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Exterior photo of 2003 BMW 530i

2003 BMW 530i

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Details

Price: SOLD

Mileage: 123,400 Miles

Engine: M54B30 3.0-Liter Inline Six-Cylinder Engine

Transmission: 5-Speed Manual Transmission

Exterior color: Sterling Gray Metallic Exterior

Interior: Black Montana Leather Interior

Additional features:

Fine Wood Interior Trim

Cold Weather Package:

Heated Seats

Headlight Washer/Intensive Cleaning System

Ski-Pass Through

Heated Steering Wheel

Premium Package:

Power Memory Seats

Rain Sensor

Automatic Climate Control

Multifunction Steering Wheel

Alarm System

Moonroof

Xenon Headlights

BMW Business CD Stereo

Premium Sound with HiFi Speakers

Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror

Automatic Climate Control

Style 82 Double Spoke 16” x 7” Wheels

General G Max AS 05 Tires

Clean Carfax

Colorado Car

Background

2003 BMW 530i exterior photo

The BMW E39 generation 5 Series was arguably the best 5 Series ever. The E39 was significantly more powerful, advanced, and modern than its E34 predecessor, yet it was the last of the iconic traditional designs before Chris Bangle and Adrian van Hooydonk’s awkwardly styled E60 5 Series. The post-facelift 530i Sport is probably the best daily driver BMW ever built. It has plenty of power, exceptional handling, sporting luxury, and the “last of the classics” E39 styling. Yet, it does all this with better gas mileage and less maintenance than V8-powered E39s. The E39 5 Series was so good that many literally had the wheels driven off of them, making clean, low-mileage examples extremely rare.

Summary

 exterior photo

This 2003 Sterling Gray over black leather 530i is an excellent driver-quality example of one of the best BMWs ever built—a six-cylinder E39. 2003 was also the last year of E39 production. With 121,800 miles, it is far lower than the average E39. Notable factory options include the proper gearbox, a 5-speed manual, the Premium Package, Cold Weather Package (heated seats and ski-pass through), and the heated steering wheel (a rare option for an E39). It has been a Colorado car its entire life, originally delivered by CO’s BMW in Loveland, being serviced there and at Gebhardt BMW under the first three owners. It came to us via the fourth owner, who had extensive work done by Import Autos and Autosport Werks. In preparation for sale, we replaced the lower front control arms, front control arm bushings, upper rear control arms, rear brake lines, did a brake fluid flush, and did an oil service. We also replaced the air filter, engine air filter, hood struts, the right front fender liner, intensive washer pump and seal, and fixed seat twist on the driver’s seat. As it sits, this is a great driver-quality E39 530i with the rare heated steering wheel, and a proper 5-speed manual gearbox.

Exterior

2003 BMW 530i exterior photo

This 530i is a driver-quality example; it presents well, but does show the flaws of age and mileage. The Sterling Gray Metallic paint is in good condition, measuring 4-11 mils throughout, with the paint being thickest on the hood and fenders. There are small dents on the rear passenger door, driver door, rear passenger quarter panel, and roof. There are several shallow but long scratches on the trunk and two on the driver-side fender. The front bumper has the usual pitting and scuffing, but nothing glaring. There is a tiny area of corrosion in the passenger side door. All VIN/warning tags are present and legible. The “W” in the silver BMW door sill trim is missing from the driver’s door sill; all other trim is present and in excellent shape. The fog lights, marker lights, and taillight lenses are all clear, and all lights are operational. The headlights and fog light lenses have light pitting. The windshield has no cracks but has pitting throughout. The side and rear windows are crystal clear. The 16-inch wheels are in great shape with only minor wear. They are wrapped in General G-Max AS-05 tires measuring 225/55 in front and back with 2018 DOT dates. Tread depth is 7/32 in front and 8/32 in the rear.

Interior

 interior photo

The Leather Montana interior is in good condition, has no odors, and has never been smoked. The carpets are clean, with no stains or tears. The headliner isn’t sagging, stained, or torn. The door cards are in decent shape but have minor imperfections, like scuffing on the driver’s door. The steering wheel has slight leather wear, and some leather is coming unstitched behind the bottom right spoke. The steering wheel heat works. The rest of the steering column is fully functional and in great condition. The dashboard is crack-free, and the instrument cluster is fully functional. There are several typical clearcoat cracks in the fine wood trim. All interior lights and switches are functional and undamaged. All power windows and locks are functional, and all switches are unfaded. The stereo system sounds great, though, as stated before, some pixels are missing that affect legibility. Climate control blows hot or cold when desired; the LCD screen is functional. The center console has some plastic wear on the center armrest, and the passenger cupholder does not stay closed. The front seats have typical creasing on the outer seat bolsters, which isn’t severe, with the driver’s seat being the worst. The passenger seat has very light seat twist, but all other power functions are working fine. The rear seats are in great shape. The trunk is unstained, has no odors, and the toolkit is mostly complete.

Mechanical

 engine photo

A six-cylinder E39 is one of the most reliable and is the last of the non-throw-away 5 Series. Between the Carfax and maintenance records, this 530i has excellent documentation. We added another round of maintenance to bring it up to par. It will certainly need continued care and maintenance, and we can help with that when the time comes. The M54 engine fires on command, idles smoothly, and pulls strongly to redline. It does not spot or leak or consume excessive oil. The gearbox shifts smoothly, and the clutch does not slip. On very cold days, there is slight 5th gear lean until the gearbox heats up, but it is minimal. The suspension is compliant, with no clunks, rattles, or other abnormal drivetrain noises. The brakes are firm, and it passes emissions with no problems, which we pay for.

VIN Decode

 exterior photo

VIN Decode

  • VIN: WBADT53453CE94508
  • Type Code: DT53
  • E Series E39
  • Series: 5
  • Type: LIM
  • Model: 530I(USA)
  • Steering: LL
  • Doors: 4
  • Engine: M54
  • Displacement: 3.00
  • Power: 170
  • Drive: HECK
  • Transmission: MAN
  • Color: Sterling-grau metallic (L0472)
  • Upholstery: Leather Montana/basic equip/schwarz (PN6SW)
  • Production Date: 2002-12-02

Optional Equipment

  • 210 Dynamic stability control
  • 248 Steering wheel heater
  • 249 Multifunction f steering wheel
  • 302 Alarm system
  • 319 Integrated universal remote control
  • 354 Windscreen, green-tinted upper strip
  • 361 BMW LA wheel, parallel spoke 82
  • 403 Glass roof, electrical
  • 431 Interior mirror with automatic-dip
  • 441 Smoker package
  • 459 Seat adjustment, electric, with memory
  • 464 Ski bag
  • 465 Through-loading system
  • 470 Iso[x-System
  • 473 Armrest front
  • 494 Seat heating driver/passenger
  • 500 Headl.washer system/intensive cleaning
  • 520 Fog lights
  • 521 Rain sensor
  • 522 Xenon light
  • 534 Automatic air conditioning
  • 555 On-board computer V with remote control
  • 640 Preparation f tel.installation universal
  • 645 BMW US Radio
  • 650 CD drive
  • 661 Radio BMW Business (C43)
  • 676 HiFi speaker system
  • 694 Provisions for BMW 6 CD changer
  • 773 Fine wood trim
  • 785 White direction indicator lights
  • 818 Battery master switch
  • 845 Acoustic fasten seat belt reminder
  • 850 Dummy-SALAPA
  • 853 Language version, English
  • 876 Radio frequency 315 MHz
  • 925 Dummy-SALAPA
  • 992 Control of number-plate attachment