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In Reply to: Differences between E34 and E39 540? posted by Scott Dods on July 22, 2001 at 23:11:28:
I'll focus on the performance. I helped a friend find a used 1995 540i and we drove a whole bunch of automatics and ended up getting a very low mileage 1995 6-speed.
The automatics seemed very sluggish. It's probably because many of the cars we drove had the original nikasil engine blocks and were losing compression.
The 6-speed had only 20,000 miles on it and had strong acceleration. Not as strong as my 2000 540i/6 or my 2001 540i/6, but much stronger than the E34 540i Automatics we drove.
Compared to the E39, everything about the E34 seems heavier. The gas pedal has a much stiffer return spring. The steering feels very heavy, although that lightened somewhat when we swapped out the original 15" wheels for some 17" wheels. The brakes require much more pedal feel and have much less boost, so they require more effort. There's more body roll.
The ride is harsher on the E34. Since the chassis on the E39 is much stiffer than the chassis of the E34, BMW was able to use softer springs on the E39 to achieve the same (or better) handling. (My comparisons, at this point, are between E34 and E39 6-speed models with the same wheels and tires.)
The E34 has a much bigger trunk. The steering wheel is also much larger diameter and thinner than the ones in my 2000 and 2001 540i/6.
That's a start. If you have any other questions, I would be glad to answer them.
Bottom line: I would push to get an E39.
Dave Z.
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