Winter waft-o-shed 1989/90 BMW E34 525i SE
Discussion
HustleRussell said:
Work in progress!
Three years ago it cost me £300 and a slightly dying Mondeo TDCI. Three years of reliable service and it's earned a spruce-up.
Nice! Is that Techno Violet?Three years ago it cost me £300 and a slightly dying Mondeo TDCI. Three years of reliable service and it's earned a spruce-up.
I have had a few E34s and only hated one, a 1995 24v 520i Touring which had ridiculous gearing; 5th felt like 3rd! Crap on fuel for this reason.
My first was a 1989 12v 520i saloon and I liked that, somehow BMW cocked up with the later 520is.
The others were a black 1993 24v 525i SE manual Touring which was followed by two 1995 24v 525i Sports, both manual, both in Daytona Violet - great build quality, fast enough for me, very comfortable and with surprising MPG. It was amazing how much better they were than the 24v 520i.
That's my last one on the right. Sold it at 150K miles and it was still going strong.
Breadvan72 said:
Here's a thing about driving a BMW that is on the borders of banger/classic territory: It is still a BMW. This means that everyone else thinks "He's in a BMW, and therefore is a 
". No fker will cut you the slightest slack when changing lanes, trying to get out of a junction, and so on. In fact the only chance that you have of getting let out at a junction is to wait until someone else in a BMW comes along. But he won't let you out, because he's in a BMW, and therefore is a .
I find this sometimes, I've also had the snobbery as you earlier described from E30 drivers... The problem is that when these E34s get dirty (as mine is now ". No fker will cut you the slightest slack when changing lanes, trying to get out of a junction, and so on. In fact the only chance that you have of getting let out at a junction is to wait until someone else in a BMW comes along. But he won't let you out, because he's in a BMW, and therefore is a . 
) , they look a bit bangerish. If they are clean, then fine. I find that I get bullied by other drivers, (tailgating, cutting up etc) when I'm driving the MINI, but when I'm in my BMW people seem to give me a wide berth...
We had a 525 Sport for a while, a lovely car but a little underpowered (despite having the "Sport" moniker, and a claimed 192bhp).
But it's truly a thing of beauty and we still regret selling it.
Oh, and I shared your pain with the tail lights, mine would work fine for a few weeks and then go intermittent again, despite cleaning / bending contacts, checking wiring etc.
Obligatory pic
But it's truly a thing of beauty and we still regret selling it.
Oh, and I shared your pain with the tail lights, mine would work fine for a few weeks and then go intermittent again, despite cleaning / bending contacts, checking wiring etc.
Obligatory pic
I have been having a go at driving this heap fast, and contrary to my initial impressions I think that it really is fairly shifty for a big car. The handling is really rather good. The annoying modern radio has just stopped working, after developing a habit of staying on unasked while the car is parked, and draining the battery. The conkey outey problem seems to have abated for the moment after several good thrashings of the warmed up engine. No doubt it will return just when I am doing a (twenty) three point turn in a line of traffic.
While I have never driven an E34, the 5er always makes for a good barge that can be hustled if needed. My favourite is the E39, with the E34 in a close second. Many friends parents had them whilst I was young and there was something about them. Especially the huge sunroof that was unheard of in the '90s! Made for a 5 series convertible almost!
Breadvan72 said:
I have been having a go at driving this heap fast, and contrary to my initial impressions I think that it really is fairly shifty for a big car. The handling is really rather good.
I found that the steering box, the long wheelbase and the long gear ratios (plus the weight…) make them feel pretty cumbersome and unresponsive in slow, tight corners. Once you’re going fast enough to get a feel for the actual handling, though, it all comes together a bit.Mine did have a mild but noticeable case of the dreaded ‘shimmies’, caused by upper track control arm bushes, plus knackered pitman links and rear subframe bushes. I’ve sorted all this and made a few other refinements so I look forward to seeing how much better it is.
I reckon that after years of stick for making overly oversteery cars, BMW tamed the E34 somewhat by playing with the suspension.
HustleRussell said:
I found that the steering box, the long wheelbase and the long gear ratios (plus the weight…) make them feel pretty cumbersome and unresponsive in slow, tight corners. Once you’re going fast enough to get a feel for the actual handling, though, it all comes together a bit.
Agree with that! Fast sweeping stuff it does beautifully, but then again there is a certain pleasure in heaving a lumbering barge through tighter stuff (even if it is not very good at it)Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff