Owning a BMW E39 540i

‘I bought my 540i Sport from a specialist dealer in April 2018 for £8750,’ says Keith Day. ‘It had covered just 35,500 miles, had a full BMW Tokyo service history and was immaculate. There were a few problems initially, possibly because it had been stored since early 2015 when imported. Within months, various gaskets needed replacing, along with a couple of hoses. I had a dramatic failure of the alternator – cabin full of smoke, grinding noises. It was a water-cooled alternator and cost £600. BMR Performance (bmrperformance.co.uk) carried out all the work, corrosion-protected it underneath and continue to look after it. I replaced the standard 17in wheels with 18in Style 65s which suit the car perfectly. Occasional failures are to be expected with a 20 year old car and I budget about £1000 per year on average for servicing and maintenance. It’s one of the best examples in the UK and is fabulous to drive.’