budgel,
Mar 19, 8:30pm
I love my E38, I was originally looking at a 540i but ended up getting the 740i. I really appreciate the extra room. The E39 is quite tight inside if you are a bigger person.
You will probably pay a bit less for a 740 too.
There is a good one I know of for sale in Whangarei.
fiatracer,
Mar 19, 8:40pm
Well, the 5 litre Holden V8s were 185kw.
the other difference between the 6 and 8 cylinder E39s is how well they drive - the 540 has extra mass over front, and for space reasons lost the rack and pinion steering. They don't steer all that well, but yes they are damned quick and really cheap! My first hand experience is that various electrical failures [including things like electric seat failures] are often traced back tot he failure of the ignition switch - a common failure point.
robotnik,
Mar 19, 8:43pm
What about electrical problems on the E39; a common theme on most Euros is the electrics start going as the car ages. Any issues with these now they are nearly 20 years old? I had one back in the day, but it wasn't that old so I can't say if it would have developed electrical problems.
craigs_workshop,
Mar 20, 5:44am
you cant look at the standard HP level & think thats all the engine is good for
performance is not one of the main criteria when they go about designing a new engine
edangus,
Mar 20, 6:49am
Probably will have a few little gremlins (as with any 20 yr old car) dirty contacts etc. Ribbons normally go in stereo. C/Locking issues. Guy in CHCH fixes the Stereos. Big one to watch is the cooling system on these puppies. Look after it and it will look after you. If you don't. Also the Oil leak around rocket cover gasket. Not too bad but pays to clean up every now and then due to stuffing the ignition coils. There are many places on the web to get the right info on common problems. My E38 fav web help http://www.meeknet.co.uk/e38/ many issues spread over both models.
w202merc,
Mar 20, 7:07am
with plastic chain guides, nice mate has an Audi S4 V8 all though its a nice car it has had nothing but problems and its only just done over 100 clicks and the timing chain rattles on start up for longer then normal, for a comparison a family member has a C32 Mercedes AMG and that is just as fast and has not put a foot out of line apart from a throttle position sensor and its done 180,000kms and it gets a hiding, but what would i know im retarded i had the misfortune of owning a 1998 fwd v6 Audi A4 and its left a sour taste in my mouth, the horrendous maintenance cost of an engine that wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding was unreal, the seats were like concrete and it handled like a sofa, my VX Calais with a 3.8 S/C i replaced it with was a far superior car in every way shape and forum and the Holden V6 was smother then the Audis piss poor attempt at a V6 as well, after driving a mates 320i that he brought for 2K i wouldn't go near the Audi V6 the only Audi i would have is a 1.8T or 2.0T but they are Volkswagen engines so that would explain the reliability.
vtecnet,
Mar 20, 8:32am
I just purchased a mk4 golf gti 1.8T with a manual gearbox, it'll save me a bit of fuel, also I miss having a manual transmission. It won't be as nice as the E39 to drive every day of course, but saving $40 a week on fuel means I can buy more coffee. You might see my 530i for sale on here sometime
w202merc,
Mar 20, 8:56am
also nice cars did you not have a GTX mk5 not so long ago? so you have decided to go for another Golf? also considering a B5 Audi A4 1.8t Quattro but they don't have the luxuries of the Beamer, might even hold on to the VR6 for a while its just the road noise at open road speeds is a bitch! i like everything else about the car though.
vtecnet,
Mar 20, 10:28pm
Hehe yeah they are a bit loud, especially compared to the E39, which is really quite quiet at whatever speed you go. Mk4 seems to be more refined than the mk3, but i'd say its also a lot heavier.
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