Description
Incredible opportunity to acquire a truly glorious BMW E39 523i SE MANUAL with just 35, 000 miles, finished in highly desirable Biarritz Blue. This car is as close to CONCOURSE as can be found in any in-use car (albeit very sparing use!). She is absolutely pristine, inside and out, as the pictures show. The heart of this car is the legendary M52 straight six, delivering turbine like smoothness, unrivalled in ICE engines to this day, and has returned over 30mpg in mixed driving conditions. Also, as a 1998 car, it avoids the punitive post 2001 VED regime that penalises larger engines and especially automatic examples of E39s that can cost 500 to 700 a year to tax, this is just 360. The 2. 5 M52 six cylinder is the sweet spot of the engine range and far cheaper and less stressful to maintain than the V8. The 2. 8s and 3. 0s are much heavier on fuel as of course are the V8s. Most importantly, this car is completely STOCK! No BMW wide boys have been anywhere near this, there is not a single non standard item on this car, it is completely original. Even the tape deck sounds brilliant and there's a cd changer in the boot! It has cruise control, superb climate control that has not skipped a beat in the heatwave, keeping the cabin absolutely cool and comfortable. Everything works perfectly, no foibles or faults and she has just been serviced by a BMW specialist in Cambridge, (inc oil and brake service and full checkover) and MOT'd with not a single advisory. It has full BMW history from new. As of right now, this car needs nothing whatsoever doing to it, it is completely ready to be enjoyed today, and wants for nothing other than the care and appreciation of a new owner who will understand what they have on their hands. I strongly recommend a viewing and a test drive to truly appreciate this opportunity. In terms of modern classics the 80s fad is coming to an end now, as many realise that 40 grand for an Escort doesn't make great sense. Many of these were not great cars to start with. Now the market is recognising the value of many 90s models that were far superior cars. An E39 like this one now is a rock solid investment. They are certainly up in value from 5-10 years ago as good ones become rarer, but they remain inexpensive overall compared to previous generation cars. There are clear signs that the wider market is starting to find out just how good and just how desirable these are. Motoring media and car content folk like Number 27, JayEmm and many many more have euologised about the brilliance of the E39. Look after one as good as this and it is only going up in value from here. The most important and valued aspect of classic BMW owning is provenance. It is well known how these cars fall into the wrong hands and get abused or given endless tasteless 'upgrades' - silly lights, wheels, or tinkering with already perfect suspension, or engines that have already been engineered to perfection. At which point the car is already fatally compromised in terms of value. You have NO such concerns here. R612 LUF has only had two owners prior to me (not counting trade owners) - the original purchaser and one other careful owner in the automotive trade. The first owner, a lady who owned the car for 14 years, sadly passed in 2012. However, the car remained in the family estate and in storage for nearly a decade, being barely used. This is the reason for the very low mileage. It covered around 1000 miles in that decade. When it was finally sold by the estate, the next owner picked it up in 2022 and carefully and meticulously set about bringing it back on the road, replacing and updating perished parts including brakes and hoses, and giving it the care and attention it deserved. Having enjoyed it for three years and adding around 4, 000 miles he sold it on, and I was the lucky one to pick it up and continue the rather wonderful story of this car. It's hard to overstate what a joy it is to drive this car. There's a reason why this era of BMW is referred to as 'peak BMW'. The E39 was arguably the engineering pinnacle for these larger engine saloon designs before new regulations and weight sent designers in a different direction. It really shows in every moment you spend in - and driving - these cars, especially one as close to its original new condition as this. You feel it the minute you get in, shut the door, fire it up and start driving. It's a driving experience we won't be getting back, and that is why it's so special to have it now and in this form, like it has just rolled out of the showroom. Every single person who has ever travelled in it comments on how wonderful it is just to sit in and experience. We are regrettably selling because family priorities have changed, I have been persuaded to get a camper (nooooo!) and we simply do not have room for 3 cars and a camper. So it's this that has to make way... because it's my hobby/ toy and ranks behind the family car and my teenage son's car that he needs for work.
