About this Collectable

An E39 Touring with 180,000 km on The Collectables? Yes. Every car enthusiast must have owned a BMW straight-six at one point or another. And it might as well be a practical car for once. That's also easy (er) to explain at home. Is this a car for a collection? No, unless you drive up to 1,000,000 km. But for the novice enthusiast with mountain bikes or surf gear, the ideal tax-friendly mileage eater.

Why this Touring? The Collectables is a website by, for and by car enthusiasts. This 5-series is from Joost. Who bought a 328 Ci from Paul through The Collectables. Who in turn bought an Alpina from Frans, also through The Collectables. We are very curious how long we can keep this "train" going!

In 2003, the 525i stood for a silky smooth running 6-cylinder with 192 hp. Nowadays you have to order a 540i to get a famous BMW 6-in-line in the front. It is not without reason that the engine block from this model was named one of the "10 Best Engines through 2001–2003".

Back to this Collectable. This 525i Touring comes from 2003, which makes it one of the later models of the E39 series, which went out of production in 2004. For years, the E39 was the choice for the autophile self-employed who was looking for a combination of build quality, comfort, design and limited addition. Rightly so. Because an E39 still drives princely. And what is such a Touring in "not screwed up" is still a picture to see.

This 525i Touring was imported from Germany in August 2018 by Noble Car Search with about 135k km on the clock. Joost was looking for a good quality E39 Touring with the lowest possible mileage in neat condition. The car has had 2 owners in Germany. The latter was an employee of the BMW dealer where the car was always brought for maintenance by the 1st owner.

The counter is now at about 180k km. Joost has always taken care of the car (washed almost weekly, put it dry when possible and kept as far away from road salt as possible), had it repaired what was needed and adjusted what he thought was beautiful or useful. There are no known technical or motor problems.

Equipment

This Edition version has the following options:

  • 202 Steptronic (in good condition!)
  • 470 Isofix
  • 210 Dynamic Stability Control (DSC III)
  • 386 Roof railing
  • 403 Electric tilt / slide roof
  • 423 Behind original velor floor mats, for snow mats
  • 431 Automatically dimming interior mirror
  • 473 Front armrest
  • 488 Lumbar support
  • 494 Front seat heating
  • 500 Headlamp washers with the option of intensive windscreen cleaning
  • 508 Park Distance Control (PDC) front and rear
  • 522 Xenon lighting
  • 534 Automatic air conditioning
  • 650 CD changer
  • 661 BMW Business radio with cassette deck (disassembled, see below)
  • 725 Premium package
  • 934 5 x 16 "BMW LM rims with (a set of older) winter tires
  • 4 x 18 ”BMW LM rims (style 37) with (almost new) all-season tires
  • Warning triangle tool set and first aid box
  • Detachable towbar
  • Original rubber trunk mat
  • Four custom velor mats (not original)
  • White rear flashing lights (originals are available)
  • Privacy glass from the B-pillar (no foil)

Modifications

  • Dune Classics from Rhenoy has installed cruise control (BMW original) and an Android radio with bluetooth and replaced the steering wheel by a BMW steering wheel with function keys for radio, cruise control and telephone. All original parts are still present and will remain with the car.
  • HL Automotive from Veenendaal equipped the car with an M bumper package at the front and rear (painted in original color).

Remarks

The car is in a good condition. There are some small points of attention, belonging to a car of this age and captured in the photos:

  • Small dent in the tailgate next to the right rear light.
  • Condensation behind the fog lights in the front bumper. When the weather gets warmer this will disappear.
  • The BMW logo on the hood is weathered, but deliberately left as this is the original logo.
  • There is a small damage (superficial rust spot) on the door strip of a B-pillar and a small damage on a C-pillar.
  • The entry guards show light signs of use.
  • Opening the rear window, separate from the tailgate, does not always work. The tailgate itself opens properly. This is a known problem, easy to solve yourself but a time consuming job (the owner was not annoyed by it).

Recent service history

The Touring has been maintained by, among others, BMW Ekris and BMW specialist Jan Hermsen from Kortenhoef, detailing via Dune Classics and for minor maintenance / MOTs at Garage 't Goylaan in Utrecht.

In addition to regular maintenance, Joost has had the following activities carried out:

  • Renewed expansion vessel (cooling) with original parts
  • New control of the Xenon lighting with original parts
  • Rust removed from the rear window and lid and painted
  • New front and rear bumpers (M-style)

The most recent maintenance history with invoices is available and can be sent on request:

  • 130k km - May 2018 - Test certificate Germany (BMW AG)
  • 135k km - August 2018 - Expansion vessel (cooling) renewed with original parts - EUR 165 at Hermsen Kortenhoef
  • 141k km - January 2019 - Control xenon lighting renewed with original parts - EUR 90 at Hermsen in Kortenhoef
  • 150k km - July 2019 - Cabling and brake pads for replacement - EUR 205 at 't Goylaan in Utrecht
  • 153k km - August 2019 - Rust removed from the rear window and painted - EUR 400 at Body Repair in 's Graveland
  • 156k km - September 2019 - Small service, oil and filter replaced - EUR 145 at 't Goylaan in Utrecht
  • 157k km - October 2019 - New front and rear bumpers - EUR 1,290 at HL Automotive in Ede
  • 167k km - May 2020 - MOT inspection, fog lamp and rear brake pads - EUR 250 at 't Goylaan in Utrecht
  • 168k km - June 2020 - Replacement 4-season tire set - EUR 805 at Euromaster in Nieuwegein
  • 169k km - June 2020 - Android system, functional steering wheel and heater - EUR 785 at Dune Classics in Rhenoy
  • 172k km - September 2020 - Paint damage repair of parking damage on the bumper right front - EUR 520 - at Nowosielski in Utrecht
  • 177k km - December 2020 - Service with brake fluid, oil (filter), stabilizer + ring LV, wipers replaced and 3rd brake light wiring repaired - EUR 455 at 't Goylaan in Utrecht

At the planned MOT next week at The Engineering's Garage, the following items will also be picked up:

  • The front brake discs are replaced.
  • The right rear brake cable is replaced or repaired.
  • The valve cover gasket is replaced.

Included in the sale

  • All keys
  • All manuals
  • The available service history with all invoices from Joost' ownership

About the seller

Joost has enjoyed driving some 45k kilometers with his 525i over the past 2.5 years. But as the third car, since the recent purchase of the 328iA Coupe through The Collectables, this car has really become "redundant".

Summary

Seller - Joost
Seller type - Private
Location - Utrecht
Supplied - WBADS41010GU96206
Year of construction - July 4, 2003
Mileage (kms) - 180,000
NAP - Import from Germany in 2018 - history fully demonstrable
Warranty - None
Bodywork - Touring
Engine - 6-in-line, 2,494 cc with 192 hp
Drive - Rear wheel drive
Gearbox - Automatic Steptronic
Exterior - Titan Silber (354)
Interior - Rips Diagonal Grau (F4TT)
Upholstery - Fabric
Smoker's car - No
Owners - 3
Tires - Michelin CrossClimate all-season tire - F: 235 / 40R18 - R: 265 / 35R18 - June 2020 at 168,000 km

The description of this Collectable has been created with the utmost care, based on information from and validated by the seller. The Collectables performs a (pre) selection based on the information provided and consults public sources for any irregularities. However, bidders themselves must ascertain the correctness of the description and can, if desired, carry out a personal investigation or have it carried out. All Collectables on our platform can be subjected to any possible inspection, investigation or appraisal by buyers, of course in consultation with the seller. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for more details.