E34 running costs

[Blitz]

What are the running costs of an E34 compared to an E30? Thinking about getting one as a daily.

[maxfield]

I'd imagine they're worse on fuel due to them being heavier.

[bss325i]

Not alot in it tbh. Both old turds and old turd cost £££ to keep nice!

[Fushion_Julz]

I had an E34 530i (M30 engine) SE manual saloon...Immediately after that I had an E30 325i SE manual 4dr...

The E34 was cheaper to insure (just) and the fuel was about the same...Parts roughly similar sort of cost and they are about the same to work on, in general...

[Blitz]

Yeah thats what I wanted to know. Tempted by a late auto.

[david106]

I think a 525i manual m50 engine is def better on petrol than a 325i auto touring but like what has been said they are big heavy cars so everything wears out

[darkchild]

E34 518i's make good daily drivers in M43 guise. Decent low down torque, bulletproof mechanics and will return 35mpg. Needs to be a manual though.

520i's are pointless. With a M20 engine they're so slow they're dangerous and the M50 isn't much better - nice and smooth but lacking torque and worse on petrol than a 525i.

A 525i manual is the pick of the bunch IMO. A decent one is a car for life and will touch 35mpg on a run.

Are you selling the convertible as running two cars at your age requires deep pockets? Two lots of expensive insurance, tax etc...

[kniterider]

i had a 535, was nippy and could get the backside out in second in the dry but £80 to fill it and with me driving was only getting 250 miles out of it never got more than 300. was costing me 160 quid a week in fuel so got rid after a month! insurance wasnt bad but the e30 325 is 1 billion times more fun BUT the 535 was great on the mway BUT you can sit anywhere between 90-110 and not even realise. 4th gear is lovely and torquey from 90 upwards to.

[Blitz]

E34 518i's make good daily drivers in M43 guise. Decent low down torque, bulletproof mechanics and will return 35mpg. Needs to be a manual though.

520i's are pointless. With a M20 engine they're so slow they're dangerous and the M50 isn't much better - nice and smooth but lacking torque and worse on petrol than a 525i.

A 525i manual is the pick of the bunch IMO. A decent one is a car for life and will touch 35mpg on a run.

Are you selling the convertible as running two cars at your age requires deep pockets? Two lots of expensive insurance, tax etc...

Might get one next year.

[Blitz]

There was a 525i sport for £150 on autotrader but its sold when I phoned. It had M5 throwing stars, lotus white leather, A/C, long MOT and tax!

[Alpina99]

Not too expensive to run, parts not too bad, nice comfortable motor,

[bss325i]

There was a 525i sport for £150 on autotrader but its sold when I phoned. It had M5 throwing stars, lotus white leather, A/C, long MOT and tax!

I bet the was an 0 missed of the price!

[Duke137]

The M50 is quite a thirsty engine I've found, you have to treat it gently if you want good MPG (but where is the fun in that)

[Blitz]

There was a 525i sport for £150 on autotrader but its sold when I phoned. It had M5 throwing stars, lotus white leather, A/C, long MOT and tax!

I bet the was an 0 missed of the price!

He repeated £150 in the description and said bargain.

[mikey75]

I have an E34 535i manual, fantastic to drive but have to admit not much fun as my E30 325i.

In my opinion they're are two very different cars. The 535 is a great motorway cruiser but don't expect much more than 24 on motorways and 18-20 round town.

[capri_rob]

There was a 525i sport for £150 on autotrader but its sold when I phoned. It had M5 throwing stars, lotus white leather, A/C, long MOT and tax!

I bet the was an 0 missed of the price!

He repeated £150 in the description and said bargain.

If it sounds too good to be true it almost always is - the wheels would be worth more than £150 without the rest of the car attached - it must have had serious issues for the seller to offload it for £150.

[e30kev]

what about the e34 525tds if its just a daily runabout, i have heard they're not bad, i would avoid a 535 as my old one was terrible on fuel (great noise when you floor it though)

[daimlerman]

The 525i that donated it's engine to my touring was a decent enough thing to drive on the motorway.The steering was nowhere near as pleasant to use as the E30's,returned about 33mpg,but the fuel tank leaked when full and it had a very entertaining habit of leaping to the left when changing gear during hard acceleration....

Big comfy seats with centre armrests were great as well!
I was suprised when my wife took to it and used it to go to work and visiting her sister.

[bobski]

My 530 V8 manual that was featured in total BMW mag was a lovely motor but couldn't get on with the steering box and a round trip of 20 miles to work and back came in at £245.00 fuel bill.... Over 3 weeks at 4 day weeks!! Sounded awesome tho and made me smile

[octanejunkie]

Early cars are rubbish on fuel. I've had two 535's and a Hartge H5. The standard cars struggled to get 20mpg, and the H5 did 15-16mpg.. Heavy on tyres and bushes as well
Running an E30 is far cheaper, and they're less of a heffalump to throw around.

[Ziggy]

My 530 V8 manual that was featured in total BMW mag was a lovely motor but couldn't get on with the steering box and a round trip of 20 miles to work and back came in at £245.00 fuel bill.... Over 3 weeks at 4 day weeks!! Sounded awesome tho and made me smile

~£1 per mile.

Had a 520i touring (m50) - not unbearably slow but certainly not quick, & I wouldn't touch the m20 or auto versions. The 2.5 version would be great.

Great cars overall. Soooo solid.

[Jon_Bmw]

My 530 V8 manual that was featured in total BMW mag was a lovely motor but couldn't get on with the steering box and a round trip of 20 miles to work and back came in at £245.00 fuel bill.... Over 3 weeks at 4 day weeks!! Sounded awesome tho and made me smile

So 240 miles cost you £245.00. I think not.

Of course, I might have read what you have written incorrectly, as it makes as much sense as a 518i auto.

[bobski]

My 530 V8 manual that was featured in total BMW mag was a lovely motor but couldn't get on with the steering box and a round trip of 20 miles to work and back came in at £245.00 fuel bill.... Over 3 weeks at 4 day weeks!! Sounded awesome tho and made me smile

So 240 miles cost you £245.00. I think not.

Of course, I might have read what you have written incorrectly, as it makes as much sense as a 518i auto.

Yeah you read it correctly hence why I sold it but I did have a heavy foot and it may have been running rich (my dad owns a garage and he couldnt believe the fuel it drank and he's got an e39 m5) but I still couldn't afford it, I was tootling about to my girlfriends everday and to town at weekends but it's literally round the corner from mine.

[Jon_Bmw]

4mpg? leaky fuel tank?

One fuel tank did under 70 miles. I just can't believe that unless it had a digital switch instead of an accelerator pedal.

[DanThe]

Autos are thirsty, but I wouldnt change my 525i touring for a manual version, the latest E34's are the best by far

[bobski]

4mpg? leaky fuel tank?

One fuel tank did under 70 miles. I just can't believe that unless it had a digital switch instead of an accelerator pedal.

It does sound hard to believe, I visited my mom in Portsmouth which is 171 miles from me, I filled up 3 times once before I left once wen I hit the m27 and once on m40 on return trip. I had it on diagnostics and on my dads ramps at his garage and couldn't find anything wrong so I sold it as thought could be expensive to sort it out in the long run.

[martauto]

I have a 525 se manual 1996 with 163k on the clock and took it around Wales just recently and she returned @ 35 mpg (with some good ,hard driving ) around town Im looking at @ 25 ish.
Its going up to tour most of Scotland next week so I`ll keep you posted (my son is taking it so exspect @4mpg.)
My other car is a 316 m10 1986 83k auto and is shit on fuel arond town !! @20- 22 mpg but i love driving it more than the e34.
On a good run I will get @ 40-44 mpg.

I keep the e34 for distance and the Wow factor.

Mart.

[Andyboy]

Auto 525i's aren't bad on fuel - on a long run they're better because they are so long geared in 5th. I had a 730i V8 that did a brim to brim 33 mpg on a steady run from Notts to Shrewsbury and back, tickling the throttle and doing 60-70 on A/B roads.

[Speedtouch]

I briefly ran a 1988 535iSE. It returned low 20s mpg on short local journeys, but touched 30mpg on a motorway cruise, at which they excel, being such a wafty barge. I saw an indicated 147mph out of it on a private runway, shortly before discovering that an engine mount rubber had become completely detached, so only the M30 boat anchor's weight kept it in place

I didn't like the slightly sloppy steering box, and the worn wiper rack (common on these) had to be replaced which is a right Royal PITA (IIRC, I purchased a good replacement from Andyboy - ta muchly!)

Otherwise, a good solid hunk of car.

[fingerman]

As above - get a facelift model, lots of nice little features that make all the difference.

I'm currently driving a Facelift 1994 518 (M43) and can get nearly 600 miles from a full tank (£80's worth or petrol) which isn't that far off my old tds which I could get 700 miles plus, pretty good for an old bus.

I must have owned about 10+ E34's and love the old things, these include the 1.8 M40 & M43, 2.0 M20 & M50, 2.5 M20 & M50, 2.5 M51 Diesel, 3 litre M30 & M60!

They're not as nimble as the E30 but they do hold the road well, and no more expensive to run - in fact I think they're cheaper.

I find that if you're a taller bloke (I'm 6ft 3") then the seats in the e34 fit better and feel safer than the E30.

I think all the later M43'd e34's are manual but I could be wrong - very smooth and good on the fuel but to me they just don't sound right and when you open the bonnet you expect a lot more !

Anyway - enough E34 loving, the M50 525 is the best all rounder, it shifts and pretty good on the fuel but if you get the chance to get a V8 then go for it

[Blitz]

518i mmmm..... interesting.

[Speedtouch]

Having driven a 1.8 (carb) '90s Vauxhall Carlton, I wouldn't personally want such a small engine to lug around 1.5 tonnes of car. I currently drive a Freelander that also has a 1.8 and weighs 1.5 tonnes and it feels very sluggish at times!

[fingerman]

The 1.8 M43 isn't that bad in the 1.5 tonne E34 tank

It is cheap to run, tax is £112 for 6 months, cheap insurance and can get around 600 miles from a tank. Cruisers along on the motorway with the real time mpg thing at 45-50mpg with speeds of 65-75mph, similar to the tds

It's better than the older M20'd 520 and 525 E34's and I'd buy another M43 518

[Blitz]

Did they have auto 518i's?

[Speedtouch]

Sadly, yes, I think they did