It’s no secret that we love long roofs, and diesels, and manual transmissions, and BMWs. My partner in crime and I have both owned and thoroughly enjoyed E39 5-Series Bimmers, and this dark blue beauty looks remarkably like the 2000 528iT 5-speed in the same Biarritz Blue that my wife had back in the day. While we got inline-6 and V8 gasser E39 wagons here in the States, we never got the diesels. As a fan of both the torque and the economy that these cars brought to the table, I love that these are now past the 25-year import rule.  This rarity, presently in Homer Glen, IL with a clean title, can be had for just $14,500.

BMW produced the E39 from 1995 through 2003, with the wagons joining the lineup in 1996. They were a huge leap-forward from the previous E34 5er in terms of performance, handling, rigidity, and technology, while retaining that classic BMW “feel” that’s hard to describe beyond the venerable “Ultimate Driving Machine” tagline. This was the last 5-series released before Chris Bangle made his mark on the line, and if I’m honest the marque has never truly recovered – although I am a little partial to the 2010s 6-Series Gran Coupe.

I drove a diesel BMW 525 wagon of the subsequent E60 generation for several laps around the Nürburgring, and it did not disappoint. This model is older and slower, but its 2,497cc inline-6 is good for a not-too-shabby-by-90s-diesel-standards 141hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Those horses and pound feet, in turn, propel the car (with the 5-speed manual) form 0-60mph in just a hair over 10 seconds all the way up to a downright respectable 130mph top speed. This is not your grandfather’s slow, stinky diesel. With the E39’s firm suspension and tight steering I’m sure it would be at least as much fun around the ‘Ring as its successor.

Wearing 291,000 km (about 181,000 miles), this car is not without needs. The photographs in the listing do a fair job of not showing the front seats, which look like they could use a little upholstery work – and that material is probably not the easiest to source. That said, there are plenty of comparable cloth substitutes that would do the job just fine.  The rear seats look very nice, as do the tailgate area and what we can see of the carpeting and other interior trim – much of which is often a bit tatty on higher-mileage E39s. 

We did get manual E39 wagons in the States, but they are pretty darned rare and only came in the gas-powered inline-six configuration. Several folks have converted v8s to manual, but that is not a wholly inexpensive proposition. This car is done, and is reportedly rust- and trouble-free. Heck, it even has new tires. 

While you’re not winning Pebble Beach anytime soon with this baby, you’ll definitely garner some chatter among the German car folks at your local Cars & Coffee or regional club events. At our annual local German Car show in the Washington, D.C. area, there is an awesome E34 BMW wagon that’s a little rough around the edges but is always a star among far more exotic and expensive BMWs for its manual-wagon-cool factor. Add the diesel – fuggedaboudit!

Although these cars were never officially imported, the chassis is well-known to good BMW techs and the internet is a repository for both parts and for conventional wisdom on the care and feeding of the M51 diesel engine. Its also a friendly car for those who like to turn their own wrenches. 

The car comes with a decent-looking aftermarket Bluetooth-enabled head unit, which is great if you’re planning to daily it or do long highway miles – which would make perfect sense – but it also comes with the original stereo setup for someone partial to the factory look. The Style 33 alloy wheels are not my favorites on the E39, so I might consider a set of M Parallels or Style 5s in their place, and maybe keep these for winter tires. I’d also consider upgraded post-2000 style headlights, but I don’t hate the original E39 front end. 

Finding a diesel wagon of any sort for a reasonable price on these shores is no easy task these days, with diesel Mercedes wagon prices having skyrocketed with thanks to the BringaTrailer effect, and, well, I guess you might find an old Volkswagen Dasher diesel if you look really hard..? Importing one from Europe is really the best option for someone wanting a later-model diesel wagon – Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Volvo, etc. – but this one is already here. Save yourself the importation hassle!