Discussion
Mmm, whats the difference? Mmmm, not a lot actually. The 740 is bigger and the 540 is smaller - thats about it. Pretty much most of the "bits" are shared and the only difference being that the 540 has a different suspension setup than the 740. All UK 540's (I am assuming E39 here by the way) came with M-Tech suspension as standard. That means thicker roll bars, lowered and some other small tweaks. As a result the 540 will be slightly harder but a bit more sporty than the 740 - though the big-7 is a limo really.
Running costs virtually the same I would have thought. Same generation and same era. Depends on what you want really.
Running costs virtually the same I would have thought. Same generation and same era. Depends on what you want really.
I have a 540 6-speed manual (e34) and it is the business.I have modified it an awfull lot over the years but I still remember when I first bought it, how impressed I was with the performance and the fact that it didn't feel as big as I had expected it to.A couple of years ago a pal of mine was looking to shift a 740 near identical spec to my 5, and even the same Avus blue paint.I drove the car of course,but was not impressed by the heavy feel of the thing.I have to say that, this was the limo version but even still,stogier than I was expecting. I think you will struggle to buy a 540 e39 for your money(especially a manual)but a 740 should be possible.Good luck.
andyjmac said:
Have driven a few 5 series and had an M3 Evo so i am a BMW fan so really looking for a comfortable and refined cruiser with lots of toys.
Go for the 7 series then mate. LOTS of car for little money and generally better specked from standard, where as the 5 series tend to hold their price a little better. This is assuming that your not too worried about the re-sale value.
M3John.
>> Edited by m3john on Friday 26th May 14:30
andyjmac said:
Im guessing a 535 would be closer to performance to the 7?
Mines a E39 535i and to be honest its performance is more akin to a 528i Manual (all 535i's are steptronic IIRC). You get all of the disadvantages of a V8 - thirst etc and none of the advantages like the 540 - performance.
The 535 is slightly better on fuel but not much. Since 540is are only slighty more I would go that route. To be honest I only went for a 535 because it was the right price with the right spec - they are regarded as the runt of the range and hence are often penalised on the price accordingly. A bargain of course, but only at the right money....
Anything i get now is going to be slower but oh soooo more civilised and refined. Guess i need to try and drive both back to back.
I did have a look at a 740 but didn't drive it but was amazed at the amount of adjustment on the seats, does the 540 have the same seats with memory etc??
I did have a look at a 740 but didn't drive it but was amazed at the amount of adjustment on the seats, does the 540 have the same seats with memory etc??
andyjmac said:
I did have a look at a 740 but didn't drive it but was amazed at the amount of adjustment on the seats, does the 540 have the same seats with memory etc??
Not as standard. Electric seats were an option and if they are electric they are memory too. Unfortunately the heated electric seats were another option. So they might be electric but might not be heated (mine arent and I dont have electric either). But standard chairs are pretty good and very comfortable for me.
To me the choice would boil down to that the 5 can be had with a manual, the 7 can't...so I'd go for the 5.
If you have the room for it, both in parking and on the road, the 7 is an OK car and you'll get more car for your money as noted previously.
To my mind the 5 is more than big enough, a lot of the difference in the car's length is in the back seat, which I tend not to care about much. But if you have someone tall-ish who will frequently ride in back, the 7's your car.
If you have the room for it, both in parking and on the road, the 7 is an OK car and you'll get more car for your money as noted previously.
To my mind the 5 is more than big enough, a lot of the difference in the car's length is in the back seat, which I tend not to care about much. But if you have someone tall-ish who will frequently ride in back, the 7's your car.
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff