Any1 gone from E30 to E34?

[MrBMW78]

The family is getting bigger and the e30 feels small...
I am looking at e34s simply because they look like the E30 after a pie eating contest!

Any advise on e34s from the E30 zone massive...lol
I have been looking at 525i s and 535i s The last one i viewed was black, imaculate leather interior nice wheels and fairly good spec for a 5 series..the miliage is over 160 000 on a F plate and the seller wants Ԛ£2000 for it...

mmmm

[Brianmoooore]

personally, I would go for one with the M50 engine, preferably Vanos.
Ԛ£2k seems an awlfull lot for a F plate. E34s are cheap.

[AndyTouring]

Having had both I can tell you that good though the E30 is, the E34 is better in every way.

The M50 is the engine to go for, 2.5 is the one as insurance is only slightly more than the 2.0 litre, fuel consumption is slightly better & performance much better.

They are cheap so don't get conned into paying over the odds. Ԛ£2k for a 160k miler F-plate is about Ԛ£1500 too much - tell him where to shove it.

Friend has just bought a 535 with 124k & genuine Alpinas for Ԛ£700.

[Quaser]

I got a 525tds i may be selling - om me for more details if interested )

E34's are fantastic cars though - bit jucier then the E30's, but much more comforable to drive!

Q

[Estoril-5]

i have 2 e34's.

go for a 525 mate, best engine, performance and economy wise.

yeah theyre much bigger and very comfortable.

had a ride in an e30 cab the other day, ride was harsh, jumped back in mine and it was comfy.

518i is great for eco, no power tho.
520i - might aswell get a 518i
525i - best avail
530/535 - 12v - good but v. thirsty.
530 - go for the v8 not m30
540- rules!
M5 - whole new ball game!
HTH

[Hyperion]

i like the e34, just look at these 2 pics, they should make up your mind

[Rosc0PColtrane]

I had a 520i before my cab. Lowered on 17" Momo arrows. Looked great. Really really thirsty with no performance to speak of. The drive!! well, without doubt one of the smoothest most comfortable drives I've experienced. Oh it was on a e plate too!!

I drove from Yeovil to Tresliske hospital (I think) in Plymouth, down the m5. It was like being on a train, really smooth and quiet. The best bit is when people see you approach in their rear view mirror, they move straight away!! Was on 235's too so cornered like it was on rails!!

When I get some money together, will be looking into investing in an m5!

[gareth]

i'm in exactly the same situation as you mate.

i have a E30 335i tourer (was a 325i) and my wife has a E34 525i sport. this has the 2.5 M50 and is every bit as quick as a 325i.

used performance bits are cheaper for the E34 too! we got some 8.5J16 BBS rims with nearly new Dunlop SP Sport 245/40/16's on for Ԛ£130 on ebay! the car cost Ԛ£1010 with 11 months MOT, 122K on the clock, full history, mint metallic paint, mint leather recaro interior etc etc etc. as it's a sport it also has a LSD, m-tech suspension etc.

a bargain!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v382/ ... 479dfa.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v382/ ... ac1c1c.jpg

[bryang]

I went from my Dad's low mileage(67K) 2 door 325SE to my (manual) 535 sport , pics below..

http://www.e30zone.co.uk/modules.php?na ... highlight=

If you make the change you wont regret it

Why 325 sports are worth so much more than an e34 sport is beyond me...the e34 is a better car vs an e30 in every respect, comfort, speed(more so at the top end) ,brakes(e30 brakes are generally cr@p)toys and my sport handles far better than my SE did, even on its metrics..

engine wise, id go for a 535 if you can find a good one...they have far more toqrue than the 2.5's and thats more useful on the road in a big,heavy car..I think the later 2.5 had 190BHP and the 3.5 211BHP so there is an admittedly small(ish) gain in BHP

and they aint that much harder on fuel than a 325 - i average around 25MPG, at a constant 100MPH it reurns 20MPG - but i can return 13MPG across town

..and for some reason they dont seem to rot in anywhere near the fashion an e30 does...My 15 year old car has NO rust on it anywhere, not even underneath.

[M5pilot]

Ive had and still have E34's. Brilliantly built and they handle extremely well on sports BMW suspension.

The 525i 24V uses less fuel than a 325i all day long and is almost as quick even in Auto form.

No rattles and squeaks, very little rust problems. Simply a fantastic car.

The E34 M5's are amazing.

[cecotto147]

I've had 2 e34 tourers.

The 525 was okay but my 540 was a fantastic cruising car!

Yes they are bigger but space wise inside i dint think they are much bigger than the e30.

The drivers seat never went back as far as i really needed it the boot isn't as big as the car says it should be and the back seats are wider than the e30 but leg room is as good as the e30 and no better.

Fantastic cars, don't get me wrong, but i always kept the e30 as a second car when the e34 came along, glad i did as the e30 is the main car now with no e34's in sight! E30 is a drivers car with the extra space, the e34 is a tourer with a similar amount of space but not a huge amount more. A totally diferent car to drive, no where near as involving.

Even my girlfriend who i thopught would love the e34's was the one who went straight back to the e30 and said get rid of the e34.

Unless an m5 touring came along, then space is no issue!!

[M5pilot]

I found my E34 Touring to be massive in comparison to my E30 touring. Much better loading area aswell.

I actually loaded them up because I was doing flooring and kitchen work in my house and the E30 wouldnt hold no where near as much.

I could get a medium sized fridge into my E34 whereas I had no such luck in my E30.

An e34 with sports suspension and healthy steering and suspension bushes is a very involving drive.

E34 M5 is more involving than an E30 (not M3) if you want it to be.

[MrBMW78]

Thanks all for the posts.

I have read them all and the main things im getting from them are that they are cheap to buy, and the M50 engine's are the ones to go for.

Andy Touring you mentioned "Friend has just bought a 535 with 124k & genuine Alpinas for Ԛ£700."
That is cheap mate. Wow can not get over that.
I have been extensively searching on ebay and autotrader for the past couple of weeks the 525i and 535i s im seeing tend to average out at Ԛ£1500 varying in spec.
My only quam is that it has to be Black. I would go for a Dark blue or Red if it is outstanding.

Rest assured i will tell this guy where to stick his car and that price.

What im going to take from this is slow my search down, and wait for the right one and at the right price, there seems to be a lot of e34s out there for sale.

I am sad to see my E30 go. But i will undouptably return to the E30 once i can afford to run 2 cars......As for now the 5 series search continues.

[Andy325i]

I paid Ԛ£50 for this:

E34 M50B25

At the time it needed a good clean and an auto box, but otherwise mint

It has 129k miles on it and drives like a dream.

I sold it to a mate, but have driven it for at least 600-800miles and have been nothing but impressed by it

As for speed my E30 325i is just a shade quicker but vertually nothing in it....

As Brian said go for a later engined example, great car and very cheap too!


Andy

[Simon]

i like the e34, just look at these 2 pics, they should make up your mind

Oh yes, loving the front end on that one!

[Andy325i]

i like the e34, just look at these 2 pics, they should make up your mind

Oh yes, loving the front end on that one!

Now you mention it Simon I'm loving the headlights on that model, are they angel eyes or xenon

Andy

[fuzzy]

seems a bit steep, theres one in my local paper, f plate 535i with full leather interior and 65000 miles for Ԛ£900.only down side is that its white.got to be worth that for a run around im thinking

[stephen]

Logical progression....

for me anyhow....... I got this 540i touring with 160k miles for Ԛ£2000........... 17 to the gallon....

....although I have to agree that the leg room in the back is no better than that of an e30. Other than that it is supremely comfortable, reliable, spacious and very trick....

More info here, mostly US
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10

[m-dtech]

I have a K plate 518i as a daily runner. Performance does not interest me in my commute to work each day as im nose to tail in traffic.

However, i have spent the best part of a grand on parts since buying it in november.

Springs, Shocks, Discs, Pads, Shoes, Drums, Top Mounts, TCA Arms (upper and lower), Tie bars, Wheel Bearings, Thermostat, Waterpump, Timing belt. Car has done 70K miles

They are bad for rust on the rear sills. Mine is away for welding as we speak.

Try to get one with the pilot seats in the front, i love the arm rest.

[calipsodream]

im goin from e30 to e34 m8 when i get the e34 coolin problem sorted ive just got a H reg 525i 24v auto cheap in boston green fully loaded bar leather . i like the e30s but im a big lad & look a bit odd in an e30 lol so its a 5 again means the e30 will be up 4 sale soon

[Andy325i]

ive just got a H reg 525i 24v auto

Something strange there.... One of the very first maybe?

Andy

[alanpina]

I did it...I had a cab then this

http://www.virtualtourcompany.co.uk/car/car.htm

then a cab again...then an e34 M5...now I want my cab back....it's a niiiiiitemare...e34's, as good as they are (and my M5 is GOOD), they still make me feel like I'm the big-man-family-guy...and I don't always want that...The summer's coming, the hem-lines are on their way up aaaaarrrrggghhh, and there I am...sensible performance-saloon guy, who's future is decided...After all, the guy who said: There's no more room in the back of an e34 was right, so you'd be justified in keeping your e30...I say keep it. If you own a nice e30, you're a member here...you're probably into that 'make-you-feel-alive-driving-experience', and I have to say the e34 doesn't give you that, 315bhp or not.

[MrBMW78]

I do love my E30, but its not just the rear leg roon im concerned about, with a E34 i could put the two push chairs a bit of shopping and also have my humungus sub in the back...Some one mentioned the arm rest, yes they are the bolloks.....

All the prices mentioned above...am i looking in the wrong place or is it the wrong time...The fairly decent e34s ive seen are going from Ԛ£1500 to Ԛ£3000 and in that selection the M5 is not included.

I suspect that the E34 owners are pricing their cars higher because of the prices some E30s are going for on Autotrader and ebay.

This is the look im going for..Black with leather interior.
Could someone please advise wether something like this is worth between Ԛ£1000- Ԛ£2000 of my money? very large link...but will take you straight to the ad.

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www/CA ... 8225115444

Just checjed this link looks like the picture doent show...will post som now.

[MrBMW78]

Im having some technical difficulty with posting the picture, i will try later.

[MrBMW78]

seems a bit steep, theres one in my local paper, f plate 535i with full leather interior and 65000 miles for Ԛ£900.only down side is that its white.got to be worth that for a run around im thinking

Hi.
Is there any chance you could forward the contact details my way PM me if nessisary. some white ones do not look so bad, but i am looking for a black e34 as i mentioned earlier if its nice ill give it someconsideration.

Regards

[DanThe]

Andy, the 525 24V i bought was also on a H plate. December 1990
I would deffinatly go for a facelifted model though, looks a lot meaner

[calipsodream]

yeah its a late H reg think is a 91 not sure. im going to fit the face lift front to it make it better they look a bit odd with the norrow grill

[MrBMW78]

yeah its a late H reg think is a 91 not sure. im going to fit the face lift front to it make it better they look a bit odd with the norrow grill

No way no how does the facelift grill look better than the pre-face grill...lol
But then again it is all down to each persons individual taste.

I prefer the smaller grill to the big douppy looking facelift grill, The pr-facelift grill blacked out is unbeatable IMO.

[gareth]

agreed. pre facelift is best imho

[bmpaul]

mate e34s are the way to go! i have a beautful 525ise m50 narrow grille in a special edition metallic orient blue with the armrests and my daily commute to work and back is a 50mile round trip and i cannot fault the car i love it. the e34 is one of the most underrated and over looked cars of today and it does not get the recognition it deserves!!!! Pre face lift look every time!

[Andy335Touring]

Pre face lift look every time!

Yep,check the sig for my old one.

Theres still part of me that wishes i'd kept the E34 and stuck a turbo on it rather than butchering it for the M30 335 swap.

The e34 is a more grown up sort of car.

[gareth]

i was talking to my local BMW specialist garage the other day (leaders engineering in hastings... brilliant place!) and he reckons the E34 is about the pinnacle of BMW's quality. from what he's seen, things have gone more downhill in recent years. the newer stuff has the 'feel' of quality from the drivers viewpoint but when you work on the things they're not so well put together.

suffice to say he owns a E34!

[fatjapp]

IÔš've just gone the other way, from an E34 to an E30.
The E34 was fantastic on the motorway, a real mile muncher, it just drank far to much fuel.

E34 was a 520i with the M50 engine (Non Vanos)

You can just about see the 325 in the background .....

[bmpaul]

mine is not too bad on petrol and it is lovely on the motorway. m50 2.5 i can get about 350 miles out of it on Ԛ£60 and thats not driving sensibly all the time!!!!

[Maxus]

An E34 was my first BMW. What a great car. It was a 525 Sport. Went well and did 30mpg. Totally solid. Wide kidneys for me everytime!