Modified 2003 BMW 540i M-Sport Review - The Best E39?

After driving my 2003 BMW 540i M-Sport for over a year, I've been considering selling it to buy a cheaper-to-maintain daily driver. But with H&R springs and an INSANE sounding resonator/muffler delete, Mike's Slate Green M-Sport might have just changed my mind...

[ArthurSperotto]

BMW owners be like, "Dude did you know this is ONE of only TWO in the WORLD from this year, with this color combo, these wheels, these tires, this M-Spec ashtray, this rear main seal oil leak, this rip right here on this M-Spec sport seat, this soggy piece of leather over there, and this booger on the shifter!"

[typedbyben]

"I can never drive the car in complete peace" should be a line you sign when you agree to buy a BMW

[CityOfEvil]

I’ve had a 03 Mtech 540i 6 speed and I replaced/fixed everything on it myself and I’m 23, it’s not as difficult or as scary as 99% of people make it out to be but then I again I have all the tools at my disposal, great work ethic and a passion for learning about bmws engineering. Yeah it’s a pain but it’s like being in love and not paying attention to their flaws :) oh and I said “had” because I sold it due to the amount of driving I do, I put nearly 20k miles on it in 1 year. I plan to buy another one once I can afford two cars at once or even better an e39 m5.

[theworldsbestben]

Gotta do your own work man, don’t be afraid to break a nail. Mechanics probably love you.. do some research and you’ll see how great it is to do your own work on any 2000s and before bmw the older the better.

[greeni]

Today it's 1 year that I have owned an E39 540i/6... no major issues, main costs were tires, front brakes and Eibach ProKit springs. I really recommend changing the springs if you still have the factory M-Tech springs. I did it mainly to get the front lower, did not expect much difference in driving experience... but wow, it's just such a different car on these springs. To me it's now the perfect combo, great for long trips and also winding roads. Only thing missing is a good LSD i.e. Quaife or a used from a M5 (going with the M5's LSD u also need the driving shaft and rear-axle shafts).

[danieltourtillott]

I’ve owned my 2000 540i sport 6sp for two years.
I’ve spent $80 on repairs so far.

Water pump gasket leak. 4 hrs labor $80 water pump.

175k on her now. Perfect car

[martinflaherty]

I have a 2001 with 230000 miles on it. It has broken down three times. Minor issues. Power steering pump-installed OEM$250. To tell you the truth my wife's 2006 Toyota 4Runner, any same job, hers is avg. 50%more in price. Yes I have had to replace things that we're out with these miles, but that would be so with any car. I've had Porsches Mercedes and other BMW's, this is been by far the best car I've ever owned

[xoffroad]

I have 03 540i m sport 6sp in black. And I love my car! It currently has 182k and I only put 10k on it my self. No lights on the dash! I've put some love back into the car because the sun took a bit of a toll on it but I'd take it anyday of the week to not have a spec of rust. The m sport package makes these cars incredible. They sell for cheap and are great for the people that can preform the work them self's. The timing chain went 166k on mine so they really aren't crap like people say. My biggest problem was the old power steering hoses needing to get done. Not a big deal. These cars go for 60k brand new and I got mine for 6k and it does everything a brand new one does! Amazing deal! Everyone needs one of these cars! 03 m sport vs 03 m5 in my area there is about a 15k to 20k difference in price

[IBABeast]

Lol I have a 2000
with 178k on the dash. Drives like a dream. Recently changed powersteering and alternator which was pretty expensive but these things really are special man. I'll be keeping mine for a while.

[erniearambula]

From any car thats approaching 20 years items like thermostat, water pumps and such will go out its just a given but that exhaust is simply Glorious 👌

[brandonrobinson]

Hello mr.zgreen I knew for sure that when I saw your 1st video and you were thinking about selling your car I said wait till down the road you will change your mind and I believe you have changed your mind. I also agree with the both of you. I think the 540 I is a great Bang for your buck. You 2 guys have convince me that I now want one as well. Thanks and I appreciate it.

[BirdogEd]

I know folks that have over 200k miles on their M62’s with NO indication of timing guide issues. Some BMW techs I know think it’s overkill. Best to send your oil change samples to Blackstone Labs for proper Analysis.
Respectfully yours 😎🇩🇪🚙

[JamesMotorsport]

Hadn't seen a Zygrene video in a while wasn't getting notifications . I was getting notified for the longest time then it just stopped weird. This e39 sounds good your stock muffler is insanely heavy too. I no longer work at a BMW independent shop. Oddly enough I miss working on e39s. The m62 is such a smooth engine.

[OwenLutz]

Lol I have one with 300, 00kms, black, m sport, stick, i drive 1100kms a week, snow, rain or shine. it's my daily, and its actually a very easy car to work on, got an andriod head unit to work with dsp, and many other things done. Only time it's ever been in a garage was to get a custom cat back exhaust. No issues, the previous owner did do the timing chains. Only thing that is expensive is the labour because people see bmws and suddenly the shop rate/parts magically increase over what they should be, cause even if you drive a 16 year old bmw u r still"made of money". But if you do everything yourself. Cheap. 4 new o2s, bosch 65 each, liqui molly oil change, 100 for the oil, 2 new doors paint match from junk yard $150 in great condition, and replaced in about 2hrs, just changing the lock mechanism took time so my original keys would work. All this in cad $ so its cheaper for the americans.

[jgordon]

I have an e39 540 as well. I like the subtlties of the 540 as well. I'm considering keeping it and doing a procharger setup to get the power I want, rather than getting an m5

[fitnessguru]

This 540 series is one of my favorite body-styles of the 5

[michaelmahon]

Dude is looking at the cluster like "What! I never knew it could do that?!"

[groovydutchman]

I think it’s time for an e39 M5, i really like the 540i but the M5 is just so much better. And i also think it is subtle enough, especially if you compare it to newer M cars. The S2000 and the e39 M5 are my attainable dream cars, and i hope i’ll be able to buy one of them this year. Please do more S2K track videos, i really enjoy them. Cheers from the Netherlands!

[andreborges]

I was thinking of swapping my from Merc s203 (270) to an 540i wagon for power and space as they are roughly the same price in Europe, but after hearing you guys I think I'll keep it as is 😂 Mercedes has been reliable as a Swiss clock with 310, 000 kms, never skipped a beat. Love how these look though, particularly the wagon E39.

[TheMysticSpade]

My guides went on my 540 at 163k literally everything was fine, no noise on startup. Once morning after the car set for a couple weeks cranked it up and BAM she was done.