1996 518i = e34? would you buy it? Value?

[dobbie82]

I am very very tempted by the following car:

1996 BMW 518i SE SALOON, N reg. 12 mths MOT, no tax, full electrics, full service history and bbs alloys.

No price, so is it an e34 and how much should I look to pay?

I realise its probably a bit underpowered, but i think I need to own one for the sake of it

[Pilsbury]

It will be an E34, as the E39's lowest model was the 520i.
I wouldn't want to be paying much more than a few hundred quid for it, even if it's mint.
The 518i will not be the greatest road burner ever, and with facelift 525i 24V's, V8 530i's and 540i's dipping under the £1k mark, I know which I'd take given the option!

[Andy325i]

The five is a nice car but a 1.8 really doesn't cut it in an E34

Go for an earlier M50 engine 525i.

The 518i won't be an economic drive if you have to scald it everywhere to get it to go, whereas the 525i is a very reasonable car considering the performance

Andy

[Zerotonine]

I have just got a 525i and I'm loving it, but for the size I am thinking a 1.8 would be very sluggish but try to knock them down a bit price wise if you really want it!

[pacerpete]

Contrary to the advise of those that have never owned or driven one a late e34 518 is a decent car,the later m43 1900 engine is quite torquey and decent on fuel,a much better drive than a 520. A pleasant car for not a lot of money, with reasonable mileage with decent spec that will still pull £1500 +, obviously alot cheaper would be nice . Finally watch out for any steering shake / wobble at 60 ish(it won't be wheel balance !) and make sure it hasn't got the dreaded metric wheels which lots of later e34s had.

[dobbie82]

I've been told i am not allowed to buy it.. but i'm working on it. seller wants £995 and it hasnt got bbs just looked like it in the pic.

[ed325i]

I would never buy a 518 what where BMW thinking. They are better than the 520, Get 525.

[fuzzy]

i go with the general consensus who are saying no.i reckon its overpriced for what is the lowest car in the range.i was looking at a similar runaround recently ,a 525i with service history ,alloys,leather interior and a lowish mileage for £900.

[dobbie82]

so i take it an 1996 N plate is not worth any more than an F reg one?

[fuzzy]

considering how lowly theyre valued,it wont be worth much more.

[Pilsbury]

Contrary to the advise of those that have never owned or driven one a late e34 518 is a decent car,the later m43 1900 engine is quite torquey and decent on fuel,a much better drive than a 520. A pleasant car for not a lot of money, with reasonable mileage with decent spec that will still pull £1500 +, obviously alot cheaper would be nice . Finally watch out for any steering shake / wobble at 60 ish(it won't be wheel balance !) and make sure it hasn't got the dreaded metric wheels which lots of later e34s had.

I didn't think the E34 ever got the 1.9 engine.
It always had the 115bhp engine. Which is quite a bit down on the 150bhp of the 520i, and the 192bhp of the 525i...
Plus, a lot of 518's and 520's have been driven as if they were 535's....

[Simon13]

no don't buy a 518i with an M40 engine! poor bloody things they are. I've driven an M50 520 auto and that was bad! smooth but thats about it. my mum had a 24v 525i and that was a good car, twas manual so wasn't too juicy either.

I'd be listening to pacerpete's advice on this.

I wouldn't buy a £1000 530 or 540 V8 for that money they will be money pits! Nikasil blocks and dodgey cooling systems and big bills!

[Pilsbury]

The 740 I owned (and bought originally for under £2000) a couple of years back is still going strong, and apart from suspension bushes, and normal servicing has had no other money spent on it.
Not all M60 engined 5's and 7's at the bottom end of the market are dogs.

[bmpaul]

ahhhhhhhhhhhh dont do it its not worth it!!! 518s are poo 1.8 in a big motor does not go! my m50 525i is great quick and economical!!! go on do it!

[pacerpete]

To those who slag the 518 i say drive one, the combination of torquey M43 engine (don't touch the M40, scrap in an e34 as well as an e30 !) and sensible gearing make it quicker in the real world than a 520 and much better on fuel . As a big comfy cheap barge they make a lot of sense for very little money.

[ste]

While Pete is dead right, the 518 shouldn't be overlooked especially at the expense of a 520, it's still milkfloat fodder in the TLGP.

An early non-vanos M50 525 is a lovely car and won't cost you any more to buy. They sound superb, have more respectable performance and if driven sensibly are bloody economical. The Ironblock M50s will be dug up by alien explorers still intact and running long after the human race has shuffled off.

As already mentioned - front shakes and shimmys are the bane of an e34 owner's life. If you've ever looked under the front of one it's a bit Isambard Kingdom Brunel and all those rods and arms have bushes that love to wear out.

[ed325i]

To those who slag the 518 i say drive one, the combination of torquey M43 engine (don't touch the M40, scrap in an e34 as well as an e30 !) and sensible gearing make it quicker in the real world than a 520 and much better on fuel . As a big comfy cheap barge they make a lot of sense for very little money.

I used to work for BMW and have driven more than one. What people are saying is why buy a 518 when you can get a 525, 530 or a 535,540 for the same money. If you can pick a 518 up cheap then go for it but it would have to be cheap.

ED

[E30BeemerLad]

my missus put the kybosh on me getting a free j plate 525 the other day, someone at work had one which had a fcuked headgasket, it was out of MOT and had no rent in the screen but as she was gonna be charged 40 bullits to have it taken away I offered to take it for free, until my missus intervened!

planned on tipping in some of that kalimex stuff i'm always on about and then punting the barge on, hey ho.

[pacerpete]

Its one thing buying a car, its another putting petrol in it and maintaining it properly. People who buy cheap cars are generally financially challenged, so maintenance costs/ fuel costs are a priority. My last two 750ils were both taxed,tested and free, that hardly makes them a good choice as an every day chariot for the impoverished ?.

[fuzzy]

i dont think many people would consider a 750 as a cheap run around,even when they are free i usually buy a cheap car then stick a cosworth engine in it, which i spend lots of cash on then promptly write off in some sort of high speed incident,then its back to square one,then repeat