E30 Zone

I fancy a bit of waft.

The inner jew still swings towards the 2.8 variants although with fuel prices getting vaguely sensible, a V8 isn't an absolute no, but I'd prefer a 528 or 728 as something that's a bit more manageable in terms of fuel & maintenance.

I know the 728 has a unique tank which likes to rust.

What's the general low down on these turds and what is an overall better ownership proposition?

I prefer the looks of the pre-facelift E38's with the squarer headlamp surrounds and amberzzzz.

Lee, if your after a waft chariot then be a hero with a 32'

They are much the same E38/E39 and share many parts but E39's were built in bigger numbers so parts specific to them are more plentiful.

Of the two, if you want waft the a 38 is the way to go!

Pacers got a nice E32 750i SWB.

LSD and black leather sports seats FTW!

e39, thats the one to go for would be a 530i in sport trim

lovely car to waft about it but can still be fun to drive. i enjoyed mine for 30 months ad it was trouble free motoring bar a cam sensor and a couple of bushes and centre prop bearing

since then, with its new owner its just needed a calliper in the last 20 months.

If it's an e39 then the 530 is streets ahead of the 528! I wouldn't even entertain the latter now the 530's are so cheap.

They suffer more issues than an e34 ever did but less than an e60 They don't rust as bad as an e46 but still suffer from it. Seeing lots now that need rear jacking points.

I loved my 3.0's. They were very capable cars and pound for pound, I don't think there's much about that can match them.

I've always like a 38 as well, But they were always just too big for the drive really. But in a car that size, it has to be an "8".

I do love an E32, decent ones seem in short supply though.

A 750 would be biblical, but 12-15mpg, no thanks!

Trevor, by 530 do you mean the V8?

E30BeemerLad wrote:Trevor, by 530 do you mean the V8?

No. 530i e39 had the M54B30 lump. It's a blinder of a lump and a real leap forward from the previous M52B28TU

My silver sport was quick to be honest. The black one I had after felt a bit slower due to all the added weight of the options but it still went bloody well.

Kos is right. The 530 sport was the pick of the bunch really.

Depending on what your budget is, I'd be looking at one of the last 530i Sport. A touring is a nice call as well.

Look at this. Not the cheapest but a late, sub 100k and a champagne edition at a little over 2.5 bags!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-BMW-530I ... 3a9cecb1cd

There is a thread on mine Lee, loads of repairs but they are great drivers. £600 is all it cost me to gas the V8

DanThe wrote:There is a thread on mine Lee, loads of repairs but they are great drivers. £600 is all it cost me to gas the V8

That's another option. The 540 is quite a tool.

To be honest, after looking at Dan's thread, it is a it of a wake up call. I can barely be arsed to maintain my '02 325 touring and that MPG is grim. The soarer used to do 18+ mpg and that was clouting it about and mainly just urban driving.

A 530 will average 22-24 and that's spirited drivin in an auto. On a run it'll do early 30s.

The 13.7 average is because the gas is lighter per litre, as its now 53p per litre driving for economy does not come into it

Still works out at an approx petrol running cost equivalent of 30mpg

£53 for a tank full of gas that will last 300+ miles

Although I have never had as much savings before in my lifetime as I do now, the call of the jew is strong and I'm more tempted to abandon ideas of a luxobarge and get some VW tdi scrap. A Mk4 Golf 130pd turd would probably do the business without being a catastrophic liability.

Shamone Mothafuckas EEEE-HEEE.

E39's: the 528i single vanos (pre 9/987 so P/R and early S reg shitters) are a great car. No vanos issues, standard throttle body, E30 style rad with hoseclip secure hoses (none of that snap fit nonsense) and the paint quality is better. The rustiest, nastiest E39's I've seen have been later ones. The early ABS module never goes wrong and the earlier autobox seens more robust. They're all worth absolutely fu ck all so you'll buy a really clean one for well under a grand.
Later ones have double Vanos (seals), the dreaded 001 ABS ASC module that goes tits up for fun, the electro mechanical throttle body (414) that can cause issues, the horrid later rad with snap on hoses and that bastard expansion tank that splits down the side. 530i's have a fully electronic throttle body, DSC (don't ask how much a new module is) and the double vanos cam cover loves to crack and leak oil. DSC pre charge pumnps can fail too. They also have the catalysts on the manifolds, $$$$$$. Whilst the 530i is a better car, it can also cost a lot to fix and they just love an autobox. An E39 is an E39, they're all much the same to drive and now they're at worthless council banger stage I'd go for an earlier one with less to go wrong.

E38's are much the same really. The tanks are steel on all of tyhem and they rot around the seams and where the rubber intake hose fits. Again, earlier ones are more reliable and the 4.0 V8 M60 is a cracking engine with an autobox that's tough as well. The 730i V8's are okay but they like a drink and aren't fast.
Both cars were a step down from the E34/E32 in quality so look for shagged pixels and loose trim around the front seat bases.
M62 V8's on the E39 and E38 have a mapped thermostat that makes them run very, very hot. So, they love to pop a hose, split a rad or expansion tank - you can use a standard earlier stat or one from the E38 740d that runs about 10 degrees cooler. Broken timing chain rails is common now as well - listen for a grating around 1500-2000. Post 9/98 ones have Vanos and a water cooled alternator, more $$$$$. Like the E39, tghe later ones seen to rust more and cleanest ones I've seen are around P-R reg. E38's like to snap a front coil spring as well.

728i's go quite well and use a lot less fuel than a V8! They're all old high mileage tanks now and E38 used spares aren't that common whilst E39 stuff is everywhere for peanuts.

So, E39 - earlier 528i. E38 - earlier 728i or 740i. Of the two, the E38 is a nicer, better riding car.

E30BeemerLad wrote:Although I have never had as much savings before in my lifetime as I do now, the call of the jew is strong and I'm more tempted to abandon ideas of a luxobarge and get some VW tdi scrap. A Mk4 Golf 130pd turd would probably do the business without being a catastrophic liability.

Golfs are okay, but you'll get an A6 Avant for the same coin and they're a very good old bus. A well specced 1.9TDi Octavia Wagon is a fine steed too.

E38 and E39 stuff is fine, but to be they're just 500 quid cars. I wouldn't be spending 2.5 bags for a liability that does 25 mpg.

Its a shame that most W210s are rusty as that would preferable to a E39.

Diesel all the way.

If you're going to go for a diesel you HAVE to run it on red. If your going to be a pleb you might as well go full pleb. 53.52p a litre

Thanks for your detailed reply Andy. I don't do any work on my cars anymore (had enough axle stand action with the E30's) just pay a neighbour who runs a garage, so I just can't be arsed with the bills those turds will throw up.

I'm not so daft to dream a 10+ year old diesel Golf etc would not throw a surprise here & there, but on looking at them on ebay, loads are on 180k+ miles, so a sub 100k example at around >£2k has got to be worth a sniff.

Could do with a hatch or an estate really for the dog too.

My daily driver is an E39 540i that I picked up practically new (1500 miles, plastic still on trim) this year. 17 MPG on average which is mainly London driving and I wouldn't swap it for any other car on the road.

Demlotcrew wrote:Diesel all the way.

False economy

When shit goes wrong it's foooking expensive to sort

Plus a 530d in the real world isn't that much better on MPG Over a 530i

You can't convince me Kons, Diesel engines are way better, expensive yes, but a well serviced car should not have many issues, certainly not expensive ones.

I just don't believe that a 3.0d is just as juicy as a 3.0 petrol

Diesels f ucking stink!

That's enough to put me off!

Hate the things!

Diesels are okay if you have a relatively low tech one and it's been properly maintained. A mate's 2002 Passat TDi has 450k and the original turbo.

I 've heard that chain issues apart, the N47 is looking good on that front. Turbos and injectors seem to last well.

I've got a 525i sport auto, great daily 52 plate paid 1200 for it, only had to do the valve cover gasket, been fine in all the time I've owned it, I'd look for a cheap sport as they hold the value better, my only regret is that it's not a 530i but I find the 2.5 pokey enough to do what I need but the latter would make it more fun when the mood takes!

I'd recommend a sport over se every time the handle much better and sports seats are more comfy IMO.

E30BeemerLad wrote:Thanks for your detailed reply Andy. I don't do any work on my cars anymore (had enough axle stand action with the E30's) just pay a neighbour who runs a garage, so I just can't be arsed with the bills those turds will throw up.

I know that feeling. I'm getting fed up with doing my own stuff, and I've got a heated workshop. I only do it because I'm notoriously careful with dollarz. I wouldn't give you sixpence and a Twix for anything after the E36 and they're just getting too old now. Despite it's outer cleanliness, every bolt on the '98 Touring is rusted to buggery and I was looking at a 54 plate E46 today on a ramp - and that looked like a Mark 3 Cortina underneath, everything rusty and horrid.

Poor Michelle's Golf has been sat on the drive minus any rear axle for over a year now. Any decent days over the summer have left me with the dilemma of lie under the golf and learn to weld or go out on the motorbike. Bike won every time

Check it owt-- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-E34-BMW- ... fresh=true

A nice supply of red will keep you going, I wouldnt want to be running it on forecourt prices at all!

Hopefully the peasant doesnt think its worth something

singlezero wrote:My daily driver is an E39 540i that I picked up practically new (1500 miles, plastic still on trim) this year. 17 MPG on average which is mainly London driving and I wouldn't swap it for any other car on the road.

1500 miles on a E39? Where did you buy it from? A museum?

On topic, I've always thought that buying a big car with a small engine is a bit silly...

So for me, if it's E39, then it would have to be, the 530i (M54B30) or the V8 540i...Of course, the M5 would be ideal

As for the E38, it just has to be with a V8, so 740i, preferably a Sport Getting the mighty 7 with the 2.8 engine is a self torture, so if you can't afford the V8, then I wouldn't bother.

Demlotcrew wrote:You can't convince me Kons, Diesel engines are way better, expensive yes, but a well serviced car should not have many issues, certainly not expensive ones.

I just don't believe that a 3.0d is just as juicy as a 3.0 petrol

I average 27mpg
Alan in his 330d gets about 32mpg

On 8000 miles a year fuel costs is identical
On 12,000 miles a year he will save £200

Over 3 years he'll save £600.00

How much is a turbo supplied and fitted these days should his one go ?? More than £600

So, I'll take the lower mpg and live with the extra fuel cost at 12,000 miles PA and not have the worry of the turbo going, nor the diesel pumps, injectors or glow plugs


Old diesels are bad news in my book

and many sound agricultural..


Diesel will soon be a thing of the past

DanThe wrote:Check it owt-- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-E34-BMW- ... fresh=true

A nice supply of red will keep you going, I wouldnt want to be running it on forecourt prices at all!

Hopefully the peasant doesnt think its worth something

The seller is a weapon who thinks he has the Crown jewels, not that I or many care as his turd is one MOT fail sheet away from the bridge, just like most of its ilk