E34 540i 6 Speed Manual
Discussion
Hi,
I've noticed this car local to me for a while now and its now come up for sale!
Its an M'Reg (though private plate) 540i 6 Speed manual. I believe this is quite a rare car.
Its up for £1500, is in fairly good order but am unsure of mileage as yet.
Could anyone give me any major points about the car, have read bad things about bore liners etc! How rare? good engine/gearbox? Think I read about particular BMW V8's being very good and others not so good!
Might give the owners a ring and arrange a test drive either way!
Cheers
I've noticed this car local to me for a while now and its now come up for sale!
Its an M'Reg (though private plate) 540i 6 Speed manual. I believe this is quite a rare car.
Its up for £1500, is in fairly good order but am unsure of mileage as yet.
Could anyone give me any major points about the car, have read bad things about bore liners etc! How rare? good engine/gearbox? Think I read about particular BMW V8's being very good and others not so good!
Might give the owners a ring and arrange a test drive either way!
Cheers
4.0L V8, can't remember code.
Nicasil bore linings, check for BMW engine replacement.
If not done, the Nicasil failure is unlikely to happen after all these years.
Check suspension items as it's a heavy car and they wear quickly.
Check electrical gremlins.
Rare with a manual !
I quite fancy a Touring.....
Enjoy!
Nicasil bore linings, check for BMW engine replacement.
If not done, the Nicasil failure is unlikely to happen after all these years.
Check suspension items as it's a heavy car and they wear quickly.
Check electrical gremlins.
Rare with a manual !
I quite fancy a Touring.....
Enjoy!
I had one for a while last year - awesome car, really regret parting with it. The plastic bits on the radiator seem to be a weak point (where the pipes slip onto it). Also check for a smooth idle, and make sure the gearbox is nice because they're like rocking horse doodoo to replace.
Forgot to say, I drove an e60 545 manual back to back with mine and although the controls in the e60 were much lighter and more precice, in terms of straight line grunt it didn't feel like there would be anything in it. Not sure what the actual figures are for comparison but that's what it felt like anyway.
I have a 540i with an automatic gearbox, I wanted a manual but couldn't find a decent one and the I bought came up and it was immaculate!
They are an awesome car, make a lovely noise and are very quick!
Things to look out for are the suspension front and rear, it is a heavy car with a lot of weight in the nose, any clonking will probably mean the tie bar anti roll bar bushes are on their way out. Another sign of worn front bushes is juddering under heavy braking (feels like warped discs).
The rear trailing arm bushes also wear, it's a good idea to check these as it can be pricey to change them.
The big killer of these cars is rust, have a look underneath if you can, check along the sills around the plastic covers as this traps the dirt and rots out. The door bottoms also go rusty underneath the plastic door trims. Other areas to look out for are the wheel arches and under the leading edge of the bonnet and sunroof drain holes.
As for the engine, the M60 3.0 and 4.0 V8's had Nikasil lined bores, the high sulphur content of some fuels in the UK during the 1990's caused premature wear, this lead to poor starting and running, stalling and eventual failure. Many of these engines were replaced by BMW with Alusil engines, these are unaffected by high levels of sulphur in fuel. The best way to check which engine the car has is to look at the number then call your local BMW main dealer, they'll be able to check it for you. However, if the car is still on it's original engine and has covered more than 100,000 miles, it will most likely be fine.
The interiors wear well and everything should work fine, ASC traction control was an option at the time, and on a couple of E34's I know with it fitted, it hasn't been working properly.
Fuel economy wise, I get around 19 mpg around town and 27 mpg on the motorway (it is an auto mind!) though if I was worried about such things I would have bought a 1.0 diesel! If you don't plan to use it that much, you can also insure with on a classic policy, when I was away a lot I had mine on a limited mileage policy and I was paying 340 pounds a year (at 27), in fact now I still only pay 450 a year fully comp as my main car.
If you do buy it, go on condition and service history, not mileage!
Good luck and let us know how you get on (you won't regret buying one!)
They are an awesome car, make a lovely noise and are very quick!
Things to look out for are the suspension front and rear, it is a heavy car with a lot of weight in the nose, any clonking will probably mean the tie bar anti roll bar bushes are on their way out. Another sign of worn front bushes is juddering under heavy braking (feels like warped discs).
The rear trailing arm bushes also wear, it's a good idea to check these as it can be pricey to change them.
The big killer of these cars is rust, have a look underneath if you can, check along the sills around the plastic covers as this traps the dirt and rots out. The door bottoms also go rusty underneath the plastic door trims. Other areas to look out for are the wheel arches and under the leading edge of the bonnet and sunroof drain holes.
As for the engine, the M60 3.0 and 4.0 V8's had Nikasil lined bores, the high sulphur content of some fuels in the UK during the 1990's caused premature wear, this lead to poor starting and running, stalling and eventual failure. Many of these engines were replaced by BMW with Alusil engines, these are unaffected by high levels of sulphur in fuel. The best way to check which engine the car has is to look at the number then call your local BMW main dealer, they'll be able to check it for you. However, if the car is still on it's original engine and has covered more than 100,000 miles, it will most likely be fine.
The interiors wear well and everything should work fine, ASC traction control was an option at the time, and on a couple of E34's I know with it fitted, it hasn't been working properly.
Fuel economy wise, I get around 19 mpg around town and 27 mpg on the motorway (it is an auto mind!) though if I was worried about such things I would have bought a 1.0 diesel! If you don't plan to use it that much, you can also insure with on a classic policy, when I was away a lot I had mine on a limited mileage policy and I was paying 340 pounds a year (at 27), in fact now I still only pay 450 a year fully comp as my main car.
If you do buy it, go on condition and service history, not mileage!
Good luck and let us know how you get on (you won't regret buying one!)
Thanks for the post, I was hoping they wouldn't rust!
As for age, insurance etc - Im 21! But have had a quick third party quote of £600 ish so not too bad!
Currently my car situation is a 2.0 Zetec Turbo Fiesta project and a 306 HDi!
The E34 would sort of replace the 306 but not do as many MPG! The other half would have to get a diesel!
As for age, insurance etc - Im 21! But have had a quick third party quote of £600 ish so not too bad!
Currently my car situation is a 2.0 Zetec Turbo Fiesta project and a 306 HDi!
The E34 would sort of replace the 306 but not do as many MPG! The other half would have to get a diesel!
600 quid isn't bad at all, when I was 21 I was paying a grand to insure a Rover 220 Coupe!
You won't regret buying one, they make such a lovely noise when hoofed, and with 400Nm of torque you can really feel the shove in your back.
The rust bit is a bugger, I'm currently on the hunt for a new drivers door as it it starting to get a bit bubbly at the bottom (and also because some
put a big dent in it while I was at work... 
)
Some cars will be totally rust free and others will seem to be covered in it.
You won't regret buying one, they make such a lovely noise when hoofed, and with 400Nm of torque you can really feel the shove in your back.
The rust bit is a bugger, I'm currently on the hunt for a new drivers door as it it starting to get a bit bubbly at the bottom (and also because some
put a big dent in it while I was at work... )Some cars will be totally rust free and others will seem to be covered in it.
Here it is with Hammerhead's Touring:
Max M4X WW said:
Got a link to any 'higher res' pics of it? It has those wheels lol!
Here you go, Max. The BoB and Boris in full bouncer mode."If your names not dahn, you're not coming in"
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