buying guide! e34 M5
Discussion
Hi,
Can't help with the buying guide, but I had a 3.8 5 speed a while back so will point out what I can.
First thing to do is decide between 3.6 and 3.8 and if 3.8 then 5 speed/6 speed/LE. I'm not an expert but from memory:
3.6 cars put out 315 BHP factory figure.
3.6 cars don't have the trick electronic damping: EDC (which is great, but expensive if it goes wrong - although last time I looked someone was doing a rebuild for the electronic dampers which saved quite abit over buying new dampers)
3.6 motors are anecdotally thought of as more reliable, but I have never seen statistics to back this up.
3.8 cars put out 340 BHP factory figure.
3.8 cars can have the Nurburgring pack which included EDC, wider rear wheels and thicker anti-roll bars. I think they can also have EDC on its own.
From 1994 (I think) 3.8 cars came with a 6-speed gearbox and floating front discs.
LE cars (a UK only special edition) were the last cars produced and came in two flavours: green and red. Lots more about the differences between the two on Wiki so I won't go into it here. They all came with the 6 speed box, bigger disks and Nurburgring package.
Stuff to check:
Aside from the usual things on older cars, if the car has EDC then check it is fully working. There will be a switch to the right of the steering wheel to vary the dampers from program (P) to sport. The switch has a light on on both modes and this MUST come on and you MUST be able to feel a marked difference between the modes. If you don't, run away. Very fast. Clutching your wallet.
Check that the engine pulls cleanly throughout the rev range and on full throttle. They are prone to trouble with the coils (?) which can manifest itself as jerky/stuttery losses of power when you ask for full power, or at certain points on the rev range.
I'm sure there's lots more.
Get the car inspected - there is a guy called Darrell (?) who is serious expert on these. Go and have a look on m5board.com and you'll find him.
I think the 'buy the best you can' applies to these cars more than most others.
Practical stuff:
They can cost a *fortune* to run. I'm not mechanically able so every problem meant a trip to get it resolved. I'm sure I could have been smarter with my choice of solution on a few occasions, but I'm not totally daft and the thing cost A LOT - and this was 8 years ago so they're all that much older now.
Fuel: don't even think about it. It will use *lots*.
Oil: see fuel.
Insurance: Was so long ago it's probably irrelevant, but I paid £1K fully comp as a 25 year old in a nice neighbourhood.
Size: Not so much by today's standards maybe, but it's a big car. I didn't have anywhere great to park mine, which was a pain as I was always scared of people clipping it because it stuck out into the road a fair bit. It's heavy by absolute standards which means lots of consumables.
Tyres: Now that you get tyres that big on a hot hatch, they're not that bad. I think I was paying £200 ish a corner.
Driving: No electronic aids bar ABS and 340BHP = interesting. Great chassis but needs serious respect at the limit. I was nowhere near good enough to get the most from it I'm sure, but I still had a great time.
Safety: Good passive safety in long throttle travel and well balanced chassis, but if you bin a 20 year-old car at the speeds they are capable of you probably won't be walking away from it. Having seen videos of what a modern supermini can do to an old Volvo I would definitely recognise how much structural integrity has come on if you're planning lots of trips with e.g. your kids.
Overall: I absolutely loved it - it's still the car I want to replace most, but living in London I really can't justify it. The sound of that engine at full chat is something else.
Can't help with the buying guide, but I had a 3.8 5 speed a while back so will point out what I can.
First thing to do is decide between 3.6 and 3.8 and if 3.8 then 5 speed/6 speed/LE. I'm not an expert but from memory:
3.6 cars put out 315 BHP factory figure.
3.6 cars don't have the trick electronic damping: EDC (which is great, but expensive if it goes wrong - although last time I looked someone was doing a rebuild for the electronic dampers which saved quite abit over buying new dampers)
3.6 motors are anecdotally thought of as more reliable, but I have never seen statistics to back this up.
3.8 cars put out 340 BHP factory figure.
3.8 cars can have the Nurburgring pack which included EDC, wider rear wheels and thicker anti-roll bars. I think they can also have EDC on its own.
From 1994 (I think) 3.8 cars came with a 6-speed gearbox and floating front discs.
LE cars (a UK only special edition) were the last cars produced and came in two flavours: green and red. Lots more about the differences between the two on Wiki so I won't go into it here. They all came with the 6 speed box, bigger disks and Nurburgring package.
Stuff to check:
Aside from the usual things on older cars, if the car has EDC then check it is fully working. There will be a switch to the right of the steering wheel to vary the dampers from program (P) to sport. The switch has a light on on both modes and this MUST come on and you MUST be able to feel a marked difference between the modes. If you don't, run away. Very fast. Clutching your wallet.
Check that the engine pulls cleanly throughout the rev range and on full throttle. They are prone to trouble with the coils (?) which can manifest itself as jerky/stuttery losses of power when you ask for full power, or at certain points on the rev range.
I'm sure there's lots more.
Get the car inspected - there is a guy called Darrell (?) who is serious expert on these. Go and have a look on m5board.com and you'll find him.
I think the 'buy the best you can' applies to these cars more than most others.
Practical stuff:
They can cost a *fortune* to run. I'm not mechanically able so every problem meant a trip to get it resolved. I'm sure I could have been smarter with my choice of solution on a few occasions, but I'm not totally daft and the thing cost A LOT - and this was 8 years ago so they're all that much older now.
Fuel: don't even think about it. It will use *lots*.
Oil: see fuel.
Insurance: Was so long ago it's probably irrelevant, but I paid £1K fully comp as a 25 year old in a nice neighbourhood.
Size: Not so much by today's standards maybe, but it's a big car. I didn't have anywhere great to park mine, which was a pain as I was always scared of people clipping it because it stuck out into the road a fair bit. It's heavy by absolute standards which means lots of consumables.
Tyres: Now that you get tyres that big on a hot hatch, they're not that bad. I think I was paying £200 ish a corner.
Driving: No electronic aids bar ABS and 340BHP = interesting. Great chassis but needs serious respect at the limit. I was nowhere near good enough to get the most from it I'm sure, but I still had a great time.
Safety: Good passive safety in long throttle travel and well balanced chassis, but if you bin a 20 year-old car at the speeds they are capable of you probably won't be walking away from it. Having seen videos of what a modern supermini can do to an old Volvo I would definitely recognise how much structural integrity has come on if you're planning lots of trips with e.g. your kids.
Overall: I absolutely loved it - it's still the car I want to replace most, but living in London I really can't justify it. The sound of that engine at full chat is something else.
Good luck - I'm very jealous! Parts vary from fine to scary - if you want new EDC dampers they are £1500 each, for example. Again, getting it thoroughly checked out my someone who really know them is a must, IMO.
After I'd posted I had to have a quick look in the classifieds myself....tut tut. The 6 speed 3.8 with 150K miles on looks worth a look to me. There was an amazing looking black 3.6 a while ago in Scotland. I nearly went for it, but then work took over and I couldn't spare the time to fly up there.... still a bit gutted about that.
If you get one, please come back and post some pics!
After I'd posted I had to have a quick look in the classifieds myself....tut tut. The 6 speed 3.8 with 150K miles on looks worth a look to me. There was an amazing looking black 3.6 a while ago in Scotland. I nearly went for it, but then work took over and I couldn't spare the time to fly up there.... still a bit gutted about that.
If you get one, please come back and post some pics!
can't add to much to the excellent info already given.
def worth a look on the m5 board, good info on the specific e34 m5 threads
ask there, as 1 of the regular posters does abit of buying/selling/helping you find what your after. always seemed very genuine to me.
i had 1, the 3.8, with a 5 speed box, sold it beginning of last year, (still regret it) went for just under 4k. no-one wanted it at the time. it had 150,000 miles but drove like new, f.s.h. etc, and was mint, (did i say i regreted selling it!!!) to this day, best car i've ever owned, big, comfy, and for a 94 car, very, very quick. i will be having another, but they are getting harder to find, and will only go up in price from now on i think. if my old one came up for sale again, i'd sell the wife to buy it back.
great car to own, if properly maintained should be fine, edc is the biggy with these as mentioned.
buy one, stick a grand by for a rainy day, have regular fluid changes and you should be on a winner.
def worth a look on the m5 board, good info on the specific e34 m5 threads
ask there, as 1 of the regular posters does abit of buying/selling/helping you find what your after. always seemed very genuine to me.
i had 1, the 3.8, with a 5 speed box, sold it beginning of last year, (still regret it) went for just under 4k. no-one wanted it at the time. it had 150,000 miles but drove like new, f.s.h. etc, and was mint, (did i say i regreted selling it!!!) to this day, best car i've ever owned, big, comfy, and for a 94 car, very, very quick. i will be having another, but they are getting harder to find, and will only go up in price from now on i think. if my old one came up for sale again, i'd sell the wife to buy it back.
great car to own, if properly maintained should be fine, edc is the biggy with these as mentioned.
buy one, stick a grand by for a rainy day, have regular fluid changes and you should be on a winner.
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