Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:18 pm
This seems like a conversation I can throw a few pennies at..
I've just started using a 94' e34 520i touring (se) as a daily. (going from a 04' Fabia vRS) I bought one, because, as far as I could find an E34 with an M50 is about the most reliable old hack you can choose to rock about in and I hoped it would break less then the Fabia. It's the only thing I've ever researched on the net that's had nothing but positive, happy thing's said.. I thought, well.. if the internet likes it, it must be amazing (seriously, 99% of things said about anything online is negative, but the net loooooves the e34+M50)..
I bought mine with the attitude of minor issues being just that, minor.. so my car isn't exactly pretty or perfect. BUT! It has solid back arches, mostly solid front wings and a relatively straight hatch. There's a small hole (20p) on the inside of the rear of one of the sills, not the jacking point though, but Andy tells me it'll need welding for the next MOT. For a 208k'er though, it's sound, no apparent major issues, very minor shimmy that will be sorted if it get's worse but it's subtle at the minute. As I use it it get's happier due to the fact I do at least 250 motorway miles a month, normally more. I was saying over on BMW5 just recently that when you get it up to speed, you can feel the autobahn development, it loves to go quick, well composed.
I only saw 2 cars, and bought the 2nd. The 1st was a 92 525 manual that looked brilliant in the pics (and yeah, they were up to date pics).. But it was rotting on the inside of the arches and smoked like a haddock shed... Hole in the exhaust, windows that went down but not up, you get the picture... That had done "110k" and was a wreck with a hole of about 40k in it's "FSH".. (that really wound me up, actually)..
The car I bought had a genuine FSH up too the 206k I bought it on, and a mostly solid body. What sold it was the fact that it was a daily, though.. it took the kids to school, and was owned by someone who understood the importance of servicing.. these 2 things made all the difference.
When I took it over to Andy (I'm lucky, he's close) it didn't have any major issues.. He took the water pump off and it turned out to be the original plastic unit. It's had a few bushes, a fuel pipe repair, rear pads, bonnet struts.. minor bits. I'd consider mine rough, but sound... find a nice one and it'll be a car to cherish.
As for the 520 vs 525 thing.. It aint' quick around town, keeps up though and you do have the option of holding the gear if you need to MOVE. Like I said above, though, on the Motorway it's capable. No over taking monster.. but not one of those cars you have to plan miles ahead for.. just be sure the gaps big enough...
My sunroof was sold as working, but iffy.. Previous had disconnected the switch. I drove 3 of us down to Cambridge on one of the HOT days.. I HAD to open it, opened fine.. just wouldn't close flush... much much much messing about has seen it close and seal again, but I wish I'd left it alone. The convosation with Andy when getting it safety checked went
"Does the roof work"
"Yeah, but he said it was iffy"
"Does it leak?"
"Doesn't seem to"
"Leave well alone"..
So, yeah, I want another, as a venture into what is, lets be honest, bangernomics, I'm sold.. I'm keeping my ear to the ground for a nice 525 manual tourer.. if you see one and it's tight.. be quick ;) lol.. You're not the only one looking.
One last thing.. I paid £650 and it had almost a full MOT, bursting history folder and a few months TAX... £600 - 1k seems to be the price range for most of them. Very nice, and very rough ones excluded, but as said above they're almost all going to have something wrong with them. You pick ya' demons carefully.
Last edited by
reflex88 on Sun Aug 11, 2013 8:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
and I appreciate the comments good or bad.
) beggars can not be choosers and condition and maintenance history should be the main prerequisites when hunting for the ideal turd 