Is this E39 M525i badge Kosher?

[323i e46]

Hi lads and lasses (including the e39 outfit).

I have been looking into buying a 2001 525i. I saw one for a reasonable amount and am looking to restoring her/him to their past glory. I am looking into finalising the deal this week after I have made a list of what needs to be redone and for how much.

Enough of that, the crux of the matter is ....... the M525i badge on the rear end; is it real or after an market? I have never seen another 525i with the ///M sport badge. I know the meaning of these badges on non M cars. It means that the guys by BMW M GmbH threw in a seat/trim/suspension or whatever they had surplus of at their M5 factory but the rest car is pretty standard.

I tried BMWVIN.com but there was no mention of that ///M badge.

The bumpers are standard (non M5 or 530), no parking distance and all. As a 2001, its got the updated lights with angels.:blowheart:

Should I de-badge or not?

 

[ChefDJ]

There is no such thing as an E39 M other than the M5.

You get an Msport like mine, but there are no M badges on the outside of the car. Only inside.

Those headlights are aftermarket.

And that 525i is not an Msport.

 

[323i e46]

hi Chef,

Yeah I did notice the headlight are cheap imitations and the guy says he will give me the old ones at a cost. maybe I should ask him to keep the fake headlights for his other cheapies . I told him I have to inspect them (old headlights) first. Its a cheapie really but I wanted a daily runner to restore over time.

There is a 530i on gumtree at Lens for the same amount +-. The 530i is cleaner and has Chef's bumper but I feel the cost of daily running and maintainace/restoration will drain me.

---

have a look at the e39 530i on gumtree. looks pretty.

After market lights as well.

http://www.gumtree.co.za/a-cars-bakkies/lenasia/bmw-530i-e39/1001214718080910265953809

 

[Yuben]

Only M cars have the ///M badge IIRC.
1M, M3, M4, M5, M6, X5M, X6M, and most recently(which are actually M cars in my opinion) M135i and M235i....not sure if I missed any

 

[Bernard///M3]

Hey bud.

Not sure of your financial position, but the White one looks much much better, not just because of the MSport bumpers, it just looks much cleaner and well maintained, from what I see in the pics

Then I wonder why the 525i has those lights on, was the car damaged up front? He says he has the originals, but are they really off that car??

I have no clue on the difference in running costs, but can it really be that big?

JA then regarding the M badge it's just been stuck on! When zoomed in its slightly taller than the numbers.

My money out of the 2 go for the white one.

My 2c worth, good luck

 

[323i e46]

Thanks Yuben, there are a few exceptions on the ///M bagde though. I had googled them bt the lists were not conclusive.

@Bernard, I guess the white one looks better. I have been trying to get hold of the owner telephonically most of the afternoon but to no avail. I will give him a day to respond to my email. That price is ok though i will look into getting a couple of thousands back as it will be a cash deal.

The ///M525i is out of my list now. who knows what else they changed? lights, badge.... the list might get longer.

 

[ChefDJ]

The one on gumtree does look better. Still not an Msport, but has had the sport bumpers fitted. Looks way better. The running costs between the 525i and the 530i can't be much different. In fact, you might find the 530i to be lighter on fuel in town as it's a heavy car and needs a big motor to move it, whereas the 525i weighs almost the same but will have to work harder to get the car going, for instance on uphills. I'm not setting this in stone as I own a diesel so I don't know what the petrol counterparts are like.

Bear in mind - the E39 is know for their headlight adjuster failure and it's a job and a half to repair so most people will replace their OEM headlights for the cheaper aftermarket ones. OEM halogen headlight from BMW is 10k a piece and the xenon equivalent is almost 18k a piece, so you can see why they would opt for the aftermarket ones. In my opinion the aftermarket ones kill the look of the car so I opted to fix mine instead.

The E39 is a lot of car for the money. For 40k you're getting a sturdy ride, lots of safety, luxury, reliability etc. It does need TLC, like any old BMW, but it will outlive you if you look after it properly. The car will fall apart before the engine packs up.

See some more examples:

http://www.autotrader.co.za/used-ca...2c82b5f6f92/makemodel/make/bmw/model/5-series

http://www.autotrader.co.za/used-ca...25e7ab710e0/makemodel/make/bmw/model/5-series

The above diesel one is a stunner.

If I were looking for a petrol now, then this takes the cake:

http://www.autotrader.co.za/used-ca...55d27916eb7/makemodel/make/bmw/model/5-series

---

Thanks Yuben, there are a few exceptions on the ///M bagde though. I had googled them bt the lists were not conclusive.

No. No E39 came out with an M badge other than the M5. Europe and the US might have had a few factory fitted badges like that, but with no significance to an M.

It's definitely a R19.99 badge plakked onto the back.

 

[anton-sa]

Hi ,
just fyi, everything everyone said is correct.
my previous e39, was a 2001 525i.
and although not an msport model with the //m bumpers.
it had factory fit msport suspension.

all the vin decoders verified this and it also had like a blue spot/paint mark
(or was it red) on the springs.. this denotes the msport springs, atleast i read this somewhere at the time. however when the car was parked nexto non msport it definitely sat lower...

 

[ChefDJ]

Yup. Msport suspension is quite noticeably lower than standard E39 suspension.

 

[323i e46]

hi guys, sorry I was quiet for a couple of months, lets see what I got. just a preview.

 

[WyKiD]

Much better than the car you were originally considering, congratulations....looks neat.:coolShake:

Details on the new wheels?

 

[323i e46]

Wykid, thanks for that. I opened a new appreciation post for the car. I figured this thread is done now. :ty:

 

[OppositeLockMT]

Congrats, love the interior.

 

[anton-sa]

welcome to the e39 mafia!

these cars are greats, overbuilt, they age very well...