E30 Zone

i've been offered a swap for my 320i with a nice 525i on an n reg with leather and nice optional alloys in dolphin grey

what do you guys reckon to the e34s as i read somewhere in a mag that they're supposedly the best built beemers of the modern era

also as they have th 24v six do any of them have nikasil probs like the e36's?

cheers jim

No mate only the 2.8 had NIKASIL, just make sure it runs smooth and theirs no suspension noise. Good swap i say.

Lovely car to drive, the e34. Do it. Save up and buy a straight e30, the straightest body you can find. Then frag the shit out of the e34 to fund a 24v conversion of the new e30 donor vehicle. The leather will fetch a pretty penny!

Seriously, the e34 is the smoothest car I've driven, and that was a ropey e reg 520i which had been lowered too.

tell me where a strait e30 is and i'll consider it!,

for £500-£800 theres some seriosly nice e34's most e30's around that price nowadays are either rusty or lumbered with m40s, a 194bhp exec wagon for that kind of money isnt too shabby

I've had an E34 24v 525 manual as a daily driver for a year, and its a fantastic car.
Check the steering for wobbles around 5-60mph for possible wear to the arms, and as it's an N reg, it'll be a 193bhp model with Vanos. As long as the Vanos quietens down after a few seconds on start up, that should be ok.
If you look on www.bmw5.co.uk, you'll get a feel for all the common faults.
Good luck with it mate

Lovely old busses, and they go more than all right with the 2.5. As mentioned, check for steering wheel wobbles or tramlining car, as this can be very annoying to cure if not hugely expensive. Certainly a good swap if the 5 is a nice one.
I'd just add that parts don't sell half as well as E30 ones. I've had a great complete touring sport leather interior with minor damage on the driver's seat up for sale for pennies (less than a decent E30 saloon comfort interior) and I can't get rid of it!

Always liked E34's. Back in the mid 90's my boss at the time had a Red 535i Sport with black leather. That was the car that got me into BMW's in the first place.

i've just bought a 525ix on an n reg its my second e34 now there not as agile as the e30 but still a nice drive

i've got a 518i on lpg. lovely to drive, if a tad underpowered. i say go for it!

If you need any parts let me know.I have a 535i se ready to break

My first bmw was a 95' 525i sport in daytona violet. Was an amazing car to drive on the motorways, total bahn stormer but i prefere the e30's to drive around town though due to the smaller size.

My dads old 525i sport (Manual)

Blitz that is definately

If you don't rev them in neutral, yes. - or as reliable as any auto box.

Way better than an e30, hence my e30 is laid up gathering dust in the garage.

Here's my Sport...

good cars but mine has cost m2 2k and is still tramlining after all the front bushes have beendone and shocks etc, must be rear subframe bushes i think!

An M badge should sort any issues, as they were built in there own motorsport, problem free factory 320ise.

Jon_Bmw wrote:An M badge should sort any issues, as they were built in there own motorsport, problem free factory 320ise.

Jon_Bmw wrote:An M badge should sort any issues, as they were built in there own motorsport, problem free factory 320ise.

My other half is fancying one. we have one at the moment and he gave it a test drive and was surprised how much more power there is in an m50 than an m20. Reckond the handling was quite good too. (a H plate 520i directly compared to an F plate 320i!)

Needs an exhaust, new discs and pads all round a damn good service and a t-cut and a half, but may be tempted to do it up!

If you earn the right side of good money - M5. The poor / otherwise committed / insufficiently dedicated need not apply!

I've had mine for 3 years now & loved every minute !!
I'm now looking to go the opposite way though & get rid of mine to fund an E30 Cab for restoration with, ultimately, a 24v 525i conversion
Go for it they're lovely motors

dobbie82 wrote:My other half is fancying one. we have one at the moment and he gave it a test drive and was surprised how much more power there is in an m50 than an m20. Reckond the handling was quite good too. (a H plate 520i directly compared to an F plate 320i!)

Needs an exhaust, new discs and pads all round a damn good service and a t-cut and a half, but may be tempted to do it up!

A powerful 520i??? What's his normal car? A milkfloat?

520i manual's are just about OK but the autos are plain horrid. The M43 engined 518i is a far better car IMO with more useable low down torque.

An H plate e34 would surely have the same engine as the e30, the m20b20

georob wrote:An H plate e34 would surely have the same engine as the e30, the m20b20

well this must have had a conversion, the seller insisted it was a 525i but online check gave 520i. deinately has an m50 engine. (the 320i whith its m20 engine was parked next to it so i can tell difference ) not had paperwork through yet.

its in my ebay shop if you look at link in my sig.

Go for it, swap it, the 525 will be the best overall E34 you can get - 192bhp with good speed and economical

dobbie82 wrote:

georob wrote:An H plate e34 would surely have the same engine as the e30, the m20b20

well this must have had a conversion, the seller insisted it was a 525i but online check gave 520i. deinately has an m50 engine. (the 320i whith its m20 engine was parked next to it so i can tell difference ) not had paperwork through yet.

its in my ebay shop if you look at link in my sig.

E34's got the M50 from H plate onwards IIRC.

Ahh, thought it was nearly around that reg where they got changed.

you'd def notice the diff btwn the 2.0 m50 & m20

Needs a good clean that bay though ;)

I have an 95 BMW 530i Touring, one of the very last one`s before they closed down the E34 program. Its with a manual and just listening to that V8 makes a big smile on my face, but tbh its the best car I have had in my life and its very quick, 0-60 in 7.6 sec and here you have a poor picture of it with 17 inch BBS alloys

530 is too gutsy for what you get from it. Near enough same mpg as a 540 but with the speed of a 525 M50

looking good erik! Another reason to say e34' are cool

georob wrote:530 is too gutsy for what you get from it. Near enough same mpg as a 540 but with the speed of a 525 M50

Try one with a manual gearbox fella, and you will change your mind...

georob wrote:530 is too gutsy for what you get from it. Near enough same mpg as a 540 but with the speed of a 525 M50

The V8 530i is quite a lot faster than the 525i. I had a calypso red automatic which was capable of some very impressive MPG figures. It was a far more successful effort than the M30 530i.

dobbie82 wrote:

georob wrote:An H plate e34 would surely have the same engine as the e30, the m20b20

well this must have had a conversion, the seller insisted it was a 525i but online check gave 520i. deinately has an m50 engine. (the 320i whith its m20 engine was parked next to it so i can tell difference ) not had paperwork through yet.

its in my ebay shop if you look at link in my sig.

God, you do buy some right old sh*t don't you!