E34 525i - Underpowered?
Discussion
No, not underpowered. The 525 has a smooth, eager and free-revving engine, and the chassis is very wieldy, so you can properly exploit it. Enjoy.
Morre to the point - 1600Kgs is no longer a 'heavy' car. It's about the wieght of the current VW Beetle. I have an E34 540i, and the current Focus TDCi weighs more..!
Morre to the point - 1600Kgs is no longer a 'heavy' car. It's about the wieght of the current VW Beetle. I have an E34 540i, and the current Focus TDCi weighs more..!
190E Matt said:
I am considering getting one, but are they a bit underpowered? It may have 190bhp but it weighs a good 1600kg!!
I know Sniff Diesel approves of them, but what is the general consensus on this car?
Have you had chance to try one yet? Very comfy, smooth and deceptively quick thanks to the refinement.I know Sniff Diesel approves of them, but what is the general consensus on this car?
road_rager said:
I had a manual one for a bit. I imagine the auto might be a bit slow.
It went very very well, a most excellent motorway car! Check the one's you look at don't wobble at 60 mph
The auto's I've driven certainly feel a little slower off the line (unles you held it against the brake which isn't something I'd want to do regularly) but once warmed up and into the mid/top range of the power band don't feel any slower than the manuals.It went very very well, a most excellent motorway car! Check the one's you look at don't wobble at 60 mph
At the end of the day there appears to be equal numbers of manuals and autos out there for sale so just buy which ever you feel most comfortable with.
525i Auto is a good motor and never felt slow to me. Mine was a 1995 M50 engine and even off the line was plenty. It doesn't drink too badly either. Excellent cruiser, blissfully smooth engine and can be hustled around the twisties with a touch of skill.
The 540i I now tool around in is silly in a good way and drinks like Ollie Reed. Another 525 would have been enough but I couldn't find one I liked and had a thing for having a V8
The 540i I now tool around in is silly in a good way and drinks like Ollie Reed. Another 525 would have been enough but I couldn't find one I liked and had a thing for having a V8
sniff diesel said:
190E Matt said:
I am considering getting one, but are they a bit underpowered? It may have 190bhp but it weighs a good 1600kg!!
I know Sniff Diesel approves of them, but what is the general consensus on this car?
Have you had chance to try one yet? Very comfy, smooth and deceptively quick thanks to the refinement.I know Sniff Diesel approves of them, but what is the general consensus on this car?
I am finding I am probably a bit different to most people my age (20) in the sense that I prefer more refined cars, it sounds to me like the E34 fits the bill perfectly, I haven't ruled out an E36 (either 323i or 325i) though.
I might be wrong, but so far it looks like to me that the average ones go for £500, the good ones for £1000.
I have to make a decision this week if to keep putting money into the 190E, or buy something different. If I am going to have a BMW it has to be a 6 cylinder! Tempted to go for a touring as well.
Anything weak mechanically on them? a good car on A and B Roads?
Edited to add: Thankyou for all the replies so far by the way!
Edited by 190E Matt on Wednesday 2nd September 11:03
If it doesn't already have a metal water pump, get it done as the plastic ones can let go and lead to catastrophic head failure. Temp needle should be exactly half way.
Front end wobble is usually thrust control arms - not a major job.
Plenty of bushes to be changed so if you find one with them done that's good!
Sills rust out at the rear near the arches.
Air-con fans should work! If it's a bit lazy the filter accessed via driver footwell has possibly never been changed. Bit fiddly but I've done a couple now and it makes a huge difference.
Whatever you spend, have at least that again for failure of parts due to old age. Mine have never broken down due to an unreliability issue, just miles and years under the belt.
I love A & B roads in mine, use the manual hold down on the auto box and plan your lines. After playing, sit back, fold down driver arm rest and relax
Leather interiors quite cheap on eBay so don't be put off by a cheaper car with cloth.
Front end wobble is usually thrust control arms - not a major job.
Plenty of bushes to be changed so if you find one with them done that's good!
Sills rust out at the rear near the arches.
Air-con fans should work! If it's a bit lazy the filter accessed via driver footwell has possibly never been changed. Bit fiddly but I've done a couple now and it makes a huge difference.
Whatever you spend, have at least that again for failure of parts due to old age. Mine have never broken down due to an unreliability issue, just miles and years under the belt.
I love A & B roads in mine, use the manual hold down on the auto box and plan your lines. After playing, sit back, fold down driver arm rest and relax
Leather interiors quite cheap on eBay so don't be put off by a cheaper car with cloth.
Edited by Six Fiend on Wednesday 2nd September 13:12
That's a good summary.
I bought mine in April last year, new to E34s, and so far it's proved very amenable to DIY - and hardly needed any. Details under my profile. Previous owner had done teh bushes (powerflex); service items since are a doddle, spares availability is excellent, and about the only thing that'll take me near a dealer will be to get the brake fluid swapped, due soon (the ASC+T circuit requires plugging-in to a machine that goes ping to do properly). Very happy with the beastie
I bought mine in April last year, new to E34s, and so far it's proved very amenable to DIY - and hardly needed any. Details under my profile. Previous owner had done teh bushes (powerflex); service items since are a doddle, spares availability is excellent, and about the only thing that'll take me near a dealer will be to get the brake fluid swapped, due soon (the ASC+T circuit requires plugging-in to a machine that goes ping to do properly). Very happy with the beastie
Part of the appeal is the build quality!
Because of hours I work (loads during the summer, very little when at university) I am hoping to buy one around January, do a little bit of basic servicing, and keep it going for a few months until I start earning again. It should last, that is the approach I took with the 190, and nothing major went wrong (apart from the alternator failing)
I realise though that the chances are that in the first year of ownership it will need the purchase price (about 1k) spent on it.
Because of hours I work (loads during the summer, very little when at university) I am hoping to buy one around January, do a little bit of basic servicing, and keep it going for a few months until I start earning again. It should last, that is the approach I took with the 190, and nothing major went wrong (apart from the alternator failing)
I realise though that the chances are that in the first year of ownership it will need the purchase price (about 1k) spent on it.
Edited by 190E Matt on Wednesday 2nd September 13:26
Try these two sites for E34 & E36 info, I personaly think you will find a better condition E34 for your money as good condition six cylinder E36s seem to hold there price fairly well.
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/
http://www.bmwowner.com/forum/index.php?sid=6d7393...
http://forum.bmw5.co.uk/
http://www.bmwowner.com/forum/index.php?sid=6d7393...
190E Matt said:
Woah, just found out that the Kerb Weight of the E36 is about 1400KG! Much more than I thought, but still a good 200KG less than the 5 Series.
I'm torn between an E36 and an E34!
BMW have a trend of quoting weights with a full tank and 80kgs of driver onboard. I've had a few of my cars on the weighbridge at the local scrapyard, my 325tds touring is 1500kgs with me and a full tank of fuel in it so call it 1360 kgs empty. My 325i was 1300 kgs empty before I started stripping it (down to 1140kgs now with a full cage)I'm torn between an E36 and an E34!
A post 1993 should have the M50 'TU' engine with single vanos to give a bit more torque.
190E Matt said:
I am finding I am probably a bit different to most people my age (20) in the sense that I prefer more refined cars
I was much the same as far back as 18. I really wanted an E34 525i then (preferably an auto) but the insurance and my budget were both prohibitive so I ended up with a Volvo 850, then another one, then another one.Definitely consider an E36 by the way, mine's a bit faffed with but it remains fairly comfortable and can be fun when I want.
I traded mine in as a scrapper at the weekend against my new car. I ran it as a second car for 2 years along side my M3's and it was perfect. It was a tourer mind you, so a little heavier and slower but it could carry as much as a small van.
Mine was an auto and wasn't quick. Don't expect to win any traffic light grand prix's but once moving it was fine. I hardly ever used the sport button but when I did it went just fine. Its not going to pin you in your seat but the speedo climbs deceivingly quickly and there is more than enough power to overtake safely and dispatch the odd idiot if they are getting on your nerves.
The only downside to the car was the handling, mine was an SE not a sport and it had 120K on the original suspension. Basically it handled like a cross channel ferry in a storm but you get used to that and I only used to pootle around in it. On the flip side, on the motorway it wafted along like the best of them and it was like driving around in your living room.
It was a very cheap car to run, parts are plentiful and the fuel wasn't too bad, certainly used less than my M3's. Thats said I have always run thirsty cars so thats a very subjective statement. If you own a modern diseasal you will probably be shocked by the mpg. I used to average over 25.
HTH
EDIT: If you are considering an E36 against an E34 one thing I would says is 'refinement'. The E34 feels as if it was put together a lot better than the e36. The E36 was the first BMW that had much of the design work done using computer aided design. As a first effort its not bad but its not E34 build quality.
Mine was an auto and wasn't quick. Don't expect to win any traffic light grand prix's but once moving it was fine. I hardly ever used the sport button but when I did it went just fine. Its not going to pin you in your seat but the speedo climbs deceivingly quickly and there is more than enough power to overtake safely and dispatch the odd idiot if they are getting on your nerves.
The only downside to the car was the handling, mine was an SE not a sport and it had 120K on the original suspension. Basically it handled like a cross channel ferry in a storm but you get used to that and I only used to pootle around in it. On the flip side, on the motorway it wafted along like the best of them and it was like driving around in your living room.
It was a very cheap car to run, parts are plentiful and the fuel wasn't too bad, certainly used less than my M3's. Thats said I have always run thirsty cars so thats a very subjective statement. If you own a modern diseasal you will probably be shocked by the mpg. I used to average over 25.
HTH
EDIT: If you are considering an E36 against an E34 one thing I would says is 'refinement'. The E34 feels as if it was put together a lot better than the e36. The E36 was the first BMW that had much of the design work done using computer aided design. As a first effort its not bad but its not E34 build quality.
Edited by ///Mike on Friday 4th September 08:55
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