Need an E34 5 series Touring
Discussion
I'm on the look out for an E34 5 series Touring. Still not sure which engine to go for but candidates are 525, 530 or possible 540. Anyone know of a good'un with a/c (a must) for sale? If so, let me know.
Is the 3.0 V8 worth choosing over the 2.5? I know the mpg won't be as good but the V8 throb is enticing! I've had M20 and M50 525 saloons in the past but need a handy wagon now.
Cheers,
Steve
Is the 3.0 V8 worth choosing over the 2.5? I know the mpg won't be as good but the V8 throb is enticing! I've had M20 and M50 525 saloons in the past but need a handy wagon now.
Cheers,
Steve
Bit of a late reply... but be careful with the V8s; there's a well-documented issue with those engines and their 'Nikasil' cylinder liners: Google for much, much more info.
I'm not saying don't get one, but be careful. Frankly when I got my 535 (saloon) I stuck to the 6-cylinder versions to save me the worry - the 525 24v has 193bhp iirc, the 530 V8 218bhp - not sure how much you'd notice the difference in the real world?
I'm not saying don't get one, but be careful. Frankly when I got my 535 (saloon) I stuck to the 6-cylinder versions to save me the worry - the 525 24v has 193bhp iirc, the 530 V8 218bhp - not sure how much you'd notice the difference in the real world?
I have got one that I am about to put on ebay ! I have had it for 8 or 9 yrs. 525ise touring 1994 manual in green. 116K
BUT the clutch slave cyl needs attention and the MOT is due at the end of the month. Has 4 new good quality tyres and has never let me down (before the clutch). I am thinking of selling it as it is rather than spend money on it as really I need mile muncher for a likely big commute.
It might be cheap to fix but I havent had a chance to investigate.
BUT the clutch slave cyl needs attention and the MOT is due at the end of the month. Has 4 new good quality tyres and has never let me down (before the clutch). I am thinking of selling it as it is rather than spend money on it as really I need mile muncher for a likely big commute.
It might be cheap to fix but I havent had a chance to investigate.
Steve,
Get a 540. I bought a 530 18 months ago and kept it for 6 months. I was looking for a 540 but this 530 Touring came up on Ebay. It was a great car although there were alot of things that needed sorting on the engine (nothing to do with Nikasil). The plugs were swimming in oil, and the engine wasn't getting enough air. There is a buyers guide in an old BMW mag that I have. If you let me know I can email a list of the common faults that these cars can suffer from because that all happened to my car.
Regardless of it being a costly car to put right it was a great motor and I am now looking to buy another rather than spending £12-15k on a newers Audi or BMW that will just lose all its value.
If the aircon isn't working then it will cost about £500-900 to fix because it wont just need re-gasing, it will need most of the parts replaced.
I'm looking for a 540 because I felt that the 530 jus wasn't fast enough. I think that it is only marginally quicker than a 525. So get a fully loaded 540 Touring, although I will be looking for the same motor so we might even be casing after the same car!!
Good luck.
Get a 540. I bought a 530 18 months ago and kept it for 6 months. I was looking for a 540 but this 530 Touring came up on Ebay. It was a great car although there were alot of things that needed sorting on the engine (nothing to do with Nikasil). The plugs were swimming in oil, and the engine wasn't getting enough air. There is a buyers guide in an old BMW mag that I have. If you let me know I can email a list of the common faults that these cars can suffer from because that all happened to my car.
Regardless of it being a costly car to put right it was a great motor and I am now looking to buy another rather than spending £12-15k on a newers Audi or BMW that will just lose all its value.
If the aircon isn't working then it will cost about £500-900 to fix because it wont just need re-gasing, it will need most of the parts replaced.
I'm looking for a 540 because I felt that the 530 jus wasn't fast enough. I think that it is only marginally quicker than a 525. So get a fully loaded 540 Touring, although I will be looking for the same motor so we might even be casing after the same car!!
Good luck.
Go for the V8 and put in a quality LPG conversion and you will never look back. It's what I did to my 330i. Mine was one of the few 330i's to be done in the UK but there are plenty of V8 about already converted but the rarely come up for sale. I did allot of research into the topic before buying the car and converting it, so if you need any help give me a shout.
In short there are no real cons if you get a quality conversion done (unless you live in an area with no LPG for miles and miles!!).
In short there are no real cons if you get a quality conversion done (unless you live in an area with no LPG for miles and miles!!).
chriswt said:
Steve,
Get a 540. I bought a 530 18 months ago and kept it for 6 months. I was looking for a 540 but this 530 Touring came up on Ebay. It was a great car although there were alot of things that needed sorting on the engine (nothing to do with Nikasil). The plugs were swimming in oil, and the engine wasn't getting enough air. There is a buyers guide in an old BMW mag that I have. If you let me know I can email a list of the common faults that these cars can suffer from because that all happened to my car.
Regardless of it being a costly car to put right it was a great motor and I am now looking to buy another rather than spending £12-15k on a newers Audi or BMW that will just lose all its value.
If the aircon isn't working then it will cost about £500-900 to fix because it wont just need re-gasing, it will need most of the parts replaced.
I'm looking for a 540 because I felt that the 530 jus wasn't fast enough. I think that it is only marginally quicker than a 525. So get a fully loaded 540 Touring, although I will be looking for the same motor so we might even be casing after the same car!!
Good luck.
That sounds almost exactly my experience - though I kept my 530iT for a year. It still worked out very cheap to run, even taking into account the cost of cam cover gasket replacement (which stops the oil leaking into the plug wells - and affects all the V8s including the later M62s). I never fixed the air-con though; I looked at loads of E34s when I bought mine and they either didn't have it at all, or it wasn't working. Might as well buy one without to avoid disappointment Get a 540. I bought a 530 18 months ago and kept it for 6 months. I was looking for a 540 but this 530 Touring came up on Ebay. It was a great car although there were alot of things that needed sorting on the engine (nothing to do with Nikasil). The plugs were swimming in oil, and the engine wasn't getting enough air. There is a buyers guide in an old BMW mag that I have. If you let me know I can email a list of the common faults that these cars can suffer from because that all happened to my car.
Regardless of it being a costly car to put right it was a great motor and I am now looking to buy another rather than spending £12-15k on a newers Audi or BMW that will just lose all its value.
If the aircon isn't working then it will cost about £500-900 to fix because it wont just need re-gasing, it will need most of the parts replaced.
I'm looking for a 540 because I felt that the 530 jus wasn't fast enough. I think that it is only marginally quicker than a 525. So get a fully loaded 540 Touring, although I will be looking for the same motor so we might even be casing after the same car!!
Good luck.
Changed to an E39 540i Touring this year, which feels far more modern, but much less sporty to drive (even though it has the M-Tech suspension and steering wheel and 17" wheels). A late E34 540i Touring on M-Tech suspension (didn't they all have that?) would be best, I reckon.
Chaps,
Landed a great E34 540i Touring at the weekend. Turns out the car had an engine change back in 2000 so now has the alusil block which was a great relief. Air con works too which was a bonus on the 175 mile trip back home (was quite muggy on Saturday)
All I have to do now is find out why the heater fan isn't blowing a gale at full pelt even though it sounds like it is. I suspect an old cabin filter and/or leaf debris blockage somewhere - does that sound likely?
Thanks for all your helpful posts.
Cheers,
Steve
Landed a great E34 540i Touring at the weekend. Turns out the car had an engine change back in 2000 so now has the alusil block which was a great relief. Air con works too which was a bonus on the 175 mile trip back home (was quite muggy on Saturday)
All I have to do now is find out why the heater fan isn't blowing a gale at full pelt even though it sounds like it is. I suspect an old cabin filter and/or leaf debris blockage somewhere - does that sound likely?Thanks for all your helpful posts.
Cheers,
Steve
Hammerhead said:
Chaps,
Landed a great E34 540i Touring at the weekend. Turns out the car had an engine change back in 2000 so now has the alusil block which was a great relief. Air con works too which was a bonus on the 175 mile trip back home (was quite muggy on Saturday) All I have to do now is find out why the heater fan isn't blowing a gale at full pelt even though it sounds like it is. I suspect an old cabin filter and/or leaf debris blockage somewhere - does that sound likely?
Thanks for all your helpful posts.
Cheers,
Steve
Might just be that you've got one of the switches in the wrong position! Mine has at least three that affect airflow from the centre face vents Landed a great E34 540i Touring at the weekend. Turns out the car had an engine change back in 2000 so now has the alusil block which was a great relief. Air con works too which was a bonus on the 175 mile trip back home (was quite muggy on Saturday)
All I have to do now is find out why the heater fan isn't blowing a gale at full pelt even though it sounds like it is. I suspect an old cabin filter and/or leaf debris blockage somewhere - does that sound likely?Thanks for all your helpful posts.
Cheers,
Steve
Well done on the 540 - must admit I'll give one some serious consideration if/when my 535 succumbs to its age!
Hammerhead said:
Chaps,
Landed a great E34 540i Touring at the weekend. Turns out the car had an engine change back in 2000 so now has the alusil block which was a great relief. Air con works too which was a bonus on the 175 mile trip back home (was quite muggy on Saturday) All I have to do now is find out why the heater fan isn't blowing a gale at full pelt even though it sounds like it is. I suspect an old cabin filter and/or leaf debris blockage somewhere - does that sound likely?
Thanks for all your helpful posts.
Cheers,
Steve
Nice choice of car. Try these sites for E34 ownership Landed a great E34 540i Touring at the weekend. Turns out the car had an engine change back in 2000 so now has the alusil block which was a great relief. Air con works too which was a bonus on the 175 mile trip back home (was quite muggy on Saturday)
All I have to do now is find out why the heater fan isn't blowing a gale at full pelt even though it sounds like it is. I suspect an old cabin filter and/or leaf debris blockage somewhere - does that sound likely?Thanks for all your helpful posts.
Cheers,
Steve
http://www.bmwe34.net/
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