Greetings from South Beach, Gents

My E34 has been a great car for the past five years but as I approach 170K miles, I'm feeling the pain in my pocket from more frequent repairs and I'm contemplating buying an E39.

So I've taken a look around and I see some great 2000 528i with Sport packages among other cars but I'm wondering what really is my best bet in making this purchase?

Does anyone have a suggestion or some experience in buying one of these cars? Are there any issues I should look for? Which model has the best rep? I'm approved for up to $25K and I'd love to hear your advice/suggestions/etc.

Cheers,
Evan