I have always been really into cars; I can still remember my briefcase toy chest filled with hot wheels race cars. I used to love those things, I took them everywhere with me! The doctor’s office, on vacations, you name it, I always brought some little toy cars with me. I was a boy who loved cars, like many others. Like many little boys, I dreamed of driving a race car and going 300mph, and having the time of my life. Fast forward to March, 2012. I was behind the wheel of a 2002 BMW 530i, driving in a parking lot at no more than 5mph. I was very excited, and very nervous. It was my first time ever getting behind the wheel of a car and actually driving it. After some short practice time in parking lots, I hit the road with my dad.
I remember noticing how solid and smooth the car felt, and not thinking too much that this was a BMW. A couple days later, I went driving again with my dad in our 2000 Lexus RX 300. From the first step on the gas pedal, the first thing that came to mind was, this is no BMW. I told my dad I wanted to get back in the 530i. At the time, my dad was using the 530i to commute to work and back home; his weekend car was his 2007 Audi A8L. This was his third E39 he had bought, the previous ones being a 1998 528i and another 2002 BMW 530i. Since my dad had always been into BMW’s and had owned many, I was also a fan of them. As time went on, and I got more practice, I took my driver’s license test, and passed with flying colors. The plan was for me to drive the 530i, and my dad would purchase another car for his everyday driving. The 530i would become mine! The first thing I remember doing when he purchased his new 2007 Infiniti M45, was clearing out all of his stuff and vacuuming the interior of the E39. I gave it a good wash, and it was all set to be mine, I was very happy. The only thing it needed was a good detail. The paint was very rough, and didn’t look all that great. Although my dad had promised to have it detailed before he gave it to me, I told him to hold off, and that I would get all the materials, and do it myself. So, I placed an order online for Zaino, and got started. I followed the whole process very carefully, and the car looked great! Another thing my dad had promised to do was to get new floor mats for the car. Being a beige interior, the floor mats get dirty much quicker, and the ones that were in the car were old and torn up, and not OEM. So, I placed an order on ECSTuning for new OEM beige floor mats for the front and rear.
The 530i is an April of 2002 production month. It was sold to the first owner at Irvine BMW, in June of 2002. It was purchased by my Dad in 2010, and had 58,000 miles on it, he was the second owner. The car is fully loaded with everything but the cold weather package, and being a Southern California car, it’s honestly just not needed. Toledo Blue Metallic exterior color, Sand Beige interior, Sport Seats, Xenon Angel Eye headlights, Sport Package, 17 inch BMW Style 42 sport wheels, Navigation System with DSP audio, BMW telephone, voice command, split-fold rear seats, M-Steering wheel, 5 speed Automatic with Sport and Steptronic manual mode, electric seats, park distance control, the car is fully loaded.
Fast forward to now, and there is a list of things that I have purchased for this car. A lot of them are little cosmetic things like the center console handle, replacing the BMW Motorola phone mount with a standard one, floor mats, front cup holders, replacing the front lower fender liners, a couple of bulbs here and there, and other little things. The original BM53 navigation radio had to be replaced with a new BM53 from BMW, which added support for auxiliary input, which I would later end up installing. Mechanically, the car has also not had too many issues. It had a new alternator put in at about 95,000 miles, along with a new radiator and thermostat.
