Is this a diamond in the rough? or???

[rcbrown23]

just a pretty good deal?

First off... I'm a newb, and don't know what the hell I'm doing. I stumbled into a 94 540i with full intentions of fixing it to sell it. Well, after driving it a tad, I LOVE the car, and am looking for one with less miles/overall better condition.

Just got back from looking at a 1995 540i.

Here's the good part, I think:

6 speed manual transmission. 95K miles. SPORT seats.

what does all this mean? there's no sign of a "M" emblem anywhere, and it has the standard wheels (same as my 94 540). Is this a "sport", or regular 540i?

The price is CRAZY reasonable, and it started and drove perfectly.

Waiting for your answers, and possible going back tomorrow.

Thanks mates.

[BMWCCA1]

All 6-speed E34 540i's were Sports and came standard with sport seats. The owner probably didn't like the wheels and he or the dealer swapped them along the way. The M-sport is a different option package entirely and was even available in an automatic.

[pgrindstaff]

It is most likely a regular 540i with some of the sport options. When I bought my 540i6 I did a lot of reading to figure out exactly what is different between the sports and just a run of the mill 540i. As you noticed it does have the standard wheels, sport seats, and has the M-Tech suspension. The 540i Sport has other goodies such as M-style side mirrors etc. From my experience, you will not be disappointed by the 540i six speed. What an amazing car.

[billy]

doesnt the sport have a black headliner?

[rcbrown23]

Ok... thanks so far. I'm looking online to try and see what these are going for, but not having much luck.

What would it be worth? like I said: 95K miles, not sure if it's Nikasil or Alusil, but it idled VERY smoothly. Black exterior, 6-speed manual, overall condition I would rate a 7 out of 10.

[ProZak]

Less than 5k is a steal, IMO.

Look at www.autotrader.com, ebay completed auctions, Yahoo! cars, etc to get an idea. You can also "appraise" it at Edmunds.com but they tend to value these cars a little low.

[pgrindstaff]

I bought mine with 113,8xx miles for $7200 with some dents and dings in the body.

[rcbrown23]

So... basically, it's just a regular 540i with 6 speed manual and sport seats, right??

No other mechanical options (other than mentioned) come equipped with the 6 speed?

[pgrindstaff]

Exactly, just has the 6 speed and sport seats and whatever options the original owner had put in. One way to be sure would be to give the vin to a dealer and ask them to give you a list of options installed on the car. I cannot remember the option code for the sport package but i think it was 802 or 803. They would know the answer and would be able to tell you.

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

just a pretty good deal?

First off... I'm a newb, and don't know what the hell I'm doing. I stumbled into a 94 540i with full intentions of fixing it to sell it. Well, after driving it a tad, I LOVE the car, and am looking for one with less miles/overall better condition.

Just got back from looking at a 1995 540i.

Here's the good part, I think:

6 speed manual transmission. 95K miles. SPORT seats.

what does all this mean? there's no sign of a "M" emblem anywhere, and it has the standard wheels (same as my 94 540). Is this a "sport", or regular 540i?

The price is CRAZY reasonable, and it started and drove perfectly.

Waiting for your answers, and possible going back tomorrow.

Thanks mates.
Assuming you`re in US, as said less than 5k its a steal. In europe/UK they are available for a lot less due to insurance if you`re under 40,price more like £1500 UK.Look round the forum for what goes wrong and enjoy but remember,pay peanuts, get monkeys!

[Ferret]

Assuming you`re in US, as said less than 5k its a steal. In europe/UK they are available for a lot less due to insurance if you`re under 40,price more like £1500 UK.Look round the forum for what goes wrong and enjoy but remember,pay peanuts, get monkeys!

Hey Barney, meant to give you a call - how'd the look at the 540 go over the weekend?

[bubba966]

As has been said it's just a 540i/6, and isn't an M-Sport. Info on the M-Sport can best be found at www.kindel.com/bmw

The 540i/6 had the 6 speed manual, the Sport seats, and an M-Tech suspension that was a little lower/stiffer than a regular 540.

The M-Sport is basically an M5 with Euro adaptive/adustable suspension, and the V8 from the 540.

The first V8 powered M5 wasn't the E39, it was the '95 M-Sport.

[rcbrown23]

Thanks guys. I went and checked it out again, but I think I'll pass on it. It still has the original Nikasil block, and although it may be just fine, I'd feel better about it if it was switched out.

Also, I got under there to look at the block, and noticed aftermarket... somethings... the pipes coming from the block were definitely NOT stock. I don't know much about headers or, whatever was going on under there, but the car started, idled, and ran superbly. I usually wouldn't want a modified car, but this ran very nicely.

Their asking 5.5K for it, and it's in Dallas, TX. If anyone is interested, just say the words, and I'll get the address...

-brown