Replacing the E34 go E39 or???

[philbyil]

Is the car still running well?
Is it in decent cosmetic shape?

If so, why spend unnecessary dosh and "move on" as it's prolly not worth much as a sale or a trade but, with regular care, will drive on for a few more years. The E34 is one heck of a safe car.....and, generally, easy to work on. Parts are now cheaper...soooooo.. IMHO, I would hang on to it.
Change for change's sake is not necessarily a smart thing to do....

At 178k miles the wife wants to move on. The E34 was tremendous for us but we are looking at newer options. I've looked a 114k mi 970 540 and a 70k mi 2005 530. Both are below low blue and seem fine, but the newer ones just don't look great to me. A bit bloated methinks.
Either series preferable???
The 97 - 03 5 series cars I've driven have badly cracked windshield rubber. Is that a big expense? The ws trim on the E34 was $120 a side x 2 so...
Thanks in advance for your input.

[Mordan]

Is the car still running well?
Is it in decent cosmetic shape?

If so, why spend unnecessary dosh and "move on" as it's prolly not worth much as a sale or a trade but, with regular care, will drive on for a few more years. The E34 is one heck of a safe car.....and, generally, easy to work on. Parts are now cheaper...soooooo.. IMHO, I would hang on to it.
Change for change's sake is not necessarily a smart thing to do....

+1

the E34 is the best DIY compromise for confort, reliability, performance and budget.

[BennyM]

I agree with going the other way, but I was thinking more along the lines of an E46. They're about the same size as an E34 and aren't quite as complicated as their bigger brothers.

Perhaps consider going the other way... e32. They handle very well indeed and are totally the business. The e38 is heavier and does not drive as well by a fairly long way. Find a nice one and you have budget left over for all those goodies you already know heaps about needing...