A question to our German members..

[bassoprofundo]

I am curious to know if the E53 has a following in Germany these days, or wether they are considered lesser vehicles than the German built models.

Do you see many on the roads? Are they clean and tidy, suggesting that owners think they’re worth saving? Look forward to the responses. Cheers from Australia.

[amancuso]

X1 is built in the Netherlands and X2 is built in Germany. X3-X7 are all still built in the United States at plant Spartanburg.

[bassoprofundo]

Originally Posted by amancuso

X1 is built in the Netherlands and X2 is built in Germany. X3-X7 are all still built in the United States at plant Spartanburg.

Yes I'm aware they were built outside of Germany. Im asking if the E53 is still popular in Germany.

[Effduration]

I've got an BMW buddy, Sreten, who is Serbian (I think), lived in California for a decade or so, works in IT, and now lives near Frankfurt with a girlfriend. He goes thru BMW's like I do t-shirts - maybe more frequently, and does a ton of wrenching... He actually has a high-grade youtube channel and is trying to quit his day job and work on BMW's full-time.

His Channel is here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLL...T8275nBXODXyqw

Anyway, I posted your question to him and here is his response:

.....I actually had 2 of them when I was living in California, one pre-facelift and one facelift.

I like them (E53) overall, though the M54 really is too small of an engine for a such a big car, I remember fuel consumption being pretty bad. But drives nice and I would get another one if I get the opportunity. You don't see them that much here, sometimes yeah and mostly diesels but everyone is generally driving newer cars here.

Best,
Sreten
..................................
The lack of E53's in Germany may have as much to do with their "Cash for clunkers" program of a few years ago which got a lot of 10yr old+ cars off the road as well as Germany's TUV inspection, which is stricter than what we have in the US, and which makes it difficult to keep an older car on the road.

[crystalworks]

Off topic, but his YouTube channel seems good. Recently sub'd to it because, well because BMW content. Will have to watch more of it.

[TriX5]

As to the OP's question, I can only comment from observing whenever I cross Germany and other W. European countries on my frequent trips there (before Covid came along anyway). I spent most of 2019 in Portugal but I crisscrossed the German mqp as well.

The e53 (end its successors) are considered large vehicles and are relatively less common than sedans. The fuel usage of the big V8s and 6s is considered an issue given gas prices are typically over $5/gallon.In addition, road taxes and other consumer taxes on large displacement engine cars are up, waaaay up. Taxes on high CO2 output engines are frankly punitive.

E53s have mostly been traded eastward from NW Europe as the fleet turns over. Even that flow has now been replaced by E70s and newer. The E53 diesel was far more popular than the gas powered versions. The diesel-gate scandal and ensuing backlash against diesels knocked the value of all used diesel powered cars and bans on diesels in inner cities did the rest.

So, in a nutshell, E53s I believe still have a thin following but are being replaced rapidly with newer vehicles with smaller displacement turbo engines. There are still a good number of E53s around as second and third vehicles here in the USA but in Europe this completely different.

The M539 channel: I have been watching the M539 channel closely as the gent on there is doing a spectacular job. Many of his cars are V12s but he recently acquired an E60 M5 V10 and a 3-series SW. His work on these cars is exemplary as he prepares meticulously for German TUV inspection (which is extremely detailed). Anyone working on BMWs should have a look, as all the usual issues we wrestle with come up in his cars as well and he fixes them all. :-) The commentary is often funny and informative. The installation of an alcantara headliner in his 750i was very interesting.

[GarageGuy]

I live in the german-speaking part of Switzerland close to the southern german border, on the road in Germany every few weeks. I am active in the (few) German E53 Forums as well. The cars are still around but they are getting rare.
I'm spotting way more E70's or even E46's, it's true that most of them were being exported to eastern-europe.

As I see it as an e53 enthusiast myself, the e53 has not such a big fan-base compared to other BMW Youngtimer models like for example the e46 or the e30 in Germany and Switzerland, there's no "Kult"-thing about them here.
I think there is potential for it though, because this model has all the characteristics to make it there, but maybe that's just me

I have never experienced any negative statements from Germans considering e53's being "lesser" BMW's because they are not build in Germany though, this is definitely not the case!
There is no reason to, these cars are very well build with German technology and are considered as genuine BMW's.

How is the e53 situation in Australia, is it considered a special Car ?

Cheers to Down-Under!

[80stech]

My cousins in Germany who own a car dealership laughed at me when I said that I was driving a 2004 X5! I think they referred to it as a "work project/money pit"

[bassoprofundo]

Sreten’s Youtube channel is awesome. I’ve been watching it for a while and love the blend of humour and information in his videos. If I was single and without kids, that is pretty much how I would spend my time. Live the dream Sreten.

As for E53s in Australia. The ones you see on the road are generally well looked after, but not they’re not a sought after car, making them great value. I drive an 03’ 4.4 sport which does everything I ask of it. Good for towing a trailer, very comfortable interior, and smooth as butter V8 engine.