Advice on buying/owning an E34 M5 please
Discussion
Hi all - I'm not new to M-cars having owned a Z3MC and E39 M5 in the past. I'm looking at a '95 E34 LE at the moment as a weekender. It'll do the usual stuff. PH Meets, Le Mans etc. About 5-6k a year.
What are the 'must checks' and 'be aware offs?' I have read that the valve clearances need to be kept in check on the M88. Any other engine issues? The car I am looking at has decent branded tyres on all round and the service history is complete. It has also had a recent new clutch so I'm guessing the previous owner took good care.
I will get a full & proper geo done as soon as I buy any car and look to do any bushes that need doing. Is a polybush upgrade worth the extra £££.
This is the car I am interested in. Anyone know it???
http://www.4starclassics.com/BMW-E34-M5-LE-For-Sal...
Cheers
What are the 'must checks' and 'be aware offs?' I have read that the valve clearances need to be kept in check on the M88. Any other engine issues? The car I am looking at has decent branded tyres on all round and the service history is complete. It has also had a recent new clutch so I'm guessing the previous owner took good care.
I will get a full & proper geo done as soon as I buy any car and look to do any bushes that need doing. Is a polybush upgrade worth the extra £££.
This is the car I am interested in. Anyone know it???
http://www.4starclassics.com/BMW-E34-M5-LE-For-Sal...
Cheers
Edited by Paul.B on Tuesday 18th February 13:17
Paul,
get yourself over on http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e34-m5-discussion... for all things e34 related.
Great cars, but cost a small fortune if things go wrong!
Cheers,
Steve
get yourself over on http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e34-m5-discussion... for all things e34 related.
Great cars, but cost a small fortune if things go wrong!
Cheers,
Steve
I don't know the car but I can recommend the sellers. I've bought a couple of cars from them, including an e28 M5. Good guys who know their stuff and are real enthusiasts.
But regardless of how good it is, these are old cars so you'll need to budget for ongoing preventative maintenance. Make sure you find yourself a good specialist for servicing etc.
But regardless of how good it is, these are old cars so you'll need to budget for ongoing preventative maintenance. Make sure you find yourself a good specialist for servicing etc.
So! Apart from trying to scare me with 'they cost a fortune!' Does anyone actually have any advice on what they are prone too? What to look specifically for?
Note - I do 90% of the work on my own cars. I'm fortunate enough to have both the workshop and most of the skills needed to deal with what they throw at me. Current projects include VX220t track car, Tiger kit car and TVR Cerbera full nut & bolt restoration. I am not looking for a project car though. I want one I can actually use.
Thanks for the link to the M5 forum. I'll go and say hello.
Note - I do 90% of the work on my own cars. I'm fortunate enough to have both the workshop and most of the skills needed to deal with what they throw at me. Current projects include VX220t track car, Tiger kit car and TVR Cerbera full nut & bolt restoration. I am not looking for a project car though. I want one I can actually use.
Thanks for the link to the M5 forum. I'll go and say hello.
PM me. I ran a 3.8 LE for 5 years Rosso Red and poured some serious money into it. The main issues were water pumps, radiator, clutch, valve clearances, again and again, oil, keep an eye out re EDC going wrong and the steering can be a little light. Brakes are OK, but disks and pads go. Fuel was not a major concern but finding a decent garage who understands these hand built classics is not easy. I doubt in England if there are 7 people who can be trusted to work on these, there are a couple in Scotland. Rust is an issue, the lights are weak, so get HID's and changing the air conditioning filter is a job and a half as it sits to the left of the clutch pedal behind a cover and the radio/cd/ whatever. A good hours job even for a professional.
Vixpy1 said:
I know Lucas at 4Star, nice chap so your in safe hands.
However its always worth getting a full inspection done and I recommend Phil Crouch at CPC in Amersham.
He's a nightmare to get hold of but there is not much he does not know about E34 M5's.
And if you can't get hold of Phil, Andy Walker at Walkers Autotech is just a few mins down the road from 4star and (though not quite in Phil's league) certainly knows his onions. However its always worth getting a full inspection done and I recommend Phil Crouch at CPC in Amersham.
He's a nightmare to get hold of but there is not much he does not know about E34 M5's.
Andy did the inspection on my e28 before I bought it and then later did some maintenance work for me.
Mark at MJF (near Dorking) is fairly local and very good too.
Edited by Gruber on Tuesday 18th February 22:28
.. it seems unusual that there is no mention of the suspension in the 4Star advert.
I had three of these a few years ago as weekenders - two 3.6's and one 3.8 (with EDC deleted). They were all relatively cheap cars (3-4k each). I did all the spannering for repairs/maintenance myself including valve clearances (£50 tool + £50 gaskets + £30 shims) , water pump (£120), radiator (£120) , rear trailing arm bushes (£40), control arms (£120), vacumm hose replacement (£70), one sls rear shock (£300), rear springs (£150) - (all prices are IIRC!). All in all a very enjoyable time with no major expenditure.
I chose to steer clear of EDC equipped cars due the cost of replacement in the event of a leaking strut (approx 1K per corner).
Embrittled wiring can be a problem as the engine bay is pretty full with the S38 lump and it generates a lot of heat. Steering box can show excessive play which can be adjusted but tends to come back.
Timing chain tensioner is a possible weak spot - an alternative from another engine is available as an upgrade. Heater blowers are reported to be fiddly to replace to say the least. Wiper mechanism wears and rubs on the back edge of the bonnet - another major job to replace due to space contraints.
Sill covers can hide rot in the sills, jacking points prone to corrosion so be wary of using the BMW jack as the car may fall off it. The only thing that spoilt it for me was the ingress of rust in wings, bottom of doors, fuel filler cap area, rear arches.
The engine is the car and full throttle in 3rd gear is very addictive. Sounds like a suitable car for you for weekend use + doing the spannering yourself.
I had three of these a few years ago as weekenders - two 3.6's and one 3.8 (with EDC deleted). They were all relatively cheap cars (3-4k each). I did all the spannering for repairs/maintenance myself including valve clearances (£50 tool + £50 gaskets + £30 shims) , water pump (£120), radiator (£120) , rear trailing arm bushes (£40), control arms (£120), vacumm hose replacement (£70), one sls rear shock (£300), rear springs (£150) - (all prices are IIRC!). All in all a very enjoyable time with no major expenditure.
I chose to steer clear of EDC equipped cars due the cost of replacement in the event of a leaking strut (approx 1K per corner).
Embrittled wiring can be a problem as the engine bay is pretty full with the S38 lump and it generates a lot of heat. Steering box can show excessive play which can be adjusted but tends to come back.
Timing chain tensioner is a possible weak spot - an alternative from another engine is available as an upgrade. Heater blowers are reported to be fiddly to replace to say the least. Wiper mechanism wears and rubs on the back edge of the bonnet - another major job to replace due to space contraints.
Sill covers can hide rot in the sills, jacking points prone to corrosion so be wary of using the BMW jack as the car may fall off it. The only thing that spoilt it for me was the ingress of rust in wings, bottom of doors, fuel filler cap area, rear arches.
The engine is the car and full throttle in 3rd gear is very addictive. Sounds like a suitable car for you for weekend use + doing the spannering yourself.
Thanks for all your advice guys. I'll let you know how I get on. Unfortunately I am away the weekend so nothing will happen until early next week.
As a little side note. I do have some experience with the E34. I ran a 6-speed manual supercharged 540 for about 18 months. The SC conversion was carried out by Ray West before I had the car, I then stripped the interior and turned it into a track car. Coilovers, AP brakes, polybushed, R888's etc. Last I heard the next owner bought the car only for the engine and broke the rest!! Damn shame.
It was thinking about that car that got me looking at M5's as a weekender.
As a little side note. I do have some experience with the E34. I ran a 6-speed manual supercharged 540 for about 18 months. The SC conversion was carried out by Ray West before I had the car, I then stripped the interior and turned it into a track car. Coilovers, AP brakes, polybushed, R888's etc. Last I heard the next owner bought the car only for the engine and broke the rest!! Damn shame.
It was thinking about that car that got me looking at M5's as a weekender.
Yes that would be the manual EDC switch.
The switch should illuminate depending on what setting has been selected and if the EDC is working.
Like most have said - EDC is very expensive to replace, parts are also starting to get hard to come by.
My car has had all new EDC + full rebuild.
I'm a little over 25k in maintenance bills for my car in the 10 years of ownership.
And that was all preventative maintenance - nothing ever failed, but was replaced before it did.
Great cars, look good, sound great, go well.
Echo that you need a good garage to look after them, unless you have the skills yourself (my skills start and end at putting fuel in!). Avoid main dealers, they have no clue.
Compared to modern cars the performance isn't that breath-taking, depends what cars you are used to driving I guess.
My car hasn't been used much in the last few years, plan to get it back out of the garage this year and use it a little more often.
Good luck with your purchase.
Steve
The switch should illuminate depending on what setting has been selected and if the EDC is working.
Like most have said - EDC is very expensive to replace, parts are also starting to get hard to come by.
My car has had all new EDC + full rebuild.
I'm a little over 25k in maintenance bills for my car in the 10 years of ownership.
And that was all preventative maintenance - nothing ever failed, but was replaced before it did.
Great cars, look good, sound great, go well.
Echo that you need a good garage to look after them, unless you have the skills yourself (my skills start and end at putting fuel in!). Avoid main dealers, they have no clue.
Compared to modern cars the performance isn't that breath-taking, depends what cars you are used to driving I guess.
My car hasn't been used much in the last few years, plan to get it back out of the garage this year and use it a little more often.
Good luck with your purchase.
Steve
Paul.B said:
Gruber said:
It looks to me, from the photos, as if the EDC has been removed from the 4star car.
Is it not the switch next to the light switch? To the right of the instrument binnacle?Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff