Why are E39's Cheaper than E46

[Sankekur]

I term of cost from an e46 side,

Full set of pads: R1k
Two front discs: R990 (R1200 per side)
LCABS: R750 (R1250)
(all Febi stuff)

The there was the starter: R1600 (R3500)
Waterpump: R350 (with aluminium impeller) (R3k)
Belts: something like R200 from the dealers

A couple of coil packs: Around R450 each.


Honestly the Febi pads are rubbish, they are noisy, dusty and don't have nearly the same bite as the OEM pads, they also tend to fade rather quickly, something like 5 or so hard stops. (Price into consideration, they are ok actually)


Edit: added some dealer prices in brackets as well

 

[Jandre]

Care to share cost from an e46 owner.

I am replacing disks, pads and sensors on my e39 540i this weekend.

I am using Febi/ Bilstein disks, pads and sensors from Goldwagen.

R645 x 2 for disks
R700 for a full set of front pads.
R80,00 per sensor.

So, this is my total bill for my DIY.

Anyone with an e46 330i wanna give me an indication of their cost.

I would not recommend the Bilstein Febi pads.
Ask Sankekur why :fencelook:

Got the pads already, so will give them a try (have to).

 

[Gregmeister]

My Land Rover has cost me more in 6 months than my E39 528i in a year and a half!

Services are about R2k each (indies) and I have had no major expenses. The car has 318 000km with FSH and has just returned from a 5000km holiday over December with only 1 small issue.

I bought the car from Gregmeister in 2010 when he bought his 540i/6.

Hey Greg. Good to hear the old girl is taking care of you as well as you take care of her. May that always be the case. What a car...:thumbs:

 

[Metroid]

My parents have an E46 and an E39. The 5 had some problems with sensors which meant the ABS didn't work. It was about R3K to fix. Both cars had cooling problems at one stage but the cars had a safety mechanism to prevent overheating.

I think the E46 has better resale value because the shape looks newer. It was introduced in 1999/2000 whereas the E39 was introduced in 1996. I also feel that the smaller engined E39s are slightly underpowered. I would prefer to have the 5 because it's such an excellent car all round and it has classic lines.

 

[Sith]

The bigger the car and it's engine, the harder it falls in terms of value as it ages. This is because of the common perception that the bigger the car, the more it will cost to run. This is more true now then ever before, due to mass economic uncertainty. May it remain like this forever, so that I can always pick up brutish cars at bargain prices! BTW, I am trying out Febi Bilstein front pads on my E39 M5, and they have been great, no squeal or fade, and not excessive brake dust. So quite happy with them.

 

[cyberdemon]

i think its coz of the size and generally who owns them. the bigger cars are generally owned by a more mature audience and the smaller cars by a younger lot.

 

[Solo Man]

Have never owned E46's but own two E36 and a E39 530d. Had a E39 528i and E39 540i. Allways been a fan of the BMW 5 series as they are more planted on the road and are extremely comfortable. Have just done a trip up country and the diesel gave me 13.8km/l overall at the legal limit. Even got 15km/l coming back from Upington on Saturday! Have seen 16,5km/l last year travelling from Bloem to Durbs including spending one hour in stop/start traffic in bottleneck at roadworks beyond P/maritzburg). If your want to buy a five, get yourself a 530d! I think there is one advertised in the for sale section which seems a good buy. Would love to own a E46 330d manual and have it chipped for maximum power and economy.

 

[cyberdemon]

cant ever own a 530d coz of the badge :yuck: :rollsmile:

 

[Raybimmer]

530d badge only a problem if the car is on its roof :roflol::roflol:
Perception : e46 is a more women friendly car than the big e39 !! This leads to families having an e46 where the wife can also use it where she would not want to drive the e39 .

 

[Philip Foglar]

530d badge only a problem if the car is on its roof :roflol::roflol:
Perception : e46 is a more women friendly car than the big e39 !! This leads to families having an e46 where the wife can also use it where she would not want to drive the e39 .

Yep, as nice as the 530d is, it does have a very unfortunate model number... :fencelook: :roflol:

But yes, 5 Series and up has always depreciated more than for instance the 3 Series - and of course, the 3 Series is the more punished of the models, so a good 5 Series is actually so much better value in the long run! And I reckon the same thing happens with other brands like Audi, Merc etc...

 

[Sith]

It most certainly does. Audi A8's go for a song after just a few years, becoming so much car for so little money, relatively speaking.

 

[P1000]

Well, comparatively, the e65 series is is even cheaper than the e39... I just cannot get used to the looks, or the fact that the elbow rests are too far away.