E34 5 Series - What should I know?

[ImDesigner]

I'm toying with the idea of buying a late E34 - my temptation driven by the appreciation of them by many a PH’er. I'd like one of the larger engines with a manual box but in all honesty, my knowledge of these is limited but I've read good things about them. I think they'd make a perfect commuter for me with a daily round trip of 22 miles + hooning after work/on weekends. I'd probably end up doing 10-12k per annum in it should I want to hold onto it for a while.

I could do with the usual advise plus a basic run down of the different models available and I need bringing up to speed on what to look out for when buying too. Is there a specific model that was considered the pick of the bunch? Do I need a well stocked wallet to run one? Are they at all fun? (Do they go sideways)?

I'll be keeping my Fiat Coupe for days when I want some more pace so the big 5'er wont need to set my hair on fire, but I'm not looking for too much of a slouch either

So Pistonheads, sell ‘em to me and point me in the right direction

[Emeye]

You need to get on this thread. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I found my e34 on there! Go back a few pages and you should find a nice e34 535i was posted. I've got a 525i SE Auto, but would rather have a manual.

Edited by Emeye on Monday 26th December 20:42

Edited by Emeye on Tuesday 27th December 08:28

[John Laverick]

Pick of the bunch in my opinon [other than maybe an M5 which I haven't tried] is an Avus Blue 525i Sport. Manual with LSD ... I can confirm they do go sideways VERY well!


I had one at the same time as a mate, here they are:





On the Autobahn:



They'll do big miles:

[John Laverick]

They're pretty bullet proof. You want as much service history as you can get; the front suspension is some multi-link complicated affair which can feel very vague when worn, look out for corrosion in the door bottoms and rear archs.

[dome]

Join up on here

www.bmw5.co.uk

A wealth of information and you may be able to find a nice one in the classifieds.

[Jim the Sunderer]

The fancy computer thing goes 'bing!' a lot in the winter.

[BlitzE34]

There are very few decent E34's any more.

Things to look out for which are specific to E34's are play in the steering box, worn front control arms and steering links, Rusty sills especially ones with plastic sill covers, rust around fuel filler cap.

You may have more chance of finding a good 525i SE and a sport.

A nice one is special car, very well built, handles well, comfortable and very reliable.

[BlitzE34]

John Laverick]Pick of the bunch in my opinon [other than maybe an M5 which I haven't tried said:

is an Avus Blue 525i Sport. Manual with LSD ... I can confirm they do go sideways VERY well!


I had one at the same time as a mate, here they are:





On the Autobahn:



They'll do big miles:

Very nice. When did you sell it?

[Derek Withers]

They are really well made reliable cars. Mine has been utterly abused yet its till going strong. Suspension bushes will be knackered and the control arms probably need looking at.

[John Laverick]

Couple of years back now! I had a 525i SE before it too which was bullet proof also!

[Emeye]

Whoops. This was the thread I meant to post.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[chilistrucker]

i had an e34 m5, still to this day the greatest car i have ever owned.
it was a 94 model, so had the nurburg pack. mine had 118000 miles when i bought it, but full service history
from new, which i'd say is a must, there were bills in the folder totalling 23k, but the car was as solid as arock, and was a dream to drive. obviously not the cheapest car to run in the current climate, but if you can, you should, they are fantastic. if i'm right, think they were the last of the hand built m cars.

[redtwin]

Had a 520i for a couple years. Plastic impeller in water pump can crack and break up. Fan viscous coupling can fail. I also had issues with the rear power window switches.

Lovely looking car, but I found mine a bit cramped. Don't really miss it at all.

[richard300]

I think the main thing you should know is that these cars are great....

For me they are the definitive 5-series. And good examples will start commanding some strong 'retro car' prices soon.

Agree with an earlier poster, that the late 525i sports with LSD are probably the pick of the bunch, but I also like the earlier 'Big six' 535i Sport Auto's.

518i's are obviously not that great.
And whilst lovely and smooth and arguable a little better sounding, the 520i's don’t really make a lot of sense against a 525i as the difference in fuel consumption isn’t that great.

I hade one several years ago as a work hack, but it was a great car and i found myself using it way more than i ever intended to....

Edited by richard300 on Tuesday 27th December 10:10

[Six Fiend]

540i is great for drawing lines on tarmac

525i decent blend of smoothness and power.

If you can get one with all the doors, arches, sills, filler cap, rear panel (below boot lip) and number plate light surrounds all rust free then you're onto a winner.

Mechanics are straightforward and resonably cheap except the 540i which has a hydraulic brake servo due to lack of space in the engine bay. These are around £1k a go for the part when they spring leaks...

Auto boxes can grumble and my need a rebuild. If it has a short snooze when you select reverse, then engages with a BANG! it needs seeing to.

Water pump - make sure it's not got a plastic impeller.

Electrics - it will tell you half your lights don't work when they do

Buy one and enjoy it. It may try to empty your wallet but you'll enjoy the experience from those comfy seats

[pits]

richard300 said:

I think the main thing you should know is that these cars are great....

For me they are the definitive 5-series. And good examples will start commanding some strong 'retro car' prices soon.

Agree with an earlier poster, that the late 525i sports with LSD are probably the pick of the bunch, but I also like the earlier 'Big six' 535i Sport Auto's.

518i's are obviously not that great.
And whilst lovely and smooth and arguable a little better sounding, the 520i's don’t really make a lot of sense against a 525i as the difference in fuel consumption isn’t that great.

See most people I have spoked to who have driven both the 518i and other variants say the 518i is one of the best for handling.

I would love a 540i, but speaking with someone the other day who has had 518, 525, 525TD he has the same opinion as me, the handling on the front with a tightened steering box, new arms and stab bars is excellent, I also have to agree as the big sixes and V8s in BMWS are too far forward making them really nose heavy and wanting to push on through the corners.

The 518i is also better than the 520i geared differently I believe giving similar performance but the 518i has better pull through the gears and has slightly more torque than the 520i unless you have the earlier M40 which has 162n/m vs the 164 of a 520i.

Really depends what you want, I was going to put a six into mine, but I love the handling with the light nose that I don't want that compromised, not bothered that it is epically fking slow getting up to speed (epically slow) but past 50mph the pull on it seems fractionally slower than the 528i 39 we have, so the low set off speed is moot to me.

Things to watch out for
Rust as said
Worn suspension, look for the E34 shuffle at speed
Worn steering box
Electrically everything works on mine
Tourers rear boot struts, split tail gate wont stay open, from what I gather BMW only job so the p/o should provide you with a length of stick.
Hunting idles usually a split hose in the engine bay
Usual thing, just check everything
Full tank of fuel is a smidge over £100
Buy genuine BMW parts, pattern parts just don't work or last and BMW parts are fairly reasonable.
Buy a decent one, if you're looking to hang on to it, try get a Tourer as good ones are getting harder and harder to get hold of.

[richard300]

pits said:

richard300 said:

I think the main thing you should know is that these cars are great....

For me they are the definitive 5-series. And good examples will start commanding some strong 'retro car' prices soon.

Agree with an earlier poster, that the late 525i sports with LSD are probably the pick of the bunch, but I also like the earlier 'Big six' 535i Sport Auto's.

518i's are obviously not that great.
And whilst lovely and smooth and arguable a little better sounding, the 520i's don’t really make a lot of sense against a 525i as the difference in fuel consumption isn’t that great.

See most people I have spoked to who have driven both the 518i and other variants say the 518i is one of the best for handling.

I would love a 540i, but speaking with someone the other day who has had 518, 525, 525TD he has the same opinion as me, the handling on the front with a tightened steering box, new arms and stab bars is excellent, I also have to agree as the big sixes and V8s in BMWS are too far forward making them really nose heavy and wanting to push on through the corners.

The 518i is also better than the 520i geared differently I believe giving similar performance but the 518i has better pull through the gears and has slightly more torque than the 520i unless you have the earlier M40 which has 162n/m vs the 164 of a 520i.

Really depends what you want, I was going to put a six into mine, but I love the handling with the light nose that I don't want that compromised, not bothered that it is epically fking slow getting up to speed (epically slow) but past 50mph the pull on it seems fractionally slower than the 528i 39 we have, so the low set off speed is moot to me.

Things to watch out for
Rust as said
Worn suspension, look for the E34 shuffle at speed
Worn steering box
Electrically everything works on mine
Tourers rear boot struts, split tail gate wont stay open, from what I gather BMW only job so the p/o should provide you with a length of stick.
Hunting idles usually a split hose in the engine bay
Usual thing, just check everything
Full tank of fuel is a smidge over £100
Buy genuine BMW parts, pattern parts just don't work or last and BMW parts are fairly reasonable.
Buy a decent one, if you're looking to hang on to it, try get a Tourer as good ones are getting harder and harder to get hold of.

I have to say, when I was referring to the 518i not being the one to go for (in my opinion) it had nothing to do with handling or acceleration but everything to do with the glorious and silky, howling 6-cylinder being a fundemental part of the e34 experience.

[Caruso]

Worth posting this 60k mile TDS for £1195 from the Smoker Barges thread.

W00DY said:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-BMW-525-TDS-SE-SILV...

+

http://pistonheads.com/sales/3491315.htm

+

a cheeky remap.


=

Perfect daily. I don't think I should want a diseasal as much as I want this.

[ImDesigner]

Thanks for the information so far. It's something I'll be exploring further.

Does anyone have anything to say about this car?;

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3463249.htm

It looks in lovely condition from the images.

[Six Fiend]

If the bodywork is all together it looks fine. Sunroof and no air-con by the look of the buttons. Means no big bills for air-con fail

Edited by Six Fiend on Wednesday 28th December 19:48