Family history made BMW ownership inevitable
"I was working over summer 2013 as a student civil engineer at a local firm and I managed to save up a decent amount of money. I grew up around old BMWs with my grandfather owning a couple of E32 7 Series and my uncle owning a total nearing 20 different BMWs, everything from an E36 to nine E39s and even a couple of these E34s. These cars were the background to some great childhood memories and since passing my driving test, I promised myself I'd own a BMW one day. These cars are hard to come by in good shape, most Tourings are workhorses and most saloons are leggy commuter trains. This one caught my attention though with the very low mileage, one owner and a great spec."
What I wish I'd known:
"Erm... Well the car hasn't surprised me yet, touch wood. I did extensive research into the old barge and got great advice from my seasoned uncle who's owned loads of old BMWs so I knew what to look for. For a 20-year-old car, the bodywork is in pretty decent shape with absolutely no rust but a couple of dings and the odd deep scratch. Didn't come up in the photos..."
Low mileage, great spec - top barging!
"Almost everything about it! When it's polished and dressed, it looks absolutely amazing. Hermann the German as I've affectionately called him attracts loads of attention from passers by. I took it to a BMW dealership to get a tax disc holder and was met with loads of praise. Even managed to attract a crowd to the car park with one of the older salesmen reminiscing about his days selling this very model. Driving wise it'll happily plod away at 65mph doing 35-40mpg which isn't so bad for a two-tonne battleship like this. In layman's terms, if you're careful, it'll do 500 miles to a tank which is pretty good. The spec's great too! Apart from a sunroof, trip computer and a couple of other things, this example is pretty much fully loaded with leather seats, dual zone climate control, even rear parking sensors which makes Hermann a very comfortable place to cruise around in."
Things I hate:
"In all honesty, there isn't much to hate... The 2.0-litre straight six under the bonnet is mated to a five-speed ZF automatic which is great in theory but, this being such a heavy car, it does feel a little underpowered. In the city it's fine and even on the motorway it'll cruise just fine but you do get the hint that the engine's working a bit harder than I would've liked it to. Otherwise, the 10 CD changer is a welcome factory accessory which greatly modernises the car but, the speakers aren't the best."
Metric tyres may prove an unwelcome expense
"The only real serious cost was the £1,750 it took to buy the car. When I bought it, it had six months tax, a full year's MoT and a full inspection two service had been carried out. So there isn't anything maintainance wise due ahead yet. The car was in London with a dealer based in Orpington so the 440-mile drive to my home parent's home in Edinburgh was a good chance to 'dust off the cobwebs'. Being 19 years old, you'd think the insurance would be a killer but it only amounted to a respectable £850 per year fully comprehensive which is great! Other than that, a snapped belt driving the power steering needed a replacement, which is not uncalled for. BMW being the innovators they are fitted this facelifted model with metric BBS wheels... 390mm to be exact. That mean tyres (390mm being 15.333 inches) are a pain to get a hold of as only Dunlop makes this size of tyre. Happily there's loads of life left in all five tyres so I can save up over summer again for the servicing/MoT and tax which is all due in late December. Hopefully I'll have enough left for tyres and the such."
OK, it's no M5 but it's got plenty of charm still
"At the moment with second year of University coming to an end, I haven't been anywhere too thrilling. There was a decent trip to North Berwick as a kind of 'inaugural run'. Since January (after the trip from London) it's covered a mere 400 miles with it being used once a week for the odd run to Glasgow."
What next?
"Well, Hermann's staying for the long term so I'll be slowly restoring it to tip top. Next up is the amplifier for the stereo, speakers and a corrective detail to sort the dents and scratches. Apart from that hopefully it's going to be maintenance, detailing and many miles ahead!"
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