RE: SOTW: BMW 525iX

Author
Discussion

WeirdNeville

5,932 posts

214 months

Friday 24th August 2012
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RobBentley said:
This really has me thinking, as im looking for a winter shed at the moment. Having chopped my B7 RS4 in for a C63 AMG a few months ago... its clear the C63 isn't going anywhere if it snows. I think this is a bit too 'sheddy' for me, but there must be some half decent 4 wheel drive cars out there for £2-3k..?
£2k-£3k look no further than an Impreza WRX wagon for a snow car with go. Mine was good on show on Eagle F1 summer tyres wit 2.5mm tread on. On winters, they'd be unstoppable (on road).

Ritchie335is

1,852 posts

201 months

Friday 24th August 2012
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I'm in the process of putting mine through an MOT at the moment.
I can confirm parts ae expensive! £90 for a trackrod end from the dealer and they want £170+ VAT for a front wishbone! (the bottom balljoint is goosed) Euro car parts have a part number for a pattern one but it is on back order and can't give me anymore info for two weeks. furious
I have fitted front discs and pads which weren't too silly and also fitted standard E34 touring rear dampers and blanked off the SLS pipes.
It is a nice, really well build car to own. Unusual and comfortable to smoke around it. As has been said seriously thirsty though.

Munich

1,071 posts

195 months

Friday 24th August 2012
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it is xDrive, not Xdrive...

Leins

9,402 posts

147 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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B10BRW said:
Good shed, although if I could find one I would go for the Alpina version.
E34 B10 3.0 Allrad touring.
Only 60 made
240 bhp.
Getrag box
Alpina looks and handling.
All in left hand drive, but I could live with that yum
Not a touring, but snapped this at Essen earlier in the year:


buggalugs

9,243 posts

236 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Still on £400 I see hehe

BMWill

447 posts

178 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Not sure if it's because I've been going through classifieds all over the internet for the last few weeks after an E34 and other things, or because the car has come up in conversation a lot, but I feel like there's quite a few of these iX's popping up for sale all of a sudden...
GREAT car though.... My old housemate had a '96 Touring with the bomb proof M50. I miss it!
The E34 has style and class in a way new school BMs just don't...

BMWill

447 posts

178 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Not sure if it's because I've been going through classifieds all over the internet for the last few weeks after an E34 and other things, or because the car has come up in conversation a lot, but I feel like there's quite a few of these iX's popping up for sale all of a sudden...
GREAT car though.... My old housemate had a '96 Touring with the bomb proof M50. I miss it!
The E34 has style and class in a way new school BMs just don't...

splitpin

2,740 posts

197 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Had a couple of E34s for several years (most enjoyable) and I still love the 'carved from solid' overall styling; IMHO. the face-lifted M5 Version still remains one of the sharpest looking cars that BMW have ever produced.

Was working regularly with some Germans when the E34 was the current model and most of them had one and surprisingly, virtually all of them were XDrives, so I doubt availability of spares is an enormous problem.

Anyone notice the plate on the Bay of E?; Verdi, so it might be possible to get some history/background?

Seller has one rather worrying negative feedback on there, but that doesn't necessarily mean 'Guilty'; there's some right idiots on the Bay of E, just like on here?

KimZ

225 posts

213 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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As much as I love E34s this one isn't for me. Imo this model satisfied a need that nobody really requested, unlike the Ur-Quattro et al. Hmm .. can't remember many group B E34s ..

Not a daily drive - perhaps for an E34 collector ... *checks wallet*

KM666

1,757 posts

182 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Sounds like a nice idea, but rubbish feul consumption for the power and expensive unique parts means I cannot understand why you would buy one over an Impreza unless you're the worlds biggest BMW fanboy. A £400 ebay special Impreza cant be more expensive to make right again surely? The only selling point seems to be that it is a 4x4 in an unusual shell. Sort of like a Escort RS2000 4x4 for BMWs.

Liquid Knight

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Apart from the RS2000 4x4 being a homoguation so the Escort Cosworth could have a transverse Evo layout. The iX was BMW's answer to the 80's Alfa 33 Giardinetta, Toyota Tercel, and Subaru Legacy only with the added luxury to be in the same stable as the Audi Quatro saloons of the time.

Gilhooligan

2,211 posts

143 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Butter Face said:
Adverts in CAPS REALLY PUT YOU OFF LOOKING ANY FURTHER AT THE CAR.
No need to shout wink

KM666

1,757 posts

182 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Liquid Knight said:
Apart from the RS2000 4x4 being a homoguation so the Escort Cosworth could have a transverse Evo layout. The iX was BMW's answer to the 80's Alfa 33 Giardinetta, Toyota Tercel, and Subaru Legacy only with the added luxury to be in the same stable as the Audi Quatro saloons of the time.
Nothing luxurious about cloth seats and any 1980s dash, German or not. The RS Cosworth was based on the previous generation Escort's bodyshell on shortened Sierra running gear (mk4) to the rs2000 4x4 which used another 4x4 system entirely (mk4-b), The Escorth RS Cosworth never used a transversely mounted engine??? http://www.rsownersclub.co.uk/rsocbb/showthread.ph...

Edited by KM666 on Saturday 25th August 15:03

Liquid Knight

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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KM666 said:
Liquid Knight said:
Apart from the RS2000 4x4 being a homoguation so the Escort Cosworth could have a transverse Evo layout. The iX was BMW's answer to the 80's Alfa 33 Giardinetta, Toyota Tercel, and Subaru Legacy only with the added luxury to be in the same stable as the Audi Quatro saloons of the time.
Nothing luxurious about cloth seats and any 1980s dash, German or not. The RS Cosworth was based on the previous generation Escort's bodyshell on shortened Sierra running gear (mk4) to the rs2000 4x4 which used another 4x4 system entirely (mk4-b), The Escorth RS Cosworth never used a transversely mounted engine??? http://www.rsownersclub.co.uk/rsocbb/showthread.ph...
As I said it was a homogulation...

http://www.slowlysidewaysuk.com/database%20-%20Esc...

...the standard (chopped Sierra floored) car remained in production. So to be able to use the transverse four wheel drive set up five hundred RS2000 4x4's were made basically in case it worked with the Group A Cosworth and they went ahead. This was the same basic platform that was used in the Mondeo 4x4 as well.

Jagmeister

1 posts

139 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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"Take Jaguar's recent announcement that it is launching AWD versions of its three-litre petrol XF and XJ. When we got Jaguar to admit they wouldn't be sold in the UK, Shed immediately rummaged around in the classifieds to find an all-wheel-drive saloon that COULD be bought in the UK, and for under £1,000 too"

The alternative is closer to home than you might think - the first generation Jaguar X-Type 2.5 and 3 litre petrols are all-wheel-drive, very agile, excellent ride and pretty well equipped. The Sport models look great as well. The 3 litre manual is a sub seven second car....

tali1

5,263 posts

200 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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Claims to be only 6 saloons sold in UK....i really don't think so...
http://passionford.com/forum/cars-for-sale/170595-...


Jagmeister said:
"Take Jaguar's recent announcement that it is launching AWD versions of its three-litre petrol XF and XJ. When we got Jaguar to admit they wouldn't be sold in the UK, Shed immediately rummaged around in the classifieds to find an all-wheel-drive saloon that COULD be bought in the UK, and for under £1,000 too"

The alternative is closer to home than you might think - the first generation Jaguar X-Type 2.5 and 3 litre petrols are all-wheel-drive, very agile, excellent ride and pretty well equipped. The Sport models look great as well. The 3 litre manual is a sub seven second car....
I always felt Jaguar seemed determined to hide the fact that X type had AWD.

Liquid Knight

15,754 posts

182 months

Saturday 25th August 2012
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tali1 said:
Claims to be only 6 saloons sold in UK....i really don't think so...
http://passionford.com/forum/cars-for-sale/170595-...
Automatic iX's are bloody rare because they were crap and due to the type of conditions they were built for (snow and stuff) a manual is the better option. I still doubt there were only six though.

MadDog1962

890 posts

161 months

Sunday 26th August 2012
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jamespink said:
Great advice... You really need a great reason to buy this over a 2WD version as any ailment would make it a right off. Unbelievable parts prices, probably from BMW only
Agreed. I actually like this shed and at 400 quid even if if breaks it's worth a risk. Should the worst happen, and it's too expensive to fix, you can always break it for spares. Now 435 quid when I just looked. This looks like a proper bargain shed.

caraddict

1,092 posts

143 months

Sunday 26th August 2012
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I had a Touring. Very thirsty and not fast, but cool, comfortable cars.

E24man

6,634 posts

178 months

Sunday 26th August 2012
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B10BRW said:
Good shed, although if I could find one I would go for the Alpina version.
E34 B10 3.0 Allrad touring.
Only 60 made
240 bhp.
Getrag box
Alpina looks and handling.
All in left hand drive, but I could live with that yum
[OCDtwitch] 70 Tourings, all lhd; 64 Saloons, just two rhd; auto's and manuals throughout and 231 bhp.[/twitch]

I had the chance to buy a vgc 525ix manual Touring in Hellrot a few years ago and the engine from an E36 Alpina B3 3.0 can replace the 2.5litre 192bhp in giving 250bhp.

Edited by E24man on Sunday 26th August 12:58