Commuter wrote: Help! I'm thinking of buying an E34 for my daily 80-mile commute. I'm thinking that a 525 or 530 will have the right blend of durability, reliability and comfort, plus a bit of fun for the roundabouts. I'm also hoping that these mid-range models will give reasonable fuel efficiency but can't find fuel consumption figures to confirm either way. Can anyone tell me real figures at sensible motorway cruising speeds for these models, either as manuals or automatics? Also, have any of the mags published a proper buying guide to these models? Failing that, any advice on things to look for (beyond the obvious rust, crash damage and service history) would be appreciated, particularly potential big bills around 100-150k miles. Don't ask much, do I?

I had a e34 525i 24v model auto that returned around 30mpg on the motorway aslong as i kept it around 70mph.My e34 was a great car and i enjoyed driving it daily,i believe that the 525i tha i had is the best allrounder i am sure that others will agree in that it gives the best comprimise between performance running cost's and value for money.

The e34 is a bit of a bargain now as a good example with around 100k on the clock can be picked up for as little as £2000.

I think the main thing to look out for on the e34 is the suspension components as the e34 is a VERY heavy car and eats front bushes etc.... so test these thoroughly!!!

Check out the back issues of http://www.BMWCARmagazine.com - www.BMWCARmagazine.com  as they ran a buying guide for the e34 late last year.

The 530 is available as a 6 cylinder and a V8 post 1993(i think).

I am sure others will be along soon to prove me wrong!!!

Hi commuter check all bushes on the front these will clonk over bumps and also rear axle bushes which will clonk when changing gear, difficult to check on an auto though!!

Maybe find a local specialist near you to check the car over for you most will do this for a moderate charge normally an hours labour as they will be able to check all the parts that i have listed and give you an idea on what it will cost to replace.

Euro car parts are good for parts and service items if you want to do the bits yourself.

Check out http://www.bmw5.co.uk - www.bmw5.co.uk for a lot of info on the e34.

I have a 525i 24v and on a sensible motorway run at about 80 i can get 30miles to the gallon , around town if i have a light right foot i can squeeze 20-22mpg but im usually in the high teens

If you are going to get a 525 i'd reccomend to try and get a 91 model with the 24v engine and if you can find a nice one try and get the sport model , it comes with the Mtech kit and suspension and a LSD , and is a tad lower than a standard 5 , thats what I have and I love it

eta. wrote: The 525i changed to 24v around '91/'92. I don't know the respective MPG, but was told by a BMW technician that the 24v is a superb engine. Having said that, the 518i (manual only available) is surprisingly quick and quiet. Torquey engine, knew a chap that towed a powerboat all over the country and said it was a fantastic towing car! It uses the cambelt m40 engine, so ensure cambelt and tensioner have been changed. I think the 525i has a cambelt too.

I personally would dismiss a 518i as they are seriously underpowered as the e34 is a heavy car and you need the extra grunt of the six to push the car along.

The 24v 525i is the best of the bunch especially with the vanos like mine had as it has a lot more torque and improves MPG aswell.

Just my opinion not neccesarily correct

e34m5 wrote: bm24v wrote: What year did the Vanos come in? The M50TU (Vanos) engine was introduced at the beginning of 1993. Most people seem to think that the earlier non vanos M50 engines are better due to "hotter" (american term) cams.

So mine being a K reg (dont know when it was registered though) will have this vanos then.

Looking at the engine how (if any visible way) can you tell.

I would have thought the biggest problems with these cars is the heads.

I'm afraid they are prone to cracking, mileage doesnt seem to be a factor, correct coolant does.

I also prefer the M20 12 valve engine, although I have chipped mine to match the BHP of the 24v.

A very good 12v example should be around £1000 ish, a shed for as little as £100

I personally would dismiss a 518i as they are seriously underpowered as the e34 is a heavy car and you need the extra grunt of the six to push the car along.

Nigel wrote: although I have chipped mine to match the BHP of the 24v.

from 170BHP to 190 and a bit Nigel?

Hi,

My 525i estate (M50) returns 24mpg around town and about 32 if I stick to 70ish, much above 80mph returns about 27mpg.

I have a fairly heavy foot and have to make up for the fact that I haven't MOT'd the bike yet this year! 

Hope this helps.

Bryce.

I had been considering changing my chipped 525i sport for a Land Rover because I tow a caravan regularly and had been swatting up on various models etc.  Then I was out driving when I thought about what it would be like loosing the BM.   .  I LOVE driving it, the engine sounds beautiful (when its not ticking) and I think the economy's not bad.  I get 28mpg on average with a heavy foot and I only drive less than 10 Min's to work, so the engine hardly gets warmed up. 

Andrew

Commuter,

My experience having owned a '95 530 V8 touring since Jan 2005.....

Research your car in a big way and get as much advice to guide you in the right direction, there are tons of E34 BMW sources of info as well as BMW GB (but none as good!). Drove a 518 and struck off my list, lets face it the 5 is a BIG car propelled by a 1.8 engine ??!! Also a K reg 530 touring with the full complement of extras. BMW history + ext warranty until its sale - new head fitted when reqd +  engine bay you could eat your dinner off! Interior and body was a dog  with severe signs of wear, no rust but seats (leather) trashed, fittings broken, back end showed its was used extensively 4 towing - scratched and damaged body. Drove like a gem! Also 525 x 3 in various states of reapir but generally above average (best 4 value & econ), but didnt really grab me need time to find a good 'un. Seller's well aware of this & crank price up. I have leaned toward chain driven cams - more durable (bomb proof if heavy !). Personally economy from my on board shows 22-23mpg regularly. I have had nearly 400 miles on a steady high-ish speed motorway run, at worst a shade over 300 (loadsa local driving).

Well pleased with my 530 it sounds & goes great. Other experiences being certain parts are ONLY avail fom BMW or MUST be BMW ie. coolant. Recent prob (WAT) aux water pump was a pretty simple fix (BMW part only) + hoses & (BMW) coolant a shade under £100. 

Above all else what seals it for me is the BMW ride.....its 100% desgned for the driver.Once driven never forgotten.

Good luck on your search...Tony

530kev, I agree its thirsty but look at the options - a clean well looked after E34 is affordable, what else can you get in the 2nd hand world that compares on price and ride ? My own experience of the 3 5 & 7's I have driven is different but similar...that unmistakable BMW ride.

What a car !!!

Commuter,

Sounds like a nice car. Manual low milage 525s with full history are  quite rare these days.

Metric tyres will be a real hassle. I would spend a bit and buy some other alloys for standard tyres. Metric tyres are very expensive.

Congrats on the new car, replacement alloys are dirt cheap if you go for the std 15" off Ebay etc.  Though If I had the money right now i'd got for a nice set of 18's...

Andrew

Nice one m8

You do realise that's it now....everything you drive will be compared to the BMW ride....close but never better

Enjoy !!! 

Most of the replies seem to be advocating a 525 and you will probably here that elsewhere as well. If you are feeling confident dont dismiss the 530/540 v8 their reputation was  tarnished by an engine wear problem that will now have pretty much been resolved on any that are still running. A call to bmw customer service is all it takes to find out if the car was affected or has had remidial work done.

These cars where the higher model when new and are generally better specced. My own 94 530 did 700 miles last weekend with obc showing 32mpg av 65mph, but this 80% 85mph 20% 20mph. It does about 19mpg on my daily commute.

They are heavier on front bushes but the car feels compact to drive and is a pleasure to work on. At 180,000 mine has not let me down in 2 years daily use.

All this of course is secondary to the sound of the V8 at 6000rpm and 218bhp , which never fails to make a bad day good.

Best to just budget for spending £500 on bushes, whatever model you go for.

Sorry missed the latter part of your thread , sounds like a nice car and the mileage is a bonus.

Metric are generally to order, expensive and not very good.

I'd recommend 16" with 225/55/16.

They will look better than 15", but not gary boy'd. Plenty of style options.

I have never heard of anyone keeping the metrics.

Ummmm.I have a metric confession...

Ive kept the ones on my car......I love the look of the wheels...

http://67.18.37.16/1402/84/upload/p6978040.jpg - http://67.18.37.16/1402/84/upload/p6978040.jpg

ive managed to find one replacement tyre, if anyone else wants to get rid of their 240/45VR415 please give me a shout

Commuter wrote: Thanks for the offer Kev but if I go for replacement wheels I'll try to find some a bit closer to home. Before I go the replacement wheels route I want to find out just how expensive/difficult it is to source metric tyres.

Metric tyres are very old hat in terms of technology, not to mention lots of road noise and as someone as said poor in the wet,in short you will be paying a lot of money for very nasty tyres, the wheels that brybusa is showing you are very nice looking,although i dout yours will have these on, but these can also be found in 16"s 15"s and 17"split rim  (latic / x spoke)

I may well have a set of  G,bmw 16" latic wheels for sale in very good condition (just wheels) shortly, im not pushing a sale here as i will put them in stores for winter use ,but keep an open mind  95%ish of all owners that have had metric have got rid for the reasons above cost of replacement/nasty tyres.

E34 M30 535i SPORT